There is not a great deal said in the Bible about church membership. What is said is mostly by example; examples given that we can follow. But we can note a few passages that give us some direction for our participation in the church today.
We can notice some things from the very first church, the Jerusalem church, as recorded at the end of Acts 2. We see in the last few verses that the new Christians were hanging together, spending time together, eating together and sharing. The final verse says, "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." This "adding" was being done by the Lord. The people were becoming Christians, doing what verse 41 says, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." The people were responding to the Gospel message, but they weren't adding themselves; they weren't joining the church; they were being added. The Lord was adding them. This usage relates to the overall church, what is sometimes called the church universal. But they were a part of the Jerusalem church, the local church, as well.
As we go on through the New Testament, we see a great deal of emphasis being placed on the churches. Virtually every book is either written to the churches or references the church in a specific area. We realize that the churches are just people, Christians, who are meeting together, worshipping together and carrying on God's work on earth.
Another passage that is noteworthy is in Hebrews 10, beginning in verse 24, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another..." By being a part of the group, we can offer the support to other Christians that is often so badly needed.
I will confess that sometimes I don't do my part in the "spurring one another toward love and good deeds." and there is a tendency to put too much emphasis on attendance at worship services. I do believe that the Lord expects that of us; but we all know that is only a small part of serving God, of living the Christian life.
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Maturity
The Bible calls for the followers of Christ to be mature. Every person who becomes a Christian begins as a newborn, a babe in Christ. This babe has limited knowledge of the Bible and even limited understanding. Just as a newborn baby is born without maturity, so is the new Christian. This comparison between babe and mature is made in several places, one being Hebrews 5, beginning with verse 12: "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!" It is important that we concentrate on maturing in our knowledge and faith.
As we read on in Hebrews chapter 6, we see more specifics on what this maturing process is. "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands,the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment." Some of these subjects seem rather deep to me; but we are told to mature beyond these things. As it says at the end of chapter 5, "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." It would seem from this statement that it is important to train ourselves more and more to "distinguish good from evil." Another verse in this passage says that the "infant is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." It seems clear that the mature person is one who is focused on teaching about "righteousness."
So it is interesting to see how the NT shows that our emphasis changes with the maturing process. It isn't that we aren't concerned with the elementary principles stated above; it is just that we have dealt with these things and then moved on to more important subjects, focusing on righteousness and discerning good from evil.
This is not a directed message to any one person.....at all. This is a lesson for us all to keep our focus, keep on maturing, learning, growing, and especially seeking; seeking God, seeking righteousness, seeking salvation where we can live forever with Him!
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
As we read on in Hebrews chapter 6, we see more specifics on what this maturing process is. "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands,the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment." Some of these subjects seem rather deep to me; but we are told to mature beyond these things. As it says at the end of chapter 5, "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." It would seem from this statement that it is important to train ourselves more and more to "distinguish good from evil." Another verse in this passage says that the "infant is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." It seems clear that the mature person is one who is focused on teaching about "righteousness."
So it is interesting to see how the NT shows that our emphasis changes with the maturing process. It isn't that we aren't concerned with the elementary principles stated above; it is just that we have dealt with these things and then moved on to more important subjects, focusing on righteousness and discerning good from evil.
This is not a directed message to any one person.....at all. This is a lesson for us all to keep our focus, keep on maturing, learning, growing, and especially seeking; seeking God, seeking righteousness, seeking salvation where we can live forever with Him!
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
The Bible is Fair
The Bible can be described in many ways. It could be described as historically correct, the most read book of all time, an interesting account, salvation providing, the Word of God. But for this article, let us establish that it is fair. No other book is more fair in its presentation of the main characters, the heroes. Other books that men write tend to give some leeway to the heroes of the book, giving emphasis to their strengths and overlooking their faults. The Bible is different is this.
We see in the Bible many heroes of faith, people dedicated to God. But in the stories that are recorded of them are the weaknesses as well as the strengths. No other book is this fair. Let's look at a few examples.
Adam--Adam is quite important, being the first man. Yet we see him in the light of failure. He fails to remain strong in his trust of the Lord, is banned from the garden and spends his life in toil.
Abraham--Abraham is the father is of the Jews. He is given much approval by God for his great faith. Many times he stood up for what was right. But he lied under pressure when he called his wife his sister. There was some truth in the lie, but he still lied.
David--King David, the greatest of all kings in the Old Testament, was called a "man after God's own heart." But he committed adultery and murder....and the whole account is recorded in all of its sordid detail in the Bible.
Peter--In the New Testament we find that Peter denied even knowing Jesus when Jesus was being tried and was about to go to His death. Peter was a great servant of the Lord....but his weakness is clearly shown.
There are many more examples that could be given to show that the Bible is more than fair in its presentation of its main characters. One might ask why this is done so openly. I would say that it shows us that these were mere men, people like us who had weaknesses and struggles in their lives. They were not perfect....and we are not perfect.
In the cases of so many of the great people of the Bible, people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, the many prophets, Peter, Paul, Barnabus, and on and on, the Lord recognized their weaknesses, but also their faith and obedience. And He gave them salvation.
We need to be sure that our faith and obedience override our failures, our sins, and serve our God now while we have the chance. There is a heaven, a life after death, where we can spend forever with the one who has all power, all knowledge, and all glory. Let's be there!
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
We see in the Bible many heroes of faith, people dedicated to God. But in the stories that are recorded of them are the weaknesses as well as the strengths. No other book is this fair. Let's look at a few examples.
Adam--Adam is quite important, being the first man. Yet we see him in the light of failure. He fails to remain strong in his trust of the Lord, is banned from the garden and spends his life in toil.
Abraham--Abraham is the father is of the Jews. He is given much approval by God for his great faith. Many times he stood up for what was right. But he lied under pressure when he called his wife his sister. There was some truth in the lie, but he still lied.
David--King David, the greatest of all kings in the Old Testament, was called a "man after God's own heart." But he committed adultery and murder....and the whole account is recorded in all of its sordid detail in the Bible.
Peter--In the New Testament we find that Peter denied even knowing Jesus when Jesus was being tried and was about to go to His death. Peter was a great servant of the Lord....but his weakness is clearly shown.
There are many more examples that could be given to show that the Bible is more than fair in its presentation of its main characters. One might ask why this is done so openly. I would say that it shows us that these were mere men, people like us who had weaknesses and struggles in their lives. They were not perfect....and we are not perfect.
In the cases of so many of the great people of the Bible, people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, the many prophets, Peter, Paul, Barnabus, and on and on, the Lord recognized their weaknesses, but also their faith and obedience. And He gave them salvation.
We need to be sure that our faith and obedience override our failures, our sins, and serve our God now while we have the chance. There is a heaven, a life after death, where we can spend forever with the one who has all power, all knowledge, and all glory. Let's be there!
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Sunday
Christians worship on Sunday. It is interesting to see how the day of worship changed from Saturday, under the Jewish system, to Sunday as Christianity began. And the timing of this change is also telling. So we will look a bit further in this brief study of worship.
It is noteworthy that Jesus was a good Jew. He kept the Jewish Law during His lifetime, including worshipping on the seventh day of the week, Saturday. Emphasis on Saturday worship was instituted by God, setting this day aside to remember that God created the world in 6 days and rested on the seventh day. During Jesus' ministry He never taught His followers to change from this day of worship, or really to make any change in following the Jewish Law. But a big change was coming....
Jesus left the beginnings of the Christian Way to His apostles and other disciples. Jesus was crucified on Friday and raised on Sunday. He instructed His apostles to wait in Jerusalem for power to come to them from the Holy Spirit. This occurred on Sunday. Then as the apostles begin their work, they bring a total new Way. A part of this Way is the beginnings of Sunday worship...and the putting away of all Jewish worship and following the Jewish Law. We see Christian worship after Jesus left the earth always being on Sunday. An example of this is shown in Acts 20:7, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread....." (take the Lord's Supper).
Today there are still people trying to hold on to parts of the Jewish Law as Christians. But the NT is clear that the Old Law, the Jewish Law, has been fulfilled, has been replaced by the Christian Way. If anyone tried to serve God by keeping the Jewish Law, they could not keep it perfectly anymore, making it ineffective. The only way to God now is through Jesus; and Jesus made this clear through His teaching.
There is a trend today to worship God on Saturday instead of Sunday. Many do this on Saturday night out of convenience, freeing up Sunday for other things. This is not following the NT pattern. There was a reason that the Christians in the Bible made a point of worshipping on Sunday, the first day of the week. We need to follow this pattern to be pleasing to our God.
Thanks for reading again. Feel the love.
It is noteworthy that Jesus was a good Jew. He kept the Jewish Law during His lifetime, including worshipping on the seventh day of the week, Saturday. Emphasis on Saturday worship was instituted by God, setting this day aside to remember that God created the world in 6 days and rested on the seventh day. During Jesus' ministry He never taught His followers to change from this day of worship, or really to make any change in following the Jewish Law. But a big change was coming....
Jesus left the beginnings of the Christian Way to His apostles and other disciples. Jesus was crucified on Friday and raised on Sunday. He instructed His apostles to wait in Jerusalem for power to come to them from the Holy Spirit. This occurred on Sunday. Then as the apostles begin their work, they bring a total new Way. A part of this Way is the beginnings of Sunday worship...and the putting away of all Jewish worship and following the Jewish Law. We see Christian worship after Jesus left the earth always being on Sunday. An example of this is shown in Acts 20:7, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread....." (take the Lord's Supper).
Today there are still people trying to hold on to parts of the Jewish Law as Christians. But the NT is clear that the Old Law, the Jewish Law, has been fulfilled, has been replaced by the Christian Way. If anyone tried to serve God by keeping the Jewish Law, they could not keep it perfectly anymore, making it ineffective. The only way to God now is through Jesus; and Jesus made this clear through His teaching.
There is a trend today to worship God on Saturday instead of Sunday. Many do this on Saturday night out of convenience, freeing up Sunday for other things. This is not following the NT pattern. There was a reason that the Christians in the Bible made a point of worshipping on Sunday, the first day of the week. We need to follow this pattern to be pleasing to our God.
Thanks for reading again. Feel the love.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Prophesies of the Messiah to Come
The Old Testament is full of prophesies about the Messiah, the Christ, to come. It would be impossible to cover all of these in this short blog. But we will mention a couple to give examples.
Psalm 22 was written by King David many hundreds of years before Christ, yet it refers to the words that would be spoken by the Christ as He approached His death. "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? ...dogs have surrounded Me; The assembly of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." This, of course, is exactly what happened as Jesus was about to die, as we read in the NT.
Another good example of the OT prophesies is Isaiah 53. Isaiah was a prophet, spokesman, for God approximately 700 years before Christ. He may not have understood what he was writing, but listen to his words about the coming Christ: "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief......He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.....and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
In the NT, we find an Ethiopian nobleman reading this passage from the book of Isaiah, (Acts 8), and asking Philip, 'who is this talking about?' Philip proceeds to explain that this is Jesus. And he preached to him about Jesus. As they rode along on the nobleman's chariot, he asked to be baptized. Then it says that they "went down into the water, and he baptized him."
These passages show the continuity of the Bible, the continuity of God's plan, the fulfillment of prophecy that only God could accomplish....and it gives us increased faith that our God is real; and as Hebrews 11:6 says, "...and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
Now that is Power. God is Powerful. Jesus is real. And we are blessed. May God bless you this week as you continue to fight the devil and serve our God and Savior. Praise be to Him!
Psalm 22 was written by King David many hundreds of years before Christ, yet it refers to the words that would be spoken by the Christ as He approached His death. "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? ...dogs have surrounded Me; The assembly of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." This, of course, is exactly what happened as Jesus was about to die, as we read in the NT.
Another good example of the OT prophesies is Isaiah 53. Isaiah was a prophet, spokesman, for God approximately 700 years before Christ. He may not have understood what he was writing, but listen to his words about the coming Christ: "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief......He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.....and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
In the NT, we find an Ethiopian nobleman reading this passage from the book of Isaiah, (Acts 8), and asking Philip, 'who is this talking about?' Philip proceeds to explain that this is Jesus. And he preached to him about Jesus. As they rode along on the nobleman's chariot, he asked to be baptized. Then it says that they "went down into the water, and he baptized him."
These passages show the continuity of the Bible, the continuity of God's plan, the fulfillment of prophecy that only God could accomplish....and it gives us increased faith that our God is real; and as Hebrews 11:6 says, "...and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
Now that is Power. God is Powerful. Jesus is real. And we are blessed. May God bless you this week as you continue to fight the devil and serve our God and Savior. Praise be to Him!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Paul's Farewell Talk
A very touching occurrence in the book of Acts is where Paul calls a meeting with the elders of the Ephesian church. Paul is in a hurry to get to Jerusalem for the time of the Jewish feast of Pentecost. He wasn't observing the Jewish feasts or keeping any of the Jewish Law. We know this from his other teachings. But he felt he needed to be there then. He knew that he could be going to his end. "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there." (Acts 20:22)
Paul points out several things to these men. And what he says is of great importance for he knew that he would never see them again. He tells them to keep watch over themselves and over the flock, the church there in Ephesus. He calls them overseers and shepherds.
He then warns them of "wolves" that will come in among them and "will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth..." This has always been a problem and continues to be so today. We must always be watchful.
He concludes by telling them "to help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
This touching farewell of Paul was a most emotional event for these men. But it was words that they needed to hear. And it was important enough for Paul to ask them to travel to meet him. The words are as true today. We should note carefully, appreciate Paul for his goodness, and hold fast to the truth, living it out in our lives.
Have a great week!
Paul points out several things to these men. And what he says is of great importance for he knew that he would never see them again. He tells them to keep watch over themselves and over the flock, the church there in Ephesus. He calls them overseers and shepherds.
He then warns them of "wolves" that will come in among them and "will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth..." This has always been a problem and continues to be so today. We must always be watchful.
He concludes by telling them "to help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
This touching farewell of Paul was a most emotional event for these men. But it was words that they needed to hear. And it was important enough for Paul to ask them to travel to meet him. The words are as true today. We should note carefully, appreciate Paul for his goodness, and hold fast to the truth, living it out in our lives.
Have a great week!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Direct Commands of Jesus
It would be difficult to cite all of the direct commands that Jesus made as recorded in the New Testament. But we will mention a few in this blog to demonstrate the nature of His teaching.
"I tell you: Love your enemies.." Matthew 5. This was a tough command for anyone to do.....but He had no problem making this a direct command to His followers.
"I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear..." Matt. 6. He certainly knew how hard this was for us mortal humans.
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15.
"..Stay in the city (Jerusalem) until you have been clothed with power from on high." Luke 24. Said to His apostles before He left them.
"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved..."
" 'Who are you Lord?' Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' He replied. 'Now get up and go...." Acts 9. This is the account of Saul's conversion, later to be called Paul.
While this last verse is taken out of context, actually they all are, the teaching to "get up and go" might be a good one for us all. There is a need to follow all of these teachings, but certainly we need to get up and go, get to work, do it now, serve Him, for the time is short on this earth. I need to heed this as much as anyone.
Ok, thanks for reading. Serve the Lord.......feel the love.
"I tell you: Love your enemies.." Matthew 5. This was a tough command for anyone to do.....but He had no problem making this a direct command to His followers.
"I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear..." Matt. 6. He certainly knew how hard this was for us mortal humans.
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15.
"..Stay in the city (Jerusalem) until you have been clothed with power from on high." Luke 24. Said to His apostles before He left them.
"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved..."
" 'Who are you Lord?' Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' He replied. 'Now get up and go...." Acts 9. This is the account of Saul's conversion, later to be called Paul.
While this last verse is taken out of context, actually they all are, the teaching to "get up and go" might be a good one for us all. There is a need to follow all of these teachings, but certainly we need to get up and go, get to work, do it now, serve Him, for the time is short on this earth. I need to heed this as much as anyone.
Ok, thanks for reading. Serve the Lord.......feel the love.
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