Forget?

Did You Forget?

Some are notorious for being forgetul. “Now let me see: Where did I put my wallet?” “Where are those keys. I just had them?” “What did I do with my computer?” Ever ask questions like this to yourself? I have and I am thankful that I have others, like my wife, who usually remembers where all these items are. She amazes me. But, while these little things can make us worry ourselves to death and bring frustrations, these are not the most of my worries when it comes to forgetting.

Sometimes, I believe, we forget that God is able. Maybe when you are struggling with something or are overwhelmed with stress, you have forgotten that God is able. As Christians, we sometimes fail to believe. Perhaps you are one who does not want to admit it. But, unless we are sinless, we have all failed to really believe at one point. There are times in our Christian walk when we are forced to look at the task at hand, to look at what we need to do and then we begin to doubt, or just flat out suffer from unbelief. Well, the Bible mentions a conversation like this that took place between Jesus and the father of a child who was in that same situation. In Mk. 9:21-24, Jesus “… asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And oftimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Mk. 9:21-24.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. I think this statement sums up the faith of so many. Many times we believe in a general sense, but don’t believe for our own circumstances. Or perhaps, we may believe in God, but never go far enough in our belief to obey him. Well, sere is a man who has a small degree of faith in the power of Christ, but it was mixed with much unbelief because of the suffering of his family. The father knew that he had barely any strength in his faith, it was deficient and he was asking the Lord to increase it, to strengthen it so that he might be strong in faith and give God the glory. If we continue to read past these verses, we find that Jesus meets the faith of this father where he is and ends up delivering the child. Well, Jesus in a sense, is like that today. In coming to the earth, dying for us on the cross and asking us to come to Him, He is attempting to meet man where we are and desires us to come to Him. Having unbelief can stop us from seeing what we need to see in God. Having unbelief can bring discouragement to God’s people (Num. 13:31). Having unbelief weakens us (Eph. 6:16), takes peace from us. So, we need to allow God to transform us in the way we think (Rom. 12:2). We need to study the word of God and act upon it, which bring faith (Rom. 10:17). We need to believe in God. We need to take some time sharing with God areas where we are struggling to believe. Ask him to give you faith to trust him like never before. Remember what Jesus said, “all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mk. 9:23).

Posted in Robert Notgrass | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Forget?

Three Kinds of Works

In the religious world today there is much confusion regarding works. Some teach that works have nothing to do with salvation, that salvation is by the grace of God and received by faith only. Others hold a doctrine that essentially teaches a kind of works-based salvation; they hold that one who has committed sin can do some kind of penance to compensate for that sin. The religion of Islam teaches salvation by works only. They believe that if a person’s good works outweigh their sins then they will go to heaven and conversely if their sins are more than their good works they believe they will go to Hell. (This belief, in reality, is shared by most Americans. Most people in our country, when you get right down to it, believe that those who do good will go to Heaven, regardless of their religion,  and those who do evil will not.)

As we have noted, religious denominations vary in their teachings on works. Some hold to the extreme position that works and salvation are completely unrelated. While, others hold to the opposite extreme that we are saved by works alone. A great deal of time could be spent studying all of the various positions held in the religious world on the relationship between works and salvation. However, it would be more productive to study the relationship between works and salvation as it is found in the Bible.

As Christians, we must demonstrate our faith by our works. Read James 2:14-18. There are three kinds of works mentioned in the New Testament. Two of which are USELESS – One of these works is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL!

 

Works of the Law of Moses

 

To the Christian today, trying to be saved according to the works of the Law of Moses is useless. Read  Romans 3:24-28. The context of that chapter makes it clear that works of the Law of Moses is under discussion. The Holy Spirit working through the apostle Paul here deals with some Jewish Christians who were appealing to the Law of Moses to command circumcision on the Gentile Christians. The Law of Moses has been replaced by the Law of Christ. See also Hebrews 8:13.

 

Works of Self-Righteousness.

 

In the Roman Epistle, Paul speaks of the Jews as establishing their own righteousness. They were appealing to their works of righteousness of their own devising according to their traditions. See context of Romans 10 “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God…” (Romans 10:3). See also Matthew 15:9.

 

Works of God’s Righteousness.

 

Works commanded by God that one must continue in to be Christ’s disciple in deed and thus be made free. See John 8:31-32.

One is justified by the works of God’s righteousness. See James 2:22-24. These works include:

Faith. “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father…” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29).

Confession. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

Repentance. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death…” (2 Corinthians 7:10)  See also Matthew 3:7-8; Acts 17:30-31

Baptism. “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 3:20-21) See also Acts 2:38; 8:36-38; 16:33; 22:16.

Continued Faithfulness. “…Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life…” (Revelation 2:10)

Posted in Jack McNiel | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Three Kinds of Works

Denominationalism Sin

The Sin of Denominationalism

Have we ever “woken up on the wrong side of  the bed?” Does this not just adversely affect  our whole day? Better yet, have we ever tried to  button a shirt, only to get to the last button and realize that  our buttons and their corresponding holes are off track?  Therefore, we have to unbutton every one and start all  over. In like fashion, it is sad that many religions and  churches have started out on the wrong foot.

In First Timothy 4:1-2, Paul said,  “…in the latter  times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to  seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in  hypocrisy…. ” Notice the correlation of “ the faith ” from  First Timothy 4:1 and “ lies ” in First Timothy 4:2. The fact  of the matter is that all denominations base themselves  on lies. Denominationalism is a tool of the devil that is  masquerading as the truth. There is no authority in the  Bible for any denominational church—they are not from  the Bible, as I will plainly show.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build His  church. Of which church do we read in the Bible? We  read of the church of Christ. Paul says, “ Salute one  another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute  you ” (Rom. 16:16).

In Acts 2:47, we see that God added the saved to  the church of our Lord. This completely complies with  what Paul pens in Ephesians 5:23: “ …Christ is the head  of the church: and he is the saviour of the body .” Mark  the fact that “ he is the saviour of the body .” Nevertheless,  what is His body? Earlier in this book, Paul plainly  proclaims, “ And hath put all things under his feet, and  gave him to be the head over all things to the church,  which is his body ” (1:22-23). Therefore, the church of  Christ is the body of Christ, and the church of our Lord  is the church that He established, to which God adds the  saved. I am afraid many are substituting this church by  their different denominations.

One reason that denominationalism is sinful is  because they cannot agree on anything. Jesus said,  “ Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to  desolation; and every city or house divided against  itself shall not stand ” (Matt. 12:25). Denominationalism  equals division, which Paul clearly condemns (1 Cor.  1:10).

Therefore, how do we establish the one true church  today? We are to do as Paul was able to do—teach the  same thing in every church (1 Cor. 4:17). We are to  resolve to be a part of the “ one faith ” (Eph. 4:5) by being  sure that we “ teach no other doctrine ” (1 Tim. 1:3). Yet,  we have thousands of different doctrines today.

Jesus said that His word is truth by which we  are sanctified (John 17:17). Because God hates false  doctrine (Ps. 119:104), one such false doctrine is that  one can be saved in a denomination. I invite all readers  to join me in examining our religion in the light of the  word of God—are we participating in a false church  masquerading for the truth?

Posted in Sam Willcut | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Denominationalism Sin

Pollution

Everything is going “green”—cars, home products, and even many office environments. Ask any teenager what it means to “go green” and most will respond with something about saving the environment. The current “green” attitude is recognition that the careless way we have treated the planet in the past has caused a global impact as pollution and hazardous wastes are routinely dumped into the environment. Students today are bombarded with the message of protecting “Mother Earth,” and as such, many place an enormous priority on “going green.”

There is another type of “going green” that many teenagers (and adults) are actively involved in—even in Christian homes. It is the end result of polluting their bodies with alcohol and drugs to the point that they eventually find themselves vomiting into a toilet or passing out in the floor. How ironic that a generation that is adamantly opposed to polluting the environment can justify, in their own minds, the polluting of their bodies.

Parents should know that many teenagers are masters at concealing drug use. They have learned how to use dryer sheets to mask the smell of marijuana smoke. They have mastered the art of getting high by huffing everyday aerosols that are stored in a home. Many know which stores will sell alcohol to minors or where they can purchase illegal drugs. And so, while parents are out working overtime to afford that late-model automobile and the bigger house, their kids are busy at home “going green.” How many Christian homes appear beautiful dwelling places from the outside, yet act as dark hiding places for drugs and alcohol on the inside—nothing more than white-washed tombs full of dead men’s bones (Matthew 23:27-28)?

Young people live their lives with the belief that they are immortal, and that nothing bad will ever happen to them. And so, they experiment. Sadly, many Christian parents have come to accept this behavior as just a normal phase of transitioning between adolescence to adulthood. After all, it’s not like their children are using “hard-core” drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine. Many of our children have lost sight of the fact that their bodies do not belong to them anymore—and therefore anything they do to it is a reflection on God. Paul wrote, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is never too early to teach this truth to our children and grandchildren.

Christian parents, it is time we do more than tell our children to “just say no.” It’s time we give them a reason why this polluting of the human body is sinful and tell them that doing so will separate us from Almighty God (Isaiah 59:2). It’s time we give them the confidence they need to avoid the crutch of peer-pressure. It’s time we teach them that God expects more! It’s time we analyze who their idols are and what message those idols are sending. After all, how many celebrities in Hollywood can honestly boast of living a life clean from drugs and alcohol? How many times have we watched celebrities giggle as they are barely slapped on the wrist for polluting their body and then getting behind the wheel of a car intoxicated? Add to this that Hollywood stars place an enormous emphasis on outward appearance, and you have the recipe for disaster.

It is time fathers uphold their roles of spiritual leaders in the home—and recognize that Satan is after our children. It is time we spend time and energy molding future preachers and elders. It’s time mothers make phone calls and find out where their children are and who they are hanging out with. It is time we know what is going on in their bedrooms. It is time our children grow up with enough self-esteem that they never feel the need to turn to drugs or alcohol.

Drug addicts on the streets are often considered deviants or low-life criminals. Ironic, is it not, that when Christian children participate in the same behavior we justify it as a “phase” or we describe them as “troubled.” Is there any difference in God’s eyes whether we pollute our bodies on street corners or in “white-washed tombs” in middle class neighborhoods? It is time we teach our children about the power of their influence, and what it really means to bring reproach on the Church. It is time.

Posted in Brad Harrub | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Pollution

What Makes Your Church Different?

Question: What makes you think your church is any different from any other one in town?

Very humbly and respectfully, the answer is: the same thing that always sets faithful churches of Christ (Rom. 16:16) apart from any denomination in any location or generation: complete respect for the absolute authority, singular supremacy, and infinite inerrancy of the word of God (Psalm 119) as the Word of almighty God; and our subsequent unbending, unending, and unyielding allegiance and adherence to it as such, in all things – even the most difficult – which has always caused some to walk away (Jn. 6:60-69).

We don’t teach and preach the politically-correct (and therefore Biblically-incorrect and irrelevant), ear-tickling (II Tim. 3:16-4:5), people-pleasing instead of God-pleasing (Gal. 1:6-10), “Cotton-Candy Christianity” (“fluff & puff” – looks good, tastes sweet, but has no real substance to save souls), generally-accepted by the Biblically unstudied vain doctrines of men (Matt. 13:15, 15:7-9).

For example, this would include where God’s Word says: faith alone is not enough to save anyone (Jms. 2:18-24); a Christian can fall from grace (Gal. 5:4); baptism is FOR the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) – not something that comes along AFTER salvation – and that that one baptism (Eph. 4:4-6) is essential to salvation (1 Ptr. 3:21). It would also include where God’s divinely-inspired instructions unequivocally state that there is only one faith, one baptism, and one church (or body: Eph. 1:22-23, 4:4-6); where it shows us how God Himself referred to His own Son’s blood-bought church (Ro. 16:16); where it defines for us exactly what sin is and what it will do to you (Ro. 1:18-32; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21); where it defines women’s roles in the church (1 Cor. 14:33-38; 1 Tim. 2:8-15); and where it depicts denominationalism (division) as a sin (1 Cor. 1:10-13), amongst many other things. We would very lovingly encourage you to check out these references in your own Bible; that’s why they’re included here, so you can see for yourself.

Because we believe God’s Word is GOD’S word, we humbly accept and unashamedly insist on these very things. We never teach that one is saved by such a biblically-absent precept as a pre-baptismal prayer of faith because God’s word doesn’t – in ANY example of N.T. conversion to Christ (Acts 2:36-41, etc). We also believe exactly what the Word says regarding worship as well; that worship isn’t about our wants and desires but His (i.e., He says “sing,” so we sing). Ultimately we don’t believe we’re in worship to please ourselves but Him (Mk. 14:34ff). We believe, accept, and live that He is Lord (Lk. 6:46-49; Gal. 2:20) and that His word is what will judge us all on the last day (Jn. 12:42-50).

And this “back to the bible,” “book, chapter and verse” approach goes for every doctrine right down to even the designation by which we are referred to as (Acts 4:12). After all, if the designation “churches of Christ” was good enough for the group the apostles worked and worshipped both with and within – and being Divinely-given as that designation was to boot (II Timothy 3:14-4:4) – shouldn’t that name be good enough for us to be referred to as as well? By way of illustration: my wife and I recently rode by a church building with a sign out front designating them as something similar to “Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church” or some such. So, the obvious questions then become, “Are Christ and Luther now on the same level?” “How does that work exactly?” “Has Luther become as pre-eminent as Christ is scripturally stated to be?” “Has Jesus been demoted to the level of sinful humanity?” “Is Christ divided (See I Corinthians 1:10-13)?”

You see, whether we’re discussing designations, declarations or denominations, biblically speaking, God’s church always upholds and supports God’s truth, just like a pillar upholds a roof (1 Tim. 3:14). It should be pretty obvious to everyone, whether they’ve seen our signs, read our columns, or visited our services, that that is the one thing that sets faithful churches of Christ apart by comparison to any man-made and biblically condemned denomination around them.

Despite many modern-day thoughts to the contrary, following God even to Jesus wasn’t about such things, just for example, as the size and scope of someone’s beautiful buildings (which will be destroyed: Mk. 13:1-2); having the largest number of people who believed something (who will be destroyed: Matt. 7:13-23); the zealousness of those who believed that certain something (which will also cause them to be destroyed: Rom. 10:1-3), nor anything else other than: complete, by-faith acceptance, submission, and obedience to the all-encompassing authority of the will and word of almighty God exclusively, only, and always (Jn. 5:30, 6:38, 7:16-18, 8:28-32, 14:15, 14:30-31, 15:14, 17:5-23; Acts 2:37-42; Hebrews 5:7-9, all of chapter 11; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; and many, many more), which will cause those who do so to NEVER be destroyed: See I John 2:15-17!

To any and all who truly seek to work and worship with the same church the apostles did, and to become united with those whose sole (and soul) desire is to do the same, Welcome!

Posted in Doug Dingley | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on What Makes Your Church Different?