Faith

Faith: Believe it or Not

When those extremely religious but entirely misled religious people who had had the Lord crucified were brought face to face with their sins as Peter preached the first recorded post-resurrection gospel sermon,

“…they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren what shall we do?’ Then Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit… And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized… And the Lord added to the church daily, those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:37, 38, 40, 41, 47).

Please note:

-Their ‘belief’ (even going so far as their being ‘cut to the heart’ by his message about Jesus) alone, WASN’T enough to save them…

-There was absolutely no prayer of faith for salvation even hinted at here…

-Baptism was FOR the forgiveness of sins; not something to do AFTER their sins were forgiven/they received salvation…

-They were NOT saved UNTIL they received his word and were then, by faith, baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27), and THEN AND ONLY THEN did God add them to HIS church…

Jesus Christ, who has “all authority in heaven and on earth,” commanded that baptism would be an absolutely essential element in the making of His disciples (Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16). Subsequently, Saul of Tarsus was commanded to “Arise and be baptized, and wash away [his] sins” (Acts 22:16). The apostle Peter would also write by direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Ptr. 1:20-21) “baptism doth now save you” (I Ptr. 3:21).

But, what about so many seemingly otherwise well-grounded and well-intentioned religious people who teach that we are saved by faith only, not works, and that baptism is neither necessary or essential to salvation? How do we reach them with the gospel truth?

  1. Well, we might begin by pointing out that there’s only one place in the entire New Testament wherein the phrase “faith only” occurs. It is James 2:24; and it unequivocally and unashamedly proclaims for all time the following “firmly forever fixed in heaven” (See Ps. 119:89; ESV) truth: “You see that a man is justified by works and NOT BY FAITH ALONE” (James 2:24; NKJV; EMPH mine; DED).
  2. We might additionally point out, that biblically speaking, according to Jesus, belief (i.e., faith) itself is a work (See Jn. 6:29).
  3. We could also correctly inform them that there are several different kinds of works seen in the scriptures, none of which can we afford to mix up when talking about that which is either condemned or commended by God. For instance, there are:
  • Works of the law, through the keeping of which no one will be justified (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:10-11).
  • Works of the flesh, through which the conduction of such shall cause many to be condemned (Gal. 5:19-22).
  • Works of merit by which some will seek in vain to enter heaven (Eph. 2:8-9).
  • And Works which God demands we must do both in order to be saved, and which were the reason we were saved to perform to begin with (Jn. 14:15; Lk. 6:46-49; Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:11-14)!
  1. We would also point out that baptism is the “by faith” response to the gospel (Gal. 3:26-27), because it is an act of faith – never seen in Scripture labeled as a work, by the way – in the working of God Who raised Jesus from the dead (Col. 2:12).

However, just as the centerpiece of some “martial arts” training often includes and involves allowing the opponent to strike first, and then seizing the opportunity to use their momentum against them, so too can we operate in this spiritual battle we oft-times are forced into having to wage. When all else fails, let us try the following…

Tell them that if they can point you to just one person saved in the Bible by saying this “prayer of faith” under the New Covenant (i.e. converted to Christ), you will throw out EVERYTHING you’ve ever said regarding baptism. (This of course does not and cannot include the thief on the cross who lived and died under the old covenant – Hebrews 9:15-17 – some 50 days before Christ’s church was ever established in Acts 2). However, if they can’t show you even one Biblical example of such – and they can’t because it is never found in Scripture – then what makes them believe that they were saved by such a non-Biblical process? ‘Especially in light of the literal thousands of conversions we do see therein, without even a hint of such a prayer being preached or taught for salvation’s sake?

And then, after they’ve exhausted all efforts to find even one person in the New Testament after Christ’s church was established and the New Covenant put in place by His blood (Luke 22:14-20; Acts 20:28) who was saved by the prayer process they believe they were, ask them what they would think, if you could show them not one, not two, but three separate and distinct Biblical examples, of those who had believed, and called Christ “Lord,” and all three of which, absolutely were not saved by simply so doing what they believe to be the two essentially exclusive salvation elements from Romans 10:9 – 10; the very two things that they base their whole salvation on, according to their understanding to this point. Then show them the following examples, followed up with the following questions:

A). James 2:19 with Mark 5:1-12: Did they believe? Yes! Did they call Him Lord? Yes! Were they saved? No!

B). Matthew 7:21-23: Did they believe? Yes! Did they call Him Lord? Yes! Were they saved? No!

C). Acts 9:1-8 and 22:6-11; at the conclusion of these verses, as Paul headed into Damascus, having called Jesus “Lord,” and obviously having believed (enough to be evidenced by his obedience in response), then by their reasoning of thinking that that is all that was required to obtain forgiveness and be saved, then he certainly should have been already saved at the point where he entered Damascus, should he not? Then why is it that THREE DAYS THEREAFTER then, that his sins remained unforgiven, and he had to “Arise and be baptized TO WASH AWAY HIS SINS, calling on the Name of the Lord (Acts 22:16)? The answer is simple. Because belief and confession alone are not enough according to the Scriptures – three times over.

Certainly any serious seeker of God can surely see, after studying this, what they, like the jailer and the thousands of other serious seekers of God we see getting saved as outlined therein, must certainly do to surely be saved. And we must let them know that if we can be of any further assistance whatsoever, or answer any questions, it would be our delight to do so, straight from the Word of God.

So then, who do you believe; man, or God? What exactly do you trust your eternal soul to (Jn. 12:48)? Does your preacher preach a different gospel than seen above (See: Gal. 1:6-10), which includes baptism both for and before salvation (Acts 2:37-47)? If your soul is worth to you, “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” come study with a local congregation of the churches of Christ… “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (See John 8:31-32). Or, having seen the truth, “And now, why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His Name” (Acts 22:16; ESV), just as those in Acts 2:37-47 did and were added to the Lord’s church; to Christ’s one, New Testament – body, bride, church, kingdom, saved and forgiven people.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sacrifices?

Why Make Sacrifices?

There’s an old joke about a pig and a chicken. A  poor farmer came to the barnyard because he was  low on food. He had one pig and one chicken left.  “Who will put food on my table?” the farmer asked. “I  will” said the chicken, and laid an egg. The pig didn’t  answer. The chicken asked the pig why he wouldn’t  contribute some ham. The pig replied, “For you it’s a  contribution, but for me it’s a sacrifice.”

Like the people in Malachi’s day, we offer God  what we have in abundance—or the leftovers—and  never consider making a real sacrifice. But why should  we make such a sacrifice that will cost us something of  great value? Let’s consider what the scripture teaches.

First, we make sacrifices to show our love for God.  The apostle Paul encouraged the church at Corinth to  give sacrificially. He said in 2 Corinthians 8:8,  “I speak  not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness  of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.” Their  giving would prove the sincerity of their love for God.  Either they really loved God, or they didn’t love God and  only appeared to love God. Therefore, sacrificial giving  is one way to show that we truly love God. Paul gives the  example of the sacrifice of Christ in the next verse (9):  “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that,  though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,  that ye through his poverty might be rich.” His sacrifice  demonstrated His love for God (John 14:31).

Second, we make sacrifices to show our love for  man. Certainly God showed His love for man when he  gave His Son (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8-9). The apostle John  recognized this when he wrote,  “Herein is love, not that  we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to  be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Presaging  his own death, Jesus said , “Greater love hath no man  than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Certainly Jesus demonstrated His own  love for His fellow man when he sacrificed His life. And  in 1 John 4:11, John wrote,  “Beloved, if God so loved  us, we ought also to love one another.” Notice the little  word “so” in this verse. It is an adverb of manner. The  emphasis is upon  how God loved us. That is the kind of  love we should have for one another. Making sacrifices  shows our love for one another.

Third, we make sacrifices to imitate God in Christ.  Both God and Christ have shown sacrificial love for man,  and as the exemplars of absolute truth and righteousness,  we must follow their example. Paul said to imitate him  as he imitated Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Peter told us to  walk in the steps of Christ by making great sacrifices of  suffering (1 Pet. 2:21). And, of course, Paul’s discussion  of Christ’s sacrifice in Philippians 2:6-8 was preceded  by the thought,  “Have this mind in you which was also  in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). God and Christ are worthy  of our imitation. In running our race, we look to Jesus,  the author and finisher of the faith (Heb. 12:1-2). The  sacrifices that God and Christ made for the benefit of  mankind are sacrifices worthy of imitation.

Truly we show our love for God and man by  making sacrifices. The contrary is also true; those who  refuse to make sacrifices demonstrate their lack of love  for God and man. They also show their true character  by failing to imitate God and Christ in their life. The  result is the gradual promotion of self within their life,  and the stain of selfishness soiling their words and  deeds. The two greatest commands cannot be fulfilled  without making sacrifice. Jesus said,  “Thou shalt love  the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy  soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great  commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou  shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matt. 22:37-39).  Putting God first, and our neighbor second, we cannot  but be involved in making sacrifices. May God help us  to realize the true nature of sacrifice and its relationship  to loving God and our fellow man!

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Growth

Growth: Jesus Grew

Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

When we talk about the man Jesus was, and the need for we as Christians to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), we usually focus on the three years of His life that revolved around His ministry and death. But we might do well to look at the early years of His life and development, His growth. He, not unlike our spiritual journey, started somewhere and became the man that we love, admire, and follow.

Just how did Jesus grow? He grew…

Intellectually: “… in wisdom.” I believe that a good spiritual foundation for growth is bolstered by a mind that continues to develop and remain active. One should be well read, study diligently to apply common sense, rational, and sound logic. This will help us to reason (Isaiah 1:18) and teach others (Acts 17:2). It will help us to be able to handle accurately the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).

Physically: “… in stature.” Yes Jesus grew physically as we would expect a human being to do. My point here is that we need to take care of ourselves physically while we are here on earth. I know as Christians we are all looking forward to that day when we will be glorified in Christ. But every day that we are allowed to live here on planet earth we have an opportunity to glorify God, to teach others, to love and support the church, and to leave a lasting impression of Christ upon everyone and everything we touch.

Spiritually: “… in favor with God.” This ought to be our greatest endeavor. Ultimately it doesn’t matter what anyone else but God thinks. It is Him we ought to please (Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1). It should be our greatest desire to one day hear the Father of our souls say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” (Matthew 25:21).

Socially: “… in favor with men.” While it is true that Jesus became a man known to not care what other men thought or taught (Mark 12:14) but what this point stresses is that many who knew Him respected him, even if they disagreed with Him. And because of the kind of man He was He was able to reach souls and people would listen to what He had to say. Paul said he became all things to all men that he might be able to save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Just like Samuel the prophet (1 Samuel 2:26) and our Lord, we too need to keep growing. Growing more and more each day into the image of the Son of God. How’s your growth?

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Why Go to Church?

Recently a friendly waitress asked me, “ Why go to church? ”  I was glad that she asked, gave her some basic reasons, and invited her to come and visit.  Her question, however, prompted me to think deeper. The answers I gave her were correct, but I felt I could deepen them in order to provide her with some substantial reasons.

Having reasons to do what we believe and practice is important and of God.  Proverbs 16:1 states, “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.”  Giving reasons is not something that comes from a capricious and arbitrary god.  Reasons come from a God who desires us to embrace Him freely, and is willing to work with us to supply answers that address our spiritual decisions (Isaiah 1:18).  And that is what people need when we are seeking to teach them the gospel.  They need answers to their questions that come from God’s word.  In that vein, let’s discuss some reasons in answer to her question, “ Why go to church? ”

First, God wants you to “ go to church ” to develop an awareness that there is something greater than yourself and your personal concerns.  This is the goal of worship.  When we worship God we acknowledge that God is, well, bigger than us.  He stands above all of creation as its Creator.  He is the ultimate Giver of life, breath, and all things (Acts 17:25).  We depend upon God for our subsistence and for our very being.  He gives us such things because He loves us, and we worship Him to acknowledge that love and to confess our own deficiencies.  When we so worship God we recognize that life isn’t just about us.  There is more to our existence than our own selfish concerns.  Worship moves us out of ourselves and into a relationship to the Divine whereby God blesses us with His fellowship, love, and joy.  The fullness of such a relationship is fulfilled in the worship of the church, and nowhere else.

Second, God wants you to “ go to church ” to foster moral growth and development.  This is the goal of instruction.  God’s word provides to us everything that is needed to live the best life in relationship both to God and to others.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”  We “go to church” to hear God’s word proclaimed and receive that instruction that will furnish us to every good work.  “Going to church” provides us with information to better ourselves individually and in relationship to our fellow.

Third, God wants you to “ go to church ” to enhance personal relationships with your fellow in the bond of brotherhood.  This is the goal of fellowship.  When we “ go to church ” we receive the blessing of fellowship with those who share our values and commitment to doing God’s will in our life; we have a “like, precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1).  It is much easier to do something when we know there is a group of individuals dedicated to doing it with us.  We are also strengthened by being united with others in the faith, and we, in turn, strengthen them as well (Hebrews 10:25).  We are able to receive encouragement, positive guidance for the road ahead, exhortation to do what is right, and even, when we need it, a fair word of criticism when we do what we should not.  We receive this from those who truly love us, not from those who are merely seeking to exploit us for personal gain.

Fourth, God wants you to “ go to church ” to personally contribute toward the success of an organization dedicated to the improvement of humanity.  This is the goal of giving.  It is not enough to simply receive the benefits of a loving God and a faithful church.  We must be dedicated to the proposition of giving back something that we have earned to the Lord.  For those who are members of the church, contributions of time, treasure, and talent are enjoined (1 Corinthians 16:1-2, 2 Corinthians 8-9).  In giving to the church, we support an organization of love, faithfulness, and mutual edification.  We also contribute toward the overall purpose of helping others build their relationship with God, which fuels the growth of the church itself.

Finally, God wants you to “ go to church ” to make appropriate preparation for life with God in heaven when earthly life ends.  The church is the only place for such preparation (Ephesians 5:23).  Life on earth is a pilgrimage that will one day end.  Jesus has prepared a place for those who want to live with God eternally (John 14:1-4).  We must prepare ourselves to live in such a place through righteous and holy living while on earth (1 Peter 1:16, 2:11).  God has prepared this holy city for those who diligently seek it (Hebrews 11:16).  “ Going to church ” will give us the necessary environment for faithfulness to the Lord, and citizenship in His heavenly kingdom (Philippians 3:20 ASV).

Not just any church can meet these goals.  Only the church about which you read in the Bible is able to provide an individual with the necessary resources to foster faithfulness.  Though, there are many churches in the world today, the one that will give you the resources to finish your course is the church that seeks to follow the pattern for the church set forth in the Bible.  Only that kind of church will ensure the fulfillment of these goals in your life. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).  This applies to the church too!  It isn’t enough to simply call Jesus “Lord.”  The church to which you go must do the Father’s will.

The churches of Christ seek to do exactly that, and we invite you to “ go to church ” with us to evaluate whether or not we are doing our best to fulfill in our lives the will of God.  We do not claim to be perfect, but like you, we desire: something greater than ourselves; our own moral growth and development; to enhance our personal relationships with those around us; to contribute toward the success of these goals and objectives; and to prepare for life with God in heaven.  If you find these to be good reasons to “ go to church, ” then “ go to church ” with us.

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Polishing the Pulpit: A Piece of Heaven

I can hear the radiant songs of thousands echoing in my soul. My thoughts are filled with God’s precious messages that I am going over and over again in my head. I can see the faces of faith showering into my mind and I can feel the warm embraces of countless souls running throughout my being. Such a joy I feel as I reminisce sitting at the feet of beautiful and powerful proclaimers of truth, rubbing elbows with the mighty men of the brotherhood and humbling myself before the righteous leaders of the church. This seems like Paradise. Yet, what I am describing is not heaven, but dare I say, it is a piece of heaven.

If you will, imagine, having your vision filled with several elders sitting around you as you discuss with them the inner workings of leadership and the church. Imagine, being around the cream of the crop and speaking to preachers about the day-to-day problems and giggles in the life of the preacher. Imagine, people coming to you from all over the world and thanking you for being such an encouragement as they encourage you in your struggles. Dream for a while, if you will, that people come together, discuss issues in a brotherly and scholarly manner, without condemning and then walking away still as the body of Christ. Dream more of the laughter of them all, the happiness of gathering for meals, the giving of self and others, the roaring sounds of praise to our God and the rumbling sounds of fellowship echoing down every corridor of life. If you can say that you have experienced this, I would say that you know what a piece of heaven is like.

Polishing the Pulpit is just this way. It is a place that one dreams about throughout the year and a place where one can exhausts themselves in fellowship and love during the week. It truly is a piece of heaven realizing that the Bible tells us that we have a citizenship in heaven (Phil. 3:17-21) and that it seems that whatever we have done for this one week, it was all done to the glory of God (Col. 3:17). And while I think back on such a glorious event, I saw people dressed as a citizen of heaven, speaking as a citizen of heaven and engaging in the pleasures that please God.

You know, we live in such a wicked world, which is focused on itself. It is indeed a blessing to be reminded that a Christian’s life is to be as a city on a hill, a light in a world of darkness (Matt. 5:14-15) and that the believer’s life is to focus on the glory of God and on His Son, King Jesus. For, we are to be lowly and humble before our Maker. My family and I have truly been blessed to be a part of this encouragement and I hope that all of us will consider attending Polishing the Pulpit and be impacted and encouraged to look up more at our Savior. What a blessing it is to be a part of the body. To be a part of the Church of Christ.

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