Nov 13 2012

Some Observations about the church from New Testament, part 2


A few weeks ago I posted a piece I wrote on this subject that focused on how important it was to the first century church to pray together. (You can read it here) I am convinced that the spiritual weakness of an individual believer, or a church will always point first to a prayer weakness. It is very clear that prayer, and especially praying together, was essential to our earliest churchmen.

The next observation that caught my attention as I read through the Acts and other NT books is how they loved one another. The very first expression of the new found faith of those 3,000 plus who were added to the church after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost was water repentance and baptism in water. The very next picture of those new believers is this one. 

 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

 

They devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers. You say, cool, I’m all in on that stuff, it’s all stuff I enjoy. But, they had all things for the common good and sold their stuff to take care of others less fortunate. Most of us are not in a rush to do that. But, these believers did just that.

Love is a verb. You don’t love someone from the comfort of your recliner, you DO something. These people loved others more than they loved their stuff, more than their money! It’s a very difficult lesson but there is a lesson here. Measured up against this standard almost all of us are way off track. I have some growing to do! How about you?.

Then they worshiped together, they shared meals together, with glad and generous hearts! And the result? They had favor with all the people and lots of folks were being saved.

So, what is the missing ingredient in our churches. What is the possible reason we are not seeing people saved on a regular basis. We like the teaching! We like the meals! We even enjoy fellowship! But we don’t pray together much and we are stingy. Oh my how that truth hurts… Suggest your church members have a big sale of “stuff” and give all the money to the poor in your congregation. Feel the love yet? 

We want to be a New Testament church but we want to get there by dotting all the I’s and crossing all the T’s on Sunday morning and ignoring the important stuff. Sorry, If we don’t really love our brothers and sisters in tangible ways we don’t qualify to be a New Testament church.

Royce

Nov 13 2012

See How They Love…


Every morning people start to gather at the door of the fellowship center at a small church on the outskirts of a small fishing town on the Alabama Gulf coast. Inside Billy Spaulding is scrambling eggs, making gravy, and other breakfast treats. Soon the doors open and a few volunteers, church members down on their luck, the homeless and helpless are welcomed and fed.

My wife Carol and I were there on a Monday morning and not long after most of the people had their fill of breakfast, volunteers took their stations and people started to line up outside for the bi-weekly food distribution. Each of those families represented left soon with a rather large cardboard box full of various food items. Twice each week meals are given to anyone with a photo ID and income verification. Brother Billy reported that somewhere over 1,ooo people receive food each month.

Since soon after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Billy Spaulding, Daphne German, Bro’ Roosevelt, and several other volunteers have loved the impoverished people of Bayou La Batre in every way imaginable. Volunteer groups from all over America have come to the bayou to help the Bayou Recovery Project (also run by Spaulding and German) repair homes, clean up debris, deliver donated appliances, food, and clothing. If my memory is correct it must be way over 500 houses that have been either repaired or completely redone FREE!

It has now been over 7 years and they are still doing the impossible solely by faith! Billy told me they had run out of money last week but he seemed undaunted as usual. He said “It happens all the time but just when we’re out of money some checks will come in from some place and we just keep on rolling. It’s all good!” Never have I met a Christian man any more positive and full of faith and optimism!

In addition to their benevolent work they also tutor children each week so they can make it in school. Most of the children have little support at home so they get help at the church as volunteers sit with the children and carefully help them learn the school materials.

One Sunday morning while “Mr Billy” is busy making breakfast 3 volunteers man three vans and off they go to soon return with dozens of smiling, excited, hungry children of all ages. Even on Wednesday night they will have well over 50 children at church. They feed them a good meal and teach them about Jesus. This little church with no regular preacher, no elders or deacons, and no budget, manages to do all this mountain of work, pay utilities, insurance on their buildings and vehicles, and other costs associated with running a busy church and recovery ministry, and they baptize several people each year.

Several churches across the country have been very helpful. Presently the El Campo Church of Christ from Texas, The Port City Church of Christ, from Mobile, and the Gateway church of Christ from Pensacola, Fla are helping them in amazing ways. We were able to bring about 300 winter coats and several pairs of new shoes mostly from the Heart to Home ladies of the Whites Ferry Road Church in West Monroe, Louisiana.

Oh, I forgot to mention, they provide Christmas presents for the kids of the community too, including new bicycles for many of them. The children work hard doing service work, memorizing scripture passages, and whatever else Ms. Daphne assigns them so they can qualify to go to church camp in the summer. How they do all they do makes my head spin, and they do it with such love, such care and concern, and with such determination.

Before the year’s end, why don’t you consider offering some help to this worthy cause? Visit their Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hemley-Road-Church-of-Christ/126220237438941) and send a message of encouragement. To donate you can send a check to:

Hemley Road Church of Christ
8270 Hemley Road
Bayou La Batre, Alabama 36509

Thanks for reading and for your consideration.

Royce

 

 

Oct 28 2012

Religious but lost


There was once a man who had done everything right. His family heritage was a good godly one. He had been taught the scriptures from his youth. He had studied hard, kept his nose clean, and eventually had risen to the top ranks of his religion. He enjoyed all the prestige of one who sat on the highest court of the Jews. None was more skilled in the law and it’s application. He meticulously kept the law the very best he could. He had the respect of his peers and of the community. He had achieved all the success one in his day could imagine. And, by all known standards, he was a very good man.

It was this man who came to inquire of Jesus, “Just who are you?” He acknowledged Jesus had come from God. No man could do what Jesus had clearly done of himself. Surely he must at a minimum be a prophet from God.

Jesus did not answer his questions. Instead, after asking some demeaning questions he announced to him “You MUST be born again!”

As you can imagine, Nicodemus was astonished. It made no sense. Born again? What was Jesus saying?

Your family history, your religious experience, your affluence, your social status, how much Bible you know, which church or synagogue you attend, and a thousand other things will not earn an  entrance into God’s family. You must be born again! You must be recreated. There is nothing to start with. Compared to God’s holiness the best man alive doesn’t even begin to be good enough in any way to stand approved by the Holy God and his Christ.

Yet, today in many of our churches we are busy trying to reform each other, blinded by the absurd belief that just the right measure of moral improvement will make us acceptable to God. Don’t do that, but instead do this. Become an actor like us we advise. Play the part. Act religious and you’ll soon be religious… But Jesus said “You MUST be born again”.

You and I are completely helpless and hopeless to change ourselves into people who please God. That is His exclusive work of grace. He alone can make something out of nothing. Here, I’ll let you read Jesus’ instructions about how to be born again. And oh, this is very, very important, you MUST be born again or you will NEVER see the kingdom of God.

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:7-21)

Royce

Oct 28 2012

Some Observations about the church from New Testament


I have started this article a few times and after two or three paragraphs, deleted the whole thing and started over. I want to share some thoughts without being critical of churches that think they have arrived at the ideal. Are there some local congregations of Christians who closely resemble those churches we read of in our Bibles. I believe so. I also believe they are few and far between. What are the characteristics of that church that is so intimately related to Jesus Christ that it is called in the Bible his bride? I’ll share some of my observations over the next few weeks. What has my attention will not be exhaustive, but will be at least a few of the most obvious ways to spot a local church that mirrors well the church of the first century. Maybe you see some others, I hope you will share them.

Emphasis on prayer, especially corporate prayer.

The very first thing that I notice is how much they valued prayer. Immediately after they had witnessed Jesus’ ascension the Bible tells us what they did.

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:12-14)

They had heard the words of Jesus. They had his marching orders. But the first order of business was to pray together! Jesus had told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the power of the Spirit and they knew instinctively what “wait” meant. And so they prayed together. There is something very special, and I’ll say very powerful, about Christian believers praying “together”.

We don’t have to go very far to find them praying again. It was time to replace Judas, to select a new apostle. Did they poll the congregation? Did they appoint a committee? No, they simply prayed.

23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” (Acts 1:23-25)

Again and again we read about those earliest believers emulating their Lord of whom it is written again and again in the gospels “and he prayed”. Anyone who has read about the life of Jesus knows that he prayed early, all night, intensely, and often. Just prior to the great historic events of Pentecost we read about in Acts 2 the Bible says of the apostles and the others,

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. (Acts 2:1)

I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume what they were doing while they “were all together in one place”. Of course they were praying together! Later, in chapter four of Acts a crisis had arisen and their response was to pray. Both the church and the state were in opposition to what they were doing. They were preaching Jesus, folks were being healed, and by now their number had grown to about 5,000. This fist mega church caused the religious people and the politicians lots of grief. So, after the authorities had threatened them not to speak in the name of Jesus any more, this was their response and the results.

23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,

and the peoples plot in vain?

26 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers were gathered together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.(Acts 4:23-31)

I love this story! Rather than cower to the wishes of the ministerial alliance or the local ordinances  they simply prayed together and the result was that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the Word of God with great boldness. Do we want our churches to grow, do we want our message to be powerful for God and for the people? Then we, like our ancient family of the faithful, must pray together.

It is a wonderful exercise to pray alone, in your private place. Every believer ought to be praying about everything. But there is something special about Christians praying together. Couples, families, small groups, and even large church gatherings are the right places to pray together.

The New Testament church was a praying church. How about yours? How about mine? How much do we emphasize prayer and specifically praying together? In my view, a local church will not be what God wants it to be unless prayer is a priority.

Will we pray together? I hope so.

Royce