The Kingdom of Christ

Christ’s Kingdom

Contrary to popular belief, Christ’s kingdom exists today. Paul writes to “the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae” (Col. 1:2), and mentions the Heavenly Father “who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us unto the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13). According to Paul, this process of translation (defined in the Greek as “to transfer, to remove from one place to another”) has happened in the past. They were already members of the kingdom of Christ. This is very important, since some teach today that the kingdom of Christ has not come and will not come until Christ returns. Those who hold this doctrine (called premillennialism) also advocate that the future kingdom will be an earthly kingdom, but the Bible simply does not teach this. When Jesus and His disciples preached, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17; 10:7), they were speaking of that kingdom which would come relatively soon. In fact, Jesus told an audience on one occasion that some of them would actually see the kingdom come with power during their lifetime (Mark 9:1). The final question that the apostles of Christ would ask before He ascended into heaven was, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). They still had completely misunderstood the nature of His kingdom. However, His answer included the fact that they would receive power after the Holy Ghost came upon them (Acts 1:7-8), which happened in the very next chapter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Since they received power on the day of the Pentecost, and the kingdom was to come with power (cf. Matt. 16:28), then we can conclude that the kingdom of Christ came on the day of Pentecost. Thus, the church is not an afterthought or some “Plan B,” but it was “according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11). The kingdom of Christ exists today. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see (defined in the Greek as “to experience, i.e. to partake of salvation in the kingdom of God,” Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon, p. 1492) the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Christ’s kingdom is universal. Its worship is not limited to a certain area (John 4:21). In His kingdom, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Its gates are open to all of every nation who believe and obey the gospel (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19).

Christ’s kingdom is mobile. Its citizens are considered nothing more than “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11), looking “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (Heb. 13:14).

If you are not in Christ’s kingdom today, please contact us, and we will be happy to assist you on your journey to the kingdom of Christ!

Posted in Sam Willcut | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Kingdom of Christ

Are You A Greek Scholar?

I Am Not a Greek Scholar

you dont need to know greek to be a scholar

You Don’t Need to Know Greek to be a Scholar.

Over the years, through many lessons, sermons, and discussions, the phrase “You do not need to be a Greek scholar to understand the Bible” has echoed in my ears. I heartily agree with the statement and have said it myself. This means what it says, but it does not mean that ignoring the Greek (or any language of the Bible) is acceptable. Not being a Greek Scholar does not give anyone the freedom to misuse an English word in place of an accurate English translation. There are no inspired translations. The only inspired words of the Bible were the original ones.

The accuracy of translations today depends on the degree to which they express the original meaning of that which was given by the Holy Spirit. There is great humor in the frequently statement, “The King James Version is the only inspired translation!” No, it is not inspired. It wasn’t even produced until a thousand years after the inspiration of the Spirit had penned the Gospel. So what is the point? Simply put: Accessing the inspired original languages of the Bible, instead of a mere translation, will at times provide a clearer and therefore proper understanding of God’s Will.

Consider the English translation of Psalm 81:3: (KJV)

“Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.”

These words make it sound as if a trumpet needs to be destroyed. The original language would make it clear that the playing of the instrument is the proper understanding.

Consider the English translation of James 2:3: (KJV)

“And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:”

Increasing generations would consider this a verse expressing kindness to a homosexual. Rather, the term “gay” is a reference to expensive or luxuriant clothing.

The above are simply verses where the meanings of English phrases have changed over time. Going back to the original languages can clarify what was meant. But what about John 1:1 (New World Translation):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a God.”

Other English translations read “the Word was God”. Examining the original Greek statement in John 1:1 no article “a” is discovered. To say the Word (Jesus) was a god, vs. saying Jesus was God is a huge difference. Without having access to the Greek, a profound misunderstanding could have been established.

There are countless translation issues that make the Bible confusing at times. Not being a Greek Scholar, but being willing to use a Greek / Hebrew dictionary can answer a lot of questions and correct many false understandings. Such resources are available most everywhere in physical print and digital formats. Accessing this material will deepen and broaden your understanding of scripture, aiding you in being a Christian Scholar as was commanded in Matthew 28:19:

“Go ye therefore, and make disciples [enroll as scholars] of all the nations,…”

Posted in Travis Main | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Are You A Greek Scholar?

Hope is Our Anchor

Hope is Our Anchor

does your anchor of hope see you through the storm

Does your anchor of hope see you through the storm?

Our theme for this year is With GOD We Can, and the emphasis for this month is that with Him we can anchor our hope in Christ. Our world is so complex and is so rapidly changing.  Televisions, phones, computers and other electronic devices become outdated so rapidly. We seemingly move from house to house and job to job far more frequently than before. Relationships and our roles in our family are so different as we rush through life. Is there nothing stable on which we can build our lives?

The answer is found in the closing verses of Hebrews chapter six. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast and which enters the Presence behind the veil.” God has given us hope and that hope is the anchor of our souls.

Hope is based on His immutable promise. The Bible clearly shows that we are saved by hope (Rom. 8:24) and this hope is the anchor of our souls. The writer of Hebrews ties hope to the promises of God. God’s promises to Abraham enabled the patriarch to see what others could not see. God spoke the promise to Abraham and His word was enough. Yet God wanted Abraham to know how much he could trust Him. So God confirmed this with an oath (Heb. 6:13-16). The writer then says this same hope, our hope, is our anchor.

Hope is based on the promises which are secure. Hebrews say that the hope we have is sure and steadfast (Heb. 6:19). What could be more sure? The omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal and Almighty One have given us His promise and He cannot lie (Tit. 1:2). Life is filled with uncertainty but the hope we have is far beyond all certainty. It is the basis of all of life’s decision. It is truly the anchor of the soul!

Hope is based on the promises which are steadfast. His promise and our hope are both sure and steadfast (Heb. 6:19). There is no variance in the trustworthiness of our anchor. The life’s philosophy of some is forced to change throughout their lives from day to day, but the faith we have is constant and unchanging. As our faith grows stronger, the anchor becomes more secure. It is always there. It is always secure. It is the anchor for our soul.

Hope is based of the life of Jesus and reaches from earth to heaven. Look again at Hebrews six. Jesus our forerunner has carried the anchor and has taken it into the very presence of God. No wonder it is an anchor sure and steadfast. The anchor line extends from our hearts, from our trials, and reaches into heaven. Hold on to that anchor. It will never move for it is anchored in eternity. God, hasten the day when we arrive at the place where we have anchored our lives! God, we thank You for the anchor You have given to us!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Hope is Our Anchor

One Lord? One God? One Faith?

One?

one single solitary solo only lone specific precise

One. Single. Solitary. Solo. Only. Lone. Specific. Precise.

Ephesians 4:1-6, written by the divinely-inspired Apostle Paul (Eph. 1:1; 2 Tim. 3:16-17) to the first-century congregation of the church of Christ (Rom. 16:16) that worked and worshipped together in Ephesus (Acts 20:17-38; Eph. 1:1, 3:8-12; Rev. 2:1-7), has been the subject of countless millions, probably even billions I daresay, of sermons, bible studies, gospel meetings, conferences, seminars, articles, and spiritual dissertations of all sorts since it was written in the mid first-century. It is one of the simplest, most beautiful, most unifying, and straightforward texts in the entire, sacred collection, echoing and underscoring our precious Savior’s sentiments on “one-ness” which He poured out in prayer to His heavenly Father (with whom He enjoyed such one-ness), as recorded in John 17. Listen to it again; let it wash over your soul; let it sink deeply into your heart and mind, yet one more time….

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Let us also try one more time, to not only see and appreciate the simple beauty of this sacred text, but to seek to do so in such a way that our denominational friends and neighbors might be able to better internalize and benefit from its beacon of eternal truth as well. And this we will try to do, by starting with the portions of the text which we all most certainly agree on.

No denominational seeker would disagree with the fact that there is but ONE GOD. But which God? Well, the ONE GOD of the Bible of course! The ONE GOD of the Bible who created the heavens and the earth; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save lost sinners’ souls, just as Scripture says (Gen. 1; Acts 3:13; Jn. 3:16).

Likewise, no denominational seeker would disagree with – but would adamantly defend in fact – the undeniable fact that there is but ONE LORD. But which Lord? Well, the ONE LORD Jesus Christ, and Him alone (Acts 4:12; Col. 1:15-18)! The ONE LORD we also read about in the bible, who became flesh and dwelt among us; who humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross; and who was raised up to the right hand of the Father in heaven to intercede for us just as Scripture says (Jn. 1:14; Phil. 2:5-11; Hebs. 7:25).

And (and here’s where the difficulty seems to be for some of our denominational friends and neighbors to see and accept – but certainly not because it’s not simple enough to understand), in exactly the same way, the same sentence, and the same sentiment, we read that there is also only ONE FAITH and ONE BAPTISM, according to the ONE GOD. And which ONE FAITH and ONE BAPTISM is that exactly? Well, the ONE FAITH and the ONE BAPTISM which we also read about in the sacred Scriptures in exactly the same way – and none other whatsoever!

It is the ONE FAITH which all of God’s children are to have in common, and in which we are to all be unified, undivided, and undenominated (Phil. 1:27-2:3). It is the ONE FAITH which was once for all delivered prior to the end of the first-century (Jude 3) and which we can therefore explore in its entirety within the pages of the New Testament. It is the ONE FAITH to which one must be obedient, in which one must stand by faith, and from which none must deviate (Acts 6:7; Rom. 1:5, 16:26; Col. 1:19-2:14; 2 Cor. 13:3; 1 Tim. 1:19, 4:1, 6:10, 20-21) in order to be saved God’s ONE WAY.

And the ONE BAPTISM that is therefore the only one valid before the ONE GOD and ONE LORD is obviously also only the ONE BAPTISM which we read about repeatedly in the New Testament Scripture since the Lord’s church was established in Acts 2. It is the act of faith in the working of God who raised Jesus from the dead, which makes us children of God by our faithful obedience to it (Col. 2:12; Gal. 3:26-27). It is a full, ‘by faith’ burial in water specifically and exclusively FOR the forgiveness of one’s sins, to wash away one’s sins, and the exact point in time at which a lost soul is saved and added by God to His Son’s blood-bought church of Christ (Ro. 6:3-4; Acts 2:37-47, 22:16; 1 Ptr. 3:21).

And just as Ephesians 4:4-6 tells us about the ONE and only Holy SPIRIT (Matt. 28:18-20), and our ONE HOPE (Rom. 5:1-5), it also tells of the ONE BODY of Christ… The same ONE BODY which the apostle Paul earlier, in that same epistle to the Ephesian Christians, also called the “church” (Eph. 1:22-23; see also Col. 1:18, 24). If the “church” and the “body” are ONE and the same institution – as God’s word says they absolutely are – and if there is only ONE BODY as Eph. 4:4-6 clearly says, then there is only ONE – and there is no way there can be more than ONE – church (which is His body – Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18, 24; etc)! Again, the terms “church” and “body” are used synonymously in Ephesians and elsewhere in the sacred, New Testament Scriptures, to refer to the ONE saved, undivided, undenominated group of people purchased, pardoned, and belonging to Christ.

Now, here’s the bottom line. What does “ONE” actually mean? Because whatever it means when it says “ONE LORD,” “ONE GOD,” and “ONE SPIRIT,” it means exactly the same thing when it says “ONE HOPE,” “ONE FAITH,” “ONE BAPTISM,” and “ONE BODY” (church). People who believe that there are multiple different churches that God finds acceptable, and that God is okay with people attending any “church of their choice” never found in Scripture, then they must also believe that God is okay with people believing in many different “gods,” or worshipping “the god of their choice” not found in Scripture either.

Conversely, if there is only ONE GOD and ONE LORD, and a religious person truly believes and accepts that there is only the ONE GOD and ONE LORD which we find in the bible, then they must also understand that there is only the ONE FAITH, ONE CHURCH, and ONE BAPTISM we read about therein as well! We can’t have it both ways! There can’t be many different faiths, baptisms, and churches found outside of Scripture that God is still okay with our being a part of, while at the same time holding us to the standard that there is only the ONE GOD and ONE LORD found in Scripture!

So what exactly does ONE mean to you? Because whatever it means in any ONE of those phrases, it means in every single ONE of them: ONE BODY (CHURCH); ONE SPIRIT; ONE HOPE; ONE LORD; ONE FAITH; ONE BAPTISM; and ONE GOD. Does it mean “ONE?” Or, does it mean many? Does it mean instead of “ONE” that there are therefore:

  • Many different religious bodies/churches, never found in Scripture, but for which Christ died and of which God still approves?
  • Many different Holy Spirits, never found in Scripture, but for whom Christ died to send and of whom God approves?
  • Many different hopes of destinations other than heaven which are never found in Scripture, but which Christ died to secure for us and of which God approves?
  • Many different Lords other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who are never found in Scripture, but of which Christ and God both approve of us worshipping and following?
  • Many different faiths (denominations, divisions, and departures from the original such as the Catholic Faith; Baptist Faith; Lutheran Faith; Methodist Faith; and etc, which are never seen named in Scripture because they came along hundreds of years after the New Testament was written which contains the ONE FAITH delivered for all the saints: Jude 3), but of which Christ and God still approve of us practicing and following?
  • Many different baptisms (such as sprinkling or pouring instead of being “buried,” and for multiple and various reasons such as to show that one has been previously saved by saying the so-called “sinner’s prayer;” as an “outward sign of an inward grace;” or to cleanse from so-called “original sin”) which are never found in Scripture, but of which Christ and God both approve of us practicing despite the ONE BAPTISM they commanded for salvation in the New Testament?
  • Many different gods, who are never found in Scripture, but which Christ and God approve of us worshipping anyway? (By the way, please check out Deut. 5:6-10, 10:12-13; Matt. 22:35-38; and Hebs 12:22-29 if you think “ONE” means “any one of many” in this case!)

So; does ONE mean ONE… or many? Faithful to the New Testament, “old paths” (Jer. 6:16) congregations of the Lord’s ONE New Testament church (or world-wide blood bought body of saved people – Acts 20:28; Ro. 16:16) simply, in humble, obedient, submissive and trusting faith in almighty God and His divinely-inspired word, understand and accept that when their ONE God said “ONE,” He meant… “ONE.” What do YOU believe?

 

Posted in Doug Dingley | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on One Lord? One God? One Faith?

How Shall We Escape?

No Escape

One of my favorite shows growing up was “Hogan’s Heroes.” A comedy set at the fictional Stalag 13 (although there was an actual Stalag Luft XIII-B), a prisoner-of-war camp for captured Allied airmen located north of the town of Hammelburg, Germany during WWII. The camp is actually a base of operations for Allied espionage and sabotage against Nazi Germany, as well as an underground operation to aid POW’s from other camps and defectors to escape Germany. All of this is carried out under the incompetent nose of the Kommandant Colonel Wilhelm Klink and his buffoon of a Master Sergeant Hans Georg Schultz. In the show, despite their ability to come and go, seemingly as they please (as well as their ability to get others out of the country), the POW’s of Stalag 13 never leave. This helps keep the incompetent Klink in charge as he boasts that, “There has never been a successful escape from Stalag 13!”

In Hebrews 2:3–4 the inspired writer asks the rhetorical question, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” In order to answer this question we must first consider just what it is that makes the salvation of God great so great. The salvation of God is great…

  1. In Its Conception: Only the infinite mind of God could conceive of such a beautiful and sacrificial plan. Knowing the certainty of man’s sin, and the horrible results of them, God, from before the creation of the world (Romans 3:23–26; Ephesians 1:3–4; Acts 2:23), planned, out of His great love for mankind (John 3:16) to send His Son and redeem us.
  1. In Its Results: What resulted was freedom from sin, freedom from death, and the promise and hope of eternal life in Heaven with Him. A life free from the controls of Satan and wickedness and a life free to love and serve God and others.
  1. In The Price Paid For it: Jesus told His disciples, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). In John 10:18 He said of His life, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” In 1 John 3:16 we are reminded, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.” Friends we are “bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

If those living in the dark days before Christ will be punished for their transgressions against God, how much more may we expect to be who live in the light of the Christian Age? Those who have heard and experienced the blessing of Christ as well as those who count the blood of Christ as something to be despised will certainly receive a greater condemnation (Hebrews 10:29). The fact is we today live under a better covenant with better promises (Hebrews 7:22; 8:6). Remember the words of Jesus, how He said, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:48).

There’s no need to worry if we heed the Word of the Lord, place our faith, trust and obedience in Him and live faithful lives of service and example. Otherwise, there is indeed no escape from the wrath of God. Those who have obeyed and are faithful are able to live fearless lives! Be faithful!

Posted in Tim Dooley | Tagged , , | Comments Off on How Shall We Escape?