Scandal

If you follow sports at all, you’ve probably read stories involving the word ” scandal ” more times than you can count in the last few weeks. Among other scandals, Major League Baseball’s latest performance enhancing drug scandal has a number of players marked for long-term suspensions (pending appeals). Men who once adamantly denied any wrongdoing and consistently claimed their own innocence have now seen evidence compiled against them that strongly suggests that they’re guilty. A problem that was once considered to be a thing of the past has resurfaced with a vengeance. Sound familiar?
We in the church have our own ” scandals ” of sorts. Consider the widespread destruction of pornography among men (and women, in rapidly increasing numbers). Consider pregnancies out of wedlock. Consider those who struggle with homosexual thoughts or desires. There are a number of sins that we seem to have (in some unspoken way) classified as ” scandals ” that will not be discussed. However, if we don’t discuss those sins, how will we ever help people overcome them?
Two of the major keys in the baseball PED scandal help us to gain a better understanding of how we can handle these undiscussed sins. First, some of the players claimed their own innocence and spoke harshly to any who accused them of doing anything that was against the rules. Because of their attempts at secrecy they got themselves into even more trouble and had more pride to swallow when the evidence came to everyone’s attention. Second, because the league is trying to sell a product, they have swept as many issues under the rug as possible and have tried to maintain a clean image in order to keep fans, no matter how false that image may be.
In the church, we have to have open lines of communication so those who struggle with sins and want to overcome them can know that they have brothers and sisters standing behind them, willing to help them overcome sin rather than scandalize them for struggling. Confession and accountability are biblical ideas that prevent us from being prideful in ourselves and the self-images we build up to be seen before men. Rather than compounding the sin by hiding it and being dishonest inwardly and with others about the severity of a sin problem that goes unchallenged, help must be sought and offered by those who can do something. Additionally, the church can’t look at the new temptations and challenges people are facing today and pretend that nothing is wrong. Are we a little unsure about how to approach some of these issues? Probably, because they differ greatly from some of the issues we’ve had to handle in years gone by. However, sin is still sin and the Bible is still sufficient to provide the answers men and women need to eliminate the sins that plague their lives. Let us not bury our heads in the sand but go boldly into a dark and sinful world with the truth, and let’s be sure to pick up those who fall along the way and look for help when we need it.
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John Chapter 2

Six disciples, who now trusted Jesus, started on their lifelong  walk with Him and from the beginning, they began to learn more  about Him. And, each day and each new event brought marvels that  were difficult to understand. And so, in this chapter, John recorded  three wonderful revelations of Jesus Christ that they learned.

In vs. 1-12, we learn about the  Lord’s glory. Jesus had  accepted the invitation to attend a wedding and He was often seen  at social events, even though his enemies used these times to accuse  Him (Lk. 15:1-2). But, Jesus goes to this feast and is accompanied  by His mother and His six disciples mention from Jn. 1. And at this  wedding, there was a shortage of wine, which indicates a low- budgeted feast. Well, it was the groom’s responsibility under the  Jewish wedding feast laws that he have adequate provisions and if it  ran out, it would bring embarrassment and there could actually be a  fine.

Well, even though “His time” had not come yet, our Lord  decides to perform a miracle here. Now, we don’t know if this is the first miracle He ever performed, but it certainly is the first miracle  recorded. And, turning water that was in the waterpots into wine  was so impressive and superior to that which had already been  drank that the man in charge of the banquet highly praised it. Well,  this miracles did something for His disciples. It revealed his glory  (Jn. 1:14) and gave them a stronger foundation for their faith.  Though miracles alone are insufficient evidence for declaring Jesus  to be the Son of God (2 Thess. 2:9-10), the effect of them convinced  them of His deity. See, this sign (semeion) pointed to something  greater, it would cause them to not only believe in Him, but in the  Father who sent Him (Jn. 5:14[1]24). This is why Jesus would add a  sermon to His miracles after He showed his deity.

Second, in vs. 12-22, we learn of the  Lord’s zeal . During these days, each Jewish  man was required to attend three annual feasts at the Holy City: Passover, Pentecost, and  Tabernacles (Deut. 16:16). Well, during this Passover, Jesus revealed His zeal for God First  of all by cleansing the temple (John 2:13-17). Unfortunately, the priests had established a  lucrative business of exchanging foreign money for Jewish currency, and also selling the  animals needed for the sacrifices, which had become corrupted. So, when the Lord drove  them all out, in vs. 16, we see that He was careful not to destroy anyone’s property (He did  not release the doves); but He made it clear that He was in command and that the temple  was His Father’s house.

Well, when they saw His courageous zeal, the disciples remembered Psalm 69:9,  “The zeal of [for] Thine house hath eaten me up” (vs. 17). Now, it was this cleansing that  had declared war on the hypocritical religious leaders, which ultimately led to His death  and even further zeal by giving His life (John 2:18-22). It was logical for the religious  leaders to ask Him to show the source of His authority. After all, they were the guardians of  the Jewish faith, and they had a right to test any new prophet who appeared and even Paul  talked about how “The Jews require a sign” (1 Cor. 1:22). So, Jesus used the image of the  temple to convey this truth. “Destroy this temple [My body], and in three days I will raise it  up” (John 2:19). Being spiritually blind, those who heard misunderstood what He was  saying. They thought it was about the physical temple that Herod had built. But, this was a  prediction of His own death and resurrection; and His disciples remembered it after He  was raised from the dead even though other mocked it later (Matt. 27:40). Of course this  was dealing with the prediction of the Jewish religious system ending and “grace and  truth” coming through Jesus Christ. He is the new sacrifice (John 1:29) and the new temple  (John 2:19) and John will tell us later, that the new worship will depend on inward  integrity, not outward geography (John 4:19-24).

Third, in vs. 23-25, we learn about the  Lord’s knowledge . While in Jerusalem for  the Passover, Jesus performed miracles that are not given in detail, but it must have been  these signs that attracted Nicodemus (John 3:2). It also attracted other because many  professed to believe, but notice how Jesus did not accept their profession. And, no matter  what the people said, the Lord did not accept their testimony because He knew their hearts  and minds. You see, it was one thing to respond to a miracle, but quite something else to  commit oneself to Jesus Christ and continue in His Word (John 8:30-31). And so, John  makes it clear that it takes more than believing in miracles for a person to be saved. Seeing  the signs and believing in them would be a great beginning; in fact, even the disciples  started that way and had to grow in their faith (compare John 2:11 and v. 22). Thus, our  Lord’s accurate knowledge of the human heart is another evidence of His deity, for only  God can see the inner person. And, it is this chapter that prepares us for the interview that  takes place between Jesus and Nicodemus.

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Beauty

Beauty on the Beast?

Proverbs 11:22, “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.” Picture in your mind a gold ring. A ring made of the purest gold. Pretty, isn’t it? Next picture a swine that wallows around in mud, eats garbage, and has a total lack of regard for anything but its own appetites. Now picture that beautiful gold ring in the nose of that pig. Not a pretty picture, is it?  The outward beauty of the ring in the pig’s nose does not outweigh the ugliness of the beast or the filth in which it lives. Gold is out of place in a swine’s nose.

The same can be said for a person’s outward beauty. If their character is ugly, it does not matter how fair they are to look upon. Paul, in 1Tim. 2:9-10, said that women (and men too) are to dress modestly as befitting godliness. Godliness has its own beauty that shines from within and no further amplifying is needed. If a man or woman walks with discretion in the way of the Lord, their inner beauty will be seen in their manner of living.

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Addiction

Addiction – Slavery to the Body!

The Bible teaches that within the stewardship of each one of us there is both a body and a soul, and of the two, the soul takes priority (Matthew 10:28).  The body, therefore, is a tool by which to develop the soul and the soul’s relationship to God.  The interaction between the two, however, is intimate and bidirectional.  The soul experiences the activities of the body; the body provides the context for the growth and development of the soul.  So, while the body is a tool, it is not a mere tool; it is not a dispensable tool.  The body will always provide the soul a context of experience even in eternity (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).  Nevertheless, the body is servant to the soul; the aim of the body is the growth, development, and salvation of the soul (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

Our physical bodies are corruptible, dishonorable, weak, and natural (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).  They are composed of flesh, and contain powerful passions.  These passions are present to help us survive in the world.  They move us to eat, drink, sleep, and engage in other physical activities.  These physical activities are not ends in themselves (Romans 14:17).  They are part of the context of the development and salvation of our souls.  When these activities become ends in and of themselves, the soul begins to serve the body and its passions.  When the passions of the body rule, addiction begins, the development of the soul ceases, and the flesh takes control.  In such a state we begin to “mind the things of the flesh” (Romans 8:5).  We become addicted to flesh.

Anything can become an addiction because addiction is based within the desires of the body.  People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder become addicted to the simplest of activities: hand washing, twisting hair, looking in the mirror, thumb twiddling, clipping one’s nails, etc.  One would not think that such seemingly ordinary activities would be spiritually damaging.  However, if the focus of one’s life becomes one’s body, to whatever extent that the focus is on the body, the soul has lost control.  It is the soul that must remain in control of the body; it is spirit that must prevail over flesh.

It is imperative, therefore, that the mind of the spirit rules each one’s life.  “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13).  Just as the soul is not the body, so also spirit is not flesh.  Spirit has a different set of desires than flesh.  It is the desires of spirit that must be followed.  We do not naturally know those desires, as we naturally know the desires of the flesh.  Only God’s Spirit can reveal the desires of spirit to us through His word (1 Corinthians 2:10).

This sets up a contrast between spiritual desires and fleshly desires.  Spiritual desires are absolute; fleshly desires are relative.  Spiritual desires are objective; fleshly desires are subjective.  Addiction is wholesale abandonment of the control of the spirit over the flesh, and when we permit the flesh to control the spirit, we return to the beggarly elements of the world (Galatians 4:9).  We become slaves to the body (John 8:34, Romans 6:16, 2 Peter 2:19).

There is no shortage in the list of addictions.  This issue of the Christian Worker seeks to deal with some of the chief of these addictions: alcoholism, drug abuse, tobacco, pornography, gluttony, sex abuse, personal fashion abuse.  There is also a segment in this issue on some “up and coming” addictions related to the advent of personal technologies: technology abuse, television abuse, entertainment abuse.  To this list could be added: gambling, activities of leisure, sports, working, and even sleeping (Proverbs 6:9-10).  Any desire of the flesh can become an addiction.

In focusing upon these particular addictions, we hope that each one will awake to the potential slavery of all fleshly desires.  With awareness of such things, we can order our lives to be governed by the spiritual, so that the fleshly has no power.  Only when the desires of flesh are ruled by the desires of spirit, may the desires of flesh be used to God’s glory.  Only then can we hope to find spiritual peace.  “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).

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Foundation

The Foundation of His Church

When Jesus arrived in Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples two questions. The first was, “Who do men say that I am?” The second one was, “Who do you say that I am?” Their answers to the first question attest to the amazing life Jesus had lived before the Jewish nation. They saw Him as being equal to Jeremiah, Elijah, other prophets or John the Baptist. The esteem they held for such messengers of God was given to Jesus.

The answer to the second question was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:18). He was more than a man! He was more than the greatest prophets God had already sent. Napoleon once said of Jesus, “I know men, and Jesus Christ is more than a man.” The disciples knew this truth. They had read of the prophets, heard John preached and they had been with Jesus for years. The only possible explanation to what they had seen and heard was what Jesus found in Peter’s answer. Jesus was truly the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

The church is built upon Jesus. While Peter’s other name was Cephas (this Aramaic word means the same as the Greek word, petros—a stone—see John 1:42), the church was not built on Peter. When Jesus said “Upon this rock I will build my church,” He does not use the Greek word for Peter, but another Greek word indicating a massive rock. The church was not built on Peter, but upon the massive truth that Peter affirmed when he said Jesus was the Son of the living God. Paul’s words showed this truth beyond doubt when he said, “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). This truth is the foundation of the church, for if He is not the Christ, Christianity is a hoax!

The church is built on His deity. Peter affirmed this when he described Jesus as the Son of God. The Jews understood this phrase to mean that He was equal with God (John 5:18). The Jehovah Witness see Jesus as being “a god”, but the Jews knew that the phrase meant deity—equality with God.

The church is built on His origin. He existed before the creation of all things and became mortal by His virgin birth. It is remarkable how anyone can claim to believe in Him, yet deny His unique entry into the world. The virgin birth was a sign to all mankind of the coming of Immanuel (Isa. 7:14).

The church is of divine origin. Read the words of Jesus in Caesarea Philippi. The church is built upon the foundation that He is the son of God. Since he left the earth thousands of churches have begun, but their origin is traceable to humans. Jesus built His church. It is still on this earth. Let us labor to find it and become members of this church!

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