Unproductive Christians

One of the problems that hinder the growth of many people and churches is the existence of unproductive members. Unproductive members are those people that do nothing to promote or assist in the development and growth of the church. There are people who have their names on the roll of a church but who are never active in their service to God. These unproductive people may be good people but they are not right with God. They are not right with God because they are failing to grow or to contribute anything to the church as it works to grow and mature, even though they know that the Bible teaches them to grow in such passages as 2 Peter 3:18, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” NKJV. In the parable of the barren fig tree, we can see that people who are unproductive (i.e., fail to grow and produce fruit) are discarded by the Lord – discarded, in the sense of being rejected as useless and unacceptable to God.

Luke 13:6-9 – The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree:

He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’  But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'”  NKJV

One of the interesting thoughts advanced via the parable in Luke 13:6-9 is the fact that even though the fig tree is failing to produce, God says that it is to be cared for a while longer in hopes that it will gain strength and begin to produce – viz. verse 8-9.

The church is made up of a plurality of people, whenever one of the members of the church shows that they are failing to produce good fruit it is time for the rest of the congregation to assist that member in an attempt to get him/her back on track. If the unproductive member cannot be encouraged to participate and contribute to the work and growth of the congregation, the elders are to discipline such a one.

A Christian cannot just quit doing the work which will glorify God, quit encouraging the brethren, quit financially supporting the work, quit visiting the needy and shut-in, quit studying, and quit attending services and still be considered a productive member. Whenever a Christian ceases to be productive in their service to God and to their fellow man, they have surely missed the mark.

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Evangelism and the World

The Job of World Evangelism

“Globalization” is the new buzzword in the secular world today. The Internet has made geopolitical boundaries irrelevant when it comes to information. Countries like China and Iran try to control the in-and-out flow of information, but savvy technophiles find creative ways to get around these barriers. Businesses like McDonald’s and Wal-Mart have expanded into the global market to ply their products internationally, and adventurous travelers have relatively easy access to just about every continent and ocean on the planet. Moreover, the proliferation of the English language throughout the world means that there are few areas where English speakers cannot communicate today. Such circumstances make it imminently conducive to fulfill our Savior’s command to go into the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15-16; Matt. 28:18-20). The only question that we must ask ourselves is “Why not go?”

Some people do not go because of fear. There are different kinds of fear that can prevent us from sharing the gospel. Fear of strangers, fear of speaking to others, fear of rejection, fear of public places, fear of travel, fear of sickness—the list could go on and on. Young children sometimes will claim that they are scared when it is time to go to bed. Yet, we tell them (more or less) to conquer their fears and go to bed anyway. We realize that such fear is irrational. The same evaluation may be made of the fear to carry the gospel; it is irrational. If God loves us and we love God, then we have nothing to fear. John wrote, “There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). Until we conquer our fears and obey the Christian mandate, we will be anemic Christians, our efforts sickly, weak, and lackluster. A robust and healthy practice of God’s word requires us to be fearlessly involved in world evangelism.

Some people do not go because of lack of knowledge. They reason: “I just do not know enough to teach others the gospel.” Some are still learning and growing, but if one knows enough to become a Christian, then one knows enough to tell someone how to become a Christian. It really is not that difficult. I have been studying the Bible for decades, yet there are questions to which I do not know the answer. What do I do? I tell people that they have raised a good question, and that I will get back to them when I have found a good answer from God’s word. Ignorance is no excuse to take the gospel to others. Those who neglect talking about the gospel to others fall into the category of Hebrews 5:12, “For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food.” This is not commendable. We are responsible to God to learn, grow, and be involved in teaching others about His Son, Jesus. Instead of giving up at the get-go, let us resolve to do what we can with what we have got, and not give up until the person with whom we are studying has the information for which he is searching.

Some people do not go because of apathy. They simply do not care about preaching the gospel to others. Perhaps they are of the mindset that if people want the Gospel, they can come get it. This also is a mistake. Jesus didn’t tell the apostles to sit back and let others come to them. He told them to “Go out into the highways and hedges, and constrain them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). One preacher put it this way: “Some won’t seek, but they need to be sought; some won’t learn, but they need to be taught; some won’t come, but they need to be brought.” If you lost that which was precious to you, would you be apathetic about finding it? Yet, each soul is precious to God, and as His children, we must hold these souls precious as well. Shame on us if we are apathetic about the lost!

Evidently, Jesus recognized that there would be a dearth of workers in relationship to evangelizing the lost because he said, “The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). This issue of the Christian Worker is devoted to the topic of “Taking the Gospel.” There is something that everyone can do in this respect. The writers that we have engaged for this issue all have experience in taking the gospel to the world through one means or another, and they present multiple avenues by which each one of us can be involved. Some of us are involved in many of these avenues. Others of us are involved in just a few. The point is that if you are not involved at all, then you need to pick one and get involved today! Let us never forget the haunting words to James Rowe’s and J. W. Gaines’s song “You Never Mentioned Him to Me.”

When in the better land before the bar we stand,

How deeply grieved our souls will be;

If any lost one there should cry in deep despair,

“You never mentioned Him to me.”

“You never mentioned Him to me,

You helped me not the light to see;

You met me day by day and knew I was astray,

Yet never mentioned Him to me.

 

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Defending the Truth

We are commanded to preach and teach the truth. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke…” (2 Timothy 4:2); “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth…” (Ephesians 4:14-15).We are also commanded to defend the truth, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:15). Many Christians look at these passages and go out very zealously to preach, teach and defend the truth and sin in so doing!

Yes, I do mean that a Christian can teach, preach or defend the truth and sin in the process. I am not saying that it is a sin to do these things, for it is a sin not to. However, I am saying that you can preach, teach and defend the truth in a sinful manner. Look again at the verses mentioned earlier. You probably already noticed that there are some phrases missing out of those verses. The entire passage of 2 Timothy 4:2 should read “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” The command to exhort (encourage) with all longsuffering (loving patience) is often forgotten by many. Also Ephesians 4:15 should begin, “But speaking the truth in love…” Now I am not trying to sound like a “liberal,” but brethren, “Where’s the love…?” If we zealously go out to preach the truth with some other motivation than the love of God and the love of our fellow man, we commit sin!

In “defending” the truth, do you seek to defend the gospel or do you seek to “defend” yourself? All too often, I have seen brethren seek to defend the Truth, not for the Truth’s sake, but for their own. When their belief / position is brought into question, they take it as personal insult and begin to argue their case. Though they may hold a scriptural position, their motive for arguing is a selfish one – they want to win! They want to show off their skill as a debater and extensive knowledge of the Bible. They seemingly have forgotten the rest of 1 Peter 3:15 “…with meekness and fear…” In arguing for the sake of argument, meekness is thrown by the wayside and fear, or respect for others is forgotten.

What is central to the issue is one of the worst five-letter words in the dictionary… Pride! Personal pride is the opposite of meekness and respect for others. Selfish pride has no room for love of the lost, or for “suffering long” with them. Why are there divisions in the church today? Quite often, they result from selfish pride. It goes something like this: One brother puts forth a position, either scriptural or unscriptural. Another brother disagrees with that position. The first brother is insulted that someone has disagreed with him and an argument ensues. Both brothers “well up” with selfish pride and seek to win the argument. Both brothers resort to personal attacks and in the end, no one wins, but the cause of Christ comes out the loser! Let me repeat… the cause of Christ comes out the loser! It is wrong not to defend the truth. It is a sin to “straddle the fence.” We must take a stand for Christ! But we must not do so in a striving manner. We must defend the truth, but we must do it meekly; we must do it respectfully; we must do it lovingly.

Many times Jesus debated the Truth with the Pharisees and scribes. He never railed against them personally, but rather He went after their false doctrines and after their hypocrisies. He did not do so to “win” an argument, but rather to show them the Truth, to point out how they were going wrong. We ought to follow His example in this, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously…” (1 Peter 2:21-23).

He defended the truth. It did it with love and compassion. He did not defend it to glorify Himself. He did not defend the Truth in order to humiliate His adversaries. He wanted to bring about a positive change in their lives. He wanted to save their souls. The saving of souls should be our motivation in teaching, preaching and defending the truth, not selfish pride! When we seek to “win” an argument, all too often we push others even further away from Christ.

When I was in the U.S. Coast Guard, I attended a law-enforcement training program. During “hand-cuffing” practice, we were taught a technique of twisting the handcuff on a suspect’s wrist in such a way as to cause a sharp pain. This was only to be used if they resisted being “cuffed.” However, we were warned to let up after a moment’s pressure so as not to cause the suspect’s adrenaline to come up. Our body naturally defends itself against negative stimuli. Adrenaline causes a “fight or flight” reaction in the body. If an officer inflicts pain on a suspect in order to motivate him to comply, but if he goes too far, or fails to let up after compliance, the suspect often resists even further and the situation escalates until it gets out of hand. Remember Rodney King…? The police officers tried to subdue him, he fought back, things escalated…. they beat him unmercifully and the entire city of Los Angeles nearly went up in flames because of it!

When we try to teach or defend the truth, and we let things get out of hand, and get “personal,” we do more harm than good to the cause of Christ. Rather than cause strife on our part, why not take Christ’s approach and simply end our defense of the gospel with “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear.”

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Keys to Physical and Spiritual Success

It is an established truth that the key to success, in any aspect of our lives, is to remove the negative thoughts and replace them with positive mental reinforcements. William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”  The fact is we are what we think we are.  So if we are not what we want to be, or what we should be, we can actually make our lives over by reprocessing our attitudes and thought patterns.

One the wall of my home gym, next to the treadmill, is a list of seven positive motivational expressions to keep me focused on my physical fitness goals. As I was repeating these things to myself one day I thought of the great spiritual application that could be made from each of these seven points. Paul wrote, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

Now, before we talk about attitude and reprogramming our thoughts for better spiritual and physical health we need to address two important things. First, we have to get rid of the junk food (physically and spiritually) and fill our bodies with good food and plenty of water. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Secondly, we have to get up and get moving! Exercising our bodies as well as our godliness. Then if we combine these efforts with some attitude adjustments we will make great strides in our physical and spiritual well-being.

Point #1 – I’m not fat; I’m losing weight and building muscle. I am not a sinner weighted down with the burden guilt. I once was lost in sin but now I am justified in my obedience and faith in Christ and the grace of God (Romans 6:17; Ephesians 2:8-9). Every day, as I study, serve, and worship God I become stronger.

Point #2 – I’m not lazy; I’m taking energetic steps toward getting stronger. As I put my past behind me and press on I make great strides in strengthening my spiritual life.

Point #3 – I’m not overwhelmed; I’m in the daily creative process of eating right and learning about myself. This life we live is sometimes hectic to the point of bringing us to our knees with discouragement. But in Christ I am able to overcome any obstacle and learn more about what I am able to bear and do.

Point #4 – I’m not anxious and impatient; I have the rest of my life to get better and better, day-by-day. One is not made a perfect individual the day they obey the gospel. But we are saved and given all we need to make us perfect in Christ through God’s Word. We sing the song “One Step At A Time” and that is truly what will get us through this life. Patience and hope in Christ.

Point #5 – I’m not fearful; I’m strengthening my body, mind, and spirit. As a child of God I have nothing to fear. God has made us the crowning glory of His creation and cares for us above all things. So much so that he sent His Son to die for us. As a result Jesus says, “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).

Point #6 – I’m not a lost cause; I’m braver and smarter, stronger and more toned today than yesterday. Many people think that they are not worthy of heaven or salvation. But God says you are! “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Each day as a faithful child of God helps me appreciate God’s love that much more.

Point #7 – I’m living a joyful, more intelligent and grateful life forever.

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The Law of Moses

What about the Law of Moses and Colossians 2:14?

Well, I say that Jesus came to nail the Law of Moses to the cross because of Colossians 2:14.  In vs. 8 of that chapter, Paul tells the church to beware of the traditions of men, which Jesus had to deal with from the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 15:8-9).  Vs. 11 speaks of the circumcision without hands which also points to something different than the Old Law.  In vs. 14, it mentions wiping out the handwritten laws.  Well, the New Testament was not written yet and the only law that was like this, “Handwritten,” during the first century, was the Law of Moses.

We further see proof of this in vs. 15-16 where Paul states that these people’s powers were stopped and that there would be no more laws concerning meat, drinks, holy days, new moons or Sabbaths.  All of these laws were under the Law of Moses.  So in Colossians 2:14, it does not apply to all demands that God has ever made for mankind.  Now, it is true that the verse does not specifically, by name, identify the Mosaic Law as the “handwriting of ordinances” but it is undeniable that it is the law meant and, if the Law of Moses is not meant, then what law is meant that deals with holy days, Sabbaths and suchlike?  In addition, this verse is parallel with Ephesians 2:14-15 which speaks of the law of commandments in ordinances being abolished. The statement in Ephesians two is clearly in reference to the Mosaic Law.  And, Paul specifically called attention to the fact that the Ephesians were Gentiles, and had no part in the commonwealth of Israel and were strangers from the covenants of promise (vs. 12).  Paul also said in the Ephesian passage that the Jews and Gentiles had now been brought together as one new spiritual man, since the “middle wall of partition” that separated the two peoples had been broken down by Christ when he died on the cross (Ephesians 2:12-13).  Since the parallel passage has clear reference to the Mosaic Law, our text (Colossians 2:14) likewise has reference to this same law.

Now, as to the Law of Moses, it applied to all Jews before Jesus died (Exodus 6:4).  Even Jesus was born under the Law of Moses (Galatians 4:4) as well as the thief on the cross, the Pharisees and scribes, the apostles and many others.  Now, the question was given, “Why didn’t Jesus come to nail also then the works or conditions taught in the Gospel of God to the cross?  Very simply, they did not exist.  Take for instance the book of Colossians, it was not even written until 60-61AD and many other books were not written then either.  Thus, if Jesus nailed the New Law to the cross, he was nailing a covenant that was not even written yet.  The Scriptures teach us that, “For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth” (Hebrews 9:17).  So, it would make no sense to end a covenant that never began.  Besides, it is in that New Covenant where one finds salvation.

Also, we need to understand that the whole Bible both Old and New Testaments is not called the Gospel or “good news.”  Now I know that the word “glad tidings” is mentioned in  Isa. 40:9; 41:27 and 52:7.  But, these are prophecies referring to Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, when the “Good News” went forth from Jerusalem.  It was not given back in Isaiah’s day.  Thus, the Gospel only refers to the New Testament.  And, we know that Jesus made a new Covenant or Testament (Romans 11:27) where all can be baptized into the one body regardless if they are Jew or Gentile, bond or free (1 Corinthians 12:13).  Thus, when Jesus died, he closed the Old Law, He ushered in the New and He died so that men could set themselves free from the bondage of sin through the blood of the precious Christ.  Paul said in Romans 6:1-4, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

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