The American Restoration Movement

“In spiritual matters restoration is the return to the ideal state that Christ desires of His church. Of course, this assumes that there is an ideal state, that there has been a movement away from that ideal into error, and that there is a mandate to return to that ideal. The need for restoration becomes necessary because repentance from error is necessary (Revelation 2:14-16). The notion that one may acceptably remain in error indefinitely is never considered in the New Testament (2 John 9; Revelation 2:20-21). The American Restoration Movement sought to return to the ancient order of things. The Restorationists believed that Christians ought to ‘speak where the Bible speaks’ and to ‘remain silent where the Bible is silent’. They wanted to cast aside all human names, creeds, and practices and go back to the Bible. They wanted to do Biblical things in Biblical ways. They believed that the movement away from the Bible brought error and division, that it was a curse upon Christianity, and that it ought to be abandoned. As a result, they began an intensive study of the Scriptures to see what God desired from the early church. They believed that if they went back to the forms and patterns found in the New Testament church, that they would please God and stand in His favor” (Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church, Phil Sanders, p. 95).

Churches and Homosexuality

Published in Letters to the editor / Opinion on 09/14/11 in the Post and Courier, Charleston, SC.

God’s standards
Do homosexually tolerant churches believe there are behaviors which are morally wrong — theft, for example? I assume so. If they accept the thief but teach that theft is sinful, don’t thieves feel “shut out” or “unwelcome” and “judged”?  This Sept. 4 article, “Gays find spiritual home,” describes traditional churches as unwelcoming and judgmental. However, saying that a church is “judgmental” of human behavior is like saying a court is “judgmental” of criminal behavior.

Many churches are sensitive to the feelings of homosexuals. Homosexuality has been embraced by most of our culture as acceptable. Those of us who maintain that homosexuality is sinful are seen unfavorably. The issue is not whether homosexuals are welcome in traditional churches — they are, as are others who live outside of the church’s teachings.

The issue isn’t whether homosexuals feel unwelcome. The issue is their insistence that the church change its beliefs to the secular standard — so that they won’t feel uncomfortable. Heterosexual thieves, liars and gossips are also uncomfortable since such behavior is identified as “sinful.” Everyone is sinful — which is why we need repentance and forgiveness.

If the church’s teachings are merely reiterations of society’s constantly changing opinions, what is the point of the church? Morality is an absolute standard. An unchanging God who will be judgmental using His standards is what makes all sinners uncomfortable. “Amen” to the church that teaches truth, accepts sinners, identifies sin and encourages people to live to God’s standards.

Joe Brinson

Maple Street

Hanahan

postandcourier.com

The All-Sufficient Church

The Church of Christ has a distinctive founder, builder, head, body, mission, plan of salvation, membership, worship, name, doctrine, and work. (Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:20; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 4:4; Mark 16:15; Acts 2:38; Acts 2:47; John 4:24; Acts 11:26; Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 15:58).

The New Testament provides no legislation for organizations larger or smaller than the New Testament church!

 Anything larger than, smaller than, or other than this is a failure. The divine wisdom of God was demonstrated in making each local church self-governing under Christ (Philippians 1:1). The church of Christ is the divine missionary society. Any missionary society larger or smaller than or different from the local congregation is unscriptural. This not to say that churches cannot cooperate. The New Testament teaches that churches may cooperate in evangelism (Acts 11:21-22); in benevolence (Acts 11:29-30); and in edification (Acts 11:23).

This does not negate the right of the Church of Christ to support orphan homes. An orphan home is just that: a home, not the church! Congregational autonomy does not affect churches cooperating. As Everett Ferguson points out: This independence by the local church is often called ‘congregational autonomy,’ that is, self-governing, congregations. Autonomy is not a wholly satisfactory word. In regard to faith and practice, the church is a monarchy, subject to its Lord. But in matters of opinion, expediency, and human judgment each church is an independent, self-governing unit, and in this sense autonomy is an appropriate word. But autonomy is not isolation. The early churches practiced a fullness of fellowship, cooperation, mutual assistance, and communication (The Church of Christ, A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today. p. 345).

Some brethren have established organizations under the heading “work of the churches of Christ” when in reality they are robbing the church of its work. Some organizations among brethren today are not under an eldership, and therefore, they are not bringing glory to Christ and His Church, but rather to some man-made organization. History brings to light the American Christian Missionary Society and the present age features various appendages which represent man-made organizations that have been created beyond the organization of the church of Christ. The purpose and mission of many of these teach by example and by their very existence imply that the church is inadequate for its task and they deny God’s declaration of the all-sufficiency of His church!

Social Media

Our society is driven today largely due to an infatuation with an online presence.  We are connected at our desk, on the road, in the air, at home, at play, at breakfast, lunch and dinner and all points in between.   A significant piece of time is spent in online social environments, such as Facebook.

Facebook began in 2004 and according to recent stats has more than 800 million active users.More than 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day

Average user has 130 friends

More than 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages)

Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events

On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day

More than 70 languages available on the site

More than 75% of users are outside of the United States

Over 300,000 users helped translate the site through the translations application

On average, people on Facebook install apps more than 20 million times every day

Every month, more than 500 million people use an app on Facebook or experience Facebook Platform on other websites

More than 7 million apps and websites are integrated with Facebook. More than 350 million active users currently access Facebook through their mobile devices

As one can quickly see, Facebook is a force to be reckoned with considering its popularity and use by hundreds of millions of people.  Staying in touch with family, friends, co-workers and sharing communications (photos, videos, opinions, raves and rants and quite frankly sometimes TMI) is part of our society and culture.

Since Facebook or any other social media tool (Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, blogs, etc.) is neither a right nor wrong concept, then Christians can participate without violating the will of God.

“Like any piece of technology, Facebook is neutral – neither good nor evil. Its moral value will be decided by how we intentionally employ it. So, for Christians, what’s true for our behavior on Facebook is true for all of life: everything we do should be done to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) (Christian Worldview Journal, May, 2010).

Using media or any other medium however, should not cause or encourage us to abandon our Christianity!  Are we not to live after Christ all the time, online and offline, at worship, at home, at work, at the ball field, on vacation?

Christian Principles to Remember

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).   To cut to the chase, it is disappointing to say the least when Christians young and old use foul, obscene language online, in print, forever recorded.  On occasion, parents removing it from their children’s posts are too late because many have already read it.  “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Colossians 3:8).

“Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:12).  Talking trash, posting immodest photos, having friends that post unChristlike comments and statements on our feed is certainly feeding the devils appetite.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).   Telling someone “off” or retaliating or humiliating another via unkind posts is not in keeping with what Jesus desires for His followers.   Have we forgotten the “golden rule”?

“Bad friends will ruin good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NCV).  No one is perfect, but God warns us in His Word to be careful in choosing our friends.  Those whom we associate with can help us or hurt us.  We may be deceived or led down the wrong path because of the influence of our friends.  What do your friends post on Facebook?  Do they curse in their posts?  Do they write filthy sayings, jokes, or make derogatory statements about others?  What kind of pictures are they posting?  Drinking alcohol, giving the middle finger, profanity, encouraging a sinful lifestyle, immodest dress (both male & female), obscene music & movie lyrics, daily “woe is me” negativity, boasting and bragging, these are some of the disappointing pitfalls that have been witnessed on pages of Christians.

Facebook envy

The sin of envy has made such an impact that it has its own entry in the Urban Dictionary.  “The feeling you get when you come across an old friend on Facebook and realize that their life turned out way better and is more interesting than yours” and “Used to describe people who encounter a social networking profile with more friends and feel upset about it”  (UrbanDictionary.com).

Psychologist Dr. David Swanson has stated:

“What you put on display is how great your life is–the cars you drive, the vacations you go on. Nobody’s life is that perfect and so, whenever you start to compare your life to those images, you’re going to be depressed, because you’re going to feel like your life is lacking” (Study shows some suffer from ‘Facebook envy.’ cnet.com).

Another pointed out in the same article that

“Most of us tend to play up the positive aspects of our lives while excluding the negative. The result is that a Facebook profile never tells the whole story. And we end up comparing ourselves to a one-dimensional version of someone else’s life…and Alex Jordan, who led the studies while a Ph.D. student in Stanford’s psychology department, told CBS News, “If we could overcome the need to compare ourselves to other people–to keep up with the Joneses, then maybe these effects described (in the study) wouldn’t be a problem” (‘Facebook envy’.  cnet.com).

Envy or jealousy is a negative feeling which causes one to look at another because they have something or are accomplishing something you are not.  Coveting is related to envy since it is to desire what another has to the point that you will not only do whatever is necessary to attain it, you will also do whatever is necessary to keep another person from having it.  You don’t covet their possessions without desiring that they do not have them either.  “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander” (1 Peter 2:1).

Self-Comparison – The Pitfalls

As we navigate our way through the online social networks another danger we must be aware of is comparing our self to another in a way that is not edifying.  One writer commented:

Do you base your happiness on how you stack up against a neighbor, a coworker, a sibling, a friend, or a celebrity? It is easy to think that if you had her body, her house, her knowledge, her husband, her job, her beauty, her intelligence, her personality or her money, that you’d be happy. But, that kind of thinking is a trap! When we compare ourselves with others, we presuppose that there is one right way to “be.” There isn’t. Everyone has great qualities. Everyone has great worth. And, everyone is different.

Another pitfall of this kind of thinking is that it makes comparing self with others a yardstick for self-esteem. If all of our worth is focused outside us, our self-esteem will rise and fall as external circumstances change. If we struggle with illness or aging and someone younger, richer, prettier, or smarter moves in next door, suddenly we feel worthless. And, that’s an unhappy way to live.

The truth is that there will always be someone who is better than we are in almost every area of life, just as there will always be someone who isn’t up to our level. So, we can’t compare ourselves with others without becoming either arrogant or insecure. You started life with a personalized package of gifts and challenges. No one else has lived your life, so, no one else can be compared with you—and visa versa (http://www.divinecaroline.com/22189/41826-rise-comparing-yourself-others).

Focusing on our uniqueness as individuals and how we must stay focused on what we can do with what we have been given will produce satisfaction and true happiness.  If we focus ourselves on trying to be someone else we miss the true meaning of our individuality and existence.  God created each of us with different talents, abilities, and opportunities.  We should use what we have to His glory and not be depressed about what someone else has.

One Facebook user observed the challenge most of us face to keep our minds focused when we are reading about others.

The trouble with Facebook is that people’s lives often can come across as “perfect.” There’s the business contact that jets off to New York to meet with powerful media, the stay-at-home mom who spends hours in creative play with her children, the family that heads to Disney every spring break, the couple packing for a cruise. Everything is so…perfect. And sometimes, somewhere inside of me, attitudes like envy, discontentment, and ungratefulness, begin to creep out (http://www.christian-parent.com/finding-contentment-facebook-world).

Facebook Depression among Youth

The following lengthy quote sheds light on how social media can affect our youth.  The American Academy of Pediatrics…issued a new clinical report, “The Impact of Social Media Use on Children, Adolescents and Families,”… detailing both the negative and positive effects of social media use on youth and families.  The report points out that the number of preadolescents and adolescents using such sites as Facebook and MySpace has increased dramatically during the last five years.

Gwenn O’Keeffe, MD, FAAP, co-author of the clinical report, says social media, rather than face-to-face interaction, is the primary way some teens and tweens interact socially. “A large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell phones,” she stated in the report.

“Facebook is where all the teens are hanging out now. It’s their corner store,” O’Keeffe illustrated, according to The Associated Press.

While the benefits of social media participation include staying connected with friends and family, making new friends, community engagement, and enhancement of creativity, the AAP report cautions that using the online sites becomes a risk to youths more often than most adults realize.  Among the potential harms are cyber bullying, social anxiety, severe isolation, and now what doctors are identifying as Facebook depression.

“Acceptance by and contact with peers is an important element of adolescent life. The intensity of the online world is thought to be a factor that may trigger depression in some adolescents,” the report points out.

Facebook offers other unique features that could make it particularly tough for kids trying to fit in.

According to O’Keeffe, the number of Facebook friends, status updates and photos of happy people are some of the factors that could contribute to depression. It can be more painful than sitting alone in a school cafeteria, O’Keeffe said, as reported by APP.

For Rhett Smith, a therapist and part-time pastor to youth and families, the latest AAP report confirms what he and many others have been feeling. “One of the glaring paradoxes in my use of  technology/social media, is that it has both the ability to make me feel connected and intimate with others, while at the same time feeling isolated, alienated and lonely,” he said in an earlier blog post. “Has all the technology relationally disconnected us in a sense, replacing the processes (befriending, getting to know each other, sharing life, etc.), where instead we just value the end results (number of followers, blog traffic, etc.)?”

The AAP warns that youths who do suffer from Facebook depression could turn to risky Internet sites for help – sites that promote substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors.

“Parents need to understand these technologies so they can relate to their children’s online world – and comfortably parent in that world,” O’Keeffe advised.

Moreover, parents need to recognize the reality of an increasingly digital world that their children are growing up in. (http://www.christianpost.com/news/facebook-depression-affecting-teens-report-says-49620/).

For further study on the Christian and Depression, see: http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/954-the-christian-and-depression.

Questions to Consider

The following questions serve to motivate us to think about our motives and actions as we interact through the various forms of social media.

To what degree should your parents supervise your social media accounts?

What do your profile and your profile picture say about you?

Why would you put your favorite music, books, and movies on your profile page?

Who are your “friends”? Do they encourage you in your Christian walk?

When you click the “like” button, are you approving of something sinful?

Are you so busy with Facebook that you procrastinate with your responsibilities at home, schoolwork, devotions, and other things?

Are you careful not to post gossip or unkind comments?

Before posting information, do you stop, think, and judge whether it is appropriate?

Are you willing to take a stand against the slander/backbiting of others, or point out to them that what they just did or said was wrong?  Facebook or any medium that is public may not be the best avenue to correct a friend.

The book of Proverbs often warns against sloth. Does how much time we spend on Facebook indicate that we are lazy?

Social networking can be habitual and addictive. If you went on vacation and had no access to Facebook for a while, would this bother you? Upon returning home, do you feel you must check Facebook before doing anything else?

Christ-like Example

As we live and relate to others that we follow Jesus Christ, we know it is essential to strive to live the faithful Christian life to please God and influence those around us to follow Him too.  “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).  Peter wrote that we are to follow in the steps of our Savior.  How would Jesus use social media?  “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).  Young people: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

Time

How much time in a given day do I spend in social media?   For what purpose?  Does it pertain to my job?  Just for fun?  To “kill” some time?  Could I budget my time in a more productive way?

R.C. Sproul has written:

I realize that all of my time is God’s time and all of my time is my time by His delegation. God owns me and my time. Yet, He has given me a measure of time over which I am a steward. I can commit that time to work for other people, visit other people, etc. But it is time for which I must give an account (Tabletalk Magazine, September, 1997).

Other considerations need to be evaluated in relation to our time online.

Facebook can also be a time-vampire: its free games and its endless stream of messages – often innocuous, sometimes indecorous – are a temptation to the ever-present procrastinator lurking inside the human breast. Unlike the privacy issues, these problems, however, are easily solved by a little self-discipline and common sense (http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/worldview/15251-christians-and-facebook).

 

Using Facebook and Social Media as a Positive Force

Christians have an awesome opportunity to use social media as a tool to encourage and edify other Christians as well as influence those who do not know Jesus.   “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  We can share links to online sermons, studies, mission reports, good works and materials to help strengthen the faith of others and our own.

Use the mediums available to us in this generation to share the gospel.  ”Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).  When Jesus said “Go,” He gave us a generic command regarding the methods that can be employed in teaching the gospel of Christ to the lost.  Will we not be held accountable for our use or non-use of the methods within our reach and control?  Just as we are called upon to be good stewards of our time (Ephesians 5:16), we must also be cognizant of how we use the tools available in our generation.

Do you share the same philosophy as the Apostle Paul?  “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God…just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved” (1 Corinthians 10:31, 33).

Final Thoughts

As Christians, we must stay current with new technologies and keep an open mind to how these new mediums can be used to promote our faith and spread the good news of Jesus Christ and His Gospel!  It is a disservice to the church and the cause of Christ to conceive an “anti” attitude to new systems, technologies, services, or modern avenues that is neither right or wrong in and of themselves but determined by how they are employed.

I personally enjoy and am fascinated by the changes that are continually occurring in the way we live and communicate through innovations and technologies.  We should embrace social media and other avenues and use them for the productivity they can provide and also the enjoyment they may bring when used for social interaction.  As with everything else in our lives, let us remember to not leave our Christianity behind as we venture into the online world.

Steve Miller

“You Have Not Passed This Way Before”

The title above is found in Joshua 3:4.  When God was preparing Israel to cross over the Jordan, He had the officers command the people “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before” (3:3-4).

As we prepare to enter into 2012, we face the reality of not having passed this way before.  A new year!  A clean slate!   A fresh beginning!  Paul is an example of how a Christian can leave the past behind and press on toward what lies ahead (Philippians 3:12-14).

What can we do to assist ourselves in getting ready to enter this New Year?  We will not be disappointing to our Father in Heaven if we remember that there is:

     A God to Worship: ”…Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:8, 11).  Our assemblies are an integral part of our relationship with God and with fellow Christians.  “A religion which does not bring you to worship will not bring you to heaven.”

     A Christ to Serve: “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26).  Each of us has been given gifts to use in service to Christ.  Have you evaluated your potential to serve others in new ways lately?

     A Church to Support:  “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).  The church is one body with many members (1 Corinthians 12).  Do you realize you are an essential part of the body and that you are special?  Give yourself in every area possible to help the body function and grow.

     A Book to Know:  “Seek and read from the book of the Lord…” (Isaiah 34:16).  Batsell Barrett Baxter delivered this timely advice:  “Let us read this book for all seasons in the New Year just beginning. It is an anchor in life’s stormy sea. It is a light house. It is a landmark. It is a solid foundation. The stresses and the strains of our time make it all the more necessary that we examine its message and apply its principles to our lives, if we would live wisely in this

difficult, fast-moving age” (Sermon, January 5, 1969).

Someone has written, “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”

SM

Happy Anniversary

     2011 marked the anniversary of the King James Bible.  Many of us remember it from our youth.  Some still use it as their primary translation.  Scholar Leland Ryken summarized the reason behind the new translation:

Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I in March 1603, King James of Scotland became the ruling monarch of England. Somewhere along the way south to London his procession was met by a group of Puritans who presented him with a list of grievances and requests. The requests were entirely in keeping with their movement’s desire to “purify” the Church of England from vestiges of Catholic Church practices. They asked for an end to the obligatory wearing of vestments by ministers, for example; they wanted to end the practice of ministers not living in the parishes to which they had been appointed.  In response, the Hampton Court Conference met in January 1604 to consider their requests. It was a farce: Four hand-picked Puritan moderates were pitted against 18 Church of England heavyweights. King James rejected all Puritan requests and even threatened to “harry the Puritans out of the land or worse.” Then, at the last minute, the Puritans requested that the king commission a new English translation of the Bible. This is somewhat surprising, inasmuch as the Puritans’ preferred English Bible, the Geneva Bible, was by far the most-used and best-selling translation of the time. It is not entirely clear why they made the request. More surprisingly, the king granted it (How We Got the Best-Selling Book of All Time, WSJ, 8/26/2011).

     Until recent times, the KJV was the most used translation among churches of Christ.  Earlier this year a periodical among churches of Christ surveyed 1,100 people and listed the top five translations.   Based on their findings were the New International Version, New American Standard, New King James, English Standard, and the fifth on the list was the King James Version.

     The King James Version stands in the category of essentially Literal translations:  ASV/NASB, ESV, KJV/NKJV, RSV/NRSV.

      Recognized as one of the most influential pieces of literature in our history, the KJV has influenced our language more than we realize.

However imitated or parodied, the language is dignified, beautiful, sonorous and elegant. “Godliness with contentment is great gain”—six words and unforgettable. “Give us this day our daily bread.” “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” The King James style is a paradox: It is usually simple in vocabulary while majestic and elevating in effect… The influence of the King James Bible is perhaps most profound in the realm of literature. From Milton’s “Paradise Lost” to Toni Morrison’s “Paradise,” it is a presence quite apart from the author’s religious stance. In his book “The Bible as Literature,” British literary scholar T. R. Henn said it best: “The Authorized Version of 1611 . . . achieves as we read a strange authority and power as a work of literature. It becomes one with the Western tradition, because it is its single greatest source” (Ryken).

One writer concluded the following points in honoring the tremendous impact of the KJV upon our world.

• It carried the Gospel to every country in the world.
• European explorers brought the KJV to the new world on ships.
• For years the King James was the only reading primer for millions of schoolchildren.
• Many learned to read English using the KJV.
• Pioneers carried it in covered wagons across America.
• American presidents take the oath of office with their hand on the KJV.
• Soldiers took pocket copies of the KJV into both World Wars.
• In courtrooms thousands have sworn to “tell the whole truth” with their hand resting on a KJV.
• Verses from the KJV are chiseled into church buildings and university structures all over the English-speaking world (Christian Chronicle, April, 2011).

By far the best Bible translation is … the one you’ll actually read. Open it today!

SM

I Married a Christian

I married a Christian because a godly mate is a blessing. The genuine spirituality of a companion is worth far more than all the treasures on earth. Truth, mercy and loving-kindness are my mate’s garments for every day.

I married a Christian because of the hours of trial in this life. A Christian companion is long-suffering towards human weaknesses, knowing victory comes from a bond of genuine Christian love. A Christian mate with a wise and understanding heart is a strength in moments of discouragement and despair. When the hour is dark and all seems hopeless, my mate shows me the silver lining in the cloud of trouble.

I married a Christian because I know my love will be returned a hundred fold I know I have that which I give and my mate’s love, too. Our aims, our hopes and our aspirations are one. This brings true happiness to our companionship.

I married a Christian because I wanted a companion with a Christ-like mind and attitude to counsel the family. Our children are blessed by that mate of mine who will listen to their problems of life with a loving heart and lead them in Christ’s way.

I married a Christian because I wanted a mate whose love even looks beyond our own family to the sickness and needs of others. A Christian mate seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and sets the proper example before our children and others.

I married a Christian because I can love, trust, honor and cherish such a one until death parts us.

I married a Christian because I want more than anything to go to heaven when this life is over, and I am confident my mate does also. We can help each other as we journey the road of life so that we may both live in heaven after a while.

-Author Unknown

 

 

Don’t Crucify Christ in December by Keith Parker

Christmas Eve.  One more shopping day.  Joy and laughter are in the air.  I’m excited.  I still must be a kid at heart, because I can’t wait.

The world is thinking about Jesus.  Hundreds right now are on their way to Bethlehem.  Thousands of people will make the journey, if not in the flesh, in spirit.  Nativity scenes are on display all across the land.  Countless cards with the picture of Mary and her baby have already been sent.  Thousands of sermons on the birth of Christ have already been preached.  More are yet to come.  Millions will sing “Joy to the World” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”  “Silent Night” is still the favorite of many.

I grew up thinking that Christmas was a no-no to Christians.  Statements like, ‘We don’t celebrate the birth of Christ’ and ‘Nobody knows when Jesus was born’ were said to me more than once.  While the world was thinking about the birth of Christ, it was as though I was to think about everything except his birth.  I almost became anti-Christ in December.

Now I rejoice!  I rejoice to think that so many people are mindful of my friend and brother.  I am glad that songs are sung and scriptures are read.  The words of the angel are still good tidings of great joy: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2: 11).  He is the Savior!  He is the Christ!  He is the Lord!  Rejoice!

You know what I regret?  It bothers me that many think about his birth only once a year.  It is vain to gather around the manger if we don’t intend to kneel at the cross.  Someone put it like this:

“Let’s put Christ back into Christmas”

This need I do not deny,

But methinks it just as needful

To put him in the fourth of July!

By the way, it also bothers me that some want to crucify him in December.

Interpreting The Word (3)

We have been looking into interpreting the Bible as we read and study it.  As noted, there are many facets of interpreting the Bible correctly.

As Bible students, we must also recognize generic and specific authority. Generic authority is illustrated in the command to assemble. As to the location where Christians are to meet to worship God, the Bible does not mention specifically. We can use our judgment, and meet in a building, a home, outside, in a tent, etc.

Specific authority can be seen in the case of Noah. He was called by God to make an ark. God specified “gopher” wood (Genesis 6:14). That excluded pine, hickory, oak, maple, etc. When God specifies something, everything else is excluded. We cannot add to it, modify it, or take away from His Divine will (Galatians 1:6-9; Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19).

Jesus and the Apostles not only revealed and recorded Scripture, but also interpreted the sacred text.  What methods of interpretation did they employ in the process?

1. The apostles and evangelists used direct statements from Scripture to prove that a particular action is essential (obligatory or prohibitory) for people living on earth today (Rom. 12:19-21; James 23-9; I Pet. 1:14-16).

2. The apostles and evangelists used accounts of action recorded in Scripture to prove that at least some actions are permanently sinful and must be avoided (I Cor. 10: l-1I), and at least some actions are permanently obligatory and must be performed (Rom. 15:3-5).

3. The apostles and evangelists used various types of statements from the Scriptures to prove that at least some things are bound by the implicit teaching of certain statements. A careful study of biblical prophecy, made and fulfilled, shows the Bible’s endorsement of both explicit and implicit teaching.  Some biblical prophecies contain explicit references to the subject, or object, of the prophecy (Isa. 44:28; 45:1,13; Ezek. 26:3-21). Other prophecies refer to their subject or object implicitly. Philip, the evangelist, used Scripture in such a way that it makes it clear that the hermeneutic of the apostles and evangelists recognized the validity of implicit teaching. Philip “began at the same scripture (Isa. 53:7-8), and preached unto him Jesus”(Acts 8:35). It obviously is the case that there is no explicit reference to Jesus in Isa. 53. The evangelist preached Jesus from Isa. 53, because this great chapter speaks of Jesus implicitly. The same could be said for numerous other scriptures cited by the apostles and evangelists (Acts 2: 17-31 ; 3:22-24; 13:34-37; 17:2-3; 18:28; 26:22-23; 28:23, et al)  (Rightly Dividing The Word, Vol. 1, p. 333).

In this short article series, we have attempted to give the reader a sampling of some of the principles involved in interpreting the Bible. Before the principles of correct reasoning are applied, the Bible student must have the proper attitude toward the Bible, that it is God’s Divine Word to mankind, for all time! We must reverence God and His Word, for by it, we shall be judged (John 12:48). The Bible is the pattern, it is final, authoritative, complete, and can be understood!

SM

Interpreting The Word (2)

Every individual, as they approach the Scriptures, should want to interpret them correctly. We accomplish this through a process. What is this process? How do we know it is correct?

We can study the Bible and understand it (Ephesians 3:4). God has spoken His will to man, realizing that man; in order to be saved, must reason correctly and determine the way to heaven. Would God give us a revelation that we could not understand? No!

Robert Milligan stated, “If God has spoken to man at all, He must have spoken for the purpose and with the design of being understood. The contradictory of this proposition is “a moral absurdity” (Reason And Revelation p. 286).

Many principles are involved in Bible study.   The context must be respected and observed in proper interpretation of the Bible.  Context:  “the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect: the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.” Arthur and De Lacy note the following:

“In Bible Study, Context is the words, phrases, and sentences surrounding a particular word, phrase, or sentence. The context gives meaning to the particular word, phrase, or sentence and helps you understand what the author is saying. Context can also be expanded to paragraphs, chapters, books, and eventually the whole Bible. Because context rules in, or determines, the interpretation of the passage, it is important for you to know the context of any passage that you’re studying” (The New How to Study Your Bible, p. 18).

It is imperative that we allow all passages in the Bible to speak for themselves within the context of the sentence, the paragraph, the chapter, or the book. A major issue in properly interpreting a passage may be our bias or our subjectivity. If we approach a text thinking we already know what it teaches we may read our own meaning into the passage.  This is referred to as “Eisegesis (reading in of one’s own ideas)…the substitution of the authority of the interpreter for the authority of the original writer” (Interpreting the Bible, p. 158).  Correct Bible interpretation seeks to bring out (Exegesis) the meaning of the text and make application.

Asking the following 5 “W’s” and an “H” will greatly aid our understanding of God’s Word for our lives.

Who wrote it? Who said it? Who are the major characters? Who are the people mentioned? To whom is the author speaking? About whom is he speaking?

What are the main events? What are the major ideas? What are the major teachings? What are these people like? What does he talk about the most? What is his purpose in saying that?

When was it written? When did this event take place? When will it happen? When did he say it? When did he do it?

Where was this done? Where was this said? Where will it happen?

Why was there a need for this to be written? Why was this mentioned? Why was so much or so little space devoted to this particular event or teaching? Why was this reference mentioned? Why should they do such and such?

How is it done? How did it happen? How is this truth illustrated?

May we carry the admonition from God to the Israelites into our approach to His Word today:   “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them” (Deuteronomy 17:19).

SM