Throwing Out the ???? with the Bathwater?

It may be because I do it too often, but I just enjoy hearing when others take a rather well known expression and get confused about the precise wording. Most have heard the expression about throwing out the baby with the bathwater. It probably originated many years ago when a baby would be bathed in a basin and after bathing the baby, the parents literally would take that water and through it outside. The obvious meaning is that one should not ignore the value of any cherished item and get rid of of it because of the “bathwater” that surrounds it.

Recently I heard someone change this expression in a prayer when he said, “Lord, help us not to throw out the word with the bathwater.” At first I was confused, but then I saw precisely what the brother meant it in the prayer he prayed so fervently. How often has our religious world failed to examine truth because all they could see was the “bathwater.”

Some throw out baptism with the “bathwater of works.” How anyone fails to see the emphasis the Bible places on baptism is beyond my comprehension. How could God make it any simpler as to the “he . . . who will be saved” than He did in Mark 16:16? “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” How could those who read Acts 2 fail to see the instructions given about salvation to those who had crucified Jesus? When they cried out seeking forgiveness, they were told, “Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). How could one ever conclude that baptism has nothing to do with salvation when Peter said that as Noah was saved by water, “Baptism now saves us” (1 Pet. 3:20-21).

Yet some dismiss the force of these verses by saying, “Baptism cannot necessary for salvation for we are not saved by works.” Have they never considered that since these verses affirm the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation and the remission of sins, the problem may lie in their misunderstanding of the kind of works the Bible forbids. The misunderstanding of one truth has allowed them to “throw out the word with the bathwater.”

There are so many other illustrations of this principle. Some dismissed the church because of “bathwater of hypocrites” who attend. Some dismiss truth because they do not like the one who is teaching it. Truth is too valuable to dismiss it when God has made it so plain.

At the end of the brother’s prayer I said, “Amen.” God help us to never throw out the word with the bathwater!

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Who Said: “You are the Christ”?

Do you recognize these words? Do you know who said them?  “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”  The words sound familiar, but these are not the words of Peter when he answered Jesus’ question, “But who do you say that I am” (Matt. 16:13).  Would it help if I mentioned that the words were spoken by a woman, whose brother had been dead for four days?  She was one of two surviving sisters, but which one?

The faith in this woman’s heart is remarkable. There were many in the first century who did not believe in the resurrection, but she did.  The Jewish sect which believed in the resurrection were the Pharisees (Acts 23:8).  Josephus says that there were about 6,000 Pharisees (Antiquities xvii, 2, 4).  She did not believe in the resurrection because she was a Pharisee, but she believed in the resurrection because she believed in Jesus!

Her opening words to Jesus as He arrived at the house were, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”  She knew the Lord.  She knew His compassion.  She knew His power.  She knew that the hope for the all of the dead and grieving rested upon the Lord.

She continued her greetings by saying, “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”  A key word in this statement is the word “now.”  She does specifically ask for her brother’s resurrection.  She knew that on the last day he would be raised.  Her words do not show a lack of faith but a submissive spirit to whatever God’s plans were.

The pain of dealing with the death of her brother was tempered by a firm assurance that on the last day her brother would be raised.  This is how faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, impacts the lives of believers. While the present is filled with despair, the hope for the future is based in the trust one has in His words.

It is significant that this woman’s faith was shared by her sister.  The fact they used the same words is strong evidence that they had discussed the matter.  The sister’s opening words to Jesus were, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” It is so important to reaffirm our faith to others when we face trials.

What impact does your faith in Jesus have in your life? Do you know the Lord, His compassion and His power?  As you look to the future, is it filled with hope?

Do you know this woman?  Her name is Martha.

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The Most Handicapped Man who Ever Lived

Like most experiences in life, my brother’s stroke has given me an opportunity to consider things I might never have thought of had I not been with him.  He is doing well, but seeing him so handicapped by the medication and sickness is so frustrating.  I am thankful that he is beginning to speak again, and we are optimistic for the future, but at the moment that vibrant soul within him struggles to be part of all that is happening around him.  The Jerry I know is inside that body, but that body keeps him from being the hero I have had throughout the years.

However, this article is not about Jerry but about my older brother who was born in Nazareth. That was His birthplace, but for eons He had lived in another world.  That world was so different, but He gave it all up to come and live in a mortal body which handicapped Him immeasurably.  Because of His greatness, He was the most handicapped man who has ever lived.

And, oh, how that body handicapped Him. He had been in the form of God.  Now, He found Himself in the form of a mortal!  The Bible says, “He humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:8), but what a humiliation it was!  Paul described His coming into the world with the Greek saying, “He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being made in the likeness of a human being” (Phil. 2:7).  We may view the body of Jesus through the eyes of the artists who have painted Him, but His view of that body had to be so different from our view of it.  It was a body that entrapped Him and robbed Him of His glory.

He was omniscient but not in that body. There was nothing He did not know, yet when on this earth there were things He did not know.  Concerning His return, He said that no man knows of that day and hour, “not even the Son” (Mark 13:32).  His body handicapped Him.

He was omnipresent but not in that body. If there ever was anyone who truly had a “world view” it was the Savior from all eternity.  Now, His body got in His way.  He was where His body forced Him to be.  He was handicapped.

He was omnipotent but not in that body. For the first time, He was hungry, thirsty, feeling pain, experiencing temptation, lonely and dying.  Such cannot happen to Deity—but it did!  He who was the Son of God, became the Son of man.  He who rules the world with power, suffered the spit of sinful men on His face, endured the scourging whip, heard the mocking of the mobs and died the cruelest death.

He chose that handicapped body for you!

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Lessons I Have Learned from the Death of Jerry My Hero

I have waited some time following my brother’s death to write this article. While I have given it a lot of consideration, I am not sure that even now I have my thoughts together. I’m not sure I will ever be able to express all of my emotions.

I understand the importance of expressions of concern and love more than I have ever understood. From the depths of my heart I want to express the most profound gratitude for what each of you has done for me and my family over the past few weeks. I am overwhelmed at the number of cards you have sent, the number of hugs I have received, the many phone calls and the countless emails which have been so much part of my life. I have received so many facebook messages that it has been all I could do to find time to read each of them—I have a renewed appreciation for the positive ways the internet can be used for God.

I believe more in the power of prayer than ever before. God’s throne was surrounded by the incense of prayers which went upward in our behalf. We all wanted Jerry to live, but not as a helpless body in a nursing home. He never would have wanted it, nor would we. Knowing the nature of God and the fact that you were praying brought a sense of confidence and peace which filled my heart. God answered our prayers! There is a serenity which comes at times like this and protects us with a peace that no mortal can understand.

I have a renewed appreciation for His words regarding those who are blessed by dying in the Lord. “Their works do follow after them” (Rev. 14:13). In the days since his passing, the events of my life have brought to my mind what Jerry would have said or done. Evidently he lives in the hearts and lives of so many others. Thank each of you for the “Jerry stories” you have shared with me. He lives!

I am more mindful of our mortal nature than I have ever been. His devotion to physical fitness had enabled him to live a life free from sickness and medication. Yet he died. We are all mortals.

I have greater hope for all that lies before than I have ever had. Heaven is more real and the absolute assurance of seeing him again is certain. God, help my faith to be like his and let me die the death of this righteous man! It is not a wish, nor simply a longing to be with him. I will see him again! This is the nature of hope.

Jerry led thousands to heaven, but there is one, above all others, who will be in heaven because of him. Thank you, big brother, for showing me the way!

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Chaos in Worship in Corinth

Worship in the church at Corinth had to be an unforgettable experience. A careful reading of 1 Corinthians reveals such an abuse of the Lord’s Supper and a vying for showing one’s superiority with spiritual gifts given to the members there.

The Lord’s Supper had lost its original intent and had become a “church social function,” with the rich displaying their sumptuous food while others who were hungry were ignored. It had ceased to be His supper. Read the following verses and note the possessive words I have highlighted. “When you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating each one takes his own supper ahead of others …” (1 Cor. 11:20-21). Imagine assembling to remember His death and suffering and being faced with such horrendous blasphemy. It was not the Lord’s Supper; it was theirs!

Their assemblies would have been equally frustrating. There was no church which had more spiritual gifts than Corinth (1 Cor. 1:7), nor was there any church which abused the usage of them more. Read 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, where you will discover that because each of them had miraculously given gifts, they were competing for worship time to use them (v. 26). Those who could speak with tongues thought their gifts were so great that they were all speaking at the same time. Paul rebuked them and told them that there should never be more than three speaking in tongues in a service and they should do it one at a time (v. 27). If there was no one present with the miraculous power to translate these languages, Paul said that they should never have anyone to speak in tongues (v. 28). Evidently, there were some women who were actively speaking up and he told them to be quiet, for it was shameful for women to speak in the church (v. 35).

While those speaking in tongues in the Bible were speaking real languages, which they had never studied (Acts 2:4-6), those in charismatic churches today do not speak in languages any man understands. What a contrast! Many are not aware that the Hindu religion has similar tongue speakers who duplicate what the charismatics do.

Yet, why would the Holy Spirit give such directions? Was there something better than the Holy Spirit actually empowering individuals to speak in foreign languages? These God given languages were designed for the unbelievers (v. 22), yet God limited the usage of them among believers. Why? What could be more profitable than this manifestation of God and His power? Read the text again.

God wanted prophets, not tongue speaking! Think!

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