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Past Articles – Messages of encouragement and information |
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11/26/00 - Bible Study Together Which one of us is willing to say that God’s word is not important to us? By God’s word we came to know our sinfulness before God; by God’s word we came to know that God holds us accountable for that sinfulness; by Gods’ word we came to know of God’s love; by God’s word we came to know the way of salvation; and by God’s word we come to know how to live before God. We know of several passages that address the value of God’s word to us in our walk with God. Passages such as, 2 Tim 3:16,17 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. And from the Psalms, Thy word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against Thee, (119:11) and Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path (119:105). We also know that it takes some effort to learn God’s word correctly. It can be mishandled. Paul warned Timothy, a preacher who had worked with him for years, to be careful with the Scriptures. He told him, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15) The Ethiopian sought help from Philip to understand a passage from Isaiah the prophet (Acts 8:31). How sad it is that even one person would choose not to learn God’s word better. Whether to participate in Bible class or not is a choice we each make. I am flabbergasted when some in the church see so little need to spend time with their brethren in structured Bible study. I can’t even begin to answer the question of why they don’t want to eagerly learn more of God’s word so that they might serve God more capably. If you are not a part of our regular Bible class program, you really need to reconsider why you have chosen not to be a part of it for your sake, for the church’s sake, for the community’s sake. Until next time…12/3/00 - Holiday or Holy Day? Holidays have sprung up over the years in commemoration of various events. Some recall specific historical events. Veterans Day was once known as Armistice Day. It commemorated the end of The Great War. World War I as we know it today. Over the years it has been expanded to honor all those in the military who have fought in the defense of our country. Some holidays have their origin in ancient religious practices. When Christianity spread into pagan lands, they found people already celebrating a winter festival in late December. In their efforts to help win over these pagans, a “Christian” holiday was designed to coincide with the pagan festival. Over the years this festival became a “holy day” as well as a holiday. “Holy days” do not originate from the Bible, God’s Word. God spoke of feast days in the Law of Moses. (Ex 23:14-16) He spoke of saints meeting on the first day of the week to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus. (Acts 20:7) But He is completely silent about the many “holy days” being observed by so many denominations today. As followers of Jesus, we found our faith on the New Testament. Many religious customs and practices have risen over the years that are not part of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3) They do not have their origin in the teachings of Jesus, either directly or through the penmen He used to write down the New Testament. When religious practices do not originate in the revealed will of God, they are not religious practices that God’s people can engage in with the assurance of God’s approval. God has not revealed the incarnation date (birth date) of His only begotten Son. There is no record in God’s Word that Christians ever celebrated His incarnation day. There is no record in secular history that Christians ever celebrated December 25 as a holy day in commemoration of the birth of Jesus until centuries after the church was established. Let us not be guilty of turning a holiday into a holy day. Until next time…12/10/00 - Customs Versus Doctrines Holidays are nice. They provide time for families and friends to spend time together. Sometimes there are traditions that have come up within the family, whether original or borrowed from others. With the Christmas holiday, many families (even those with no hint of a religious heritage) put up and decorate a Christmas tree, exchange gifts with others, and sing songs about jolly elves, snowmen, good kings, and sleigh rides with jingling bells. These traditions have grown up over the years. Some of them can be traced back to pagan festivities, but they have lost every bit of that association in the centuries that have since past. Sometime well-meaning brethren cause confusion and needless guilt about some of the holiday customs that have grown up over the years. Some have argued that the Bible condemns such things as Christmas trees. They draw their conclusion from such Old Testament passages as Jeremiah 10:3,4 - “For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter.” Because the language sounds like it is describing a Christmas tree (cut from the forest, decorated with silver and gold, held in place so it won’t fall over), they include holiday trees as an application of Jeremiah’s teaching. They, therefore, do not put up a tree at this time of the year. They frown upon others who do, and some individuals openly and viciously condemn those who put up a holiday tree. Even a cursory reading of the rest of the passage shows that Jeremiah is talking about idols being set up. Verse 5 - “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.” Verse 8 –“But they are altogether stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion-- their idol is wood!” Let us not force God to speak where He has not spoken. If we choose not to observe a holiday custom, so be it. But let us not condemn others because they choose to put up a holiday tree. Until next time… 12/17/00 - Accidental Credance What parent has not chastened a child about some bit of mischief only to have them say something like, “I didn’t mean to do it”? What husband or wife has not used those words when they have offended their beloved spouse unintentionally? We have all been guilty of doing something unintentionally that upset someone. When it comes to the practice of our religion, we can be guilty of unintentionally doing things that God has not authorized us to do as a part of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. This time of year, there are many activities associated with Christmas. There are cantatas, living nativities, and countless other portrayals of the events traditionally associated with the birth of Jesus. Our friends and neighbors have adopted many of these as part of their religious practice. When I mention taking vacation over these holidays to someone outside our church family, it is generally met with an almost sacrilegious unbelief: “How can you be away from your church on Christmas?” Among the religious groups espousing faith in Christ, almost all of them hold Christmas as a very important religious holy day. Perhaps it is because so many of our friends and neighbors observe Christmas as a religious holiday that some even in the Lord’s church are beginning to treat it as a special day religiously as well. Some congregations of the Lord’s church already hold “Easter Sunrise Services” like our religious friends and neighbors. Reminds be of Israel when they approached Samuel and wanted a king so they could be like all the nations around them. (1 Samuel 8:4,5) It is difficult to be a people separated from the rest of the world. Sometimes we want to reduce the differences that separate the Lord’s church from other religious groups. But sometimes we slip into doing things others do religiously without giving thought to how it affects our walk with God. It’s hard to be different from the majority, even religiously. Let’s work diligently at not unintentionally becoming like our religious friends and neighbors on things God has not authorized us to do religiously. Until next time… The work of God should never cease to amaze us! Consider our Lord and Savior, Jesus, God’s Christ. He was born to an insignificant family. His parents could only afford to offer the minimum of sacrifices in association with His birth. (Lk 2:22-24; Lev 12) His home town was despised by men: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn 2:46) Yet He was to be the gift of God who would make salvation possible for mankind. (Mt 1:21) “For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Isa 53:2-3) “Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:6-9) This is the one whom God made to be “both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36) This is the one who bore our sins on His cross. (1 Pet 2:24) This is the one who became sin that we might become righteous before God. (2 Cor 5:21) This is the one and the only one through whom we can have salvation before God! (Acts 4:12; Jn 14:6) This is the one who was demonstrated to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead. (Rom 1:4) Thanks be to God Jesus, Lord and Savior! Until next time… Many people call John 3:16 the heart of the Bible. It sums up what God has done for mankind in a most marvelous way. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” That passage holds the promise of God for mankind: eternal life through Jesus.
Jesus is described by many words in the
Bible, but one of the most significant is the word “Savior.” That
word is the heart of Jesus as John 3:16 is the heart of the Bible. Jesus
came into this world to save mankind
from their sins. (1 Tim 1:15) That’s the good news. There is also some
bad news: not everyone will be saved from sins’ punishment. God
certainly desires that all mankind be saved. (1 Tim 2:3,4; 2 Pet 3:9)
The truth is that Jesus is the Savior only of those who
obey Him. The Hebrews writer wrote, “He became to all those who
obey Him the source of eternal salvation.” (Heb 5:9) How sad it will
be to have gone through this life thinking that one is saved, only to
find out in eternity that there was more involved than saying, “I
believe that Jesus is the Christ”! But such will happen to all too
many good people. Much of what is called
“Christianity” today has bought into the concept of cheap grace.
(Alas! it is spreading into the church today as well.) Cheap grace
offers salvation in the name of Jesus without real commitment to Jesus.
It suggests that one should be a part of some kind of church family
somewhere, but it is not necessary. It suggests that one should ask
questions like “What Would Jesus Do,” but it does not teach
holiness, sanctification, purity, or even morality. In effect, it
teaches that man is the measure of what God wants. In other words, each
person decides what is pleasing to God based on his or her own likes and
dislikes. Jesus still says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 7:21) Let us ensure that we are not basing our salvation on anyone or anything else. Until next time… 1/7/01 - Separated Like Abraham God’s work in bringing mankind back to His fellowship began with the calling of Abraham. God separated Abraham from all that was familiar to him when He called him from Ur of the Chaldees to go out to the land that God would show him. (Gen 12:1-4) By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. (Heb 11:8) Abraham had been separated from the ordinary, having been set apart by God. This attribute – being separated unto God – would be characteristic of God’s people throughout time. From Abraham who went to the strange land, to the former slaves who received the Promised Land, to the church of God Almighty – God’s people are to be a distinct and separated people. God’s people are not to be like everyone else. When God brought Abraham into the land of Canaan, He told him that He would give him and his descendants all the land. (Gen 12:7) While Abraham lived in the land, he did not own even a foot of it. He was a sojourner. After Sarah died, he purchased a burial place for her. But other than that, he didn’t own the land that God had promised to first give to him, and then to his descendants. When God made the promise, Abraham had no descendants at all! But God is a God of faithfulness. Abraham believed God, and that trust in God was accounted as righteousness for Abraham. (Gen 15:6) Abraham trusted God’s word. He served God all the days of his life – he was separated unto God. When he died at a ripe old age, full of days, he went to his grave still set apart to God. As Christians today, we have great promises from God that we don’t possess yet, such as our dwelling place in God’s house. But we need to be like Abraham and look forward by faith to what God has promised us. God is faithful, and He will fulfill what He has promised to us through Jesus. Don’t let the world tempt you to drop your faith in the God who fulfills His promises in His time. Until next time…God called Abraham to separate himself from his family. Abraham obeyed God, going to that land that God would show him. (Gen 12) God promised Abraham that he would be a great people, even though at the time, Abraham was old and childless, and his wife was past the age of childbearing. However, God is faithful, and kept His promise. God gave Abraham a son, Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob eventually had twelve sons. The descendants of Abraham were increasing. God had great plans for the descendants of Abraham. When Jacob was an old man, a famine came upon the land. Some of his sons went to Egypt to buy grain. After the second trip to buy grain, Jacob’s son Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. Joseph saw God’s fingerprints all over his own circumstances, trying as they were for many years. God was working to preserve the descendants of Abraham. (Gen 45:7) Joseph sent for his father and the rest of his family. When they arrived in Egypt, they settled in the area known as “Goshen.” They were not a part of the general population. As a family, a blossoming people, they were separated from the people of the land. Several generations later, God sent Moses to bring the descendants of Abraham out of Egypt and deliver them to the Promised Land. In order for Pharaoh to let the people go – they had been enslaved by this time – God gave Moses some wonders to perform. We know them better as plagues. When announcing the plague of insects, God announced that He was going to make a distinction between His people and Pharaoh’s people. (Ex 8:22) That plague would not be on the land of Goshen. They were separated from the plague! Goshen is described as excluded also from the plague of hail. (Ex 9:26) God was making a distinction between His people and the people of the land. God’s people were separated from the people in whose land they lived. God’s people, the church, remain separated. We, like Abraham’s descendants, live among people who do not know God. And yet, we are to be separated from them. Does your life reveal that you are separated from them? Until next time… |
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