The Tennessean, Nashville’s daily newspaper, in a front page story on Monday, April 15, related the recent rift in the United Methodist denomination between the liberals and the conservatives. Last week’s “Hugh’s News & Views” was already written and in the mail pipeline when the newspaper report appeared, so an article—this one—that the story prompted had to wait until this week.

The first four paragraphs of the newspaper article capture the gist of the story. They were as follows:

“The United Methodist Church losing a quarter of its churches in five years is just the start.

“The proposed budget to the upcoming UMC General Conference—the denomination’s top legislative assembly, which meets every four years—is $23.8 million less than the last spending plan.

“The proposed budget recommends 17 fewer bishops, so that one of the denomination’s seven general funds doesn’t run a deficit. Meanwhile, the regional conference staff that those bishops oversee has already faced cuts and a consolidation of administrative duties.

“The upcoming UMC General Conference in Charlotte begins April 22 for a long-awaited and unquestionably consequential summit. The international delegation is meeting for a regular session for the first time in eight years, a time in which conservatives led an exodus out of the United Methodist Church following disagreements about theology and church policy, including dealing with LGBTQ + rights.”

Please note: The budget for the UMC calls for seventeen fewer bishops and a consolidation of their administrative duties. What if all Methodist bishops were eliminated? What if the entire Methodist hierarchy were dismantled? What if the United Methodist Church quietly closed all its church building’s doors, turned some of them into shelters for the homeless, and homes for the widows, the orphans, the neglected? What if the remaining properties were sold and the proceeds given to the poor? If the United Methodist Church folded in its entirety would that be the end of the Christian faith? I dare say no one would answer in the affirmative. The world could do without the Methodist Church and still have the religion of Christ. After all, we had Christianity and the church that Christ established for seventeen hundred years before the Methodist Church was ever conceived!

The Methodist Church arose in the first half of the eighteenth century out of the efforts of John and Charles Wesley to reform the Church of England. The Wesleys sought to bring a greater degree of piety to the cold, formal Church of England and to infuse it with stricter methods (hence, “Methodists”) of prayer, meditation, and ways of ministering to the poor, the imprisoned, etc. At first there was no intention to start another denomination, only to reform the Church of England (in America, the Episcopal Church). But another denomination was born when the first Methodist Society was formed at Kingswood, near the city of Bristol, England in 1739. But we had had Christianity and the church of Christ from the day of Pentecost (c. A.D. 30) as recorded in Acts 2!

I sometimes ask when teaching and preaching on church history what would happen if we started with the last denomination that was established, quietly closed it down, and moved back through history, closing down every protestant and Catholic denomination on the face of the earth? Would the closing of the most recently established denomination be the end of Christianity? Which denomination is necessary for the existence of Christianity? Can you tell me? Would the obliteration of all denominations mean the end of Christianity? Not at all! If every denomination quietly “folded up its tent” and went away, we could still have the church our Lord purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). All who had been members of a denomination could repent of their sins, confess their faith in Christ, and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the remission of their sins, and added to the one church that Christ established (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47; Romans 16:16; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:4). (Study also John 17:20-21; I Corinthians 1:10-13; Ephesians 4:1-6; et al).

Read and study your New Testament. Absorb the teaching of Christ and His apostles concerning the church. You will discover that the people of God are to exist solely as independent, autonomous churches, each under its own plurality of elders (also know as bishops, pastors [not preachers, but elders], shepherds), without any local, national, or international headquarters, and without any hierarchical structure (no conventions, conferences, synods, Presidents, ruling Bishops, District Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, or Popes, etc.). Apostolic Christianity and the original church was simple in its organizational structure. It was undenominational and non-denominational. It was produced by the preaching of the gospel of Christ and obedience to the gospel (Acts 2:22-47).

That same church exists today. “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). Wherever that seed is sown/preached in its purity and obeyed in its simplicity undenominational Christians and undenominational congregations/churches of Christ come into existence. This is Christianity pure and simple. This is Christianity without the multiplicity of denominations (and the hierarchical systems necessary to sustain them) that came later down the stream of time, the first protestant denomination being the Lutheran, established in c. 1521.

Do I dislike denominational people? Do I dislike the Methodists? Not in the least! My paternal grandparents were Methodists and died in the Methodist Church. My father was sprinkled into the Methodist Church at the age of nine. One of his brothers preached for Methodist Churches in south Georgia for many years. But in his early thirties my father learned the truth about Christ and His church and obeyed the gospel. And he never looked back!

It is not the people who are members of denominations that I dislike. It is the system of denominationalism that I abhor (see Psalms 119:104; Romans 12:9) because it is not approved of God or sanctioned by the Scriptures. I wish the entire system, all the way from the Catholic Church with its multiplicity of unbiblical doctrines and practices to the latest protestant church that has been formed, could be dismantled and obliterated from the face of the earth. I wish that all the members of all the denominations could be brought into the one body/church of Christ on the basis of the Scriptures, bringing with them a high commitment to walk in the truth of God’s word (III John 4; cf. John 17:17).

Hugh Fulford

You might be known in your hometown. Perhaps you are known across your state, province, or territory. It is unlikely you are known around the world. Have you considered if you are known in hell?

During the two years that Paul was in Ephesus, “God was doing extraordinary miracles” by the apostle’s hands (Acts 19:11). Seeing the great work that was being done in the name of Jesus, some fake exorcists tried their hand at it.

“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims’” (Acts 19:13)

When the seven sons of the Jewish chief priest Sceva attempted this, they were rebuked, beaten, and humiliated. Listen to the rebuke by the evil spirit to these imposters:

“Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize; but who are you?” (Acts 19:15).

This demonic being knew Jesus by experience (from the Greek: ginosko), and was acquainted with Paul (from the Greek: epistamai). They knew Jesus and knew about Paul, but they did not know these foolish men.

The result was humiliation for these seven, but glory for God.

“And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled” (Acts 19:17).

The true power of God placed against the fake magic arts convinced many to leave behind their pseudo religion and trust in the word of the Lord (Acts 19:18-20).

Let’s consider two implications and a probing question from the statement made by this evil spirit.

Demons know the authority of Jesus

In the country of the Gerasenes lived a man with a violent unclean spirit. He could be tamed by no one. But when he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and cried out, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me” (Mark 5:7).

This was not an isolated incident.

“Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God’” (Mark 3:11).

The demons not only recognized Jesus but they were afraid of him (James 2:19). They were afraid because Jesus came to destroy the power of the devil (Hebrews 2:14).

Demons recognize the power of Paul’s preaching

The work and words of Paul resounded far and wide. Paul and his companions were accused of turning “the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). Paul did not preach as one full of suggestions, but he spoke with authority (see Titus 2:15). In Ephesus, Paul “spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). His preaching reached the ears of all the residents of Asia (Acts 19:10).

When Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of his work in their city, he said he “did not shrink from declaring” to them “anything that was profitable,” as he taught publicly and from house to house (Acts 20:20).

Felix was a vicious man who trembled at Paul’s powerful preaching (Acts 24:25), and when he could not oppose the message of righteousness, self-control, and judgment, sent the apostle away.

Is your work known in hell?

While we do not have discussions with demons nor cast them out, our work can be known in the depths.

We may be insignificant, but we proclaim a mighty God! Let us so act that the devil pays attention.

• May the world know we serve the risen Savior (Luke 24:46-47).
• Do not be ashamed of God’s message of reconciliation (Romans 1:14-17), but daily live it out.
• Find those who have wandered from the truth and speak a word to them; we may just bring them back (James 5:19-20).

We can be a faithful Christian without the world knowing our name. But if we want to live forever in heaven, they need to know who we are in hell.

by Lee Parish

Introduction:

It happened at the airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. I was on my way to conduct a conference, was hurrying to catch my plane, and had arrived at the security checkpoint. I placed my briefcase on the conveyor belt and was just stepping through the metal detector when I happened to look down, and there at my feet on the airport carpet was a crisp, new, one-hundred-dollar bill. Because it was hidden by the frame of the metal detector the security guard did not see me pick the money up. I looked quickly in front and behind me and realized that, in the hustle and bustle of the crowd, no one had noticed what I had done. So there I stood, with a one-hundred-dollar bill in my hand. What do you think I should have done next?

I was traveling through Jackson, Mississippi when I stopped at a McDonald’s to buy my breakfast. The cashier was obviously a new recruit, and she had trouble getting my order right. Then, when I paid for my meal, she confused me with the unorthodox way she counted out my change. I was sure that I had given her a ten, but she gave me change for a twenty. She slammed the cash register shut, said “Next!”, and I stood off to the side, looking at the money in my hand and trying to figure out what she had done. What do you think I should have done next?

One Saturday afternoon I stopped by the post office downtown to drop a package in the mail slot. The service counter inside had long since closed, and the lobby outside was as quiet as a tomb. As I walked to the mail slot I happened to glance at the table in the lobby, and there I saw a fat, black wallet, obviously placed there and then forgotten by someone who had been examining their mail. There were no postal workers to be found; in fact, there was not another soul in the building. What do you think I should have done next?

The Eighth Commandment is clear enough: “Thou shalt not steal” doesn’t seem to leave any wiggle room, to allow any equivocation. But the lure of larceny is such a basic temptation that all of us will find ourselves in uncomfortable situations. No one is exempt from this struggle, not even children! Kent Hughes describes an incident in the four-year-olds class of his church’s Sunday school:

At story-time the Story Lady, Mrs. Teune, donned her hand puppet, Ladi, and told the children the story of Ladi’s visit to the family doctor for a checkup. While there, Ladi spied a big red pencil just like the one she had always wanted.

As Mrs. Teune dramatized at some length Ladi’s fixation on the wondrous red pencil, the entire group of forty-five preschoolers assumed an unnatural quiet – especially as she described Ladi’s inching closer and closer to the scarlet pen while the doctor’s back was turned – and then reaching out and touching it – and finally grasping the pencil, which she then quickly hid under her dress!

But, alas, the doctor had seen the theft, for in a deep voice he said, “You must not take what doesn’t belong to you”. Mrs. Teune was obviously connecting with the four-year-olds, because one little boy raised his hand, waving it insistently, and said, “Mrs. Teune, Mrs. Teune, will you tell the story again?” And she did! – in exact detail, line by line until the fatal filch, while every child again sat motionless. (Kent Hughes, Disciplines of Grace, page 139-140).

Can’t you just picture those four-year-olds, mesmerized by the terrible tale of theft unfolding before their eyes? And you know why little Ladi’s impulsive grab of the doctor’s red pencil struck a chord: because those little children had a truly personal acquaintance with that temptation, understood how it felt to see a classmate’s shiny new Sesame Street toy, or luscious-looking cookie, or enticing Pokemon pencil box; they comprehend, deep in their heart, the experience of wanting to appropriate their classmate’s possession for themselves. From a very early age every one of us has felt the lure of larceny, the temptation of taking what doesn’t belong to us.

And unfortunately, all of us have experienced the outrage of discovering that some faceless felon has filched our favorite bracelet or sweater or wristwatch. Oh yes, the temptation of STEALING is common: all too common! When Jesus died, he was crucified between – two thieves! There are two different words used in the Bible to refer to a person who steals:

Kleptes – thief Lestes – robber

The THIEF operates under the cover of darkness, and specializes in sneaky, clandestine pilfering; on the clever fraud; or the midnight breaking and entering: READ NEWSPAPER ARTICLES.

The ROBBER operates in broad daylight, and relies on force and violence. In Rome we learned that the Italians despise the Gypsies in part because of their rampant dishonesty. RELATE STORY of children pickpockets at the Roman forum – I have never seen such brazen thievery!

The Eighth Commandment is clear enough: “Thou shalt not steal.” Even a child understands that stealing means to take what doesn’t belong to us, or to keep what truly belongs to another. Yet dishonesty is so pervasive in our society, and the temptation to steal is so fundamental to human nature, that it can assume an infinite variety of forms. I am convinced that this commandment, like all of God’s “TOP TEN,” finds its complete fulfillment in the moral teachings of the New Testament, and unless we understand the proper perspective taught there we just might fall short of the integrity that is demanded by Jesus. After all, there are so many areas in which we can convince ourselves that we aren’t really taking something of value. STEALING can be as straightforward as “breaking and entering” or as sophisticated as computer fraud (and I do hope God has a special place in hell for computer hackers, especially those who create nasty viruses!).

Stealing can be as blatant as a midnight “mugging,” or as indirect as a congressman who takes a bribe, and in effect is stealing the public’s trust and selling it to the highest bidder.

The automobile dealer who runs back the odometer on a used car is a thief, and so is the tourist who “takes” a souvenir when no one is looking.

Stealing can be done by employers who fail to credit their workers with the wages due them: James condemns some employers of his day, saying “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty” (5:4). God is concerned about the workingman, and the Law of Moses contained special provisions to make sure he wasn’t cheated (cf. Deut 24:14-15, Lev 19:13)!

Or it can be done by the employees who fail to give their best effort! 1 in 3 workers admits stealing on the job, costing businesses more than $25 billion a year. The average American worker admits in confidential interviews that he or she spends more than 20 percent of their time at work goofing off, which amounts to a four-day work week. (Hughes, page 145)

The storekeeper can steal by putting the rotten vegetables in the bottom of the pack, by “accidentally” overcharging, or by putting 15 oz. in a 1-pound package (cf “unjust weights” – Deut 25:13-15), and the customer can steal by not paying his bills: every year merchants have to “write off” millions of dollars of uncollectable debts.

Parents can steal when they lie about their children’s age at the movie box office to get a discount, and taxpayers can steal when they shade the truth on their 1040 form.

The prophet Malachi even warned people rob God when they fail to give their tithes (Malachi 3:10), so that they stole the gifts that rightfully are His.

And preachers can steal: I have seen my own writings published by other preachers under their own name, so that, in effect, they stole my ideas!

Conclusion:

Speaking of preachers, you’re still wondering what I did with that $100 dollar bill, aren’t you? Well, in the interest of full disclosure, let me tell you the “rest of the stories.” None of those situations was as easy as you might imagine, but not necessarily because of the Eighth Commandment!

Take that wallet, for instance. It was obvious what had happened: someone had placed their wallet on the counter while they sorted through their mail, then walked off with their mail on their mind. And I really wasn’t tempted by the money that was in it. But what should I DO about it? I thought about turning it in, but the post office was closed. I considered just leaving it there on the counter in the hope that the owner would come back, but what if someone else came along after me in the meantime who wasn’t as honest as I am? I checked quickly to see if I recognized the name and address, but I couldn’t find one. What did I do?

I headed straight for the police station, where the first officer I saw was Jeff Stinson. I handed the wallet to Jeff, told him where I’d found it, and said “This is all yours – you take care of it”!

What about the lady at McDonalds? When clerks have given me too much change, I have always tried to call it to their attention and correct the mistake. In this case, however, I couldn’t figure out what she had done with my money, and I wasn’t absolutely sure that I had given her a ten, and she had already shut the cash drawer and was waiting on another customer. I knew that if I brought the subject up she would just get all flustered again and then the manager would get involved, so I just gave up, put the money in my billfold, and left. Was I right or wrong? I don’t know.

And that $100 dollar bill? I might as well admit, the first thought that flashed through my mind was “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers.” And the second thought that I registered was, “There’s no way that I’m going to give this money to the security guard, because he’ll just keep it for himself.” But I also knew that realistically a $100 dollar bill could not have been laying there in plain view for very long, so I held it in my closed hand as I asked the guard, “Did anyone drop their money here just a few minutes ago?” He pointed to a lady about twenty yards up the corridor and said, “Yeah, that woman dropped her money clip.” So he and I together caught up with her, and when she checked her pocket, sure enough, her money was missing. We returned the money to its rightful, and extremely relieved, owner, and I hurried on to my plane.

In every case, I had to make a difficult decision. In every case, my behavior was guided by a clear command of God. In every case, however, my guideline was not the Eighth Commandment. The command that helped me the most in each situation was the one found in Romans 13.

READ Romans 13:8-10

In each case my behavior was guided by a simple response: how would I want someone else to act if they found my wallet, picked up my $100 bill, or were unsure about my ability as a cashier? You see, when we focus only on things, and on our own response to them, we are missing the point. The Eighth Commandment is ultimately not about POSSESSIONS, but about PEOPLE:

• the rightful owners of the property I covet – to steal would be to sin against them;
• the way I would want other people to treat me – to steal would violate the “Golden Rule”;
• the kind of person I want to be myself –
to steal would be to make myself dishonest.

The opposite of the Eighth Commandment is the “Golden Rule,” because stealing is ultimately a sin against people, not possessions.

Dan Williams

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

I have always believed that some of the best psychology ever written is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. We must remember that this letter was written by Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome and awaiting a trial. One of the themes that recurs throughout the letter is found in the expression, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). Throughout the letter Paul constantly reminds us to have the mind of Christ, to keep our priorities straight and to press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).

One definition given for the word “worry” is to give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles: “he worried about his soldier sons in the war”; a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems: “her son had been a constant source of worry to her”; synonyms: fret · be concerned · be anxious · agonize · overthink.

Many of us may have The Serenity Prayer embroidered on a pillow or hanging on a wall in our house. The Serenity Prayer is the common name for a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). The best-known form is:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

Niebuhr, who first wrote the prayer for a sermon at Heath Evangelical Union Church in Heath, Massachusetts, used it widely in sermons as early as 1934 and first published it in 1951 in a magazine column. The prayer spread both through Niebuhr’s sermons and church groups in the 1930s and 1940s and was later adopted and popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs.

We may also remember a song released twenty-nine years ago. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is a popular worldwide hit song by musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in September 1988, it became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. The song’s title is taken from a famous quotation by Meher Baba. The Indian mystic and sage Meher Baba (1894–1969) often used the expression “Don’t worry, be happy” when cabling his followers in the West.

The idea of not worrying is not a disguise for ignoring our responsibilities. God expects us to go to work and to provide for our own needs and the needs of our families. However, we can most successfully accomplish this when we remember the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). Don’t be anxious. Be thankful and spend much time in prayer to God.

Scott Gage

Text:  1 Corinthians 9:27

Aim:   to encourage preachers to recognize, and avoid, the temptations of adultery.

Introduction:

I commend you on your commitment to Christ and to his ministry.  I have known since the age of 12 that preaching was my calling.  I’m glad I am a preacher and I hope you feel the same way.  Even though the Lord threw me a curve ball in bringing me to Harding last year, I have never wanted to be anything else than a preacher.

Ours is a serious obligation.  You and I are in the business of saving souls:  of wielding the sword of the Spirit and proclaiming the power of the gospel so as to enable the sinner to gain redemption, to escape hell, to have the hope of heaven.

We preach the good news to the lost, we plead with the backslider to repent, and we encourage the saint to continued faithfulness.  As Paul said in our text today, we become “all things to all men so that by all possible means (we) might save some.”

But this morning I want us to focus on one sinner in particular – one special target of our teaching that we should never neglect – this morning I want to make sure we seek to save ourselves.

1. SCRIPTURAL CONTEXT

1 Corinthians 9:27 – “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

I would hate to go to hell from a pulpit.  There would be something eternally awful about suffering in hell while remembering your own messages that led others to escape your fate.

Here is the supreme contradiction, the ultimate irony:  a preacher bringing others to Christ, yet neglecting his own salvation and finally being rejected by the Lord. What shall it profit a preacher if he should save others, yet lose his own soul?  He saved others, yet himself he could not save!  Note: Paul was careful to listen to his own message, to apply it to himself as well as his audience.

The commentator Albert Barnes has, as usual, several sensible and sobering comments on this verse. He draws eight applications. I will read only the last five; read the entire discussion yourself.

“4. Ministers, like others, are in danger of losing their souls.

“5. The fact that a man has preached to many is no certain evidence that he will be saved.

“6. The fact that a man has been very successful in the ministry is no certain evidence that he will be saved.

“7. It will be a solemn and awful thing for a minister of the gospel, and a successful minister, to go down to hell.

“8. Ministers should be solicitous about their personal piety.”

The list of reprobate preachers in the New Testament is short but significant. If JUDAS could daily converse with the Lord;  if he could witness the miracles, hear the teachings, and even be sent out by Jesus on preaching missions;  and yet ultimately betray Christ, should not we today take warning?  If DEMAS could twice be listed by the apostle as a companion and fellow-laborer (Col 4:14, Phile 24) and then later desert Paul to go back into the world (2 Tm 4:10), should not we take note?

The fact is, there is no position, office, or level of service in the kingdom of God from which we cannot turn back.  Elders, deacons, Christian college professors, preachers, and missionaries all can and have left the faith.

I’m not suggesting that anyone in this room today is in imminent danger.  I have no reason to believe that is true, and every reason to hope that it isn’t.  But if so illustrious a preacher as the apostle Paul considered it a possibility to be avoided, I think each of us would be wise to take it to heart.

We preachers need occasionally to be on the receiving end of preaching!  Why do I say that?

After our text in 1 Corinthians 9, Paul follows in Chapter 10 with the sobering example of the disobedient Israelites in the desert (who were all destroyed save for two – Joshua and Caleb) and then gives the exhortation  in Verse 12 – “let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” The quickest way to fall for temptation is to forget you are capable of being tempted!  When is the last time you were genuinely convicted by one of your own sermons? You preach good sermons – are you listening to them yourselves?

Now let me focus our lens even more narrowly, and concentrate on one specific temptation that I have been assigned to address this morning:  ADULTERY.

I don’t have any statistics to show that preachers as a class are more prone to this temptation –

but I do have ample evidence that they are not immune. In every region of the nation where I have served, I have become aware of some preaching colleague who lost his ministry, and sometimes his marriage, because of infidelity. And I have learned that the ministry has a unique set of five inter-related conditions which make this particular sin a possibility of which we should be aware  (see 1 Tm 5:1-2, 2 Tm 3:6).

1. ACCESSIBILITY: Few professions have as much flexibility in time as does the ministry, and many doors are opened to a preacher that might be closed to others.

2. IMAGE: That is, the image of the preacher as warm, empathetic, caring counselor. Ministers may find themselves working with women who are in sour or “dead” marriages.  When that woman (with a cold, unresponsive husband) suddenly finds herself interacting with a warm, sympathetic man, she may become emotionally involved with the minister before he is aware of it. Mary Bouma did a study entitled Divorce in the Parsonage (Bethany Fellowship, 1979) in which she found that when ministers had affairs, it was usually with a counselee (p. 50).
   

3. FAMILY NEGLECT: The stresses of ministry sometimes, unfortunately, show up in our relationship with our families, and with our mate, and this breakdown makes temptation even more of a problem.

4. IGNORANCE:  When the crowd in Lystra tried to worship Paul and Barnabas, the two missionaries insisted  “we are only men, human like you “ (Acts 14:15).  That is a statement we need to take to heart!  We work for God – but we’re not God!

In his book Finishing Strong, author Steve Farrar tells of a study conducted by Dr. Howard Hendricks of 246 men in full-time ministry:

“The thing they had in common was that within twenty-four months of each other they became involved in an immoral extramarital relationship.

After interviewing each man, Dr. Hendricks discovered four correlations between all 246 men:

1. None were involved in any kind of personal group.
2. Each had ceased to invest in a daily personal time of prayer, Scripture reading, and worship.
3. Over 80 percent of the adultery began with a counseling relationship.
4. Without exception, each of the 246 had been convinced that moral failure ‘will never happen to me.’“

Steve Farrar, Finishing Strong, (Multnomah, 1995); submitted by Van Morris, Mount Washington, Kentucky

Apply the same advice in our own life that we would give to others and don’t let temptation and weakness collide with opportunity.  Preachers are not “immune” from temptations, yet they may miss the warning signs and thus inadvertently set themselves up in compromising situations without realizing it.  (More on that in a moment.)

5. ATTRACTION: I am aware that nearly all of us preachers are much more handsome that the average man, but I am talking here about psychological attraction.  Several researchers who have studied the problem of ministers who become involved with affairs conclude that preachers, because of their “safe” image, may actually be more attractive to women with certain types of emotional problems (see John Dart, “Affairs:  Clergymen Struggle with Opportunities – and Failings,” Los Angeles Times Saturday, May 10, 1981, Part II, p 14-15).  I realize that some preachers are predators – but others are naïve.  Listen carefully to these two verses:

2 Peter 2:14   “With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the UNSTABLE; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!” 

2 Timothy 3:6  “They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over WEAK-WILLED women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires…..”

I am convinced that some preachers ended up in the trap of infidelity because they were unaware of the nature of unhealthy psychological dynamics.  Simply put, some individuals are “unstable” and “weak-willed”:  that is, they have emotional problems that cause them to have a weak sense of moral boundaries.  They have great difficulty in separating any sort of healthy emotional closeness or caring from sexual attraction.  As a result, if any man comes along who shows them warmth, empathy, or affection, they will make themselves sexually available to him.

I know that over the years there have been women with whom I could have become sexually intimate, if I had pursued that path.  But hey, I’m smart enough to realize it was not because I’m such a handsome stud – it was because those women were emotionally unstable, and if I had become involved with them it would have been a toxic entanglement.

Young lady in community clinic: suicidal after the breakup of another tempestuous relationship:  Her very first words in the opening session were:  “I’ve never had a close relationship with a man that didn’t begin with sex.”  If you’re a counselor, how do you respond to that?  I replied, “Congratulations!  You’ve just started your first.  Because I care for you too much to sleep with you.” 

CONCLUSIONS:

1. Prioritize your relationship with your mate. The Biblical prescription for preventing adultery is still a healthy home life (cf Prov 5:15-20, 1 Cor 7:2-5).  Be especially careful of unresolved RESENTMENTS toward your mate, because they have the capacity to “set you up” for temptation.  Remember this equation:  RESENTMENT leads to RATIONALIZATION leads to RENDEZVOUS!
   

2. Closely monitor your relationships with the opposite sex. There is a reason why Paul tells the young man Timothy to “treat younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (1 Timothy 5:2).  Know the warning signs and maintain proper boundaries:

• Never, ever counsel someone of the opposite sex by yourself (I always had a secretary on the other side of the door when I was in a session).

• Never, ever travel alone with someone of the opposite sex – even if it is to a church conference. [Note the Boy Scouts “two-deep” policy.] This not only prevents opportunity for temptations, but it also safeguards you from unfounded accusations.

• Beware of counseling married women for extended periods of time without their husbands present – from a counseling perspective, that is unwise for all sorts of reasons! When a therapist allows this to happen, he/she is (at the least) creating an unhealthy alliance.  When a minister allows this to happen, it may be because he is enjoying her company.

• If you find yourself looking forward/eagerly anticipating a counseling session or Bible study with a particular member of the opposite sex, and on the morning of the day you are scheduled to see her you even add an extra splash of Old Spice, you’re already on the slippery slope.

• And the reddest flag of all: the minute you engage in any phone conversation, any email or text, any personal comment with a member of the opposite sex that you wouldn’t want your mate to know about – you have already crossed over the line of unfaithfulness.
  

3. Don’t forget your own relationship with God. Have you ever noticed that leaders in the church are always directed to their own lives first?!  [cf. stewardess’ preflight instructions:  “If oxygen masks deploy, place your own mask on first before attending to your children.”]

Acts 20:28 – “take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock …” 

1 Timothy 4:16 – “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers”

Don’t ever take your own salvation for granted – Paul didn’t!  “I beat my body, and make it my slave” – that is, he was careful to practice Christian disciplines. Three questions:

1. Do you maintain a disciplined schedule of devotional time to commune with God through prayer and Bible study? Even Jesus needed to withdraw to a “lonely place,” and that frequently!

2. Do you take advantage of opportunities for spiritual growth, for fresh challenges? Do you utilize lectureship, seminars, workshops, extra schooling, or trips to other ministries? We all get stale, and need to stretch ourselves, and recharge ourselves, lest we burn out! Even the best of blades will get dull every now and then!

3. Do you have an accountability partner, some trusted colleague to whom you can confess your vulnerabilities to pornography, adultery, to any kind of temptation? Our willingness to be authentic and open to another brother who can pray for us and hold us accountable is one of the strongest signs that we are serious about maintaining our integrity AND one of the best ways to avoid infidelity!

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27 – “I beat my body and make it my slave so that AFTER I HAVE PREACHED TO OTHERS, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 

I would hate to go to hell from a pulpit.  Actually, now that I think about it, I wouldn’t want to arrive there from anywhere!  But I do want us to be aware of the fact that because of our prolonged, “professional” exposure to the gospel it might become routine, mechanical, or irrelevant to our own life. We should be always remember that “after we preach to others” – we need God’s grace ourselves!

Dan Williams

We ought to find ourselves in a position where we are motivated by the glory of eternal life in addition to being convicted by the reality of eternal punishment. This life fades as fast as it blooms and we must be diligent to find ourselves prepared whenever our personal timeline comes to an end. In that finale of life, two destinations will be presented before each soul and it is up to each individual to prepare for such a consequence.

Many preachers have been ridiculed in the past for preaching “hell-fire and brimstone” sermons. While there certainly needs to be a balance in the pulpit, one would revel in shame if they ignore the warnings of the biblical text on the topic of hell. I’m of the opinion (again, an opinion) that we don’t communicate the reality of hell enough. We often talk of the blessings of being found in Christ but seldom discuss how awful an eternity without God would be. Here are two quick points to briefly identify what hell is like from the letter of 2 Thessalonians. In the brevity of the warning, Paul makes sure that his readers would be mindful of the despair that awaits those who are outside of Christ’s gospel.

Hell is where those who “know not God” abide (2 Thess. 1:8) — Think of the ideal Christian. Something like what Paul describes in Rom. 12:9-13. Those who know God and are obedient to His word are loving, servant-minded, selfless, joyful, generous, and hospitable. This is merely one section that describes some of what a Christian is. If one follows the Word correctly, they are an incredibly great person to be around. Hell is reserved for those who follow after their own lusts and their own pursuits. Those who do not obey God’s Word will find their eternal home in the fires of hell. It is in this eternal abode that the twisted, distorted, and most wicked of human beings will be – most definitely a place that I don’t want to be.

Hell is where God is absent (2 Thess. 1:9) — Perhaps there is nothing more convicting about hell than the phrase “away from the presence of the Lord.” If we understand the source of our blessing, joy, and goodness then we’d know that God is absolutely necessary for those things to exist in life. Removing God from the equation eliminates any pleasure, joy, satisfaction, and goodness (James 1:17). Imagine a place where there is no mercy, there is no use for praying to God to get you out of the situation, and being in a position where you can’t quit when you’re tired of the pain. When we are found in a position without God, truly there is “eternal destruction.”

These two verses are just a brief glimpse of what Hell is like. It is a place where God’s saints are absent and where God’s presence is void. There are a number of other passages that encompass the reality of such a place including the harm, pain, and suffering that one will undergo for an eternity, but these these two absences discussed in 2 Thess. are perhaps the most convincing for us to realize that we do not want to be in this place; especially for the eternity.

Life is simply too short to not understand the gravity of eternity and to cling on to the resurrection that Jesus promises. In the words of Paul, “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20,21).

Tyler King

We can carry around the burden of our sins to the point that the burden causes us to break – emotionally, spiritually, maybe even physically. Or we can give our sin-burden to Jesus Christ; allow Him to carry it on the cross – freeing us to worship God with our whole heart and our whole lives.

SCENE #1 – THE PHARISEE INVITES JESUS – 7:36-39:
One of the famous Pharisees, who are becoming His enemies (5:17-6:11), hosts a dinner and invites Jesus as an honored guest (ver. 36). In that same city, there was a certain woman whom Luke identifies as a “sinner.” This woman heard that Jesus was in the home of Simon and brought an alabaster flask of myrrh (ver. 37).

The Pharisee, Simon the host, saw the behavior, and the fact that Jesus had not sent her away, and thought within himself that Jesus surely could not be a holy prophet of God acting this way (ver. 39). At this point, in Simon’s mind, based on Jesus’ response to this “sinner!” Jesus could not be a prophet.

SCENE #2 – JESUS’ PARABLE – 7:40-43:
Jesus gives a parable using two debtors. One (ver. 41) owed the creditor a debt equal to more than a year’s salary (500 days), while another debtor owed the creditor the equivalent of a month and a half’s salary (50 days). Then Jesus told Simon (ver. 42) that the creditor “graciously forgave” both. He then asked which of the two would love “more?”

Simon responded that he supposed that the one with whom the creditor was more gracious would love more (ver. 43).

SCENE #3 – JESUS BLESSES THE FORGIVEN WOMAN – 7:44-50:
Jesus directed Simon’s attention to her by saying, “Do you see this woman?” We wonder if Simon had really seen the woman, if he had seen her as a person made in the image of God. Jesus did. Then Jesus contrasts Simon’s behavior toward Jesus with the woman’s behavior.

Jesus directed His attention to the woman and said, once again, that her sins “have been forgiven” (ver. 48). The other guests, sitting at the same table with Jesus in the same home of the Pharisee, were asking themselves who Jesus might be if He presumes to have the authority to forgive sins (ver. 49)!

Jesus finally gives the woman peace and hope, telling her that her faith – in responding to Jesus in trust and obedience – had saved her. She could leave with a settled state of mind, with tranquility in her thoughts, and peace in her heart. She was forgiven by God. Nothing else truly matters.

The focus of this text is not primarily the fact that the woman was forgiven. The purpose of the text is to highlight how she responded to Jesus after having her sins forgiven. If we want Jesus to carry the burden of our sins, we have to give that burden to Him, first of all. As He says in Mark 16:16, we have to trust Him and be baptized into Him in order to lay our sins on His shoulders.

But what further do we do? We have to accept that forgiveness once He offers it. In other words, we have to forgive ourselves. We have to give Him that burden we carry rather than continuing to carry it ourselves.

The woman’s profound display of affection is a clear sign that she knew she was freed from her moral “debt” which she owed God for her sins. When you and I realize that we have truly been forgiven and so saved from an eternal hell with Satan and his angels, we will not stop worshipping and praising God and His Son, our Savior. The primary motivation for worship is thanksgiving.

This woman had not been welcomed into Simon’s home as a guest, but as a forgiven sinner, Heaven embraced her at death with open arms.

Paul Holland

I grew up in Florida, and one summer I became close friends to an old fisherman.  He was a Prohibition Officer during the 1930’s. He would tell me stories of being assigned to watch Al Capone when he would come down on the train.  He told me many times to never believe anyone who said prohibition did not work.

“Yes,” he said, “the people that wanted to drink could always find some moonshine or illegal booze. But,” he emphasized, “that the vast majority obeyed the law, did not drink, and our society was much better for it.” Since alcohol has become legal how many crimes have been committed, innocent lives lost, and families destroyed by those under its powerful influence?

Solomon reminded us that “wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise” (Pr. 20:1). Our leaders made a great mistake in giving their approval to alcoholic beverages, and it seems we are on the verge of legalizing marijuana as well.  What we learn from history is that we do not learn from history. Solomon spoke the truth when he asked, “Who has woe, who has sorrow…? Those who linger long over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine…at last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper” (Pro. 23:29-32). True then. True now.

-Dennis Doughty

This week, many across our nation stood in awe as a total solar eclipse swept across America.

When we stop and think about it, the fact that we have solar eclipses at all is incredible.  There are so many factors that must be perfectly in tune for this to happen.

• The sun has to be a certain size and distance from the earth.

• The moon has to be a certain size and distance between both the sun and the earth.

• Everything must line up perfectly during the New Moon phase.

• The sun, moon, and earth all have to rotate on the right planes.

• The earth has to be in the right position to view the eclipse.

• There must be intelligent beings there to view it, understand it, and stand in awe of it.

Joe Rao from space.com explains these factors in greater detail: “The sun’s 864,000-mile diameter is fully 400 times greater than that of our puny moon, which measures just about 2,160 miles. But the moon also happens to be about 400 times closer to Earth than the sun (the ratio varies as both orbits are elliptical), and as a result, when the orbital planes intersect and the distances align favorably, the new moon can appear to completely blot out the disk of the sun” (Solar Eclipses).

Change any of these factors and only a partial solar eclipse would be possible. If things were changed more dramatically, eclipses would be totally impossible. At it stands, everything is perfect for solar eclipses. The sun is at the perfect size and distance. The moon is at the perfect size and distance. The earth is in the perfect position to see eclipses. Everything rotates on the right planes to see all of these things align. And we are here to stand in awe of it all.

The odds of all these things happening perfectly is astronomical. Sadly, scientists have chalked total solar eclipses as “accidents in nature” (ibid). When God is taken out of the picture, there really isn’t any other option available than calling things “an accident.”

Solar eclipses are no accident. They happen because God wanted to give us another visible proof of His power and magnificence. They happen to show evidence of His existence. When He created the sun, moon, and stars, He placed everything perfectly so we could watch in awe (Genesis 1:14-19). Solar eclipses are one more way we can clearly see God’s “eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20).

Brett Petrillo

Spiritual Eclipse

Excitement over the eclipse is over the top. We know that is when the moon gets between us and the sun. People have gone bonkers over this natural phenomenon, and I understand this because it doesn’t happen every day or every year. So, people are coming from all over to see this take place and spending lots of money.

There is another eclipse that I am more concerned about; that is when the world gets between people and the SON. That has caused more darkness than the “natural” eclipse.

Yet it seems no one is concerned about it or even aware of it. We wonder what is happening in our country, in the world. We’ll I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I believe that it is because of the eclipse of the SON of God. This eclipse will not go away naturally. It will only go away when we take the world away from our sight. It is up to us individually and nationally. Don’t let it be what the Bible says of the world in John’s day. “They would not repent” (Revelation 9: 20-21), in spite of God’s efforts to get them to do so.

John Hall

This week, many across our nation stood in awe as a total solar eclipse swept across America.

When we stop and think about it, the fact that we have solar eclipses at all is incredible.  There are so many factors that must be perfectly in tune for this to happen.

• The sun has to be a certain size and distance from the earth.
• The moon has to be a certain size and distance between both the sun and the earth.
• Everything must line up perfectly during the New Moon phase.
• The sun, moon, and earth all have to rotate on the right planes.
• The earth has to be in the right position to view the eclipse.
• There must to be intelligent beings there to view it, understand it, and stand in awe of it.

Joe Rao from space.com explains these factors in greater detail: “The sun’s 864,000-mile diameter is fully 400 times greater than that of our puny moon, which measures just about 2,160 miles. But the moon also happens to be about 400 times closer to Earth than the sun (the ratio varies as both orbits are elliptical), and as a result, when the orbital planes intersect and the distances align favorably, the new moon can appear to completely blot out the disk of the sun” (Solar Eclipses).

Change any of these factors and only a partial solar eclipse would be possible. If things were changed more dramatically, eclipses would be totally impossible. At it stands, everything is perfect for solar eclipses. The sun is at the perfect size and distance. The moon is at the perfect size and distance. The earth is in the perfect position to see eclipses. Everything rotates on the right planes to see all of these things align. And we are here to stand in awe of it all.

The odds of all these things happening perfectly is astronomical. Sadly, scientists have chalked total solar eclipses as “accidents in nature” (ibid). When God is taken out of the picture, there really isn’t any other option available than calling things “an accident.”

Solar eclipses are no accident. They happen because God wanted to give us another visible proof of His power and magnificence. They happen to show evidence of His existence. When He created the sun, moon, and stars, He placed everything perfectly so we could watch in awe (Genesis 1:14-19). Solar eclipses are one more way we can clearly see God’s “eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20).

Brett Petrillo

There are many things that can “fill us up.” Fried chicken can fill one up. Marital love can fill one up. Our vocation in life can often come pretty close to filling us up in several ways.

The apostle Paul had a wish for the members of the church at Ephesus. He wrote, “That you may be filled up to all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19b). One might achieve that by learning the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ, which, he said, surpasses knowledge.

The cube is a perfect structure. Perhaps that’s why in the Temple, the Holy of Holies, was meant to serve as a place for God’s presence. It was a cube, an object that has four equal sides.

Perhaps Paul asks us to look at Christ’s love that way and view it from all sides. Certainly, delineating the love of Christ would take more space than this magazine can hold! Let’s look at four sides.

Christ’s love is so long it encompasses all time. How long will Jesus love us? There is no end to his love because there is no end to him. He has pledged to continue with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

How deep is Christ’s love? It is so strong no outside power can separate us from it. While we can separate ourselves from him, no one else — no other power — can (Romans 8:38-39).

How high is Christ’s love? I often wonder what it would be like to climb Mt. Everest, almost 30,000 ft. above sea level. Christ’s love is so strong that he came down here to Earth, lived, and died as a man so that we might go to heaven one day.

To what lengths did Christ go to save sinful humans? Can we start with his birth, life, teachings, suffering, and death on the cross? Would that cover it? No. There is so much more.

He loves you and wants to save you. You must start by obeying the gospel and living a life of faithful service to him. Why not begin today?

John Henson

God created mankind. He knows what we need. He knows we need each other. God knows this world is complicated. He knows this world is painful. God created both the marriage relationship for companionship and He created friendship for companionship. It is in that context that God created the church – as a group of believers to serve each other and to serve their fellowman.

Why should Christians serve?

JESUS CAME TO SERVE:

In Mark 10:45, Jesus points out very simply that He did not come to be served but to serve, to offer His life as a ransom for many. Doing good to others was an integral part of the ministry of Jesus Christ (Matt. 4:23). When Peter was telling the first non-Jewish convert to Christianity about Jesus Christ, Peter began with this very same point: “Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).

Why should Christians serve?

BECAUSE THE BIBLE TEACHES US TO BE COMPASSIONATE!

God has always required His children to serve others. Take the Jews, for example – the first religion organized by God. In Deuteronomy 15:4-8, the law says: “However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.”

In fact, the word “poor” is found 143 times in the Bible! From beginning to end, the Bible teaches us to help the poor.

In the great “Sermon on the Mount,” Matthew 6:2-4, Jesus assumes that His followers will help the poor: “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Paul was eager to “help the poor” (Gal. 2:10).

Why should Christians serve?

BECAUSE THE BIBLE TEACHES US TO BE SELFLESS:

In Romans 12:3, Paul tells us: “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith” and a few verses later, Paul will say that when you give to help others, do so liberally (verse 8).

Christians have the highest standard and the highest motivation and the greatest example of “selflessness” there is – that is the person of Jesus Christ…

Why should Christians serve?

BECAUSE JESUS INSPIRES US!

Take a look at 2 Corinthians 8:9-10: “    For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.” The context of 2 Corinthians 8 is giving to help those who are in need. But Paul sets this discussion in the overall context of Jesus, who was rich but became poor for our sakes. Now, the Bible does not require us to become poor. Nowhere. But it does teach us to use our riches wisely and part of that wisdom is helping those who need help.

The 17-year-old kid certainly looked like a Walmart employee. He had all the correct attire and even knew how the corporation worked, especially since he was an employee at one point. He began traveling from store to store posing as “a manager from another branch.” The real Walmart employees bought his story. This teen guy successfully conned three different Walmart stores, achieving access to back offices and cash registers. Before he was caught, he had compiled almost $30,000 (Channel 4 News).

Some of the most dangerous people are those who seem like they belong when, in reality, they have sinister intentions. This is especially true in spiritual matters. Deceptive people like these have been responsible for ripping apart congregations, pulling people away from the church, and introducing false teachings. The damage they cause is devastating and, in some cases, irreversible.

Scripture warns, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words…” (1 Peter 2:1-3; cf. 1 Timothy 4:1-3).

While a Christian should always carry an attitude of love and kindness towards everyone, let’s also keep a watchful eye for those who may have bad intentions. Let’s be one who diligently study God’s Word. Let’s also test what is being taught and make sure it checks out with what Scripture says (1 John 4:1-6; Revelation 2:2).

Brett Petrillo

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV).

When I first began to travel internationally most major airlines were allowing up to two checked pieces of luggage, each of which could contain up to 70 pounds. Additionally, each passenger was allowed one carry-on bag and a personal item such as a purse, briefcase, or camera bag. Over-weight was often ignored.

Those times are long past. Even before the pandemic weight and quantity of bags was reduced even on the largest jets. Now one must carefully consider just what is essential for travel and leave behind much that might be useful. Our concept of excess has changed drastically, as has that of essential.

This same transformation has affected much more than just travel. Tiny houses, small apartments, sub-compact cars, and many other reductions appeal to major sections of the population. So, too, do modern alternatives to traditional religions.

Words like church and familiar denominational names carry many negative connotations in the modern world. As a result, one sees a plethora of independent institutions whose signage suggests religion without the baggage of hypocrisy, harsh judgment, and sectarian strife from which so many recoil.

On a recent trip I saw such a sign. It proclaimed, “First Independent All Nation Full Gospel Church.” I could not help but interpret that as an effort to distance themselves from traditional institutions and to claim as much tolerance and acceptance as a visitor might wish to encounter.

The list of features of mainstream denominations considered objectionable in today’s society is long, and only partially covered in the list just above (hypocrisy, etc.). To those must be added intolerance, boredom, irrelevance, and others. Religious leaders who are committed to the meeting-felt-needs approach to marketing and church growth have sought to adapt by utilizing new and sometimes radical methods and doctrines. Prominent among these is the abandonment of what is perceived as excess baggage.

The idea of leaving behind that which is unnecessary, counterproductive, or a hindrance to one’s objectives is sound and even biblical. The issue is not whether we should shed those things, but rather just what is excess and what is necessary?

Take for example the problem of engaging modern audiences in the worship of God. For decades it has been charged that traditional church assemblies are boring. Especially is this aimed at sermons and Bible studies. The fact is that Christianity is a taught and learned endeavor (Ephesians 4:17-24; Romans 10:13-17). One cannot practice it without some time spent in study and thought. To those who have no interest in spiritual matters, all sermons, no matter how skillfully presented, will be tedious. The proper approach to this situation is not to abandon the effort to teach but to seek to prepare the audience for learning.

Other often criticized features of religion are harsh judgment and intolerance. Jesus taught us not to judge inappropriately (Matthew 7:1-2). But in the same context he also counseled his disciples to “beware of false prophets,” advising that “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16). Obviously, he did not ban all judgment, but rather that which was hypocritical and based on a double standard. Some judging is not only allowed but demanded.

With regard to the charge of intolerance, it is true that Christianity claims exclusivity. “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). The biblical truth is that not everyone is going to heaven. Not every human choice is open to those who would please God. There are practices of which God himself is intolerant. His followers must not abandon those principles as excess.

One who would run the Christian race must avoid unnecessary hindrances. But he or she must also be equipped with all that is essential to overcome sin and to “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

by Michael Brooks

Paul presented evidence to prove the authenticity of his apostleship (2 Corinthians 10-12). Among the evidence were all the signs, wonders, and mighty deeds he was able to perform (2 Corinthians 12:12). Paul also presented evidence to prove the sincerity and conviction of his faith and apostleship. Included in that is a list of those ordeals and difficulties he was willing to suffer. His endurance of such torments proved the true conviction of his heart, and supported his claim to be a genuine apostle of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 11). An interesting statement regarding the churches is found in Paul’s list of that which he suffered. Paul said, “besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). This concern for all the churches is listed among that which Paul suffered.

Paul’s deep concern for all the churches weighed heavily upon him. Much of this concern was the result of Paul having to fight against Satan’s many attacks against the early church. In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul warned the brethren to “note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). The continued attacks against the church through false teachers was no doubt a part of that which caused Paul’s deep concern for all the churches.

In his two letters to the church at Corinth one can see numerous ways in which Satan was able to sow discord among brethren. They fought over elevating certain men above others, they fought over law suits, they fought over matters of liberty (expediency), and they fought over miraculous gifts. This constant struggle with discord and immorality (1 Corinthians 5) in the church at Corinth must have been included among the lists of issues regarding the churches that caused Paul to suffer with deep concern.

The book of Galatians was written to churches in the region of Galatia that had been strongly influenced by false teachers. Paul expressed his disappointment at their quick departure from the truth (Galatians 1). His fight against the binding of religious error upon Galatians Christians even brought him into a position of being at odds with Peter and Barnabas (Galatians 2). Regarding Peter, Paul said, “I withstood him to the face” (Galatians 2:11). Even well-known, typically sound and strong leaders in the church like Peter caused a problem for Paul. Paul’s letter to the Galatians spoke of how people who had once been his friends had been turned against him by false teachers. The false teachers were “zealously courting” these brethren so that Paul even feared that those who had once loved him now consider him to be an enemy (Galatians 4).

Paul was constantly working to help congregations maintain their unity despite attacks from false teachers, the binding of opinions, and the cultural/racial battle between Jews and Gentiles in the church. In Ephesians Paul encourages unity among Jews and Gentiles in the church. In Philippians Paul encourages unity in the church through humility (Philippians 2:1-11) and even mentions two women who needed help getting along (Philippians 4:2-3). Paul worried the church at Colosse would be deceived with persuasive words (Colossians 2:4). Paul warned Timothy of those who desire to be teachers but really don’t understand what they want to teach (1 Timothy 1:7). He even went so far as to name two individuals who had made shipwreck of the faith (1 Timothy 1:19-20). In the first letter to Timothy the inspired apostle recorded the express warning of the Holy Spirit “that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, have their own conscience seared with a hot iron…” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Paul gave strong warning to Timothy of these kinds of men in the second letter as well (2 Timothy 3:1-13). Such men would cause the faithful to be persecuted, and would grow worse and worse, but Paul told Timothy throughout all of this he must continue in that which he had learned, which was the Holy Scripture (2 Timothy 3:12-17).

The early church was not at peace from outside persecution for long. Neither was the early church at peace within from false teachers and arrogant trouble makers for long. Surely these are the problems that caused Paul to list his deep concern for all the churches among those things which we suffered for his faith, his apostleship, and his Lord (2 Corinthians 11:28).

Brethren, the church is no different today. Churches of Christ are constantly forced into times of turmoil and trouble by arrogant men. Numerous false doctrines are used by Satan to attack congregations. Entire methods and manners of thinking have been distorted by the devil to cause unrest, distrust, and a lack of unity among churches. This is the way it has always been, and this is the way it always will be. Our responsibility in all of this is to “Hold fast to the pattern of sound words…” (2 Timothy 1:13). We must stay with the word even in such times when men do not endure sound doctrine, but would rather have teachers tell them the lies they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

By Kevin V. Rutherford

The story is told of an old lady who had moved to the United States from Europe when she was a child, but now she wanted to officially become a citizen of this country.  After months of going through all the necessary red tape, she was finally ready to take the required oath.

“Raise your right hand, please.”

She raised her right hand.

“Do you swear to defend the Constitution of the United States against all its enemies, domestic or foreign?” was the first question.

The little old lady’s face paled and her voice trembled as she asked in a small voice, “Uhhh . . . all by myself?”

I know the feeling.  When I read what the apostle Paul had to say about the great spiritual battle going on, I tremble a bit.  Paul said,

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  (Eph. 6:12)

The thoughts of waging such a battle alone is enough to cause even the most stout-hearted to tremble.  But we don’t go into battle alone!

We go forth as a part of the army of God, led by the Son of God in all his glory, and side by side with every brother and sister in Christ on the face of this earth.  The battle is still a difficult one.  There will be many casualties along the way.  But, thank God, we do not fight it alone!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

Where we are and where we are going is largely determined by the decisions we make. To a large degree the decisions we make lead us down the pathway of life and even towards our eternal destiny. But how much do we contemplate the importance of those decisions? You know, there are some things we just really need to be good at and one of them is decision making!

Let’s give some brief thought to this subject matter right now, while understanding that much more is certainly needed.

1. We need to make biblically-based decisions. That is impossible without knowing the Scripture. The better we know the Scripture, the wisdom of Almighty God, the better prepared we are to make spiritually sound decisions. The Bible is a lamp to our feet (Ps. 119:105). It provides us with all that we need for both life and godliness (2 Pt. 1:3). Without it, you will merely live the way you think is right (see Prov. 14:12). Two suggestions: (1) Build your knowledge of God’s Word every day. This discipline will aid your daily decision making and build your base of knowledge for making decisions on the road ahead. (2) Also, when you are confronted with decisions, always ask, “What wisdom does God’s Word shed on this matter?” It will not lead you wrong! Be a Bible-based decision maker!
2. Pray about your decisions. Is there anyone who simply cannot use a little more wisdom for the decisions faced in life? James says, “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Jam. 1:5). Prayer in this regard should not be seen in separation from the former point. Much like praying for our daily food, God is not going to merely pour His knowledge and wisdom upon us! But there is much power in knowledge and discernment is needed to harness and use that knowledge to help us make sound decisions. A morning prayer concerning our decisions that day will help us begin the day with the right focus with decisions we will make. Perhaps there are few things to pray for that are as vital as wisdom concerning our decisions.
3. Make good big decisions. Some decisions we make in life are very weighty. They will lead us a long way down the road of life, and can even set the tone for eternity. Think about this from a mainly positive vantage point. Making a decision to become child of God and to truly give our heart and life to the Lord is a game changer, for life and for eternity! And that decision should lead us to be extremely sober with decisions that can either help or hinder our faithfulness to the Lord. Beyond the decision to become a Christian, perhaps there is nothing that pushes us further toward eternity in heaven than marrying a faithful child of God. It is a sound decision (of course, there are other factors as to whom we marry). This good, big decision will also have a great impact on generations to come. Make good big decisions. Make them prayerfully. Make them biblically.

(4) Make good small decisions. Now, I’m not talking about contemplating the color of the shirt you will wear tomorrow! But don’t think that the devil can’t work through bad small decisions. While he may derail some with catastrophic decisions, he knows he can succeed much more easily in getting many of us to take one little bad bite at a time. Please know, in a sense, that with each spiritually sound decision you make you are taking one bite from the tree of life! (see Gen. 3:9, 24). Small decisions are seriously important because they do head us down the road. They determine our habits; our habits determine our character; our character, to some degree, will ultimately determine our destiny. Don’t justify or excuse any bad decision for any reason! Make good little decisions every today!

(5)  Don’t just make decisions based on right and wrong. Yes, of course we need to make morally sound decisions, but let’s go further than that. Here are just a few suggestions:

1. Choose the eternal over the temporal. In Jesus’ first sermon in Matthew, He gives great emphasis to this principle (see Mt. 6:19-21; 24-25, 33). It is no accident that within His conclusion He discusses the narrow and more difficult way that leads to life, and the wide and easy way that leads to destruction (see Mt. 7:13-14). Make sure your decisions reflect that the eternal are far more significant to you than the temporal!
2. Choose selflessness over selfishness. This is tough in a consumer based world! Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). Christians are to partake of His mindset (Phil. 2:5). We can seek to have such a mind as Christ and choose to serve others rather than to be so self-serving (see also Phil. 2:1-4).
3. Related to the previous point… Choose to do the will of God! In other words, the avoidance of making poor decisions is a good start but it is not sufficient! Make the choice to use your talents and opportunities wisely (Mt. 25:31-46). Decide that you will seek to bring a lost soul to Christ (1 Cor. 9:19). Decide that you will add to your faith (2 Pt. 1:5-7) and grow in knowledge (see 2 Pt. 3:18). These are vital decisions that we make!

CONCLUSION

Our decisions ultimately reveal whom we choose to serve. Be like Joshua. Choose to serve the Lord! (see Josh. 24:15). It will be a blessing to your life now and forevermore!

Daren Schroeder

In the neighborhood of Queens, New York City, 1964, a young 28 year-old woman named Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death right outside of the apartment building where she lived. The reason this criminal incident is so well known is not because of the murder itself—as shocking as it was. The murder of Kitty Genovese is infamous because of the failure of every single one of the thirty-eight or so bystanders to take action to either stop the murder or call for help. Thirty-eight. Thirty-eight people were reported to have either seen or heard the murder happen, and yet not one person stepped in to help—or even called the police. Thirty-eight bystanders watched or listened on as Kitty’s life was taken from her that day.

This incident later became the foundation for the Bystander Effect or the Genovese Syndrome. Social psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley, who popularized the Bystander Effect, attribute it to two factors: diffusion of responsibility and social influence. Diffusion of responsibility basically means that the more “bystanders” there are, the less personal responsibility an individual will take on. The reason teachers love small-groups is because it is harder for individual students to diffuse responsibility among a smaller group. It’s also the same reason students don’t like small-groups, because they can’t just hide in the crowd. They have to interact, answer questions, etc. Then there is the social influence, which basically means that you will do whatever the other bystanders are doing—or not doing. In the example of Kitty’s murder, those 38 bystanders saw no one else doing anything. Even though a murder was happening right in front of them, they failed to break the conformity of that immediate circle of thirty-eight people.

How many times have we done this in our faith life? How many times have we told ourselves that we can just hide in the crowd and not have to take action? How many times have we been so afraid of stepping out of line or going against the grain that we fail to live the way we are called to live? Let me ask you, how many times did Jesus step out of the social influence, the conformity of his religious peers, and the diffusion of responsibility among the crowd—to reach out and help those who are in need? He saw them as souls having value, rather than just another outcast of society. Jesus healed the sick and the blind. The blind man at Bethsaida (Mk. 8:22-26) and Bartimaeus outside of Jericho (Mk. 10:46-52). He treated women and children as if they were creations of God rather than some property or second class citizens. He healed them and welcomed them (Mk 5:21-43, Mt. 19:13-15, Lk. 7:11-17). He approached lepers, the ultimate example of social outcasts, and treated them with civility and mercy (Mk. 1:40-45, Mt. 8:1-4, Lk. 5:12-16; 17:11-19). He touched them and healed them, something not even the priests would have dared to do. Jesus subverts our expectations at every turn, and he breaks conformity at every opportunity. He is not paralyzed at the sight of someone in need; he springs into action, and continues to work even today. When we are helpless and in need, our cries do not fall on deaf ears—not as long as Jesus is alive. And he is alive and working today.

We are called to be like Christ, and part of that calling is to break free from conformity and social influence (Rom. 12:2). We are not called to hide in the crowd. Never should our personal responsibility of righteousness and good works be diffused among the crowd. We must not have a “someone else will take care of it” mentality…ever.

I wonder if there were any Christians among the thirty-eight bystanders who watched and listened as Kitty Genovese was killed. May we never just be another bystander. May we never let evil and falsehood prevail in our presence. I pray that we all will work to break free from the paralysis of the bystander effect, and take action, every one of us, for Christ and his Kingdom.

You know, there is a positive aspect of the Bystander Effect. Just as people are negatively affected by the diffusion of responsibility and social influence, even those can be flipped to have a positive effect. All it takes is a few people to break that social influence, and spring into action. Then the other bystanders will be pulled to spring into action themselves. It is contagious. When those few break out, it breaks the spell of the bystander effect.

Christ calls all of us to be those few who will break the paralysis. However, we cannot break the conformity while still being a part of the world. We must first break away from the world and become one with Christ through repentance and baptism. Even after that initial step, the job is not done. As a Christian, we cannot just return to standing in the crowd as a bystander. Do not be a bystander; an onlooker; just another body in the endless sea of spectators. Remember that Jesus never froze up at the sight of suffering or need. As Jesus first broke through to reach us while we were still in sin, let us also break free from the paralysis of the bystander, and spring once more into action.

David Chang

While walking down a country gravel road, I often notice the shiny “rocks” glimmering in the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, the mineral can bear a striking resemblance to gold. As a child, I recall becoming excited by this discovery. Blessed with a mother fostering opportunities to learn, I had a chance to put my windfall to the test. She did a little reading herself from our World Book Encyclopedias before heading to the stove with my “gold.”

My mom placed the item under inspection over our gas stove’s flame with the shiny pebble gripped in a set of scissor tongs. As the flame lapped at the material, the smell of sulfur filled the air. The gold-looking material did not melt away but turned bright red; hence, it was pyrite. More specifically, it was iron pyrite. Fire is how you test to see if something is gold or “fool’s gold.”

How do we feel knowing that we, too, are periodically placed into the tongs above the fire? Of course, I mean this metaphorically. Times of testing come, nonetheless. Peter reminds us that these occasions allow us to prove our faith. We are like that gold tested by fire. Note that salvation only follows that testing (1 Peter 1.6-9). We must recall Jesus endured the same fiery trials, yet without sin (Hebrews 2.17-18; 4.14-16). He, of course, leaves us an example to follow (1 Peter 2.21).

Yes, we must endeavor to be gold refined by the fire. If we are lukewarm, like the Laodiceans, Jesus may well advise us to buy refined gold from Him as well (Revelation 3.17-19). The Laodiceans believed themselves prosperous but had pockets full of pyrite. Jesus told them He reproved and disciplined those He loves. So, it is not just the world holding us over the fire. Sometimes we need the Lord’s chastisement to bring about our repentance.

One day we will give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14.12). That is the ultimate test. God will be able to tell if we are gold or pyrite quickly. Those who are refined gold enter into the place He has prepared for the righteous (John 14.1-3). For those found to be pyrite, it is an unquenchable fire (Mark 9.42-48). Whether or not there is also the smell of sulfur as tradition often associates with hell, we still note that Scripture describes it as a place of darkness and the gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13.41-43). It is not where we want to spend eternity. Now is our time to be refined by the fire. Let us strive to ensure that we are Au (gold) and not FeS2 (iron pyrite).

Brent Pollard

Paul wrote to the Roman Christians and said, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death?” (Ro. 6:3). Paul was one hundred percent sure that “All” Christians in Rome had been “baptized into Christ.” All means ALL!

Paul wrote to the Galtian Christians and said, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Ga. 3:26,27). Again, Paul was positive that all who had become “sons of God” were “baptized into Christ” through faith. If “All” does not mean “ALL” then what does it mean?

It means that “all” who were a member of the church, who were “sons of God,” who had “clothed” themselves with Christ,” had done so through baptism.  Not “All” who had only believed, or “All” who had said a prayer, or all who had made a confession, but “All” who had been baptized. Would this teach that baptism was not necessary for some? Would an honest heart say that “All” does not mean “All”? Again, this time to the church in Corinth, we read, “For by one Spirit we were All baptized into one body” (1 Co. 12:13). Are you a part of the “All” who have been baptized, or a part of the “none” who have been taught otherwise?

-Dennis Doughty