The United States Constitution and the Bible

The past several years have seen the development of distinct differences between how the U.S. Constitution should be viewed. There are those who seen that document as one which is very fixed and cannot be amended without great effort by the various states. Others see it as a living entity, whose statutes must be “amended” by loose interpretation caused by the changing culture in which we live, and its meaning is therefore very fluid. The gulf between the two attitudes is so vast!

There is a great parallel between the two attitudes toward the Constitution and the two attitudes many have toward the Bible. Some see the Bible is an unchanging document with no provision made for amendments. Others see the Bible as a fascinating book, but one that is open to a variety of interpretations greatly impacted by culture and time. It is this second attitude which causes such a diversity of teachings on worship, church organization, marriage/divorce, homosexuality and the role of women in the church.

Every person is confronted in his personal religious life with a decision of how he will regard the Bible. He may not be aware of these choices, but his life reflects one or the other of the two viewpoints. How that person views the Bible can impact his devotion and the difficult decisions he makes almost every day.

Which attitude is right? If the Bible is from God, then the proper way to ask this question is, “How does the Author of the Bible regard it?” This is all that matters! He is our Creator and our Judge and we must have His view of His revelation. Prayerfully consider the following.

When God revealed the Old Testament, He made no provision for amendments. “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. . . . Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deut. 4:2; 12:32).

The same principle is found regarding the New Testament. “If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life . . .” (Rev. 22:18-19).

The Constitution makes provision for amendments; there are no provisions for amending the gospel!

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Muslims Disrupt Sunday Worship Assembly

The following is a report from Jack Cummings of recent events when he and two other elders from the Green Lawn congregation, Robby Rhodes and Charles McGowan, were conducting their regular Sunday worship services in the prison in Lubbock, Texas.

“Just before our assembly began about 15 inmates who have never been to our assembly showed up and asked if they could join us in our worship. Our Christian brothers welcomed them. As one of our brothers (who is an inmate) began the assembly, several in the group (who were Muslim) began to openly and rudely interrupt the assembly by asking questions and challenging the young Christian man who was trying to start the assembly by reading Scripture. It became very apparent that these visitors did not come to listen but to interrupt and indoctrinate.  They were starting to become belligerent and finally I stood up and told them that this was a Christian assembly for the purpose of worshipping the Creator of the Universe and His Son, and that they were free to stay, learn and observe, but that it was neither the time nor place for such a public debate.

“This seemed to calm them down only for the moment.  The guard, who was outside the room, heard their shouting, stepped in and ordered the men to be quiet or leave.  Later, Robby Rhodes had to again address the Muslims  because of their constant interruptions of the assembly. Later, when our brothers in Christ began passing the plates for the Lord’s Supper, the leader of the radical group grabbed a plate of bread, dumped it in his lap and told the whole assembly to ‘Eat this.’

“At that point some of the Muslims came over to me and the other elders and started calling us Satan worshippers, white pigs and evil. They vowed to stop our preaching and teaching of Jesus.  I thought, ‘How blessed we were to be verbally attacked because of the Name of Jesus.’

. . . I believe that if it were not for the presence of the guard it would have become very violent and possibly deadly.

“. . . Our guard was a female about the age of 50, and it is my firm belief that if those men had wanted to, they could have harmed or even killed us yesterday before she could have received the help needed to squelch the attacks.  It is my conviction that yesterday was a glimpse of the future for all Christians in America.”

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Only Two Reasons the World is Lost

Christians sometimes have great difficulty in understanding those individuals who have not surrendered their lives to the Lord. We so easily forget that there was that period in our lives when we ignored the Lord. Yet when we became Christians we were so thrilled with the treasures we had found we could not understand the indifference of others. How many times have you heard Christians say, “Well, why won’t they just obey the gospel?”

The problem is not new. In Romans chapter ten Paul described the process of salvation. It begins with a preacher being sent and is followed by preaching, hearing, believing, calling on the Lord and salvation. This is precisely what had happened in the lives of those early Christians and it is precisely what happened when we became Christians. We are so perplexed as to why others we know will not follow Him. The answer may be found in two verses found in this chapter. We likely know verse seventeen which affirms, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” It is the next verse that we may have overlooked.

Those early Christians looked at the lost world and responded like many of us do today. “Have they not heard?” The discovery of truth meant so much to them, and means so much to us, that the response is to conclude that the primary reason the whole world is not converted is simply because the just have not heard the gospel. In one statement Paul showed the fallacy of this kind of reasoning which assumes the lost simply have not heard. “Yes, indeed.” They had heard! He then added, “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.” Later he wrote the Colossian letter and showed that every creature under heaven had heard (Col. 1:23).

There are only two possible reasons why the whole world has not obeyed the Lord. Either they have not heard, or they have heard but will not submit to Jesus. The implication of this in our lives is so sobering! We may be almost powerless in changing rebellious hearts, for that decision is theirs. What we do control is whether they have the chance to hear the gospel. As you think about this listen to God.

“When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezekiel 3:18).

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Have They Not Heard?

Those early Christians sometimes struggled in trying to understand why anyone would hear the gospel and not obey it. Perhaps Paul says it best when he expressed their frustrations with the question, “Have they not heard?” Truth and righteousness meant so much to them and to us that the first response to the world’s disobedience is to think the only reason they have not obeyed is that they have not heard.

Now before we become too judgmental in looking at the world, perhaps we should take a look at ourselves. There are many Christians who are like the lost world—they have heard, but they have chosen to ignore what the Lord says. Consider the following examples of areas where Christians ignore Him.

Have they not heard what the Lord says about worshiping him regularly? I find it so remarkable and perplexing that there are Christians who think worship of God is optional. How is it that some can be so sporadic in their attendance at worship? I’m talking about those who every month miss worship. Have they not heard the Lord’s promise to be present every week and partake the Lord’s supper (Matt. 26:28)? Surely anyone would want to sit with Jesus at His table. Can you imagine the honor each of the apostles had to be at the last supper in the upper room? Can you imagine any of then choosing to be absent?

Have they not heard that Jesus is in our midst and sings praises with us as we sing (Heb. 2:12)? Just imagine what it would be like to have the Lord sitting beside you and singing, There is a God; He is alive. Do those who are not here regularly know these matters? Can you think of any reasonable  explanation for such behavior? Have they not heard?

Have they not heard what the Lord says about modest dress? I am so perplexed about how Bible teaching about our dress is ignored by Christians. Have they not heard that Jesus discusses the way we should dress? Are they not aware that provocative dress that is too short or too low or too tight produces lust? Are they not aware that the word “lasciviousness” (the word is defined as “a means to entice the lust of the flesh”) is listed as a work of the flesh and God simply says, “They who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom” (Gal. 5). Why do these words have almost no impact?

Have they not heard these things? Why have they not obeyed? Think soberly about it. Why, oh why?

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Spiritual Mimes and Mimics

Do you have a childhood memory of someone trying to annoy you by being a copycat of whatever actions you were doing? Some of those “friends” who did that were not that skilled, but others seemed to have real talent in duplicating your actions. Obviously, none of them reached the level of Marcel Marceau, the famous French mime, who died about two years ago.

You might find it interesting to know that the words mime and mimic have a Biblical basis. These English words are a transliteration of the Greek word mimentes. When Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ,” (1 Cor. 11:1) he used this word.

Paul wanted all men to be mimics of Christ. Though his background was Jewish, he spent his life among Gentile churches and repeatedly urged them to duplicate, to mimic, in their lives what other Christians had in their lives. It made no difference what their religious background was. It made no difference what their cultural background was. There was one standard and all men were to mimic it. Those Gentile Christians could look at their Jewish brethren to see what their spiritual lives entailed.   Notice his words to the church at Corinth. “Therefore I urge you, imitate me” (1 Cor. 4:16). It was not that Paul was the absolute standard, for he added an additional phrase when he gave these instructions the second time, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). However, do not overlook the point that there was not one lifestyle for a Jewish Christian and another for a Gentile.

He used this Greek word repeatedly when he wrote to the church in Thessalonica. “You became followers of us and of the Lord . . . For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus . . . You yourselves know how you ought to follow us” (1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14; 2 Thess. 3:7).

The lesson is so obvious as you read the New Testament. There was not one gospel for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. Now, make the application. If ethic and cultural differences could not alter the lives God had for His people, how can time difference allow for any differences?

One final thought. A mimic may simply duplicate the outward actions of another, but those who mimic Christ and other Christians start on the inside and work out!

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