Satan is an Angel

Satan is an angel as Michael and Gabriel are angels. Satan has no more affect on our lives than Michael and Gabriel have.

 

If Satan is the motivation behind our sins who motivated him? No one. He is an angel; he  rebelled and God threw him out of heaven. He does not know the future anymore than any other angel knows the future.

 

Hell is not intended for mankind it was prepared for Satan and his angels. We do not need Satan to help us sin. We sin when we are not following God's purposes. When we are not following God's purposes we are following Satan's.

 

Apparently the serpent who tempted Eve had intelligence and decided to lie to Eve. If the serpent was not acting on his own why was he punished? The fact that the serpent was not promoting God's purposes by default means he was promoting Satan's purposes. As was Peter when Jesus said to Peter "Get behind me Satan." Jesus was not talking to Satan he was talking to Peter. Since Peter was not encouraging Jesus he was discouraging Jesus thus he was promoting Satan's.

 

James tells us we sin when we are tempted by our own lusts. It is true Satan brought sin into the world via the serpent but it was the serpent who sinned and then Eve and then Adam. The serpent rebelled as Satan had rebelled. Eve and Adam rebelled as Satan had rebelled.

 

Satan may or may not be walking to and fro looking for who he may devour but he is not affecting us. When we fail to follow God we are following Satan.

Curriculum---Pedagogy---Assessment

In his book "The Element" Ken Robinson writes how nearly every system of public education on earth is in the process of being reformed---in Asia, the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

 

Reasons given are economic and cultural. Economic since every region in the world wants to educate their people to find work and create wealth in a world that is changing faster than ever; cultural because every region wants to take advantage of globalization without losing their identity.

 

In education there are three major processes: the curriculum--- what the school system expects students to learn; pedagogy---the process by which the system helps students to learn; and assessment--- the process of judging how well they are doing.

 

Churches of Christ emphasize the Bible as the curriculum, but pay little attention to pedagogy and no attention to assessment. Is it any wonder the church if Bible illiterate?

Preaching/Teaching vs Education

Editor, Gospel Advocate:

Reference the article "J.W. McGarvey and the Tragic Tale of Broadway" in March 2011 GA.

The article reported that in a congregation with a membership approaching 1,000 361 voted for the organ, 202 voted against the organ, and 400+ had no opinion. That means 202 members accepted McGarvey's teaching BUT 761+ rejected his comments on the subject. He had failed pretty badly. Would we accept that same percents from a high school teacher or college professor?

What if in a class studying physics with attendance approaching 1,000 students 202 students accepted the laws of physics and 761 did not? Would you want your child who was interested in Physics to be a student of a professor with that record of teaching/convincing his students? What if you had that same level of success convincing your children of your values?

I am not blaming McGarvey I am blaming the method he used and we use today. Formal "church" services and Bible classes where the people sit and listen are not situations where learning takes place. Learning is give and take; questions and answers; discussion and rebuttal. Without learning there is no teaching. In schools we are interested in teacher/student ratio. How's the ratio in your congregation and in your classes?

As the church Jesus established on Pentecost continues to shrink in comparison with the population; as the students graduate from our Sunday schools and go on to college or jobs continue to reject what their teachers espoused all those years we are well past the time to take a hard look at what we are doing. Our bible classes are intended to fill the time allotted for classes not education. Sermons are intended to fill the time allotted for the sermon not education and convincing.

Equating Faith and Prosperity

Christians equate faith with prosperity in this world. This is so, even though Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world.

What are our priorities? Collectively Christians spend billions of dollars on church buildings. The value of the property owned by churches exceeds $200 billion. Churches have money and possessions and we build memorials to us. Our buildings testify to our belief that prosperity validates our faith while consuming our time and money. With Jesus as our example we are to spend our lives for Him among the needy.

 

 

Christianity OR Capitalism

Acts 4:32-37  

    Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

 

Compare that with our capitalist culture where Christians believe God blesses THEM so THEY can buy large houses, expensive cars, and go on expensive vacations.

 

 

 

Parkinson's Law

Parkinson's Law says, "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

 

Have you noticed that most of our Adult Bible classes are examples of Parkinson's Law? While their class goes on forever the teachers remind us again and again "We aren't in a hurry."

 

Colleges and universities limit courses to quarters or semesters and after a few years graduate students ready to put their studies to good use. While our Adult Bible classes produce "graduates" who remain pretty much Bible illiterate. 

Pray is a church word. . .

Pray is a church word. It means what you want it to mean. The word is even used to define itself.

 

Mark 6:46 (KJV) 

    And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray (To pray to God fervently; to pour one's whole heart and total being out to God; to share with God both thanksgiving and petitions).

 

2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV) 

    Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (To implore; to pray; to beg; to urge; to intreat; to cry; to ask; and to plead with.) you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

 

How often do you hear a public prayer you would define as "fervent"?

 

How often do you hear a public prayer and you pour your heart and total being out to God?

 

How often do you hear a public prayer and you implore, you beg, your urge, you intreat, you cry, you plead with God?

 

Our public prayers are to fill the space allocated for prayer. Jesus says "Matthew 6:6   

    But 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 change that to stand before a group of people and a public address system.  

 

 

 

 

What does "I pray for. . " mean?

Have you noticed that we usually do not pray but say we are? How often do you hear or say "I pray for. . ." To pray means to supplicate to ask God for something. What does "I pray for. . ." specifically ask of God?  

God Knows

The Bible says God knows what we will ask before we ask. Prayer is for us not for Him. The Bible says God knows everything about us which would include when we will die. God knows today, if we will be saved or lost. Knowing we will be saved what purpose is there to keep track of sins? Knowing we will be lost what purpose is served by forgiving individual sins? What purpose is served for God to let an individual suffer but for the prayers of others?

Christians really should study the Bible and learn more about prayer and God's relationship with His people, those of us in the world but not of the world.

Without Learning There is No Teaching

Have you considered if anyone "learns" anything in our Sunday / Wednesday Bible classes? Have you considered if there is "teaching" going on in those same Bible Classes?

 

Teaching is helping someone learn. Learn is to get knowledge. Educate is to train or develop knowledge. Convince is to overcome, confute or convict. Persuade is to induce to believe something, convince.

 

Based on those definitions the answer is "No!" When was the last time you knew of a situation where someone changed their mind after attending our Bible classes? 

The Rule of 150 / Malcolm Gladwell

 Robin Dunbar, a British anthropologist has concluded the number 150 represents the maximum number of individuals with whom we can have a genuinely social relationship.  When groups exceed 150 the people become strangers to each other. When groups become too large the individuals do not have enough work in common. Close-knit fellowship is lost. In groups larger than 150 organizational considerations limit the group's ability to to agree and to act with one voice.

March GA, The Restoration Legacy of J.W. McGarvey

The articles In the March GA concerning J.W. McGarvey were very interesting and I believe highlight situations/issues we face today. I did not know McGarvey so I can comment only on what I read about him. He apparently made the same mistake many parents, elders, leaders of all types made and continue to make. He took silence as agreement; the lack of reaction as acquiescence.  He failed to pass his values and judgments to his followers. In a congregation approaching 1,000 members 202 considered the organ issue important enough to vote against it while 361 rejected completely McGarvey's studied opinion, and 400 plus didn't care enough to have an opinion. McGarvey failed and so will we unless we learn from his mistakes. Biblical silence is not the deciding factor.