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The Local Church of Revelation

Written by Rick Shrader

The Local Church of Revelation

by Rick Shrader

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All conservative scholars agree that Revelation is the last book to be added to the canon of sixty six inspired books and that the apostle John is the author.  John is given his three-fold division of the book as, “the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (1:19).  The first division contains only chapter one, the things which John was presently seeing.  The second division must be chapters two and three concerning the seven churches of Asia, because the third division is obviously what follows in chapters four to the end, “I will show thee things which must be hereafter” (4:1).

The description of the seven churches of chapters two and three, “the things which are,” constitute the last revelation concerning the New Testament church.  This comprises the church age which will last until the tribulation, described in chapters four to twenty two, begins.  The appearing of Jesus Christ to John on the Isle of Patmos (vs. 9) happens more than sixty years after Christ’s resurrection and ascension back to heaven.  There were many other things happening at that time to which the Lord might have turned John’s attention, but the Lord was supremely interested in seven small local churches in Asia.

The order in which the churches are mentioned has been the source of many interpretations.  The historicists see seven periods within the church age ending with the apostasy of the Laodicean age.  But it is better to see the seven churches as the “things which are” in John’s time.  The order they are mentioned simply corresponds to the circle in which John would have traveled when delivering the letters, starting in Ephesus and ending in Laodicea.

The letters to the seven churches become uniquely important to us because they represent the final form of the local church, churches that were planted most likely by the apostle Paul’s efforts and were now under the direct influence of the apostle John.  Not that there is contradiction in the New Testament but rather a solidification of the doctrines, a settling of the foundation into concrete form.  There are many significant components to the churches in these two chapters.  Here are five which are very important.

Jesus Christ

Jesus is doing the speaking, that is, the revealing to John.  Red letter editions of the Bible use a lot of red ink in these chapters.  In chapter one, verse one, we see that God the Father gave this revelation to Jesus Christ Who gave it to His angel who gave it to John who is now giving it to God’s servants.  John sees Jesus as He is in His post-ascension, glorified body.  Paul confessed earlier that “though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2 Cor. 5:16).  From now on Jesus will be in the form that flesh takes when it is resurrected and glorified, even as John testified, “when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

John describes our Lord in this fashion:

12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.  14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;  15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.  16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. (1:12-16)

Jesus is walking among the candlesticks which are the seven churches.  He has the angels (pastors) in His right hand.  He says to every church, “I know thy works.”  Each description of Him is applied to one of the churches as it relates to their spiritual condition.  He is the Head of the church; resurrected, glorified, eternal, omnipotent, and Owner of the scroll, the deed to the whole earth.  One by one He will peel off the seals and claim the rightful ownership of His own creation.

The Apostle John

John is the last of the apostles and the last of the inspired writers of Scripture.  There will be many who claim the title: Muhammad, Joseph Smith, and still today we have groups like the New Apostolic Reformation with such well-known men as C. Peter Wagner and Rafael Cruz.1  But they are false apostles about whom John often spoke (1 John 4:1).  No man since John was baptized by John the Baptist or walked with Jesus during His life on earth, nor have they seen Christ after His resurrection as Peter declares, “whom, having not seen, ye love” (1 Pet. 1:8).  True apostles like John suffer and die.  Preachers may make pulpits famous, but apostles and prophets made prisons famous.

John declares himself as the last biblical writer:

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:  19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (22:18-19)

The Bible is a canonized collection of 66 books of which Revelation is the last.  To a train of 66 cars, one can only take the last one off or put one more on.  That is why this statement is properly placed here.  This is the last one to be put on.  Matthew Henry so eloquently said, “This sanction is like a flaming sword, to guard the canon of the scripture from profane hands.  Such a fence as this God set about the law (Deut. 4:2), and the whole Old Testament (Mal. 4:2), and now in the most solemn manner about the whole Bible, assuring us that it is a book of the most sacred nature, divine authority, and of the last importance, and therefore the peculiar care of the great God.”2  No one ought to assume himself a Bible writer, or even claim that “God told me,” who does not also claim for himself the wrath of God mentioned in these verses.

The Seven Churches

Jesus stood in the midst of seven golden lamp stands and declared, “the seven candlesticks are the seven churches” (1:20).  They are golden because they are most precious in His sight.  Jesus could have appeared in Jerusalem and instructed the scattered Jewish nation or in Rome and corrected the great world power.  But “the things which are” concern God’s primary agency in this age of grace, the New Testament local church.  He walks among them and holds their messengers in His right hand.  He knows them intimately, encouraging or correcting where necessary.

Churches aren’t perfect as these seven churches demonstrate and serve as examples for all churches to come.  Five of the seven receive severe reprimand but all hear words such as, “I know thy works,” and “nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,” and “be thou faithful unto death,” and “that which ye have already, hold fast till I come.”  The command to “repent” is given to five of the seven churches and the admonition to “overcome” to all.  The same could be and should be said to all churches throughout the age.

The letters to the churches are natural and interesting to read.  The New Testament was largely written to churches, even though those churches may have had apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers in them.  These seven letters, like the earlier epistles, were addressed to believers at specific locales.  Though believers today comprise the universal church, or body of Christ, every believer ought to be a baptized member of a local church.  This is the organization that Christ loves and to which He writes letters.  As Paul finished his first epistle to the Thessalonians he wrote, “I charge you by the Lord, that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren” (1 Thes. 5:27).  As he finished his epistle to the Colossians he wrote, “And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea” (Col. 4:16).  This is most natural because that is where the believers would be.  As John was finishing this book of Revelation, the Lord said, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches” (22:16).  John would faithfully make the circle from Ephesus to Laodicea, delivering the letters and later the whole book to seven local churches.  Why?  Because that is where the “holy brethren” would be gathered.  John also received this revelation on “the Lord’s day” (1:10), “the first day of the week” (1 Cor. 16:2), as in Troas, “when the disciples came together” (Acts 20:7).

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit baptized the believers into the body of Christ on the day of Pentecost.  When Jesus ascended back to the Father’s right hand, the Holy Spirit descended and began His office work in the age of grace, the church age.  He is the Baptizer, the Sealer, the Withholder, the Convicter, the Empowerer, the Inspirer.  The Holy Spirit dwells on the earth only through regenerate people.  “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16).  “In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22).  Some may build a habitat for humanity, but we are a habitat for divinity!

The book of Revelation contains one of the most unusual descriptions of the Holy Spirit in all of Scripture.  In 1:4 He is described as the “seven Spirits which are before His throne.”  In 3:1, “These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God.”  In 4:5 John sees, “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”  Then in 5:6 John sees the Lamb slain Who has “seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”   Some see this as a reference back to Isaiah 11:2 where the Spirit is described with seven attributes. Walter Scott says of John’s description, “The plenitude of His power and diversified activity are expressed in the term of ‘seven Spirits,’ the fullness of spiritual activity.”3 Joseph Weiss wrote, “Seven is the number of dispensational fullness and perfection, and as there are seven churches, making the one Church, so there are ‘the seven Spirits of God,’ making up the completeness of the one gracious administration of the Holy Ghost.”4  It would be safe to say that the Holy Spirit does a mighty and complete work in every believer, hence every church, throughout this age.  He will be removed only when the church herself is removed (2 Thes. 2:6-7.

The Angels of the Churches

Pastors described as angels is also a unique but not unheard of description in the Scripture.  We know that the word angelos means a messenger, and that is what pastors are to their churches.  It is not unusual either for demons to be called “angels” or “stars” (see 12:4, 7, 9).  David was said to be “as an angel of God” to Achish (1 Sam. 29:9) and Mephibosheth said to David, “My lord the king is an angel of God” (2 Sam. 19:27).  Old Testament priests were “messengers of the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 2:7).  In the New Testament John the Baptist was “my messenger” (Mk. 1:2) and his disciples were called “messengers” (Lk. 7:24).  Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a “messenger of Satan” (2 Cor. 12:7).  All these are translations of angelos.  In 19:10 an angel will say to John, “I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren” meaning that angels and church leaders have very similar functions as messengers.

The angels, or messengers, of the churches were seen in the Lord’s right hand, as if He walked with them through their church saying “I know thy works . . .”  It is not out of order to notice the singularity of pastors in these churches.  Though a church may have more than one pastor serving the church, it cannot have less than one.  And in these cases that one is uniquely important.  Whereas, however, each letter starts out with Jesus addressing the pastor and walking and talking with him, each letter also gives way to the Holy Spirit working in the entire congregation with the repeated phrase, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”  The pastoral responsibility gives way to the congregational responsibility.

And so . . . .

The local churches in various cities and countries are seen to be the primary focus of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, the pastors, and the congregations in this age of grace.  The world will never understand how such seemingly powerless entities can affect great things for God.  But we should never despise the day of small things (Zech. 4:10).  “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27).  It was to the poor and little church of Smyrna that the Lord said, “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)” (2:9). “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (Jas. 2:5).

Our reward is in heaven.  The book of Revelation doesn’t end with chapter three.  The church is raptured out during the seven terrible years of tribulation, never to be seen or mentioned as on the earth.  During the first scene in heaven (chapter 4) the saints receive their crowns and cast them down at Jesus’ feet.  Then (chapter 5) the saints from every kindred and tribe sing upon the crystal sea, “Thou art worthy” to the Lamb.  In chapter 19 the church returns from heaven with Christ on white horses and then reigns with Him for a thousand years.  The last two chapters, 21 & 22, describe the beautiful city, which is our abode eternally, coming down out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband, as the church, the bride of Christ, is adorned for her husband, the Son of God.

Until then, let us be doing what John writes, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” (22:17).  Amen.  Even so, come , Lord Jesus.

Notes:

  1. See, “Deception in the Church,” http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/orrel65.pdf.
  2. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol vi. (Old Tappan: Fleming He. Revell Co., nd) 1188.
  3. Walter Scott, Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1982) 24.
  4. Joseph Seiss, The Apocalypse: Lectures on the Book of Revelation (New York: Cosimo, 1900) 27.

 

 

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Have Faith in God

Written by Rick Shrader

Have Faith in God

by Rick Shrader

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           22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.    (Mark 11:22-25)

On Tuesday morning of passion week, Peter was surprised that the fig tree that Jesus cursed the day before was so soon withered.  The surprise answer that Jesus gave was, “Have faith in God.”  Whether the fig tree represented Israel or was simply a lesson in faith for the disciples, both were lacking in the trust which can come only from God the Giver of all things.  Faith is the thing that takes us through those times when we don’t understand what is going on or why this is happening to us.

Spurgeon once wrote,

I bear my witness that the worst days I have ever had turned out to be my best days.  And when God has seemed most cruel to me, he has then been most kind.  If there is anything in this world for which I would bless him more than for anything else, it is for pain and affliction.  I am sure that in these things the richest, tenderest love has been manifested to me.  Our Father’s wagons rumble most heavily when they are bringing us  the richest freight of the bullion of his grace.  Love letters from heaven are often sent in black-edged envelopes.  The cloud that is black with horror is big with mercy.  Fear not the storm.  It brings healing in its wings, and when Jesus is with you in the vessel, the tempest only hastens the ship to its desired haven.1

 

Too often faith today has become a human attribute to our own ability.  We say, “I have faith that I can do it,” or “I have faith in my team,” or some such motivation that evidently means, “If I can just drum up enough faith or believe enough, I can make this happen.”  If the thing turns out well we think our faith worked.  If it turns out bad then we write it off to not performing the faith formula the way we should have, or maybe that others did not join in faith with me.

How different this is from the faith that the Bible describes!  “The faith” in Scripture refers to the body of doctrine we believe, or in fact, the Scriptures themselves.  To “walk by faith” means that we live in the light of God’s sovereign control over all that happens.  To “have faith” means that God is able to do over and above what we could even know.  Jesus’ response to the disciples, “Have faith in God,” was a way of saying, “Don’t lose your solid trust in God’s omnipotent power.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

As Mark writes the next three verses (23-25), he records three ways in which doubters must have this kind of faith in God, not the human kind of faith that centers in human ability, but the divine-directed kind of faith that trusts God as a heavenly Father.

Faith in the Word

Verse 23 is one of the most interesting verses on faith in the Bible.  Most think that we cannot take the verse literally.  After all, no one has ever cast a whole mountain in the sea simply by faith as if it were some kind of inward force.  So almost all commentators take this to be figurative of some kind of obstacle in our lives that we must have faith to overcome.  Even premillennialists who believe that there is a literal kingdom coming with literal cataclysmic events, would rather take this as a figure of speech.

John Broadus wrote, “The example is evidently presented not as a thing likely or proper to be actually done, but as an extreme case of a conceivable miracle.”2  John Walvoord wrote, “In other words, they should not marvel, but believe and pray.”3  E. Schuyler English wrote, “The case of the mountain’s moving is illustrative.”4 And H.A. Ironside wrote, “Doubtless, behind the natural figure our Lord had in mind mountains of difficulty, such as Zerubbabel faced in Palestine.”5  Since, as Dr. Ironside reminds us, these kinds of things sometimes are figures of speech, this could be the meaning here by our Lord.

But what if the Lord was referring to something that will literally happen in the future?  H.B. Swete suggested this:

 

The twelve were crossing the Mt. of Olives; below them, between the mountains of Judea and the mountains of Moab, lay the hollow of the Dead Sea.  ‘Faith, cooperating with the Divine Will, could fill yonder bason with the mass of limestone beneath their feet.’ . . . . Of the Mt. of Olives Zechariah had foretold that when the feet of the Lord stood upon it, the mountains should cleave asunder and the two masses be removed to the north and south.  Standing on Olivet, the Lord may have had this prophecy in His thoughts.6

 

Could not the Lord have been reminding the disciples of a great prophetic event that will certainly take place when He sets up the kingdom in Israel and reigns for a thousand years?  Isaiah prophesied that “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isa. 4:4-5).  Ezekiel gives vivid details of this leveling of the mountains of Israel for 50 miles square so that the millennial temple can be built in the center (Ezek. 45:1-2).  Isaiah also speaks of the “mountain of the LORD’S house” which will be established “in the top of the mountains” (Isa. 2:2-3).

Israel did not receive her Messiah by faith and forfeited the right to see the mountains leveled and the kingdom temple built.  It wouldn’t have taken gigantic faith, only “faith as a grain of mustard seed” (Matt. 17:20).  The disciples should not, and indeed will not, miss this opportunity to see prophecy being fulfilled.

How does this help us “have faith in God?”  It helps because our faith in God is faith in His Word.  This is true whether it is faith in what has already happened or what is going to happen.  We have faith that the most fantastic accounts of Scripture are actually true.  “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Heb. 11:4).  By faith we also have no problem believing in a universal flood or a tower of Babel or a Red Sea event.  If we look to the future we have no problem believing in a rapture of all living saints, or of a great tribulation, or of a New Jerusalem.  As believers we have no problem believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faith is the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

Faith in Prayer

Verse 24 is difficult to understand as well.  “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”  We should understand that the word “desire” is the normal word “ask.”  That is, we should not be as the “name it, claim it” crowd who think that they have a way to trick God into giving them whatever they desire.  If they “name it” in the right formula, God is obligated to do it, He has no choice.  But surely this is not what Jesus meant here.

Jesus will later say (during the passion week), “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).  Even the Lord put a caveat on our requests.  We must ask in His name.  And what does that mean?  Does it mean that if we say those words at the end of each prayer, now God is obligated?  No, asking in His name means that we understand that our prayers are only possible in the first place because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.  Only in this way is “the Father glorified in the Son.”

Our New Testament understanding of Jesus’ intercession is further made clear in John’s first epistle.  “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1 John 3:22).  Here is another caveat to our prayers.  We must be ones who keep His commandments.  We cannot be lawless and think that our prayers avail with Him.  “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).  In addition, John adds, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15).  Our prayers also must be according to His will or they will be answered in a different way than we think.

God is a good parent concerning what His children ask.  If our child asks for a fish we don’t give him a serpent.  “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt. 7:7-11).  Paul revealed that we don’t know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Holy Spirit interprets our prayers before the Father and then He answers our prayers according to the Spirit’s interpretation.  Only in this way do “all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:26-28) for the believer.

My wife was in the toy department of a store with our grandson.  He saw something he wanted and asked grandma for it.  She quickly took her cell phone and checked the same item on Amazon and saw she could get it cheaper.  She said to him, “no, not now.”  He was disappointed and thought that his request was flatly denied.  He did not realize that he would get what he requested later, and at a better price. Sometimes God is only asking us to wait.   Sometimes God must say “no” and we won’t get what we wanted because we asked for something that would harm us.  Sometimes He gives us our requests quickly.  But faith in prayer is the maturity to understand that God always answers and that He always answers in the best way.  If we understand that, we always have what we asked for.

Faith in Forgiveness

A third way for the disciples to have faith in God was to understand the nature of forgiveness.  “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”  Jesus said this kind of thing often, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (Matt. 18:35).  Does this mean that our forgiveness from God is wholly dependent upon our action of forgiving others?  Is this a kind of works salvation where we will have our sins forgiven if we do the work of forgiving?

We also know that our New Testament teaches us that our sins are forgiven forever, past, present, and future.  “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth [present tense] us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).  “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1-2).  “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).  Verses could be multiplied but we know that our forgiveness does not depend on anything we do but only on what Jesus has already done for us.

Before we knew Christ as Savior we were not forgiven ourselves and we didn’t know how to forgive others.  At best our attempts at forgiveness amounted to, “I can proudly say that I won’t hold that against you.”  Our acts of forgiveness were prideful and works oriented.  We were like the Pharisee who, “stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:11-13).

The publican’s request of “be merciful” is literally to “be propitious.”  He was an Old Testament saint bringing his sacrifice to the temple and asking God to BE propitious.  That is why John, in contrast, said that Jesus IS the propitiation for our sins!  Praise God that He is always cleansing us from all sins.  Paul said it this way, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32).  Again, our New Testament theology enlightens our minds as to faith in relation to forgiveness.

Jesus gave the parable of a man who had been forgiven ten thousand talents, or millions of dollars.  The same man went out and would not forgive a man who only owed him a hundred pence, or a few dollars (Matt. 18:21-35).  Forgiveness can only be based upon experience.  We forgive because we have been forgiven.  As believers, when we forgive anyone a trespass against us, we are in essence saying, “Christ has forgiven me all my sin, a world of iniquity, an immeasurable debt.  The forgiveness of all our sins, yours and mine, is altogether in Christ alone and through Him alone.  How can I not do toward you what God has done toward me.”

We don’t expect the world to understand forgiveness.  Jesus could say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  This is what enabled Stephen when he was being stoned to also say, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:60).  This has been the martyr’s prayer for two thousand years, even in the face of the most terrible persecution.  This is to have faith in forgiveness.

And So . . .

Have faith in God, Jesus said.  Not a self-righteous force that we conjure up from our own strength, but a knowledge we have through the revelation of God by His Son and His Word.  We can have faith in what He has said, past or future.  We can have faith in what He will do as He answers our prayers according to His will.  We can have faith that He has forgiven our sins and will forgive anyone else who comes to Him through Jesus Christ.

Notes:

  1. Taken from a mural at the Spurgeon Library at the Midwestern Theological Seminary, Kansas City, MO. The quotation is only dated June 26, 1881.
  2. John A. Broadus, “Commentary on Matthew,” An American Commentary on the New Testament (Philadelphia: American Baptist Pub. Soc., 1886) 435.
  3. John Walvoord, Thy Kingdom Come (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974) 159.
  4. E. Schuyler English, Studies in the Gospel According to Mark (New York: Our Hope, 1943) 381.
  5. H.A. Ironside, Mark (Neptune: Loizeaux Brothers, 1948) 174.
  6. Henry Barclay Swete, Commentry on Mark (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1977) 259-260.

 

 

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Borders, Language, and Culture

Written by Rick Shrader

Borders, Language, and Culture

by Rick Shrader

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           41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.  42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.  43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.  44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;  45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.  46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,  47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.                                                                  (Acts 2:41-47)

“Borders, Language, and Culture” are terms that we hear repeated a lot during a national election year.  I very much agree with the intended meaning in the triple description of the nation’s needs.  All nations have borders.  That is the normal way of saying where the territory starts and stops and also of declaring who is allowed in and who is not.  It is like the property line of your home or the title on your car or the lock on your front door.  As individuals have a natural right to property, so a nation has also.

All nations have a language.  It doesn’t mean that there aren’t also other languages spoken there, or that the citizens don’t work hard at learning other languages.  I found this out by marrying into an immigrant family of Russian/Ukrainians who had immigrated to Brazil and Argentina before immigrating to the United States.  But even then, when they came to the U.S. they gladly learned the native tongue one more time because English would be necessary to communicate with their new neighbors.

All nations have a culture.  This is one of the fun and educational experiences of travel to foreign countries.  We never totally lose our native culture even though we work hard at adapting to a new one.  We’ve all had the enjoyable experience of eating at a Mexican or Italian restaurant, or at the myriad of other cultural “islands” within our own country.  But to be a real country even immigrants blend into their new homeland and become one with many others who add and contribute to the unity of the country.

The more insecure the world becomes the more these three things are important.  If every country would do right by these, all countries would benefit.  When a country ignores these, the rogue countries of the world flood in to take control and conquer.

The local church of the New Testament also has borders, language, and culture.  Every individual church ought to feel that they are the best church and that the environment which they have created is the best place for any other person to be.  They ought to believe that the border they have, the language they speak, and the culture they create are all as Biblical as can be.

The New Testament is full of passages that speak about the borders, language, and culture of the church.  Acts 2:41-47 is the first picture we have of a church and it is plain enough to see these principles displayed from the very first days of the gospel era.

Borders:  the need for membership in the church.

Just as an immigrant desires to become a citizen of a country, so a believer ought to desire to become a member of a local church.  A country has a line defined by its constitution which are requirements that must be met.  Borders aren’t meant to enslave a nation’s citizens but act as a protection against dangerous intruders and give definition to the procedure for entrance.  Church membership can’t forbid a person to leave but it can prohibit a person from coming in who does not agree with the language and culture of the church.

Salvation.  “Then they that gladly received his word” (Acts 2:41).  The first part of the border of the church is that a person knows Jesus Christ as Savior.  Here that is described as “receiving the word.”  The book of Acts has many other descriptions of the same thing:  repent (38), believe (44), be saved (47), be converted (3:19), hear (3:22), turn (3:26), be obedient (6:7), follow (13:23), and attend to (16:14).  The local church is commissioned to take the gospel to the whole world and persuade people to believe, to put their trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Then we direct them to the church.  In other words, we are ambassadors who are recruiting members to come within our borders by these qualifications.

The New Testament doesn’t take this lightly and neither should we.  It is a tragedy when a local church is filled with unconverted members.  How can they walk in the Spirit?  How can they pray?  How can they seek God’s will?  How can they vote on spiritual matters?  How can they evangelize others?  We cannot be more interested in the quantity of our membership than in the specific quality of it.  Let visitors be visitors and welcome them gladly, just as a country welcomes visitors, but a citizen must have a change of status.  The sinner must be converted.  “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

Baptism.  “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41).  Every convert in the book of Acts was baptized.  In fact, as  F.F. Bruce wrote, “The idea of an unbaptized Christian is simply not entertained in the NT.”1  Baptism is not part of salvation, that is, the forgiveness of sins, but “the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21).  In the initial commission to the church, they were to baptize the disciples which were made (Matt. 28:19-20).  These instructions have never been rescinded.

Baptism has both a proper motive and mode.  It is a public profession of the person’s salvation experience.  It boldly proclaims and pictures the person’s faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The text says, “THEN they that gladly received his word were baptized.”  When the eunuch asked to be baptized Philip replied, “If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest” (Acts 8:37).  When Peter saw many converted in Caesarea he asked, “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost?” (Acts 10:47).

The mode of baptism must be immersion as the Greek word baptizō only means.  This is the only valid picture of death, burial, and resurrection.  Philip and the eunuch “went down both into the water” and came “up out of the water” (Acts 8:38-39).  The ancient meaning of the word has been well established throughout the history of the church.

Whether a local church makes baptism “the door of the church” or makes it “stand at the door” of the church,2 the principle is that it is part of the border, or port of entry, into the church.  To skip this requirement, or to lessen its inconvenience, would be both unbiblical and detrimental to the strength of the church.  It is a person’s personal testimony that he has been saved and is qualified to enter.

Agreement.  “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42).  No one should become an American citizen who does not believe in its Constitution and who does not intend to uphold it.  Not every saved and baptized person should join a particular church but only those who are also in agreement with its beliefs and practices.

Though it would be a great thing if all local churches in the world believed the same thing about the New Testament, but they don’t.  We can’t change that on this side of glory.  Denominational distinctions have been a good thing for this reason.  A believer should desire to practice his/her faith with like-minded believers.  Just as a country is glad for other countries, churches do not forbid other churches that differ, but rather are glad for the freedom to practice as they feel they must. It is a wonderful fellowship of believers who share salvation, baptism, and agreement as the basis for their common worship.

Language:  the understanding of like-minded faith in the church.

“And all that believed were together, and had all things common”  (Acts 2:44).  Just as a common language allows the citizens of a country to communicate with one another, so like-minded faith allows the members of a local church to fellowship with one another.  Common language is the ability to hear, speak, and nuance specific communication.  Like-minded faith is the ability to talk, listen, and comprehend in a common biblical terminology.

Church documents.  All churches have official founding documents.  Though we have the Bible as our basis for faith and practice, we also have learned the need to specify how we understand the Bible, both for those who want to join with us and for those who want to know about us.  Usually these are divided into the doctrinal statement (a statement of what we believe) and by-laws (a description of how we practice).  Many churches also have a church covenant which is a statement of agreed intentions of how we will live as members together in the church.  In addition, the church documents will include Articles of Incorporation, which are legal statements that satisfy the state of residence for specific things, especially if the church is a registered non-profit organization.

Above, when I pointed out “agreement” as a border to the church, I mentioned all of these as a “Constitution.”  These documents are not just ancillary paperwork but are the very language that the members of a particular church speak.  We will carry on the business of the church by this language.  We will show proper recognition for our leadership by this language.  We will vote and abide by the majority of Spirit-filled people because we know the syntax and speak the language of the church.

Church worship.  “And they, continuing daily with one accord” (Acts 2:46).  “They lifted up their voice to God with one accord” (Acts 4:24).  Worship in the local church has become a “style.”  We have this worship style and that worship style.  It is true that churches behave differently during their services, but why and how we do this is more important than a mere style.  The clothes I wear may be a style, or the car I drive to church may show a style, but how we fellowship, sing, pray, and preach are what we believe about worship.

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29).  “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well-pleased” (Heb. 13:15-16).

Douglas Groothuis wrote, “Most of the skills we learn in order to get along successfully in this life will be of no use in heaven…But when we invest ourselves in learning to worship, we are making an investment in a skill that will be essential throughout eternity.”3  Worship is an essential language both in this life and in the life to come.

Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).  John Flavel, a fifteenth century Puritan, said, “Carnal men rejoice carnally, and spiritual men rejoice spiritually.”4  A believer cannot forsake the assembling together with other believers (Heb. 10:25) and when he assembles he must be able to approach God in a clear conscience with his heart and mind in a humble and reverent attitude.  We want to do this with other believers who are speaking this same language.

Church doctrine.  “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42).  Paul admonished Timothy, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4:16).  As with our agreement about like-minded faith, and the language of our documents, our doctrine becomes everyday language at church and at home.  We will hear it from the pulpit and in Bible study. We will teach it to our children and to our new converts.  We will use this language in the fellowship halls and homes of our members.  We agreed to speak this language when we joined the church.

Our day has also seen a certain downplaying of doctrine when it comes to church fellowship.  We think we can remain in fellowship though we believe differently in major areas of doctrine.  In America we are witnessing vastly opposing points of view, almost as if we have two countries within a country.  It is obvious that this cannot last for long.  Neither can it last within a church.  Like a nation’s Constitution, a church’s doctrinal statement is its lowest common denominator.  A church’s doctrine is both broad and narrow:  it is broad enough that there is room for difference on minor things, and it is narrow enough that it at least says something specific.  This makes church fellowship and worship comfortable and safe.  We all know what we have in common.

There should be no stealth applications for membership in a nation or in a church.  No one should come in who plans to fundamentally change the nation or church.  Rather, find a nation or church with which you agree and live there happily.  Nor should a pastor seek to be called to a church who plans from the beginning to change the church into something contrary to its constitution.  This would be dishonest.  Agreement in faith and practice is vital to citizenship and membership.

Culture:  the life-style of Christians living within the church.

“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (Acts 2:46).  Our country is facing the problem of becoming a hobo stew rather than a melting pot.  Immigrants should come into a country and blend with its culture and become one of them.  My in-laws, though bringing multiple cultures with them, were anxious to become Americans.  Sure, they retained many cultural things, things that one cannot discard very quickly such as an accent, or a facial look, or a taste for certain foods.  But these are harmless when the great desire is to be a part of the new culture.

Life-style convictions.   I doubt that cannibalism would fit very well into American society.  Polygamy has also been banned except in rare places.  It was a better day when bootlegging, gangs, prostitution, homosexuality, abortion, and the like were also unacceptable in a civilized society.  God’s people who join local churches know that the Bible describes the life-style of a believer.  There have always been and there will always be differences as to how we apply these teachings to our own time.  But a believer must live by his conscience in the culture in which he lives.  There are certain things he cannot do.  That may be some language, or matters of modesty, or certain beverages, or various places of entertainment.  His attitude toward these is a Biblical thing to him, and his church is a big part of his life within that culture.

Just as a citizen of a country will choose to live or not live in certain localities, or will choose to work or not work in certain occupations, or will choose to participate or not participate in various cultural mores, so the Christian will choose a church that fits his Christian cultural convictions.  A Christian cannot live contrary to those convictions.  Carl Trueman wrote, “The frothy entertainment culture in which we live is a narcotic: not only is it addictive, so that we always want more; it also eats away at us, skewing our priorities, rotting our values as surely as too much sugar rots our teeth.”5 The local church is the most important culture a Christian has.

John wrote, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  We are of God”  (1 John 4:4-6).  It doesn’t affect us what the world does outside the church, but it greatly affects us what the culture is inside the church.

Loving the brethren.  Immediately upon receiving Christ we become brothers or sisters to other believers.  We are part of the family, we are joint heirs together with Christ and all Christians.  Just as a legal immigrant is pronounced a citizen at a legal ceremony and is immediately given all rights as a citizen, so the believer in Christ receives all the rights of a child of God.

We are obligated as believers to “love the brethren.”  We now see all believers as God sees them, special objects of His grace.  In fact, we now see all people as potential objects of His grace.  We can no longer curse someone who we understand bears the image of God in his/her very makeup (Jas. 3:8-10).  It is a terrible thing to see believers with hatred toward other believers.  We might as well have hatred toward Christ our brother.

Mortals join this happy chorus

Which the morning stars began;

Father love is reigning o’er us,

Brother love binds man to man.

Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,

All who live in love are Thine;

Teach us how to love each other,

Lift us to the Joy divine.6

In a country we can become very partial in our loves and likes, and even bigoted or racist.  But in the church all human distinctions are removed—the only place on earth where these distinctions are truly removed.  The biggest struggle that I observe is the difficulty in loving and respecting our elders.  We live in a youth-oriented time.  As a pastor of wonderful older people I can truly say that they possess the wisdom, the servant attitude, the toughness, the faithfulness, the humor, and the love that is characteristic of Christians.  “Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; the elder women as mothers; the younger women as sisters, with all purity.  Honor widows that are widows indeed” (1 Tim. 5:1-3).

Local church life.  “And all that believed had all things common. . . And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:44, 47).  Multi-Culturalism is tearing our country apart.  It seems like a good thing but in reality it divides rather than unifies.  It is the American culture that has made America great.  George Washington said, “The nation which indulges toward another a habitual hatred or a habitual fondness is in some degree a slave.”7   The local church should be one culture.  Yes, we bring our earthly baggage with us, but we check it at the door as best we can.

Besides the borders, the language, and various elements of culture, the point of most of this article has been the life of the local church.  Among the myriad other things we must do in life, nothing is more precious to the believer than the local church.  We are pilgrims and strangers on this earth and the local church is the rest area for travelers.  It is made up of homeless people.  Peter writes to us as,  “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims” (1 Pet. 2:11).  “Stranger” literally means “without a house,” and “pilgrim” literally means “without kin.”  Yet we are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people: that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).

If we would love the church more than the world, the church would again have power in the world.  It is that power we need to be witnesses in a dark world.  “Save yourselves from this ontoward generation” Peter preached at the beginning of our text (Acts 2:40).  We do that through sustained life in the body of Christ, through a Christian culture.

And So . . .

A nation needs definite borders, one language, and a unifying culture.  So does a church.  A church should have a high wall of salvation, baptism, and agreement.  It should speak the same language of by-laws, worship, and doctrine.  It should also live a common life-style of conviction, love, and church life.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.  Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).

Notes:

  1. F.F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, in The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979) 77.
  2. Edward Hiscox, The New Directory for Baptist Churches (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1894 to 1970) describes both methods for Baptist churches. Pages 77 & 121.
  3. Douglas Groothuis, Christianity That Counts (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994) 75.
  4. John Flavel, “From A Coronation Sermon,” A Collection of Orations from Homer to McKinley, vol. 4 (New York: Collier and Son, 1902) 1599.
  5. Carl Trueman, Reformation: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, Kindle, 1416, p. 111.
  6. Henry Van Dyke, Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. A mixture of verses 3 and 4.
  7. George Washington, “Farewell Address,” Orations, 2526.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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God Created Woman

Written by Rebekah Schrepfer

God Created Woman

by Rebekah Schrepfer

Genesis 1

              “The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”1

Matthew Henry so succinctly describes woman and her nature and value.  What is woman?  What is God’s purpose for her?  In the wake of feminism and gender identity issues, it would do us well to go back to the beginning.

In Genesis 1 God embarked on His six-day creation act.  The final creative work was the creature, man.  The Hebrew word for “man” can be translated “mankind” or “humankind.”  Since the human was made lastly in the creation week, what does that tell us about our position or authority as it relates to the rest of creation?  This new creature was to be set apart from the rest of the creation.  It is the crowning achievement.  It is not an animal or a fish or a bird.  The human is given special recognition.

Ray Ortlund says of this unique human creature,

First, God says, “Let us make man . . . .”  In Genesis 1:24 God had said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures . . . .”  By the sheer power of His spoken will, God had caused the living creatures to emerge from the earth “by remote control as it were.”  In the creation of man, however, God Himself acted directly and personally.2

Mankind is a special and unique being.  However, we don’t see any mention of a woman until almost the end of Genesis chapter 1.   The statement “male and female created he them” is not yet speaking to any sort of hierarchy between the two kinds of humans (Genesis 1:27).  Indeed we don’t even really know yet how there came to be two.  Rather, in the very first statement in the Bible about women, God very poetically states the nature of the male and female together, not their roles just yet.

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God created he him;

male and female created he them. 

Genesis 1:27

Each of these three lines makes a point.  Line one asserts the divine creation of man.  We came from God.  Line two overlaps with line one, except that it highlights the divine image in man.  We bear a resemblance to God.  Line three boldly affirms the dual sexuality of man.  We are male and female.  Nowhere else in Genesis 1 is sexuality referred to; but human sexuality, superior to animal sexuality, merits the simple dignity given it here.  Further, Moses doubtless intends to imply the equality of the sexes, for both male and female display the glory of God’s image with equal brilliance; “. . . . In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  This is consistent with God’s intention, stated in verse 26, that both sexes should rule:  “. . . . and let them rule . . .”3

Genesis 2

The second chapter of Genesis is a recap of the first chapter, giving us added details about the creation that God had made.  God tells us about the series of events in the creation of the woman.  In Genesis 2:18 there is something lacking in Adam.  He was alone.  In a roundabout way, the incompleteness in Adam implies that the woman who is about to be created has something lacking in her too.  The human race is dependent upon both the male and female as we can see in 1 Corinthians 11:11-12.

After the declaration of Adam’s need, God did something special for him.  He forms another creature from the same essence as Adam.

Matthew Henry beautifully says,

The man was dust refined, but the woman was dust double-refined, one remove further from the earth.  That Adam slept while his wife was in making, that no room might be left to imagine that he had herein directed the Spirit of the Lord, or been his counselor, (Isa. 40:13).  He had been made sensible of his want of a meet help; but, God having undertaken to provide him one, he does not afflict himself with any care about it, but lies down and sleeps sweetly, as one that had cast all his care on God, with a cheerful resignation of himself and all his affairs to his Maker’s will and wisdom.  Jehovah-jireh, let the Lord provide when and whom he pleases.4

After parading all the animals in front of Adam, and his seeing their inadequacy for his specific need, God then brings her to Adam as if to say, “What do you think about this one?”  Adam’s first recorded words (Gen. 2:23-24) were to give her the name “woman” and to express his amazement that he was not alone anymore.  She was like him.  The female was the only part of God’s creation that was on Adam’s level, that was equal to him, that corresponded to him.  The animals could help him and perform what they could for him, but only the woman could fulfill the man’s need.  And it is only one woman who does that for the man in a marriage, not multiple women.

Elisabeth Elliot says,

The animals are there, fellow creatures with us of the same Creator-God, fellow sufferers, mute and mysterious.  “But for the man there was not found a helper for him.”  God might have given Adam another man to be his friend, to walk and talk and argue with if that was his pleasure.  But Adam needed more than the companionship of the animals or the friendship of a man.  He needed a helper, specially designed and prepared to fill that role.  It was a woman God gave him, a woman, “meet,” fit, suitable, entirely appropriate for him, made of his very bones and flesh.  You can’t make proper use of a thing unless you know what it was made for, whether it is a safety pin or a sailboat.  To me it is a wonderful thing to be a woman under God — to know, first of all, that we were made (“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”) and then that we were made for something (“The rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”)  This was the original idea.  This is what woman was for.  The New Testament refers back clearly and strongly to this purpose: “For man was not made from woman, but woman from man.  Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man” (1 Cor. 11:8-9).  Some texts are susceptible of differing interpretations, but for the life of me I can’t see any ambiguities in this one.5

 

The word “woman” means simply “a female human.”  Although the man and the woman are distinct creatures with differing purposes, they stand together before God as He talked with them and communed with them in the garden.  The race of man is male and female.  In God’s wisdom, He decided not to create just one kind of human but two kinds of human.  Equal but different.

Genesis 2:24-25 introduces the institution of marriage.  It is interesting that there is no mother or father to leave at this point, so why is that mentioned?  God is setting a precedent.  He wants it this way and not another way.  It is important to note that although there were only two humans on the entire planet at this time, Adam states that they shall become one flesh.  It is specifically a coupling.  That is, there is no other option other than two that are made into one.  To put it negatively, several do not become one.  Also one flesh is not made from any other coupling than the man and his wife (singular).  This speaks volumes against marriage in any other configuration.

According to Genesis 2:24-25, there is something different about the relationship between the first couple and their relationship to any other couple.  That is, they are also so equal that it is described as being “one.”  They are not merely partners, as if it were just two people working together side-by-side.  Oneness is much more than that.  The man and the woman are sharing their existence just as they did before the woman was formed, in and around and through and for and with each other.  This is not enough for some feminist writers, though.  They lament that fact that even though God refers to males and females together, the whole race is referred to as “man” rather than “woman.”  One reason for God’s terminology here is that man arrived first.  The name man is merely descriptive.  Man is what the human is.  It wasn’t woman until God took her out of him.

There is a hint of hierarchy even in this though, and that is what has feminists and egalitarians scrambling to take this passage out of context.  Many views of womanhood (feminism, Islam, Mormonism, many cults, Patrocentrism, egalitarianism) believe that the curse on the woman after the Fall resulted in woman’s subordination to man, and so they have to make the sinless creation to be without hierarchy.  So if the Fall resulted in subordination, then redemption is a restoration of equality of the sexes.  But we have seen in just these few verses that is not the case.  The status as Helper Suitable for the man is established before the Fall as a part of God’s very good creation.  Subordination does not mean inferiority, and that is true in any leader-follower relationship.  Feminism especially cannot seem to understand that truth.  Even within the Godhead itself, Jesus submitted himself to the will of the Father (John 5:30).  Furthermore, the Spirit comes from the Father as well and does His will (John 15:26), yet the equality within the Trinity is undeniable in Scripture.  At this point, the end of Genesis 2, the Fall of Man has not happened yet.  This is part of God’s “very good” creation.  God really did make Eve to be a helper suitable for Adam, and He made Adam first on purpose. Adam was not made a helper for Eve, nor were they made simultaneously. This was all the way it was supposed to be!

In Genesis and in other passages, men are given a leadership role simply by virtue of being a man.  The first woman’s role was to be a helper on par with the man, a complement to him, and this is by virtue of simply being a woman.  When these roles are performed correctly and harmoniously, the original glory of God’s very good creation is re-created and re-invigorated.  And conversely, when the roles are abused or neglected or distorted, the nobility of God’s purpose in us is hindered.

God created a Woman.  “And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”  Gen. 1:31.

Notes:

  1. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, vol. 1 (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell, nd.) 20.
  2. Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr. “Male-Female Equality and Male Headship: Genesis 1–3,” Wayne Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (Crossway Books, Kindle version) 2177-2180.
  3. Ortlund, 2191-2197.
  4. Matthew Henry, 19-20.
  5. Elisabeth Eliot, Let Me Be A Woman (Wheaton: Tyndale House, Kindle version) 13.

 

Editor’s Note

I am glad to reprint Rebekah Schrepfer’s article from her blog MostlySensible.com.  Rebekah is our oldest daughter and wife of Aron Schrepfer, Pastor of Pioneer Peak Baptist Church in Palmer, Alaska.  Rebekah is also the website coordinator for the Aletheia website.

 

 

 

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Observations: One Hundred Years In Chris...

Written by Rick Shrader

Observations: One Hundred Years In Christian History

by Rick Shrader

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Over the last 23 years that I have been writing this paper, and the last 50 years that I have been connected with Christian ministry, many things have come and gone and many things have changed.  If I think of the men I’ve known, heard, sat under, or known about, you might say that I’ve had access to over a hundred years of first-hand knowledge of Christian history.  I was born in 1950 but most of the men who taught me in my college days or early ministry days were born around 1900-1920.  Two men who influenced my life greatly, Noel Smith and R.V. Clearwaters, were both born in 1900.  My pastor, John Rawlings lived 99 years from 1914 to 2013.  When you spend your life around men whose lives spanned over a century of time, you can learn a lot if you’ll listen.

If the apostle Paul had to confess, “I count not myself to have apprehended” (Phil. 3:13) then who are we to think we know much at all?  However, everyone observes the things that happen within that 100+ years of their lifetime.  In the Christian ministry, not to mention all the various fields of learning, there is more than a person can observe and comprehend.  Yet in that ministry, especially over the last 100 years, things have changed faster than any other 100 years.

This last month I read some  books that speak directly to the last 100 years of Christian ministry.  Four of those are reviewed in this issue.  I’ve read books, articles, and papers like these all of my life, sometimes as assignments and often out of my own interest.  I appreciate the men and women who write our “contemporary history” because they are trying hard to warn and encourage us in the days in which we minister.  Sometimes the information is not very complimentary to ministry but more often it is enlightening and encouraging.  However, we live in perilous times and these could very well be the last generations before the Lord returns.  If so, warnings and exhortations are needed.  The lessons we should be learning ought to be passed on to our people so that they will be able to stand in the evil day.

Positive observations

I always am encouraged by our Baptist and fundamental history.  I have read of the history of the Southern Baptist Convention, of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, of the Baptist Bible Fellowship, and others, and have been encouraged by them all.  I have also read The Fundamentals and the history of how those writings came to be.  This month I enjoyed reading the history of Winona Lake and the great Bible Conferences with Moody, Sunday, and Chapman; the singing of Homer Rodeheaver, and the planting of the Grace Brethren churches there with Alva McClain.  I was encouraged by the writings of J.M. Frost and E.Y. Mullins in the early days of the Southern Baptists before liberalism took its heavy toll.  The twentieth century was blessed because of these great movements that spread Christianity across our country.

The Fundamentals.  In 1909 two laymen set aside a large sum of money to be used to produce what came to be known as The Fundamentals.  The first editors were A.C. Dixon and R.A. Torrey.  These writing included men such as W.H. Griffith Thomas, Sir Robert Anderson, James M. Gray, A.T. Pierson, B.B. Warfield, C.I. Scofield, Thomas Spurgeon, C.T. Stud, E.Y. Mullins, and Bishop Ryle of England.  Regardless of what one thinks of fundamentalists today, we were given a great start to the twentieth century by the writing of these men.  In fact, the average Christian reader today might have trouble keeping up with the scholarship displayed there.  The fundamentalist movement has been a bedrock of orthodoxy, evangelism, and preaching for the last 100 years and has blessed the churches greatly.

Evangelism.  Fundamental Baptists, early evangelicals, and various orthodox movements have been criticized a lot these days for their aggressive evangelism.  It is not uncommon to read someone criticizing soul winning, invitations, door to door canvassing, and the like by finding some abusive example as if that were the norm.  The truth is, American Christianity would be in much deeper trouble today if it were not for the evangelism done by fundamentalists and others throughout the last century.  Billy Sunday is a poster boy of such criticism and I’m sure that he deserves some of it.  But until I also have been responsible for half a million professions of faith, I doubt I will be too critical.

Church planting.   The large cities of our country today are in great need of another generation of church planters.  It takes only three generations in the churches to find them either dying, growing unorthodox, or cold and lifeless.  We can all recount good churches of our childhood that don’t even exist today.  Whether it was the pioneering Methodists and Baptists or the Southern Baptists whose goal was to plant a church in every county seat, steeples were erected across the country and the gospel was preached in cities and small towns.  Church planting is, however, an ongoing movement.  It must continue in every generation.

Missions.  I don’t know if the whole church age has ever seen as much money and personnel given to the cause of foreign missions as America saw in the twentieth century.  It is amazing to think that such a century of war and depression could also produce industrialization and agriculture enough to raise millions upon millions of dollars to send the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.  Many missionaries I knew were American veterans who returned to the land of their service to preach to the people they once fought.  The Philippines, China, Japan, Korea, North Africa, Germany, and now Russia are great examples.  Where would these people be today without America’s missionary effort?

Colleges and seminaries.  To support and maintain the evangelism, church planting, and missions of the last hundred years, the Bible college and seminary movement sprang up all over the country.  Sure, good schools often take a turn for the worse or even disappear, but still much good has been done by thousands of graduates from a variety of schools.  Perhaps D.L. Moody made it popular and acceptable with Moody Bible Institute, but then there were others:  Dallas, Talbot, Fuller, Southern, Wheaton, Grace, Grand Rapids, Cedarville, which stayed by the stuff for many years.  Then those of our own fundamental Baptist persuasion such as  BBC, Faith, Central, and their offshoots have faithfully trained ministry-minded young people for generations.  These schools have been responsible for thousands of souls being saved and churches being planted.  The benefit to America in the last century is immeasurable.

Negative observations

One cannot help but see the negative trends in our recent history.  Some are obvious to all, such as the afore-mentioned liberalism in the SBC, or the worldliness in colleges such as Wheaton and others.  Some negatives are not seen as negatives at all to many people in ministry.  So these are my observations from being in and around a lot of conservative movements, schools, and churches over the last fifty to sixty years.

Misplaced loyalties.  I am one who treasures loyalties.  We are all loyal to our families in good times and bad.  We are loyal to our churches because they are God’s people and the church is His institution.  We are loyal to God’s Word because it is the absolute Truth in a world of untruth.  In order to propagate these divine institutions we need human institutions for various reasons.  Schools, boards, conventions and associations, camps, retreats, etc., are tools we use to build the ministry.  Over the last century these have come and gone in their usefulness.  Some are short-lived and some remain throughout the century.  Some are slowly compromising or becoming worldly.  I guess it is that human nature of loyalty that makes separation hard to do.  Yet there have been many circumstances over the last 100 years where people have become more loyal to an organization than to the Word of God.  Sometimes it is a matter of personal conviction of one and not another, and sometimes it is a matter of position that one is not willing to forgo.  But separation is a Biblical doctrine and sometimes God’s people need to walk away from an organization that has left its Biblical foundation.

Need for success.  We are glad for great men and women.  I have mentioned a few positively in this article.  We are also glad for churches and schools and agencies that have been successful in our lifetime.  Success, however, should not be measured by the praise of men but by faithfulness to God.  I don’t think great men ever wanted to be great.  In fact, I’m sure of it.  Great men (and women) wanted to be men of God and God used them in great ways so we call them great.  I doubt that William Carey went to India to be great, or that Fanny Crosby wrote songs so that 100 years later we could praise her for them.  But I fear that we want to be great.  We “build” churches and schools.  We teach young people how to be great.  We reward one another when we become great.  We even create greatness by award and eulogy.  This is difficult to say.  It is not wrong to recognize and thank people for their service.  But I think you know what I mean about a phenomenon that we’ve observed in our lifetime.  I watched someone on television being praised for a record number of “likes” she got on Facebook.  I hope that can never be applied to Christianity.

Pragmatism.  Pragmatism and methodology can be good or bad.  America has become what it has become because it could always figure out a way to get things done, whether agriculture, industry, military, education, etc.  These things have been debated throughout the twentieth century among various ministries.  Yet sometimes these discussions are reduced to unhelpful absurdities.  Do padded seats help our services?  Is air conditioning better?  Is amplification helpful to the sermon.  Well, of course.  But be absurd to the other extreme.  Would giving away one hundred dollar bills increase professions of faith?  Would indecency help promote youth activities?  Would free beer increase attendance at the rescue mission?  These are methodologies too.  Yet the crossing of the line in the gray areas has grown with almost no objections.  I cannot believe that candy on church buses is the same thing as a Christian rock concert when it comes to acceptable methodology.

Worldliness.  Or should I say the lack of godliness?  Here too Christians differ to various degrees, but the last century has no doubt seen the church become much more comfortable in the world.  This is true in the believer’s personal life and in the church as well.  One could trace the changes made in church covenants in the last 100 years, or the standards for students at Christian colleges, or the rules for kids at youth camps, and it might be surprising how far we’ve come.  But we say, time and culture change and what was once unacceptable is no longer so today.  And I’m sure that is true.  But is that the way we evaluate worldliness?  Are we only supposed to be a few steps behind the world but going in the same direction?  In a world of entertainment, selfishness, immorality, and profanity, it is not acceptable to be on the same path but only lagging a few steps behind.

Coldness.  Having closed the twentieth century and begun the twenty first, are we more enthusiastic for the things of God and His ministry than our forefathers?  The great irony here might be that they preached the coming of Christ and the need for aggressive evangelism because the time was short.  Yet we are now closer to His coming than they were but we don’t seem to have the same concern.  We have fewer church services, not more.  We have all but eliminated the gospel invitation.  We don’t seem to be the kind of soul winners or evangelistic people as those a generation ago.  Perhaps our evangelistic concern is being manifested in different ways, but I’m not convinced they are as good as before.

I remember the term “pre-evangelism” being used a while ago.  It was a term that meant that rather than actually giving out the gospel per se, we should work more on tilling the ground, and planting and watering rather than actually reaping the newly converted soul.  Of course this must be done also.  But it seems as though 99% of all evangelism has become pre-evangelism, and if everything is pre-evangelism, nothing is evangelism.  I remember when, in the name of Evangelicals and Catholics Together, we evangelized all Catholics simply by calling them born again Christians (I called it re-definition evangelism).  I’m sure our missionaries in Catholic countries wished we had done that before they spent all they had.  I’m simply saying that we have become busier but not more evangelistic.  We have many programs, activities, concerts, etc., but these have taken the place of evangelism, they are not simply new ways of doing the same thing.

Three suggestions

Let me conclude with three suggestions, or prayers, for fundamental Baptists who live in the twenty first century.

Love the brethren.  This Biblical admonition should be taken two ways.  First we need to love our Christian neighbor, that is, the person who is there.  It is never right to be unchristian toward anyone, but especially another Christian.  God’s children are our brothers and sisters.  Secondly, we should love the idea of brethren.  We should actually desire to be the epitome of what a Christian ought to be, and then be that Christian.  This is the best kind of life we can live on God’s earth.  If we truly love the “brotherhood,”  then we love what we believe and will become a reflection of the same.

Love the church.  The local church of the New Testament is what we see going on in the New Testament.  This group of believers that gather each Lord’s day is the best group of people we could ever be around.  What we do when we gather is what we need to be doing and what the world needs to see.  I often say to my people, we don’t gather together to worship, we’re worshipers who gather together.  I don’t say that to belittle worship but to emphasize how precious this gathering together is.  There should be no greater priority for the believer.

Love the ordinances.  God gave us two object lessons to observe faithfully.  When we see these we are seeing the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are seeing the very work He came to do which reminds us of Him and our faith in Him.  They can’t be done with extra human instrument.  They are simple but profound, they are plain but beautiful, mysterious but revealing.  We can preach no greater sermon than these.

And So . . .

I’ve made these personal evaluations both positive and negative.  We have much to be thankful for over the last 100 years in our Baptist history and also in evangelical history.  Christianity has been good for America.  We also have things we need to be careful about.  Some of these things we will differ over and practice according to our own conscience, but we must not go the way of the world.  God has given us a plain Word to follow and we will be judged by that Word.

Finally, we need to love the very faith we profess.  If we do we will desire to know what God has said and we will find our joy and fulfillment in doing that.  We will add to our faith virtue and to our virtue knowledge.  These things will end with brotherly kindness and love, “For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:5-11).

 

 

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Yoga: Forming a Right Response

Written by Rick Shrader

Yoga: Forming a Right Response

by Rick Shrader

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              In 1857 The Atlantic Monthly published “Brahma” by Ralph Waldo Emerson which included, “The strong gods pine for my abode, And pine in vain the sacred Seven; But thou, meek lover of the good! Find me, and turn thy back on heaven.”1

              In 1893, at the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda opened the Parliament of Religions saying that Hinduism “taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. . . The whole world of religions is only traveling . . . through various conditions and circumstances, to the same goal.”2

In 1929, Margaret Woodrow Wilson, daughter of the President, turned from her Presbyterian heritage to Yoga and “craved only ‘the Realization of God consciousness’ and did ‘not really care about anything else.’”3

In 1948 the Hollywood ad about Yoga read, “Look Pretty, feel good.  Marilyn Monroe, who plays the ingénue lead in Columbia’s Ladies of the Chorus, exercises her way to beauty and health.”4 

In 1967 George Harrison of the Beatles proclaimed, “Like, in the beginning was the word and I knew mantras were the words. . . We don’t need drugs anymore.  We think we’re finding other ways of getting there.”5

In August, 1969, Swami Satchidananda gave the “invocation” at Woodstock by saying, “America is helping everybody in the material field but the time has come for America to help the whole world with the spirituality also.”6

In 2009, at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn, First Lady Michelle Obama proclaimed, “Our goal today is just to have fun.  We want to focus on activity, healthy eating.  We’ve got Yoga, we’ve got dancing, we’ve got storytelling, we’ve got Easter-egg decorating.7

After taking the reader through 150 years in 300 pages, Yale literature author Stefanie Syman, with no religious or Christian perspective to this point, concludes her book, The Subtle Body, by writing,

They’ve spent the last century and a half convincing us that this ancient, Indic, and half-tamed spiritual discipline doesn’t contravene our most sacred beliefs.  They may actually be wrong on this point.  It’s hard to reconcile the subtle body and the possibility of experiencing divinity for yourself by methodically following a program of exercise, breathing, and meditation with Judeo-Christian notions of God and the afterlife, but we seem willing to ignore the discontinuities.8

Today, this ancient religion is more influential in America and American Christianity than ever.  One article, about the yoga dieting craze, says, “Right now there are all these yogi Instagram celebrities with millions of followers . . . And they’re not drinking beer, they’re drinking juice.  Mindfulness, in a way, is the new church.”9  One blogger wrote,

Can yoga be completely stripped of Hinduism and even ‘Christianized’? Many Christians believe it can.  In fact, some churches and Christian colleges, like Wheaton College and Gordon College, even offer yoga classes.  Christian yoga proponents admit that yoga originated as a form of Hindu worship.  But, as an article posted to the Wheaton College website says, ‘yoga today is often just an ancient system of postures and breathing’ that’s ‘largely void of religious overtones’. . . It’s one of those things like Christmas and Easter, which was once pagan, but now has been co-opted for Christian worship.10

One author notes that a Google search for yoga on the internet jumped from 66,800,000 hits in 2007 to 220,000,000 in 2011 alone!10

Many still try to convince themselves that incorporating yoga into exercise and diet is in no way connected to the ancient religion itself.  Yungen quotes a Jesuit priest, William Johnson, who argues this point,

The twentieth century, which has seen so many revolutions, is now witnessing the rise of a new mysticism within Christianity . . . . For the new mysticism has learned much from the great religions of Asia.  It has felt the impact of yoga and Zen and the monasticism of Tibet.  It pays attention to posture and breathing; it knows about the music of the mantra and the silence of Samadhi.12

However, Douglas Groothuis, well-respected apologetics professor at Denver Seminary has written,

Overstressed Americans are increasingly turning to various forms of Eastern meditation, particularly yoga, in search of relaxation and spirituality.  Underlying these meditative practices, however, is a worldview in conflict with biblical spirituality—though many Christians are (unwisely) practicing yoga. . . . Yoga, deeply rooted in Hinduism, essentially means to be ‘yoked’ with the divine.  Yogic postures, breathing, and chanting, were originally designed not to bring better physical health and well-being (Western marketing to the contrary), but a sense of oneness with Brahman—the Hindu word for the absolute being that pervades all things.  This is pantheism (all is divine), not Christianity.13

Albert Mohler, Jr., President of Southern Baptist Seminary took much grief (even from Christians) for this statement, “When Christians practice yoga, they must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga.  The contradictions are not few, nor are they peripheral.”14

With the flood of yoga and other eastern religious practices coming into America in the last century, came also the commercialization.  America was where the money was, and to make it big in America meant fame and fortune.  Syman tells of television programs from the early 50s and 60s in Los Angeles. On one program called Yoga for Health on KTTV, the star of the show, a man deeply committed to yoga and Zen, knew, “Americans didn’t really relate to yoga.  They related to ‘exercise, sports, health.’  He felt he had to keep its esoteric elements—pesky and possibly untoward details about the subtle body and Kundaline—to a minimum if he was to reach Americans ‘en masse.’”15

Author Ray Yungen tells of attending a New Age convention where the speaker said, “If you barge in with occult lingo it turns them off right away.  You have to tell them how you can make their employees happier and get more productivity out of them—then they will listen.  You are really teaching metaphysics, but you present it as human development.”16  No doubt, yoga and other metaphysical religions have won millions of unknowing converts who are convinced that they are merely exercising and dieting their way to spirituality.

German theologian Kurt E. Koch (1913-1987), Th.D from Tübingen University and author of many books on cults has written,

The word yoga itself has a meaning corresponding to the unio mystica of German mysticism, that is, the mystical union with the universal spirit.  The difference between yoga and German mysticism is that yoga is atheistic in nature whereas the German mystics were engaged in a search for God.  Their similarity lies in the fact that they share the idea of self-realization.  Man must aim at attaining to his eternal self through the practice of many exercises in purification.  This eternal self or real self is supposed to be part of the universal or ultimate reality.  As we have said, yoga calls this process self-realization.  We can see already that it will always be impossible to harmonize yoga and Christianity.17

Koch also, after defining yoga as mystical, magical, and occultish, shows how participants grow in this religion through four stages to finally mastering the cosmic forces.  The first of these four stages “embraces remedial gymnastics, breathing, exercises, relaxation exercises, exercises in concentration, contemplation and meditation.”18

Much more could and should be said about the history and the beliefs of yoga.  That would take a book not an article, and those books are out there for people to read who will.  But this much is true: yoga is an ancient religion that is God denying and Christ denying.  That is firmly fixed in the thoughts and convictions of millions of people alive on this planet right now.  Any attempt to personally divorce it from that pantheism does not work for them, it only says “God speed, more power to you” in their ears.

What should a Christian do?

Let me give some Scriptures that I think apply to the use of something like yoga, and then I will give a few practical reasons I think yoga should be avoided by believers.  Finally, I will give a bottom line as to what a believer can do.

First, do not say “God speed” to yoga (or “like”) because when you do you are “partaker” in all of its pantheistic deeds (2 John 11). This is not the same thing as Christians keeping Christmas or birthday cakes. No one in the world today is keeping the ancient rituals that these words come from.  Besides, Christmas also has a unique Christian message which yoga does not.  When Halloween again began to be practiced for real in America, many of us discontinued its use for testimony’s sake.  I think I can continue to say “Thursday” without someone mistaking what I said for a worship of Thor.  I can eat a birthday cake without someone thinking I am baking cakes to Tammuz.  But you cannot practice yoga today without encouraging millions of people in this world in their false religion.

Second, realize that Hinduism’s yoga is pantheistic and unchristian. To them, God is everything, you are part of everything, therefore you are part of God. Even Jesus Christ was no more part of God than you are.  Meditation and exercise are the primary forms of coming to the realization that you are God.  They release the seven “chakras” within your spiritual body that allow the “kundalini,” or serpent energy,  to flow from the lower parts to the highest parts and elevate you into God consciousness or the higher wisdom.  This is also done with the help of “centering” prayers and visualization.19

This all sounds much like the first century problem in the church over Gnosticism.  Its fundamental denial of the divinity of Christ, and one’s esoteric rise to full-knowledge is uncannily similar to yoga’s doctrine and practice.  John specifically warned that such doctrine is the spirit of antichrist (1 John 2:18-22, 2 John 7).  His warning was to “try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1).  He did not say to “try out” the spirits and then decide whether they are beneficial.  “He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22).

Third, the period of the Old Testament judges repeatedly shows that God commanded Israel to have no part in the gods of the new land they were entering. The saddest verses are those which show that a king did most things right but “nevertheless” the high places and the groves were not taken away. In 2 Kings 16 Ahaz, king of Judah, went to Damascus where he saw an altar of the religion of the Syrians.  He then commanded that a replica of the altar be brought to Jerusalem and erected in the temple of Jehovah, setting aside the proper instruments of God’s temple.  It was not until his son Hezekiah came to the throne that these abominations were destroyed and the true worship again established.  God is not pleased when we give honor to false gods by connecting them to the worship of the true God.

Fourth, Paul specifically commanded the Corinthians, a church badly affected by the false religions around them, not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14-18). He then asked five questions that showed why they must not do this. “For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” Paul’s inspired command to be separate from these entanglements (vs. 17) should be the desire of every believer today.  When we do God says, He will be “a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.”

In addition, here are a few practical applications.

Fifth, there has been an inordinate emphasis in our day upon the physical body, and yoga plays perfectly into this scenario. True, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and I believe we ought to take care of it, even diet and exercise when possible and necessary, but the exercise of it only profits minutely compared to godliness (1 Tim. 4:8). As a pastor over the years, I have seen many men and women drawn away into a world of lust because they play with fire in this emphasis on their (and other’s) body.  Many times this is at the gym or pool or track.  Yoga’s history in America is riddled with sexual scandal because of the nature of the exercises that men and women do together.  One of the reasons older saints are more mature is because “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).  “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh” (Rom. 8:12).

Sixth,your children will take your emphasis in life much further than you. Dabbling around the edges of yoga and other ancient mysteries will open a door for them that the world is already displaying. From Harry Potter’s superconsciousness to Darth Vader’s dark side, the dangers are enough as they are, without us adding to them.

Seventh, surely believers see and understand the spiritual decline of our country and even of the church of Jesus Christ. We are to be salt and light, ambassadors of our Lord, people with a higher thought process than the vain things of this world. Why is it that believers need these worldly methods to live spiritual lives?  Why isn’t the Word of God, time in prayer, simple worship with God’s people, verbal witness to our friends, satisfying and fulfilling?  Paul’s words in that ancient pagan world are appropriate, “Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh” (Col. 2:23).

And So . . .

Joshua’s words to Israel in the new land of spiritual challenges is good for us as well,

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15).

Every family or church has the right to practice by its own conscience.  A church may set its own guidelines as to how it wants to handle these issues, even though that may differ from other churches.  You should seek a local church which sets these boundaries in a way in which your family wants to practice.  Where you worship, raise your kids, and fellowship with believers is important to you because that will affect you and your children (and grandchildren) for generations to come.  Choose wisely.

Notes:

  1. Stefanie Syman, The Subtle Body (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011) 12.
  2. Ibid., 44.
  3. Ibid., 145.
  4. Ibid., 195.
  5. Ibid., 200.
  6. Ibid., 233
  7. Ibid., 3.
  8. 291.
  9. “Sober is the New Drunk: Why Millennials are Ditching Bar Crawls for Juice Crawls,” The Guardian.com. April 21, 2016.
  10. Julie Roys, “Three Reasons Christians Should Think Twice About Yoga,” http://julieroys.com/three-reasons-christians-should-think-twice-about-yoga/.
  11. Ray Yungen, For Many Shall Come in My Name (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Pub., 2015) 102.
  12. Yungen, 120.
  13. Douglas Groothuis, “Dangerous Meditations,” ChristianityToday.com, November 1, 2004.
  14. Albert Mohler, Jr., “The Subtle Body—Should Christians Practice Yoga?” albertmohler.com, 9/20/2010.
  15. Syman, 246-247.
  16. Yungen, 59.
  17. Kurt E. Koch, Occult Practices and Beliefs (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1971) 123-124.
  18. Ibid., 125.
  19. These and many other descriptions can be found easily in any book on cults, Hinduism, and yoga. See Yungen, chapter 9, “New Age Religion;” Syman, chapter 11, “How to be a Guru Without Really Trying;” Koch, section 47, “Yoga.”

 

 

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Corrupting Good Manners

Written by Rick Shrader

Corrupting Good Manners

by Rick Shrader

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             Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

                          1 Corinthians 15:33

I have written at least three previous times about manners1 as many have done who grew up in the turbulent ‘60s when the civilities of society were turned on their head.  It was John Silber, past President of Boston University, who in a 1995 graduation speech, directed our thoughts back to John Fletcher Moulton (1844-1921) or Lord Moulton, English Judge and Councillor, and to his essay on Law and Manners.  Moulton described three domains of human action: total law and total free choice on the extremes, and manners in the middle keeping either extreme from becoming dominant.  When manners disappears or becomes weak, totalitarianism or antinomianism will take over a society.  It has been the observation of many in my life time that America, like our big brother Great Britain, has abandoned manners and unfettered freedom (disguised as individualism, human rights, etc.) is reigning.  As it does, big government is attempting to establish order in the vacuum of self government.

D.A. Carson wrote, “Many observers have rightly concluded that unless a democratic state is made up of citizens who are largely in agreement over what is ‘the good,’ that state will tend to fly apart, forcing the government itself to become more and more powerful and intrusive in order to hold things together.”2  But what is “the good”?  That is really our problem, isn’t it?  We are at a time when individual citizens do not know what is good and how to achieve it without outward constraint from government or inward restraint from ourselves.  That is, we have no manners.

In an ironic way we idolize figures who have shown us manners.  Of the days of William Wilberforce and John Newton of England, both of whom are admired for putting a stop to the slave trade, Os Guinness included this note, “There is little doubt that Wilberforce changed the moral outlook of Great Britain, and this at a time when the British Empire was growing and Britain was the world’s leading society.  The reformation of manners grew into Victorian virtues and Wilberforce touched the world when he made goodness fashionable.”3  It is ironic because while we idolize these men, we shudder at the Victorian virtues that came with them.

It wouldn’t hurt America to have a Victoria or even a Miss Manners again!  It is still curious to watch Red Skelton read the Pledge of Allegiance on Facebook, or Paul Harvey tell the rest of the story.  But in real life we have few who have taken their place.  Emily Dickinson said, “The abdication of belief makes the behavior small.”4

When I was a pastor in Colorado, I liked to take the Junior kids to camp in the mountains.  I spent the week telling them to wash their hands and faces, take a shower each night, make their beds each morning, and eat something besides gummy bears.  After a number of years perfecting this cultural adventure, I settled on a descriptive theme verse, “And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness” (Acts 13:18).  But one can excuse junior behavior because it is necessarily immature, even laughable.  But things we laugh at about our children we should not laugh at as adults.

My childhood pastor, Harold Rawlings, used to say “The wilderness encroaches.”  Unless we keep cutting back the weeds and the forest it will quickly take over our space.  This has to be done with each generation or we won’t be reading about the pagans, we will be the pagans!  We used to see pagans only in National Geographic magazines, and now we can have them in our living rooms through sports, music, and even politics.

Paul’s use of “Manners”

Think again of that verse in 1 Corinthians 15, “Be not deceived, evil communications corrupt good manners.  Awake to righteousness and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame (vss. 33,34).”  Paul was arguing for the fact and necessity of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Without this fact as our foundation, our house is built on shifting sand.  Don’t be deceived, one who does not know Jesus Christ has no sure way of keeping the wilderness of bad manners from creeping into his/her life.

The word “manners” is not a common word in the Bible.  The Greek word (ēthē) is used only here in the whole New Testament.  For that reason it is translated “good morals” (ASV, NASV, ESV), “good habits” (NKJV), “good character” (NIV), but preferably “good manners” because it means a manner of behavior, a settled habit, much as we use the word manners to describe self control or good conduct.  In other places we have the word “manner” (e.g. in verse 32, “the manner of men”) but that usually means the customary actions of people.

It is interesting also to realize that this is one of only a few places where Paul quotes extra-biblical sources (see also Acts 17:28 and Titus 1:12).  This is almost an exact quote from Menander in his Thais.  Grosheide says,

It may be that this is not a direct quotation from Menander but that this line had become generally known.  If so, its value as a potent argument would be greatly increased for Paul would be telling these Greek Christians, who had gone back to their former pagan customs, that their own proverb warned them against their evil conduct.5

The point is that these Corinthian Christians were carnal because they had allowed false teaching which denied the resurrection of Christ, and this false teaching was corrupting their very manners.

The Corinthians’ bad manners

MacArthur points out that the Corinthians would have been aware that many of the Greek poets and historians had advocated bad behavior based on bad theology about life after death.  He writes,

The Greek historian Thucydides reported that when a deadly plague came to Athens, ‘People committed every shameful crime and eagerly snatched at every lustful pleasure.’  They believed life was short and there was no resurrection, so they would have to pay no price for their vice.  The Roman poet Horace wrote, ‘Tell them to bring wine and perfume and the too short-lived blossoms of the lovely rose while circumstance and age and the black threads of the three sisters fate still allow us to do so.’  Another poet, Catullus, penned the lines: “Let’s live my Lesbia and let’s love, and let’s value the tales of austere old men at a single half penny.  Suns can set and then return again, but for us when once our brief light sets there is but one perpetual night through which we must sleep.’6

Paul knew that bad manners results from bad theology.  As only Paul could do, he scolds the Corinthians for their historians’ advice by quoting their historian’s advice.  No theology is as bad as denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Lenski writes,

Paul intends to say in the present connection that association with deceivers who are full of skeptical ideas is bound to react hurtfully on the good ways of life (ethe) of Christians.  Instead of letting the divine truth mold their manner of living they let the false and insidious ideas of their associates mislead them.  Even one bad apple spreads rot among many others.  He who rejects the resurrection cannot live and act like one who truly believes this divine reality.7

Paul said the same thing twice, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6, Gal. 5:9).  The Corinthian problem permeates modern Christianity too.  We borrow manners or habits or lifestyles from the world without a care that they were born into the world by bad theology.  We sing the world’s music, we exercise to Yoga, we watch movies from New Age astrologers, we mark our bodies like pagan sun worshipers, we even riot in the streets like Nazi Brownshirts.  Evil communications have corrupted our manners.

Applications to make

1) Even lost people should have basic manners.  Human beings are made in the image and likeness of God their Creator.  We are not animals even though we may receive life and breath from the same source (Acts 17:25).  When any society forgets this, their civility will quickly be lost.  Kenneth Myers said,  “If the Noble Savage is the highest form of man, you can hardly protest if his table manners are deplorable.”8  A whole society can be brought to a higher level by the influence of a few believers or by laws that reflect their belief.  Of course, the Devil hates this, and the lost soul soon loathes the misunderstood restrictions.  As Chesterton said, “It is assumed that equality means all men being equally uncivil, whereas it obviously ought to mean all men being equally civil.”9  Look now at Western Europe and Great Britain that were influenced for centuries by the Reformation.  Now they loathe the expected public demeanor.  America is also losing its patience with a Christian history that has given us good manners as well as morals.  They will soon cast it off because the lost soul will not abide a lifestyle formed by a theology it no longer believes.  Don’t be deceived, Paul said.

2) Manners is not the same thing as salvation.  We often make the mistake of meeting someone who believes in God, maybe goes to church, and does a lot of good things, so we call him a Christian.  Again, human beings are capable of many good and wonderful things.  But good and wonderful works do not magically become grace.  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).  Vance Havner said, “Greatness does not excuse unseemly behavior, it only makes such misconduct more serious.”10  The lack of civility ought to teach to repent rather than trust our own goodness.

3) A believer has a new source of information.  Once we are saved, regenerated by the Spirit of God, we are introduced to a whole new avenue of information:  revelation from God! Now we will accept the Bible as the Word of God and we have a built-in interpreter, the Holy Spirit.  Paul was glad for the salvation of the Thessalonians because, “when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thes. 2:13).  John told his readers, “But the anointing [Holy Spirit] which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you” (1 John 2:27).  John was also aware of false teachers who brought in error and bad manners with it.  “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us.  Hereby know ye the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:5-6).  These were “evil communications” that were corrupting good manners.

4) The believer’s new life raises his manners above his fellow earth dwellers.  We are not so much reclaiming a fallen culture as we are living out a new culture created in us as new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).  Paul showed that the works of the flesh are “contrary” to the fruit of the Spirit and that you “cannot” do the thing which is contrary to you (Gal. 5:17).  “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him; rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught” (Col. 2:6-7).  Again, Havner said, “Age and experience in the things of God do not accentuate our crudities, they remove them.”11

5) A believer’s manners are for the purpose of drawing the unsaved to Christ.  One way in which we see manners corrupted in our day is because we think we must become more like the world to win the world.  Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).  The Spirit desires the lost person to see his sin and then desire righteousness and then choose righteousness over sin.  “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).  When Paul witnessed to Felix and his wife, “he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled” (Acts 24:25).  Years ago Eric Sauer wrote, “Enriched in Christ, the practical realization of these riches is now our duty.  This is at once our task and privilege.  The redeemed must live as redeemed.  Bearers of salvation must walk as saved.  They who possess heaven must be heavenly-minded.”  C.S. Lewis said, “Those who want Heaven most have served Earth best.  Those who love Man less than God do most for Man.”12

6) The believer’s manners should not, therefore, be corrupted by the world.  Paul has warned us, “Be not deceived’ (1 Cor. 15:33).  We should not let our manners be corrupted first and foremost because God has warned us not to let this happen.  That must be our highest priority.  We cannot apply a popular pragmatism and argue that we will accomplish more for God if we become like the world to win the world.  We can call it reclaiming culture, or following a cultural mandate, or even loving them so much we’re willing to change.  That would be a mistrust in what God has said.  Rather, we must strive to be what God has called us to be and trust that this will be the best for all these purposes.  Surely having God on our side is the best we could do.

C.H. Spurgeon wrote, “If Christ has died for me, ungodly as I am, without strength as I am, then I cannot live in sin any longer, but must arouse myself to love and serve Him who hath redeemed me.  I cannot trifle with the evil which slew my best Friend.  I must be holy for His sake.  How can I live in sin when He has died to save me from it?13

And So . . .

If the ship of state goes down, the church of Jesus Christ will not.  The future of Christ’s church depends not on any human organization but on the promises of God.  Yet the church has often, and will yet, go through troubled waters.  If those waters are created in this beloved country it will be because it loses its manners.  When the middle ground of manners disappears either totalitarianism or antinomianism will take over.  Right now we are watching the fight between these two, even in the extremes of political candidates.

How great it would be if Americans could again practice self-government or manners.  If we could police our own language, have respect for other peoples’ property or businesses, obey the laws of the land even when they are inconvenient, refuse to flaunt our crudities and nakedness in public, and even allow our neighbor to practice his faith in private and in public, we would keep the unwanted extremes from happening.  But the believer will do these things regardless of what the world does, and he will find his rest and inward peace in knowing God is pleased.

Notes:

  1. See my Aletheia website for articles from 10/95, 3/99, 6/02. www.aletheiabaptistministries.org
  2. D.A. Carson, Christ & Culture Revisited (Chicago: Eerdmans, 2008) 137.
  3. Os Guinness, Character Counts (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999) 87.
  4. Quoted by Bruce Lockerbie, Dismissing God (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998) 35.
  5. F.W. Grosheide, Commentary on First Corinthians, in The New International Commentary on the New Testament, F.F. Bruce, Gen. Ed. (Eerdmans, 1979)378.
  6. John MacArthur, First Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984) 429.
  7. R.C.H. Lenski, Interpretation of I and II Corinthians (Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub., 1963) 699.
  8. Kenneth Myers, All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes (Wheaton: Crossway, 1989) 142.
  9. G.K. Chesterton, St. Francis of Assisi (New York: Doubleday, 1990) 99.
  10. Vance Havner, Rest Awhile (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1941) 84.
  11. Ibid., 83.
  12. C.S. Lewis, Present Concerns (New York: HBJ, 1986) 80.
  13. C.H. Spurgeon, Autobiography, Vol. I (Pasadena: Pilgrim Publications, 1992) 99.

 

 

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The Christian in an Election Year

Written by Rick Shrader

The Christian in an Election Year

by Rick Shrader

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Election year comes every four years, like it or not.  I don’t necessarily, even though I watch more cable news and read online news than in any other year.  When we could be anticipating March Madness and the NCAA tournament, we are more embroiled in Super Tuesday and March Sadness.  It saddens me because the political process of running for President inevitably draws good people into muddy and murky waters and seems to hang out the dirtiest of our national clothes.

Make no mistake, however, about the seriousness of this year’s election.  In fact, it seems that elections have grown more serious season by season throughout my lifetime.   We will be electing more than just a figure head sitting in the Oval Office tending to the affairs of Commander in Chief.  Our selection will determine Supreme Court Justices who now dictate (unfortunately) important moral issues for generations to come; we will set the direction for national security not only across the seas but in our homeland; we will turn the direction arrow for jobs in or out of our country; and we will decide whether we are an independent people or dependent on the rest of the world for our politics, our beliefs, our energy, our security, and even our faith.

In the midst of all these very important election year issues, I must remember first and foremost that I am a Christian whose “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20) and that I am just a “stranger and pilgrim” (1 Pet. 2:11) on this earth and am waiting for a Savior Who will one glorious day bring in His rightful kingdom to this earth and override the authority of any human nation, including this one.  We know, until that day and while we are living here, we have a foot in both worlds and the one we have in this world is a stewardship from God.  How we live it and how we make decisions is important to Him.

I suppose I am considered part of the “evangelical” vote.  I would say so because I am born again according to the evangel, or the gospel, contained in the Scripture (1 Pet. 1:23-25).  However, it seems to me, “evangelical” has become a term that is now a mile wide and an inch deep.  We used to talk about the lack of true regeneration in the old mainline denominations (which is why the term evangelical was born). But “evangelical” has now become the new mainline denomination and I wonder if it is really evangelical in little more than name only.  It is so co-mixed with beliefs that even the Pope can throw evangelicals into a tizzy by questioning a candidate’s faith.  The explanations that followed were a hobo stew of theological beliefs and applications about whether we can even know if a person is truly born again.  But this is the “evangelical” vote.

I watch with sadness as some candidates, whom I accept as true believers in Jesus Christ, get caught up in the overwhelming current of political power and begin to act more like the world than like Christ.  Some claim to be Christian but not only don’t act or speak like it, but can’t even give a rational explanation of what that means.  Yet, on the other side of the political planet, the only other choices seem to be national suicide by sanctioned dishonesty or socialism, both of which are not the America we have known.

With a foot in both worlds then, before I delve into some warnings for the believer in this political year, let me also say that I believe a Christian can be a Christian in this world; I believe a Christian should vote; I believe a Christian can and often should run for and hold public office; I believe a Christian can not only vote for a Christian but often votes for a non-Christian who will be a blessing to Christians; I even believe that a Christian may vote for the least worst of two candidates precisely because this is not the kingdom of God and this world is not our home.

I am not intending to write a political article.  But I am intending to reflect on the pressures that are brought to bear on the believer during these political seasons.  When I say that a Christian “cannot” do this or that, I realize that we have disagreements among ourselves.  Yet I am also saying that the Scripture gives us clear direction in many areas of our lives that not even friendship, party affiliation, nor honest patriotism can override.

A Christian cannot dishonor civil authorities.

We know this is true from the plain statements of Scripture.  “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor” (Rom. 13:7).  “Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:17).  Jude was very harsh toward those who “despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities” and even used Michael as an example when he showed Satan respect for his position, he “durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 9).

Politics seems to have a magnetic negative effect even on Christian politicians.  It is like a giant black hole which draws him in until he is mixed with all the other negative, harsh, temperamental, and dishonoring speeches of political candidates.  This is similar to the Christian athlete who scores the points and goes into outlandish celebrations; or the singer who puts on the sour look and shouts out his angry lyrics.  This is hardly the “meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1) with which Paul beseeched the church.

Why do these situations give the Christian permission to act unchristian?  Is the outcome more important than fellowship with Christ?  I know it is easy for me to say, but not even being President is more important than that.  It is just not a Christian virtue to berate a civil authority because it is necessary to do so in order to get elected.

A Christian cannot condone known immorality.

We know this also.  Isaiah said, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20).  The apostle John in speaking against false teaching, used a universal principle that appears throughout the Scripture, “For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 11.  See also 1 Cor. 10:21; Eph 5:6-11; Rev. 18:4).

I use the word “condone” because that is becoming a seminal issue for Christians in America.  A store owner may be able to sell a cake to a homosexual couple without condoning their immoral life-style, but he cannot cater their wedding without putting his stamp of approval on their sin.  A photographer may be able to take pictures of an aborted baby, but he cannot film the process for the benefit of the abortion clinic.  A Christian minister could never perform a wedding, which is to him a sacred ceremony in the eyes of a holy God, for a homosexual couple because he would be condoning their life-style.

A candidate for office or a voter in the voting booth cannot say by his platform or condone by his vote something that is immoral.  This is not to say that one could not cast a vote for a non-Christian who has the propensity for immoral actions sometime in his term of office.  All men, even Christian, have this fallen nature.  But if a man (or woman, of course) says he will kill babies or legalize same-sex marriages or actively seek to make Christian expression illegal, then a vote for him/her would be condoning that action.  Not all issues I would disagree with are necessarily immoral.  I may object to sending jobs to China, or closing a detention facility, or paying Saudi Arabia any more for oil, but these are not biblical immoralities.

A Christian cannot undermine Biblical authority.

A Christian does what he does because his conscience is convinced of Biblical truth.  For us, the Bible is God’s only written revelation and no king, potentate, president, or supreme court justice will be given a higher place of authority.  Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21).  Persecution comes upon Christians only in those societies where they are commanded to give to Caesar what belongs to God alone.  This they have not done, even at the cost of their own lives.

We thank God for America because all people have been given the right to practice their faith, whatever that may be, without undue interference from the government.  Christians have no problem with the limits placed upon that, i.e., that we cannot commit atrocities in the name of a religion which are forbidden by law.  Of course we would not want to murder, lie, or steal, in the name of our faith.  And, lesser laws that merely inconvenience us are things we agree to (building codes, zoning laws, safety regulations, etc.) because of the greater liberties we enjoy.

If I understand the first Baptist pioneer, Roger Williams, correctly, he strongly disagreed with his Pilgrim and Puritan friends about how this divided authority can work within a country of mixed faiths.  Whereas they tried to govern every aspect of societal life by the Bible, he allowed for non-believers to govern the religious part of their lives the way they wanted, as long as they obeyed the civil part.  Civil law may be able to oversee the second half of the Decalogue (love thy neighbor as thyself) but only a man’s conscience can oversee the first half (love the Lord thy God with all thy heart).  Thus was Providence founded in the wilderness called Rhode Island.

Christians generally loved the Roman Catholic supreme court justice Antonin Scalia because he seemed to understand this separation of authorities better than many evangelicals.  We loved that he described himself as a “textualist,” a term we often use to describe our own method of Biblical interpretation.  We loved that he sought in the constitution the “original intent” of the authors by keeping their writing in their historic context, a hermeneutic for the Bible that evangelicals hold dear also.

Christians will never be able to violate their Scripture for political convenience.  We feel the freedom of conscience eroding and the freedom to refuse unbiblical activity shrinking.  And I might add that we feel a strange and illogical undercurrent toward Sharia law (out of abject fear I suppose) which would establish a man-made terrorist theocracy, the very thing conservative Christians are falsely accused of wanting themselves.  It is also a strange day in our history when a political party advocates a candidate who openly promises a socialist form of government.

A Christian cannot justify unbelief.

Although the Christian can live in a mixed society and live in the presence of sin as long as he isn’t forced to condone it, and although he can allow his neighbor to live by any other faith, he cannot be asked to profess that there is any other true faith than the Christian faith.  I can live next to a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim, an atheist, or a pagan (and I probably do) and be a friendly neighbor and give him his space.  But I can’t say to him that his faith is the true faith, or even that his faith is equal to mine.  Besides being wrong, it would be a lie and an outright hypocrisy.  Neither do I expect him to say the same to me!

We live in the arena of ideas and beliefs.  “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4).  Christians believe that the Holy Spirit and the Word of God are more powerful in witness to the truth than any force in heaven or earth.  “Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6).  But politics places the Christian in a unique tension.  An elected official must represent all citizens, not just those of his own faith.  But to be true to his faith, he cannot be forced to say that all faiths are equally true.  Yes, he must defend the rights of all faiths equally, but he must do that without compromising the one true faith which he believes.

The one obvious caveat to this part of the discussion is that America’s documents give credence to the Christian faith and base their purpose on it rather than on all faiths.  Therefore the Christian politician does have a right to refer to his Creator and the unalienable rights He gives to people, rights which human governments cannot take away.  Anyone who has walked the halls of congress, or the supreme court building, or the historic monuments in Washington D.C., knows how much our history is inscribed with the Christian Scriptures.  That is not being bigoted, it is being honest with history.

A Christian cannot replace kingdom with country.

Our Jehovah Witness friends cannot put their hand on their heart and pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.  But I can.  They believe that if they do so they are placing human authority above God’s authority in their lives.  But I don’t.  And we have always allowed them to refrain out of respect for their conscience, just as we allow conscientious objectors to abstain from violent military service.  Justice Scalia said that he thought that protestors had the right to dishonor the flag, but he hated them doing it.

I can pledge allegiance to my country’s flag because I understand what I’m doing.  I am not saying, “I pledge allegiance to the flag above the cross.”  I’m not saying, “and to the Republic for which it stands above the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.”  No.  I am merely recognizing an earthly arrangement, an arrangement to which God Himself tells me to be obedient and respectful.  I stood at a marriage altar forty two years ago and vowed to love my bride above all others.  I was not being untrue to my Savior Who once said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).  When God said, “Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated” (Rom. 9:13), He was merely saying that He placed Jacob before Esau.  Similarly, I have to place God before my wife, and likewise I have to place God before my country.  By acknowledging my earthly responsibility to wife or country, I am not dishonoring God, I am honoring Him by keeping all earthly and heavenly relationships in proper order.

A politician or a common citizen must acknowledge this dichotomy while also keeping his relationship to both intact.  I think that sometimes Christians begin to speak of country and constitution as equal or even above God and Scripture.  But I think this is an uncareful, or at best, inaccurate way of expressing kingdom and country.  Someone said, “If the Ship of State goes down, our little compartment goes with it.”  Now I don’t believe that at all.  The church will be the church in America and in Russia, in freedom and in persecution.  The gates of hell itself cannot prevail against God’s church.  Still, I do not want the Ship of State to go down because it is a good Ship, it has been a friend of my faith, and I know how to give to Caesar his things, and how to give to my God His things.

And So . . .

I believe that Christians can make the best political candidates, or the worst.  They can be the best when they are true to their faith and display Christian character at all times.  When they do not, they give the enemies of our God cause to blaspheme.  Being a political figure may be the hardest job in the world for a Christian to do and I don’t envy them in that.  We should be as Paul, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

 

 

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Cross, Creation and also Prophecy

Written by Rick Shrader

Cross, Creation and also Prophecy

by Rick Shrader

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There are three great mountain peaks of importance in Biblical history.  First and foremost is Calvary.  The cross is the center of all God’s workings with this world.  If the believer could say with Paul, “I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2), he would know the most important fact of all history.  A second fact of history is creation.  It is amazing how many times God confirms His Word or His attributes with references to creation.  He did this with Job (chapters 38 & 39); the Psalms are filled with them (e.g. 19 & 104); as are the prophets (see Isa. 40); and the New Testament continues the pattern (Acts 14:17; 17:24-34; Rom. 1:20; Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11 and many more).  A third fact of history is prophecy.  And this fact is the one most neglected at this present time.

Although I love to learn about creation especially with reference to evolution, and I know how important understanding creation is to a firm belief in God’s Word, I also believe that a firm grasp of prophetic events is essential today especially if, as I surely believe, we are living in the last days.  Noel Smith, one of my professors in Bible College, always challenged the freshmen students to get an early and firm grasp on Genesis chapter one because this would serve them well throughout their coming ministry.  This advice has been substantiated throughout our lives.  But I would also say that if a young man would fully study the Bema Seat of Christ and live in the light of what will happen there, it will serve him even better in his ministry.

Within my lifetime the interest in prophecy has decreased substantially among the churches.  The Bible conferences of the early twentieth century were primarily prophetic conferences.  Bible Colleges, Study Bibles, prophetic books with color charts all encouraged a young generation to look for future things and evangelize in light of them.  But we seem to have lost interest, or at least the interest has been overshadowed by other things.  Yet this is what the Bible predicts will happen in the end times (2 Peter 3:3-4; 1 Thes. 5:3; Matt. 24:12; 1 Tim. 4:1 and 2 Tim. 3:1-5).  Even creation, as important as it is, is the past, whereas prophecy is yet to happen.  Creation is history to us, but prophetic things may well be contemporary to us and our children.  There is no more profound statement in Scripture than Matt. 24:21, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor,  ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.”  Do we really believe the Lord’s statement is true?  If so, how could anything be more urgent than understanding and preparing for that?  The world will not be destroyed again with water, but it will be destroyed by fire (2 Pet. 3:6-7) and our generation may be the very one to suffer in that time.

The following are seven reasons why we need to revive prophetic preaching in our day.

Time:  the greatest obstacle

One thing is certainly true about the second coming of Christ, it is nearer than it has ever been before.  Peter explained (2 Pet. 3) that the scoffers in the last days will argue that it has been a long time since creation and all things continue as they always have been, and therefore we need not worry about the future.  Peter answers that time is nothing with God (“one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day”) and, in fact, the day of the Lord is coming as a thief in the night.

It is true that some of the prophetic preaching of a generation ago was too sensational and even included some date setting, predictions and so forth.  But I can’t help but think how God’s people were encouraged by looking at the current world situation and realizing that the stage could be set for prophetic things to begin.  Well if the stage was set then, how much more today?  I don’t think the good preachers of yesterday could have imagined how the world could have gotten worse, or how the world could be more ready for the coming of Christ, but it is.  Yet, tragically, there is less preaching on the coming of Christ, not more.

Imminency:  the greatest urgency

To pretribultionists the return of Jesus Christ in the air (the rapture) can happen at any moment.  “Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens.  If something else must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent. . . By an imminent event we mean one which is certain to occur at some time, uncertain at what time.”1  John said, “the time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3).  Peter said, “But the end of all things is at hand” (1 Pet. 4:7).  James was most descriptive when he said, “Behold, the judge standeth before the door” (Jas. 5:9).  Our Judge is at the door, we should “all rise” at attention.

Since Jesus may come at any moment, the truth of tribulation passages becomes very urgent.  No one can read Revelation chapters 4-19 and desire to be in that wrathful time nor want anyone else to be.  When Jude tells us to look “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 21), he also tells us “of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire” (22-23).  This imminency demands attention to evangelism.

Rapture:  the greatest cataclysm

The study of Biblical history, including creation, is a study of the great cataclysms that have shaken and changed the world:  creation out of nothing; the fall into sin; the universal flood; the tower of Babel; the resurrection of Jesus Christ; and the last remaking of the universe when the elements will melt with a fervent heat and there will be a new heaven and a new earth (2 Pet. 3:12-13).  But consider the rapture among these great events.  For those alive when it happens, it will be the most cataclysmic event since the universal flood of Noah’s day!

Every time I read 1 Thessalonians and come to 4:13-18, I slow down and think to myself what effect this will have upon the whole world.  The dead in Christ stand up, then all the living saints join them in the clouds to meet the Lord there!  We are talking millions of resurrected and millions of living saints ripped from this earth, from loved ones and from neighbors, and being totally gone.  Do we really believe such a thing will happen and in fact might happen at any moment?

To the believer this is a mixed emotion.  It is “the blessed hope” (Tit. 2:13) of the church for which we are to “look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:21).  Yet, we know it will be a cut off time for many, “for when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them” (1 Thes. 5:3), “that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thes. 2:12).  This is the next great cataclysm in world history.

Tribulation:  the greatest judgment

To the question of why God doesn’t seem to do anything about the violence and suffering, the hatred and war, the murder and immorality, the answer is that He is longsuffering.  Peter tells us that this longsuffering is for the sake of those who are headed for perishing (2 Pet. 3:9).  The coming tribulation period is a time of awful judgment for the world’s sins committed throughout this age of grace.  It is also a time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7) when God will bring the last judgment upon His own people for their rejection of their Messiah Jesus Christ, and for their reception of the false Messiah, antichrist.

When the seals are opened, a fourth of the living are killed with sword, hunger, and death (Rev. 6:8).  When the trumpets sound, a third of life in the sea, and “many men” die (Rev. 8:9-11).  When the vials are poured out it is for the “wrath of God” (Rev. 16:1) and by this “was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone (Rev. 9:18).  Paul says that it “is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you . . . In flaming fire taking vengeance upon them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes. 1:6-8).  It will end at Armageddon when Jesus will “tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Rev. 19:15).

We must warn people of this coming tribulation as we warn people of hell itself.  We are the watchmen on the wall who see the evil coming.  Jesus said, “the tribes of the earth will mourn” (Matt. 24:30) and John said, “all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him” (Rev. 1:7).

Armor:  the greatest witness

When Peter writes of the destruction of the present earth, he says that we must therefore be a holy people “in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God” (2 Pet. 3:11-12).  Now is not the time for worldliness in our personal lives or our methodology.  This is a time for holy armor.   Paul will repeat this need many times, “wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day” (Eph. 6:13); “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Rom. 13:12); “Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation . . . By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left” (2 Cor. 6:2, 7); “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation” (1 Thes. 5:8).

It is because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against  principalities and powers who are Satan’s emissaries in high places (Eph. 6:12) that we must have this armor on.  Paul reminded Timothy that, “in the latter days some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 3:1).  Satan is organized and has a doctrine that he uses against believers, especially those who have on the armor.  When Paul was in Ephesus the demon said to the Jewish exorcist, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” (Acts 19:15).  We should ask ourselves, do the demons know me?  Am I enough of a risk to their plans that I make any difference?

Evangelism:  the greatest motivation

I mean by this that prophecy furnishes us with the greatest motivation to evangelize, and I have already made this point in various ways.  Consider hell itself.  None of us can really fathom the eternal nature of a lake of fire which is real, hot, and long (see Rev. 14:10-11).  I must say that if I understand anything about it at all, I would not wish that eternity on anyone, not even my worst enemy or the most evil person in the world: not on Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein.  Paul said, “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3).  These were the people who tried to kill him, who hated him for his change of religion, who taught him that it was a service to God to kill Christians.  It perhaps was, that when Paul was taken up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12), he also caught a glimpse of the reality of an eternal hell, and it formulated his whole evangelistic point of view.

But even more than that, human beings are image-bearers of the eternal God.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16).  If God loves the vilest of sinners and was willing to die for his soul, who am I not to care about his salvation?  Prophecy clearly informs us of the sinner’s terrible destiny.  I realize also that Satan hates the sinner and wishes his damnation.  It is through Satan’s lies that the sinner will not believe or be delivered from the wrath to come.  “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Cor. 4:4); “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Tim. 2:26); and perhaps worst of all, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thes. 2:11-12).  Could it be true, that refusing the gospel now will greatly hinder a person’s reception of the gospel in that time of tribulation?

Hope:  the greatest cleansing

The rapture is “the blessed hope” (Tit. 2:13).  Christ in us is “the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).  “We are saved by hope” (Rom. 8:24).  The apostle John said of prophecy and hope, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).  Prophetic studies and the expectancy of the return of Christ are the greatest motivators to our progressive sanctification.

David wrote, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, in thy likeness” (Psa. 17:15).  Paul said, “we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body” (Phil. 3:21).  “As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Cor. 15:49).

Some might say that living godly because we might be caught in  sin when Jesus appears is an improper motivation.  But is it?  Isn’t that part of the reason for the Bema Seat?  “Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:9-10).  We know that we will not be judged for the guilt of our sin.  That judgment took place on the cross, and praise God for that!  But the reward or loss of reward is based on how we run the race.  Sanctification is progressive for the believer, and we should want to be progressing not digressing when He appears.

And So . . . .

I had more thoughts than these.  The apostles constantly preached the kingdom of God as our future reward and as the culmination of God’s progressive program.  The New Jerusalem as the Father’s House prepared for us outshines anything we have known on this earth.  And perhaps greatest of all, we shall see Him face to face, Who loved us and gave Himself for us.  Amazing love! How can it be that thou my God shouldst die for me?

A few days ago I heard a recorded message of old J. Vernon McGee preaching on the second coming of Christ.  McGee died in 1988 but he, though dead, yet speaks.  I couldn’t help but think how his older manner and his southern drawl probably turns off most listeners today.  I could only wish that my own voice would have a portion of the influence that his rusty old voice still has.  Especially twenty eight years after I’m gone!  They also said of the apostle Paul, “his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible” (2 Cor. 10:10).  We are not here to tickle the ears of our generation but to be, like Noah, preachers of righteousness in the face of coming disaster.  May God help us to be such in these latter days.

Notes:

Renald Showers, Maranatha Our Lord Come! (Bellmawr, NJ:  Friends of Israel, 2013) 127.

 

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The State of the Church in 2016

Written by Rick Shrader

The State of the Church in 2016

by Rick Shrader

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Every year I give a State of the Church address to the church I pastor.  This is usually directed toward our small local church and what challenges we may face in the coming year.  Of course, we are not alone in the coming year.  All local churches will face  whatever comes, and God alone knows just what that may be.  2016 is an election year in the United States which could be the best of times or the worst of times.  Our world is increasingly chaotic and lacks the necessary leadership to do anything about it.  Christianity is under attack by Satan and his false apostles both globally and locally because of its very name and message and also because of its spiritual influence in the world in which Satan rules.  What this means is that God’s people, wherever they live and worship, must be more diligent than ever to keep their hearts and minds in the right place.

This year I used as my text 1 Thessalonians 1:1 where Paul greets the believers saying, “unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Two important things are said here.  First, the church is of Thessalonica.  It is a local church that exists in a certain locale at that time.  The same is said in 2 Thessalonians 1:1, Colossians 1:2, and in similar ways in other books.  Second, the church is in God because they are believers in Jesus Christ and are spiritually connected with Him through regeneration.  In the rest of the epistle Paul also connects this church with other churches in their own country of Macedonia and even with other churches in the world such as in Judea.  In a turbulent world full of hatred for Christians, this is a comforting thought.  This can be developed in the following four ways.

The church in the mind of God

The church of Thessalonica was “in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Paul never has difficulty enumerating the responsibilities of the persons of the Godhead.  God is one in essence manifested in three persons.  If we are in Christ, and the believer is said to be over sixty times in the New Testament, placed there by Spirit baptism at the moment of our salvation, then we are in God the Father also.  The local church of the New Testament is a baptized gathering of God’s people, taken from among the universal church of God, the church that exists only in this dispensation of grace.

The church, then, is a mystery.  “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints” (Col. 1:26).  “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (Eph. 3:6).  The church is God’s program for this age, unseen in ages before, but now manifested through the workings of the gospel.  God does not leave His church without purpose and protection.

Though the church is manifested at this time in history, it was seen in the mind of God before the foundation of the world.  “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:4).  Regardless of where one is on the Calvinistic scale, it is a comfort to know that God, from all eternity, has seen His church in this current situation, with all of its troubles and opposition, and has designed the circumstances with us in mind.  “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:5-6).

The church, then, also has a future.  “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).  We may leave this world in one of a number of ways.  We could die suddenly by accident or illness; we could live to old age or we could be raptured out if the Lord would come.  Our Lord has gone ahead to prepare a place in the Father’s house which will be our eternal abode.  That existence will more than compensate for whatever discomfort we may experience between now and then.  If God is for us, who can be against us?

The church in the world

A second consideration for the church in the new year is that our local church is one of many that exist in this world, around the globe.  Paul also wrote to the Thessalonians, “For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews” (1 Thes. 2:14).  The local churches across the sea in Judea were also earthly representatives of those who are “in Christ Jesus” and were their brothers and sisters in tribulation.  I am using the word “world” now in a global sense and not in the other biblical usage where it is said that Satan is “the god of this world” or the kosmos.   The little Greek word gē is usually translated
earth” and in English becomes the geo, as in geology, or the study of the earth.  God declares, “Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool” (Isa. 66:1; Acts 7:49).  John saw four angels “standing on the four corners of the earth” (Rev. 7:1).  But in speaking of churches Paul wrote, “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3:15).

This connection of churches was very precious to Paul, especially during those times of trial when brethren in other parts of the world were being persecuted for their faith.  We live in such times.  I am not necessarily speaking of “Christianity” in a broad, generic or “Christendom” sense though even that is being condemned in the world as well.  The world knows no better than to lump all “Christian” things together.  I remember being in Israel where our Jewish guide only spoke of three world religions:  Jews, Muslims, and Christians.  But I am speaking of our true brothers and sisters who gather in churches like ours and worship the Lord “in reverence and godly fear.”  Most still do so legally, and face only ridicule or hatred.  “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin” (Heb. 12:4), the writer of Hebrews declared.  Yet many must gather and worship in fear of physical harm.  Some are underground, and others meet, waiting for the knock on the door by the civil authorities.  In Judea, after Christ’s resurrection, Jesus appeared to them “when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19).

This reminder of the church in the world should exhort us to communicate with our churches and missionaries in other parts of the world.  It ought to encourage us to pray more, to support more, to communicate with them and even visit their lands.  This sense of universal brotherhood and fellow servanthood will encourage all the churches both home and abroad.

The church in our own country

During his missionary journeys, Paul spent much time in the Thessalonians’ own country.  “So that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.  For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad” (1 Thes. 1:7-8).  This was common with biblical writers.  Peter begins his epistle, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Pet. 1:1).  Thessalonica, Philippi, and Berea were cities in Macedonia, the northern province of Greece, whereas Corinth and Athens were cities in the southern province, Achaia.  When Paul took up the offering (in 2 Corinthians 8-9) he was concerned about how the churches of Macedonian and Achaia would encourage or discourage one another in that joint ministry to the saints in Judea.

Our local church is in the United States of America.  We have our unique challenges here just as other churches have in their own countries.  Our church falls under the laws and jurisdiction of America and we are thereby instructed in the Scripture to be obedient and give unto this country all that we can that does not belong to God alone.  While we understand that the New Testament church is not just an American church, we certainly realize that we are especially blessed to be a church in America.  So far in our history it has been a wonderful privilege to be a Christian and attend a Christian church in this country.  The laws and benefits have been designed for our advantage and we are thankful.  Most Christians throughout the church age have not had such a blessing.

Our generation, however, is looking down the slippery slope of losing these privileges.  We are rightly concerned about what kind of country our kids and grandkids will live in.  We look with historical solemnity at the countries of France, Germany, and England.  We realize that our earthly, national circumstances are not guaranteed to us until Jesus comes.  The American experiment of a proper separation of church and state has been a blessing, not only to our churches, but to churches all over the world because of God’s blessing upon America.  We have sent more money, supplies, missionaries, and gospel preaching all over the globe than any other country in history.  And now, in this technological age, we could be the source again, of rich blessings to God’s churches.  But will we?

No one needs statistics or polls to tell them that our freedoms are in danger.  Antichristian legalities are mounting against Christian churches and Christian businesses daily.  Non-Christian beliefs are overtaking Christian beliefs in schools, governments, entertainment, sports, and are being given more protection than Christianity.  The threat of physical safety within the church building or meeting place is a phenomenon unheard of in past generations in this country.  The heresies of secularism, mysticism, occultism, not to mention the major cults that are now accepted as “Christian,” are now acceptable options for the compartmentalized minds of American youth.  And if these things aren’t enough, the worldliness, indecency, and vulgarity of the American culture are sure signs of its imminent destruction.

What to do?  Paul complimented the Thessalonians that “ye were examples to all that believe . . . For from you sounded out the word of the Lord . . . Your faith to God-ward is spread abroad . . . Ye turned to God from idols . . . To wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thes. 1:7-10).  New Testament business is the best plan for the church in any country.  Our churches must again be more retreat and training centers for our faith and less entertainment platforms that only tickle the ears.  The church needs to be the church again, salt and light in a tasteless and dark country.

The church in our city

The church at Thessalonica was not only “in God” but it was “of the Thessalonians.”  Paul wrote also “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse” (Col. 1:2), and “To all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi” (Phil. 1:1), and similarly to all the churches that have city names.  The local church of the New Testament is local because it is made up of believers in a certain place.  Paul was only in Thessalonica for three weeks (Acts 17:1-9) on his second missionary journey before being forced to leave, but that was enough to leave a great church behind.

Usually when Paul preached in a certain city, some believed and some did not.  In Thessalonica for example, “Some of them believed and consorted with Paul and Silas . . . But the Jews which believed not . . .”  (Acts 17:4-5).  This same thing resulted even on Mars Hill in Athens (Acts 17:32-34).  Such is the case in the towns where we all minister.  In fact, far fewer believe than do not.  Even years ago when I was an associate pastor at a church in the Chicago suburbs, my job was to knock doors every day.  Roughly speaking, the results were that I had to knock on ten doors to get one positive response, and I had to get ten positive responses to actually have one of them visit our church, and I had to have ten visit our church to get one to stay around.

But the results are not as much of our concern as the work.  Paul complimented the church at Thessalonica because “our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance”  (1Thes. 1:5).  And of them he wrote, “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing” (1 Thes. 1:8).  Also, “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thes. 2:13).  The word “effectually,” energēs, is the same word translated “powerful” in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick (living) and powerful.”  That is, it will do its work if we will just let it.

I think Paul wanted to win the Thessalonians to the Lord as much as anyone.  But I don’t think he was at all interested in having false converts.  I don’t recall him bragging about how many converts, baptisms, or the size of attendance he had in particular churches.  In fact, in Corinth he downplayed the number of baptisms (1 Cor. 1:13-17).  But Paul seems very concerned at Thessalonica about how the Word of God is presented, because it is the Word itself that is powerful and will draw men to Christ.  A famous evangelist was riding on a train one time when a drunken man came up to him and announced that he was one of the evangelist’s converts.  “You look like one of my converts” was the reply.  I could give a list of similar results.

At the end of this first epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul writes, “I charge you by the Lord, that this epistle be read unto all the only brethren” (1 Thes. 5:27).  The church had to be gathered in order for the letter to be read, and maybe that’s why Paul calls them “holy,” because they would be the ones who attend the services and hear it.  I am only pointing out the importance of being engaged in one’s local church, and putting one’s family in a position to be used of God in a most blessed way.

The church in your house

The Thessalonians were to “study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (1 Thes. 4:11-12).  Since the people are the church, not the brick and mortar, and since we only meet together periodically, as members we all bring the church home with us the rest of the time.  We live the church in front of our children; we covenant with it in our conversation and actions; we build it up in our thoughts and prayers for one another; and we testify of it to our neighbors and friends.  If we are hypocrits at home, the church is an anemic church.

And so . . .

Paul told the Corinthians to “Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32).  Let that be our resolution in 2016.  He also said to them “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (1 Cor. 12:27).  We are spiritually connected to every believer in every part of the world, and yet we are vitally connected to those with whom we assemble.  The lost world needs us more than ever before.  Let’s let the church be the church and let God do His work through us.

 

 

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