Service to God

Service to God:  What Can I do for God?

1. Always be faithful to God – Rev 2:10b

2. The Love of God is exemplified in Christians by obedience – John 14:15; 14:24

3. God wants Christians to teach others – 2 Timothy 2:2

4. God wants Christians to worship Him – John 4:23-24

5. God wants Christians to give – 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

6. God wants Christians to Grow – 2 Peter 3:18

7. God wants Christians to love each other – 1 John 4:20-21

8. God wants Christians to care for needy Christians – Galatians 6:10; James 1:27

9. God wants all Christians to assemble regularly – Hebrews 10:24-25; Col 1:9-14

10. God wants all Christians to let their light shine – Matt 5:14-16 “14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (KJV)

There are many things that God does for the faithful Christian each day; some of them are listed above. Even though we do not consider the invisible things that God does for us continually there are man such events in our lives. Some of the unseen and unnoticed events by many people are:

1.         God gives us breath.

2.         God causes our heart to continue beating every day.

3.         God allows us to shed tears from our eyes at times of sadness.

4.         God gives us the ability to see near and far with our eyes.

5.         God allows us to close our eyes at night and at other times and sleep.

6.         God gives us understanding of basic things in life as we grow from infant child to full grown and developed adult.

7.         God provides us with a perfect spiritual guide through life (i.e. the Bible); Jeremiah 10:23, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”

And so much more: Psalms 119:73-77, “73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments. 74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word. 75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. 76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. 77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.” (KJV)

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Manasseh

Manasseh!

Throughout our lives, we come across all kinds of people. Some leave a very positive impact on us, while others affect us in a negative way. It’s kind of like the sign I once saw in an office that said (I paraphrase): “Everyone blesses this place: some by staying, others by leaving.” How true! We especially remember those who left a positive impact. Maybe, they were consistently helpful, kind, and encouraging. Or, it could have been their bright, cheerful attitude or their uplifting sense of humor. They just made our days better!

We also remember those who affected us more negatively. It could have been their sour, cynical manner. Or, maybe, it was their constant use of foul, inappropriate language or their consistent dishonesty – they just didn’t keep their promises! We may even, in our frustration and/or concern, have confronted and talked with them about their evident character flaws. They may then have ignored what we thought was good counsel and advice and continued on in their destructive ways. In our frustration and “righteous indignation,” we then said (or thought): “What a horrible person! They will never change. They are too far gone.”

Yet, how do we know a person “can’t change?” Do we have the power of prophecy that makes us privy to that information? Are we their final judge that gives us the right to come to that conclusion and make that condemning statement? Let’s get even more personal. What if someone said or thought that about us? Do they have the right to say that? Or, have you ever thought that about yourself? We may have said (or thought): “My habits are too ingrained and my personal problems are too big. I can’t change my ways!”

The problem is that we can be impatient and too short-sighted in dealing with ourselves and others. People can change! In II Chronicles 33: 1 – 20, we read of a king named Manasseh. He reigned for 55 years, from 696 – 642 B.C., longer than any other king of Judah. (1) He is also known to be the most or one of the most wicked of all of their kings. Although he was the son of Hezekiah, who had been a very righteous, pious king, Manasseh was an extremely evil, bloodthirsty individual. He openly practiced idolatry and encouraged his subjects to do the same. He was also involved in witchcraft, the occult and human sacrifice. According to II Kings 21:16, he “…shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another.” His rule saw the spiritual and moral decline of the kingdom of Judah to a level lower than the pagan nations that had once inhabited the land of Canaan!

If we stopped reading at v. 10 of II Chronicles 33, it would be easy for us to say (to assume) that Manasseh’s record clearly showed that he would not or could not change. This fellow was really, really wicked! Yet, if you continue reading the following verses, you will see that he truly repented, turned to God, and changed his ways. The Assyrians came and seized Manasseh, placed him in chains, and forcibly took him to Babylon. Humiliated and held in captivity, he was miserable. Like the prodigal son of Luke 15:11 – 32, he had hit rock-bottom. Pushing aside his pride, arrogance, and self-imposed spiritual blindness, he turned to his Creator. He finally realized he had been wrong and it says in II Chronicles 33:12 that he: “…humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.” The rest of the passage describes how God blessed Manasseh by restoring him to his throne in Judah and how this once-wicked king, now a reformed, repentant man, dedicated himself to serving God and ridding his land of idolatry.

From the example of Manasseh, we see that all people, even ourselves, can change if we so desire. We are so blessed that God in His unwavering love and patience waits for us to make this change and truly repent. As the apostle Peter said in II Peter 3:15: “…and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.” Thus, let us be patient with those around us. If they will not listen to our admonitions or counsel, we can at least pray for them or direct other individuals to speak to them. We do not know the time, place, circumstances, or person who may inspire them to change. And if we need to do the changing, let us turn to the Lord with a repentant attitude, ready to humble ourselves like Manasseh did so long ago.

References:
(1) Samuel J. Schultz, The Old Testament Speaks (New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row Publishers, 1960), 215.

Posted by Erik Smith at http://www.thatchristianwebsite.com/articles/manasseh.html

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The Holy Spirit

What I have learned about the Holy Spirit…

I grew up in the Lord’s church and for more than twenty-five years I can honestly say I cannot remember ever hearing one meaningful, in-depth, scriptural sermon on the subject of the Holy Spirit. There were lessons on the promises of Christ to the disciples in John 14-16; on the outpouring of the Spirit upon the apostles in Acts 2; the Holy Spirit falling on the Gentiles in Acts 10; and the limitations of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 13. But when it comes to the deeper, more “difficult,” texts and issues I cannot remember a single discussion.

Before entering full-time ministry almost twenty years ago I started an in-depth examination of the Holy Spirit and the contended issues and passages. It seemed to me then, as it does now, that the debate centered on “the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38) and that I needed to come to some educated position on this passage in order to build a starting point in order to be able to sort out the Spirit’s function in the Christian’s life today. After much study I came to a conclusion but then in September 1995 I heard brother Robert R. Taylor, Jr. speak on the subject at a lectureship in Steubenville, Ohio and the scholarship, historicity, and clarity of the message had an indelible and decisive effect on me. From that initial period of study, brother Taylor’s lecture, and ongoing extensive study, preaching, and teaching on the subject I have learned much.

While there are numerous views about the “gift” in Acts 2:38 the two most prominent are that it either refers to either the “ordinary measure” of the Spirit (i.e., the literal personal indwelling of the spirit) or the “secondary measure” (i.e., the miraculous gifts that were given through the laying on of the hands of the apostles). It is this later view that I have come to hold and while I believe that the gift of the Spirit in Acts 2:38 is the miraculous it is not the same as the baptism (or outpouring) of the Spirit upon the Apostles earlier in the chapter. I also do not believe that the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 10 was exactly like that upon the Apostles in Acts 2 for the Gentiles in Acts 10 did not have the ability to pass on gifts by the laying on of hands like did the Apostles.

In the past fifteen years I have preached and taught on Acts 2 and the Holy Spirit on numerous occasions. In 2011 I preached a seven lessen series on the Holy Spirit of God. What I learned overall was that I did not know as much as I thought I had known and my previous study had left me wanting more as well as the need to formulate arguments that would allow me to retain more of the information needed to make a coherent, biblical argument about the operation, personage, and historicity of the Holy Spirit.

Concerning the position that the “gift” is the Spirit Himself there were a number of objections that came forth from my study. For one the verb is transitive, and the direct object is gift, not the Holy Spirit (dorea). The phrase, “of the Holy Spirit” is in the possessive case (i.e. “…the book of Tim Dooley”…Tim Dooley’s book”). So “…the gift of the Holy Spirit” does not mean the Holy Spirit Himself, but the Holy Spirit’s gift. Compare this with the “gift of God” in John 4:10 and “the gift of Christ” in Ephesians 4:7.

Secondly, since the Word is said to do everything for the Christian that the Spirit does and if the Spirit literally dwells within the Christian, but does not operate separate and apart from the Word, then the natural question to me was, and is, “What is the Spirit doing in the Christian?” This leads to another of my objects to this position, that is, it can be a dangerous position to take for only one who takes a literally indwelling position ever crosses the line to a miraculous, supernatural, present-day operation of the Spirit on the heart of man.

The third reason I rejected the literal indwelling position was due to the argument that the promise was to everyone who is baptized into Christ. The argument based upon Acts 2:39, I believe, is a fallacious argument. It just does not say that the promise is for everyone. However, the promise is limited to “you” (current generation), to “your children” (next generation), and “to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Gentiles). This is consistent with the teachings of Christ and the Apostles as to the universal nature of the calling (Matt 11:28-30; John 10:16; Eph 2:17).

The events of the Day of Pentecost were extraordinary! It made sense to me to ask how those who were there on that day would have understood the promised gift more so than how men today might see it. We have in Acts two the fulfillment of the promise of Christ “baptismal measure” of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; Luke 24:49). We have the results of this outpouring, that is, each one of the apostles speaking in a different language as the Spirit gave them utterance. The people are “astonished” (v 12). Peter and the others are speaking by way of inspiration. Would the audience have concluded that it was the “ordinary measure” of the Spirit in the midst of so many miraculous activities?

The facts became clear, the provision of miraculous endowments was the main operation of the Spirit in the early days of the church prior to the completion of the inspired Word. Since there was no written revelation the work of the apostles and the functioning of a congregation depended upon miraculous gifts. The gospel was not only revealed but it was also confirmed by miraculous operations. Since the miraculous operation of the Spirit was necessary for the revelation of the gospel and its confirmation, what would be the most likely meaning of the gift of the Spirit in Acts 2:38? Would it be possible for the gift of the Holy Spirit to refer to miraculous gifts? Would the idea that the gift of the Holy Spirit was miraculous contradict anything the Bible teaches?

We then turn our attention to two other passages that are of paramount importance in understanding the “gift.” In Acts 8:14-20 the apostles heard that Samaria had received the word of God and sent Peter and John to them who, once arriving, prayed for them, “that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)  Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”  And when Simon the Sorcerer saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, “he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.” They had been baptized but they had not yet received the Spirit (vv 15-16). So the apostles laid hands on them, “and they received the Holy Spirit” (v 17). What did they receive? Verses 18-20 make it clear that it was the miraculous that they received through the laying on of the apostle’s hands.

In Acts 19:1-6 we a similar situation where Paul comes to Ephesus and finds disciples who had not yet received the Holy Ghost. Once baptized with a proper baptism Paul lays his hands upon them, “the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.”

It seemed only logical and biblical then to conclude that the “gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38 refers to the miraculous manifestation of spiritual gifts bestowed upon baptized believers through the laying on of the apostle’s hands. And this was not (nor is it) a novel idea, but one that bible scholars have affirmed for years (David Lipscomb, T. W. Brents, Alexander Campbell, H. Leo Boles, Franklin Camp, Guy N. Woods) and many still do.

One other point I recently came to was, while teaching the book of Romans, I conclusion that it is not the Holy Spirit Himself that makes intercession for us but the one who “who searches the hearts” (Rom 8:26-27). Namely, and biblically, Jesus the Son who “always lives to make intercession” for us (Heb 7:23-25). Obviously this essay is not exhaustive of what I have learned nor what I still may need to learn.

While over the years there has been much controversy in the church on the meaning of “the gift of the Holy Spirit” it should not be a matter of fellowship! So long as our view of the operation of the Spirit does not violate the Scriptures the manner of indwelling should not cause division. “In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things love.”

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Is It Hell or Hades?

The titled question is asked a lot these days.  Since the Bible uses the term “hell” with some frequency, it is important that we understand its meaning.  Depending on the Bible translation one is using, the term “hell” may represent one of two things: (1) Hades, or (2) Eternal Punishment.  For example, the King James Version uses the term for both.

In Matthew 16:18 (KJV) it says, “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  Being that the New Testament was written in Greek, we look to the original language – and what we discover is that the word “hell” in Matthew 16:18 is actually “Hades” in Greek.  Hades is defined as “the common receptacle of disembodied spirits” (Online Bible Greek Lexicon); “the abode of departed spirits” (New American Standard Greek Lexicon); “the place of departed souls” (Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible Words).  Some occasionally refer to Hades as “the grave of the soul” because that’s where a person’s soul goes when they physically die (Lk. 16:19-31).

Since most English speaking Bibles rely on the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament, the original language of the Old Testament (in those Bibles) is based on Hebrew (with some Aramaic) as the original language.  As a result, the word for “the place of departed souls” in the Old Testament is not “Hades” but “Sheol.”  Both are a reference to the same exact place (Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:27).

Without question the most detail given in the Bible of this “common receptacle of disembodied spirits” is found in Luke 16:19-31.  While some believe this is simply a parable, it nonetheless offers insight into what happens to the soul (between now and the Judgment Day) when a person dies physically.  In that passage Jesus describes two people who physically die.  Both of them (their souls) went to Hades (vv. 23-26).  One of them, a beggar named Lazarus, was comforted there, whereas the other one, a rich man, was tormented there (v. 25). The passage reveals that those in torment (the condemned) are separated from those comforted (the saved, Lk. 23:43) by a great impassable gulf so that none can cross from one side to the other (v. 26).

It is worthy to note that when Jesus died on the cross He did not go to heaven – nor did He go to hell (Gr., gehenna), as some suppose; rather, He went to Hades.  Peter confirms this in Acts 2:27 when he quotes David’s prophecy concerning Christ: “For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”  He added, “he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption” (v. 31).  Additional proof that Jesus did not go to heaven when He died is seen in His statement to Mary Magdalene in John 20:17 after His resurrection: “Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father…’”

In a nutshell, this is what the Bible teaches about where souls go when people physically die between now and the Judgment.  The Bible mentions nothing of “Purgatory,” “Limbo,” “Nirvana,” etc. (these are all man-made concepts).

Please look for “Part Two” in this small series as we continue to answer the question, “Is there really a Hell?”

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Are We Any Better?

Concerning the religion of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus remarked, “That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20). When we look at some of the religious people today, are we any better when we compare the two?

If we do not study our Bibles regularly, then we are no better than the Catholics. They encourage their followers to ingest their spiritual instructions straight from the priest, and do not encourage personal study. In fact, they abuse Second Peter 1:20-21 in stating that it is impossible for an average person to understand the Bible—only one of the clergy can properly interpret and teach its meaning. Therefore, to a Catholic, they discourage Bible study throughout the week and encourage instruction to come from someone else. Nevertheless, if we as Christians do not open our Bibles throughout the week and study it ourselves, but only ingest what the local preacher in the congregation says, then we are no better than they are!

If we do not sing in worship, then we are no better than the Baptists (or any other religions that use choirs). Large congregations with praise bands and choirs simply want the worshipper to sit back and relax while others praise God. To the contrary, Paul commanded, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16). We are to sing and praise God to “one another,” something of which we can only do when we all sing together. I am amazed at some brethren who do not sing because they “cannot carry a tune in a bucket.” God could care less about the melody from your mouth—he is interested in the song on your heart! Nevertheless, if we as Christians do not open our mouths to sing, we might as well have a chorus or choir sing to us—there is no difference, and we are no better than they are!

If we do not believe in the providence of God in our lives with faith, trust and hope, then we are no better than deists are. Deism is simply the doctrine that God created man and placed us on the earth for his perusal—He does not interact with humanity at all. Well, some Christians have so little faith in the providence of God working in their lives and live their lives with fear and doubt rather than with trust and hope, they are no different than deists are.

If we do not live our lives carefully every day, then we are no better than Calvinists are. One of the prominent themes of Calvinism is the perseverance of the saints, also known as “once saved, always saved.” They believe that a child of God cannot sin to lose his soul. Yet, in the way that some Christians are living their lives recklessly, they might as well believe in that horrible false doctrine, since they are living as if they believe it!
Considering the religions around us, are we any better?

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