Category: Reflections Articles
Articles printed in the weekly bulletin of the West Side church of Christ
Suggestions to Young Christians
You have embraced the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and have determined to accept Him as your Savior. As such, you have determined to turn away from past sins, have confessed Christ as Lord of your life, and have put Him on through baptism in water for the remission of sins. In short, you have begun the Christian walk.
Some of you have been on that path longer than others. Whether you are a newborn babe in Christ, or already have developed some maturity in your walk, there are certain suggestions I would like to make that will benefit you in your profession as one of God’s children.
Same Facts … Different Interpretations
I recently came across a very interesting and informative article written by Ken Ham on the Answers In Genesis website. The title of the article is, Creation: ‘where’s the proof”, and it can be found in its entirety at the following URL:
Consider the following quote from the article:
Creationists and evolutionists, Christians and non-Christians all have the same evidence—the same facts. Think about it: we all have the same earth, the same fossil layers, the same animals and plants, the same stars—the facts are all the same.
The difference is in the way we all interpret the facts. And why do we interpret facts differently? Because we start with different presuppositions. These are things that are assumed to be true, without being able to prove them. These then become the basis for other conclusions. All reasoning is based on presuppositions (also called axioms). This becomes especially relevant when dealing with past events.
The premise of the article is interesting. The writer notes that in arguing whether man was created or evolved, many want to “leave the Bible out of it.” In other words, they would be willing to listen to the claims of Christianity, but first they need to see real proof regarding God’s existence.
Be Strong and of Good Courage
“Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed’” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8).
Consider the implications of Moses’ words to Joshua. He would take over the rule of the people of God, to lead them into the promised land. There would be many battles, many hardships, and (as it turned out due to the unfaithfulness of the people) many setbacks in his time as the leader of Israel. The words, spoken in front of all the people, were designed not only to bolster Joshua’s courage, but to present him to Israel as God’s chosen leader over them. The path taken would not be easy, but the victory of Israel was assured due to God’s presence. “He is the one who goes before you.”
Militance & Aggressiveness
Definition: Militant (Wikipedia) “The word militant has come to refer to any individual or party engaged in aggressive physical or verbal combat, normally for a cause…”
“…The word militant comes from the 15th Century Latin “militare” meaning “to serve as a soldier”. The related modern concept of the militia as a defensive organization against invaders grew out of the Anglo-Saxon “fyrd”. In times of crisis, the militiaman left his civilian duties and became a soldier until the emergency was over, when he returned to his civilian status.”
The term militant initially had a positive connotation. As seen by the etymology cited above, the idea of a militant centered in the defense of a cause, and referenced a man pressed into military service in defense of country.
However, in recent years the word militant has often been used as a pejorative.
Eternity
Man is bound by time. Time can be measured in millennia, potentially in what is referred to as “geologic time” spanning millions of years, but always it is measurable. It has duration, a beginning and an end.
Take for instance humankind. We begin with gestation, 9 months. Then infanthood, perhaps a year. Then childhood, until the age of twelve. We talk of teenagers, until age 19, young adults (in my case the first 44 years), middle age (again, in my case always the next birthday), then old age. Truly, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).
A Titanic and Unsubstantiated Claim
On Sunday, March 4th, the Discovery Channel aired what was claimed to be a “documentary” entitled The Lost Tomb of Jesus. The filmmakers included producer John Cameron (Director and Producer of the film Titanic), and director Simcha Jacobovici.
The program makes some very disturbing claims. It asserts that the 10 ossuaries (bone boxes) found in an ancient tomb in a suburb of Jerusalem at one time contained the remains of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and an individual known as “Judah, son of Jesus.” The program claims that the odds overwhelmingly point to this being the tomb of Jesus Christ, and that DNA tests done on some remains found in the ossuaries indicate that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married.
The tomb and ossuaries were discovered about 25 years ago, and are well known to archaeologists. It is striking that those who initially examined the find never entertained the view that the tomb was the significant find now being claimed by the filmmakers.
“I Press Toward the Goal”
In his epistle to the Philippians, the apostle Paul expressed his attitude toward his service to Christ. Simply put, he wasn’t about to “count his chickens before they hatched.” In his own words, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
The reason for this single-minded approach in his service to the Lord is stated in the preceding verses, “that I may gain Christ, and be found in him” (vs. 8b-9a). Further, he longed for the result of such a fellowship with his Lord, “if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead” (vs. 11).
Are We Growing?
The Christian Chronicle claims to be “An international newspaper for member of Churches of Christ.” We have mentioned the paper in the past, noting that it chronicles the efforts and activities of the most liberal of congregations that go by the name “Church of Christ.”
In the last issue (February 2007) the Chronicle began a series entitled Are We Growing?, intended to run through the remainder of the year. In the initial article, statistics are cited to indicate that while the population of the United States grew 32% from 1980 to 2006, membership in the church of Christ grew only 1.6% in the same time.
It is not our purpose to discuss the methodology which led to the numbers cited, nor to determine the actual accuracy of the estimates. It is enough to note that in many instances the lack of growth is obvious. In fact, we should as a congregation redouble our efforts in this area. It would be a wonderful thing if we could substantially increase the number of souls who worship here, especially if said numbers came through the conversion of the lost.
Proceed With Caution
Several years ago I signed up for a email discussion forum called “marslist.” I believe the name of the list referenced the text of Acts 17, where the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers are recorded as gathering daily at the Areopagus on “Mars” hill to discuss philosphies and doctrines.
While the intent of the individual who named the list was to indicate it would be a place for discussion of Biblical topics (as Paul did on that occasion), I find it a bit ironic that the sentiment Luke recorded about that place came to characterize the list as well. Luke wrote, “For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing” (vs. 21).
Fall Down and Worship God!
The throne room scene in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 is one of the most stirring passages of scripture in the entire Bible. At the climax of this wonderful vision we see the entire creation bowing down to worship God Almighty.
“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever'” (Revelation 5:13-14).
Ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, gathered around the throne, declared the worthiness of the Lamb of God to receive worship from all.
The Rejected Savior
Two thousand years ago the Son of God was delivered up to be crucified on a cross. Not long after, some in Jerusalem expressed amazement at Peter and John as they healed a lame man at the gate of the temple. Peter took the opportunity to address the gathering, and said:
“Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses” (Acts 3:12-15).
Peter later acknowledged the necessity of Christ’s sacrifice, saying, “But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled” (vs. 18). He then called on those present to “repent therefore, and be converted” (vs. 19).
Luke 18 Revisited
“Then Peter said, ‘See, we have left all and followed You.’ 29 So He said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life’” (Luke 18:28-30).
A few months ago we examined the position that Luke 18 gives a rationale for a person to divorce their mate, “for the sake of the kingdom of God,” without sin. The article dealt not only with the context of the passage, but also the greater context of scripture, and concluded that the position is without merit. Jesus said in Matthew 5:32, “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” The text clearly reveals a single reason for which a man or woman may put away their spouse. To appeal to a passage where divorce is not contextually found in an attempt to explain away the plain import of another passage is, at best, poor hermeneutics, and is a common tactic of those who twist the scriptures to fit their pet theories.
In the World, Not OF the World
“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner — not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
In this context, the apostle Paul explains the difference between living in the world, and living “of” the world. It is obviously necessary for the Christian to interact with worldly people. Ungodliness is everywhere. When you go to the grocery store, the clerk might be an adulteress. Your child’s teacher might be guilty of covetousness, your banker might just be an extortioner, and the plumber may be a drunkard!
The Danger of Drifting
Billy Norris writes of a tragic event that resulted from “drifting”:
“Two young men were fishing above a low dam on a river near their hometown. As they were concentrating on catching fish, they were unaware that they had drifted until they were not far from the water flowing over the dam. When they realized their situation, the current near the dam had become too powerful for them to keep their boat from going over. Below the dam the water was dashing with strong force over great boulders and through crevices in the rocks. Caught by the swirling waters under the rocks, they never came to the surface. After days of relentless searching, the divers finally found one body, and then, two or three days later, the other.”
(Gospel Guide)
The illustration above is a sad one, but serves to establish our premise that it is dangerous to drift along in life, unaware or uncaring of the consequences.
Alpha & Omega
We commonly use the phrase “A to Z” to identify the sum total of any particular thing. If a person is knowledgeable on a subject, we say he knows it from “A to Z.” If a person is accomplished in a particular area, we say that he has done it all, from “A to Z.”
In the Bible, similar phrases are used.
