Weariness and Well-doing

As Jesus came down from the mount of transfiguration, some of the disciples had been waiting for Him at the bottom. These disciples had failed to cast out a particular demon from a boy, and the father waited with the disciples for Jesus to return. Whatever this father believed about Jesus, what he wanted from Him was not exactly the right thing; he wanted a miracle to ease his burdens in this life. This is not unusual, but you can almost hear the strained patience in the voice of our Lord as He says, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me” (Mark 9:19) No doubt, Jesus had begun to grow weary of people pulling at Him from every corner, and always from a selfish or ignorant, faithless purpose. They wanted Him to work for their own ends, distracting Him from His own much more important ends. Still, he “suffered” them, and did all he could do for people while there was time to do it. His mind was made up that, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)

How true it is, when Jesus said, “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord…” (Matthew 10:24, 25). As His servants, we tend to be greatly blessed, having abilities, skills, and much to offer the world around us. Often, we have many people and responsibilities pulling at us from every direction, sometimes even distracting us from the spiritual work that we know is much more important. Yet, like our Lord, we do for others what we can while we have the time to do it. The “night” may come some day when we no longer have the opportunity.

Paul addressed a need in the church at Thessalonica regarding certain of their members who were walking “disorderly,” taking advantage of the generosity of the other brethren. He commanded that they work, and earn their own living that they may feed themselves, but then, he immediately warned the generous brethren to “…be not weary in well doing” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). He did not want Christians to start judging every circumstance, whether other brethren were worthy of joining them in a meal. God would not want us to surrender willfully to those who would take advantage, but we should maintain a willingness to give, and give, and give.

Paul explained that it is not only a portion of our possessions that we give to the service of the Lord, but it is our bodies that we offer as a “living sacrifice” (cf. Romans 12:1). This was a praise for the Corinthian church in the discussion of giving monetarily, that “…they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (2Corinthians 8:5). This is as we should continue to do, as our Lord Jesus: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2Cor. 8:9). The more we do for others, the more we have to offer the world around us, the more skills we have and abilities to serve, the more treasure we have to lay up in Heaven (cf. Matthew 6:20).

It is a blessing to serve, it is a blessing to have something to give: “…let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28). This extends far past our own possessions, but even to give ourselves in the service of others. We may begin to feel weary, but we are warned not to think of it in those terms. The world around us may be taking advantage of our generosity, it may be motivated by the wrong reasons, but we are not. We may not have a great deal of silver and gold to offer those in need, but such as we have, like Peter was, we should be willing to give (cf. Acts 3:1-26). What was given the lame man was not simply a healing, but a reason for having faith in Christ that he might be saved from sin, and not only to him, but to all who saw it. This is what our good deeds may lead to, if we see the opportunity to turn people’s attention toward God.

The apostle Paul, having a hard time with some slanderers among the church at Corinth, announced to them that he was going to visit a third time. As a parent views children, he said, “…I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved” (2Corinthians 12:15). Can we do any less for others when there is an opportunity to “do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10)?

-”Robetron”

S.D.I. For Christ’s Kingdom

[Originally appearing in the September, 2004 “Christian Patriot,” and re-edited here.]

By “Robetron”

Thanks are due to God that the world no longer dwells in the shadow of the Cold War. One of the most substantive reasons the terrifying possibility of “Mutually Assured Destruction” (M.A.D.) has been diminished is because some brilliant American came up with the idea of the “Strategic Defense Initiative” (S.D.I.). The political ruse of a détente had actually kept the arms race between the USSR and the United States growing out of control. The only thing that bridled the use of nuclear aggression was the opposing country’s threat of retaliation. The United States began from a greatly disadvantageous position, but quickly gave increase to its military might, maintaining “peace through strength”, tenuous, though it may have been. For years, the leaders of the two super-powers of the world strove to be the “toughest guy on the block”. A contest seemed inevitable.

While each side bartered with one another for the reduction of these weapons of mass destruction, each side also continued to build their military strength, at enormous cost, in order to stay ahead of the other. The ‘Berlin Wall’ remained in place, both literally and symbolically. Something innovative and imaginative had to occur in order to resolve the continually escalating problem. Though it had been tried, no amount of compromise or appeasement ever brought about a peaceful coexistence. There had to be a clear victor, and it would be ideology that would propel one or the other to fore. The newly inaugurated American President refined the nation’s foreign policy from its previous complexity into a strikingly simple set of statements: “Trust, but verify,” and “They lose; we win.”

A natural leader and strategist, this new President saw what soon came to be derisively (now affectionately) known as ‘Star Wars’ as his ace-in-the-hole. Holding that one card in reserve at Iceland’s capital during the Reykjavik Peace Talks, the two leaders were making significant progress in negotiating the withdrawal of almost all deployed missiles. They had almost come to a complete accord for peace between the nations, but then the American leader was faced with an unexpected ultimatum: Give up S.D.I. or the deal is off. Abruptly packing up his papers, the American President walked out into the cold. The meeting was over, seemingly, a failure. S.D.I. was the one thing he declined to give up, the one thing he refused to compromise. The system was not even active yet (although his opponent had no way of knowing this), and it would have been easy to toss it simply into the pile of concessions. Beside the fact that the Soviet leader had nothing comparable to withdraw equally, the leader of the free world knew that the protection of his country was non-negotiable.

The concept of S.D.I. is really quite simple. Build a satellite web of protection over the continent that would shoot down any incoming enemy missiles with laser guidance before it could have its devastating effect. Perhaps the technology and logistics were not as simple, but the concept was pure genius. By retaining the one thing that protected the people, rather than the aggressive, self-defeating weapons, the enemy found themselves going bankrupt trying to catch-up. Eventually, the ‘Berlin Wall’ came crashing down, and the Communist empire collapsed. It was a glorious time for the forces of freedom, and all because one man refused to compromise the one thing that provided hope, strength, and protection to his people.

As citizens of a heavenly country and of a city prepared by God (cf. Heb. 11:8-16), we have something much more powerful and vastly more effective, but quite similar to S.D.I. We have the truth. Unlike the program designed to defend the United States, our “S.D.I.” does not need any more research or development. It just needs to be put in place and employed. The truth only needs an orbit in our hearts and an activation in our lives. When the enemies lob their bombs at our “better country”, from out of heaven fires a laser-straight, flawlessly guided, protective missile sent to annihilate Satan’s desire of destruction and division. The truth never fails to prevail. The boundaries of division between the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdoms of its enemies remain in place, but that is rightly so.

The Kingdom of God may seem to possess no homeland, much less the security of boarders to defend, but it is not so. Christ rules over all the kingdoms of men (cf. Dan. 3:32, 37), and all of heaven and earth is the boarder of His Kingdom (cf. Matt. 28:18). Thus, the truth is sent everywhere to protect, strengthen, and give hope to His citizens.

Oh yes, it may seem like we are surrounded by enemies, and indeed we are. It may seem like their strength, swords, and spears greatly out number our own. So vast are the enemies of the cross that it would seem impossible to survive a single battle, much less win the day. We may be surrounded by threats and enemies, but it is the predetermined will of God that fire will come down to consume them in the end (cf. Rev. 20:9). Fellow Christian soldier, have no fear of what they can do unto you (cf. Matt. 10:28). If you refuse to compromise the truth, if you will abide in the gospel, your weapons of warfare are not without power (cf. 2Cor. 10:4-6), but are mighty, indeed. No word from God shall be without power (cf. Lk. 1:37 ASV), neither shall it return to Him without accomplishing its intended purpose (cf. Isa. 55:11).

Perhaps we can concede, from a pragmatic point of view, that the denominational world has contributed, at least in part, to the general morality of the society in which we live. Despite the argument that can be made to the contrary, we might be inclined to give them that credit. We may allow for the idea that the spiritual sectarians have brought at least a small amount of attention to some of the facts of the gospel. We may grant that much of the scholarship coming from avowed denominational preachers has helped us in developing our own knowledge, although the majority of their helpful works come from ages past. Yet, there is one thing for which we must have the fortitude never to forfeit, one ace-in-the-whole, which is non-negotiable.

They may be willing to admit that the Bible is verbally inspired from God. They may be willing to withdraw their hostility toward the churches of Christ for the purpose of finding a common ground. Some may even leave off biblically foreign names for a scriptural appellation. Still, there remains one thing they do not have; there is one thing they desperately insist that we stop employing; there is one thing that assures their demise no matter how much money they spend to try to overcome the true Kingdom of Christ. We have the truth of God’s Word.

We cannot be satisfied with a denominational détente. We must take the strategic initiative. We must wrap ourselves in the truth with uncompromising resolve. It is Christ that wins, and any to the contrary shall loose. If we compromise, it is equivalent to joining in with their M.A.D-ness, for we will assuredly destroy ourselves mutually if truth ever ceases to be our source of defense.

Shall we initiate a ‘Star Wars’ program for the purpose of earnestly contending for the faith? We may be among a “crooked and perverse nation”, but if we remain faithful “sons of God”, we shall “shine as lights [luminaries; stars]” (cf. Phil. 2:15). We, my brethren, are the satellites which send forth missiles of truth, lighting the darkness of the night, thwarting the enemy by quenching their fiery darts with the shield of faith (cf. Eph. 6:16). The over-comers and keepers of the Lord’s works are given power over the nations and given “the morning star” (cf. Rev. 2:26-28). A star-war indeed!

William Penn once said, “Those people who will not be governed by God, will be ruled by tyrants.” The totalitarian (and primarily atheistic) regime of the communist U.S.S.R. was brought down by the power of freedom. In America, the people are free to be innovative, free to initiate creativity, free to provide a service to the rest of the country for a mutual benefit. Some exceptional person invented something essential to sustaining this freedom: the ‘Strategic Defense Initiative’. These are all reflections and shadows of the self-evident truths endowed by man’s Creator and recognized by the American civil government.

In like manner, it is God’s word that will sustain our freedom, protect our autonomy, and give us hope for future generations (cf. Acts 20:32; 2Pet. 1:3; Col. 1:5). It is the truth which makes a man free (cf. Jn. 8:32), and is established by God’s word (cf. Jn. 17:17), not coupled with any human ingenuity or compromise. Stray not, faint not, and concede nothing. The immutable God giving immutable truth in the Bible is the fully functional S.D.I. for Christ’s Kingdom.

While They Behold

While they Behold

By Scott A. Klaft
[Originally published in the July 2005 issue of The Reader’s Monthly]

He stood, staring at his grimy calloused hands, the early afternoon sun beating down upon his neck while the slight breeze blew the dust from his clothing. “Ah jus don’t un’erstan it,” he thought to himself. He had just let out a string of obscenities that sent the dog whimpering away with his tail between his legs. Ole Blue had been near for other outbursts of rage and suffered for it. “Ah tried ta live like them high falutin’ city folk, but they saw thu me quicker than ah did. Ah tried ta live like them farmin’ folk, and thar ain’t nuthin’ fer me in it. Ah rode with the fellas in th’ hills, goin city to city, gamblin’, drinkin’, fightin’, and shootin’ up th’ saloons. Then ah did my time in jail. Lucky ah ain’t hanged for th’ things ah done. Now, here ah am, back whar ah started… back whar maw and paw started… ah ain’t no better.”

He bent down to pick up his wide brimmed hat from the ground and clumps of mud fell from his sleeve. He brushed off the hat and slipped it over his sweat streaked brow. It looked like some of the scrawny little pigs had the fever again this year. Trying to separate the healthy pigs from the sick, he had lost his footing and fell into the mud with them. This was not the life he chose. He was miserable and could not find a way out. It did not seem to matter how well the farm did either. No matter how many horses he had in the barn, or how much provisions he had in the pantry, nothing seemed to alleviate the discontent he felt from within himself.

Suddenly, his inward agonizing was interrupted by a sound. It was a familiar sound, but this time it caught his attention like it never had before. He sought out the source of the sound and it led him around the side of the barn where he faced the house he built after the fire that burned down maw and paw’s old shack. It was his wife, singing while hanging out the freshly washed laundry. He remembered how the washboard bruised her knuckles and gave her splinters. He remembered how the wash tub leaked and she had to keep filling it from the well, making her efforts take that much longer. She never seemed to complain much. In fact, he could not remember her complaining even once – about anything. He always saw the concerned, yet relieved look on her face when he would come home after a late night in the city, boozing it up and finding trouble. She never nagged him about it though. What is she singing? How is it that she can be so happy, especially with winter setting in and the young’ins feet are still bare?

The young’ins… five and seven years old and they barely knew anything different from this life. What they did know was due to the diligence of his wife’s learnin’ them to count and to read. She always brought out that worn-out old book and read to them at night. What is she singing? There was always something about the way she carried herself, or maybe it was her comfort with people. She has been cross with the children before, but there was never an unkind word for anyone. Come to think of it, everyone in that church where she goes seems to like her just fine. She has always been a good woman.

What could make her in such a good mood when her dresses are in tatters? His head dipped in shame for a moment, thinking about the new saddle he bought with the special engravings and the name of his horse along the edge. He thought of the new riffle he bought only to hang it over the mantle and never use it. She could use some new clothes. The sweet tone of her voice caught his thoughts again. How could a woman, so different from him, ever be happy to be his wife? Well, she does take off every Sunday and takes the young’ins with her, but it seems like she always finds time to make breakfast for him before she goes, and never fails to ask him to accompany her. He never did go, but at least she was never pushy about it. What is she singing?

He saw his five year old daughter run up to her and tug at her mother’s hand. She led his wife to the side of the house where the flowers she had planted with the children were blooming late in the year. What a delightful smile she had when she knelt to smell it. They talked a little about it and he saw her point to the sky and to all the land around them. He wondered what she was saying. His wife took the little girl by the hand, led her back to the laundry and began singing again, this time with the tiny little voice singing along. What does she have that he lacks? Why is he so miserable, while she seems thrilled to be alive? She spends most of her time cooking, cleaning, and tending to the young’ins, all the while quietly going about her business.

She saw him standing there and he oddly felt like a child caught in the livery with candy for which he did not pay. His face flushed a little, though you could not tell it behind the leathery, sun-dried skin. She only smiled and went on about her work, singing and occasionally looking toward the small, puffy clouds in the sky. He watched her carry the empty basket that she had made back into the house, her melody trailing behind her.

His brow furrowed. If he asked her about this, he might look like a fool. What should he do? He knew he should do something. He wanted to do something for her, which was unusual. If there is anyone who would not mock him, it was his wife. Why, he was just caught staring at her, half covered in pig-slime and all she did was smile sweetly at him. He could ask her. He would ask her. He started toward the house and stopped. Quickly walking back out to the horse barn, he saddled up and rode off into the field. Moments later, he returned with a fist full of wild flowers. He set them down while he cleaned the now-dry mud off his clothes and face with the rag he kept around his neck. Reaching for the door, he stopped again, took off his hat, smoothed his hair and finally entered.

After stumbling over himself to give her the flowers, receive a kiss on the cheek and warble out his question, she began to tell him of things he had never given much thought before now. She told him of the Bible, of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. She told him of the church and of how much it means to her to be there for worship. He did not say much, but listened intently, occasionally asking a question about how things worked when she went. When she told him about sin and how it keeps people from God’s blessings, his eyes narrowed. Hours passed and he finally let her go back to her preparations for supper. He was silent through the meal, but this was not uncommon to the rest of the family. The children were attended and later tucked into their beds, but he still sat at the wooden table, staring into the light of the lantern. In the next few days, they went through their usual routines, except there was a noticeable lack of cussing as he worked through his chores.

Sunday came and to the delighted surprise of his wife, she found him in his best clothes, ready to go with her to church. He had questions and the preacher-fella was going to answer them. If she stayed by his side, he would not feel foolish. The wagon ride into town was pleasant and the looks on people’s faces when they saw him sitting beside her were at least memorable, if not amusing. His reputation preceded him, but the shock on their faces meant that hers did also. They knew what she was doing there and several folks greeted her with a friendliness that he admired.

The benches were hard, and he did not know the songs they sung well enough to sing along, but the sermon was absolutely riveting. The preacher agreed to visit for lunch to talk things over with him. He determined on the ride home that he would not let his wife go alone on Sundays any more. During the visit, the preacher opened his Bible, showed him what it said, answered questions and encouraged him to spend time reading his wife’s copy. Suggestions were made concerning where to start reading and the man absorbed it, examined it, and mulled it over until the next Sunday. After three weeks of visits, in a wild-eyed desperate tone, he stopped the preacher at their dinner table in mid-sentence: “Ah wo’nt ta be baptized! Ya gotta do it now, preacher!” The whole family walked down to the icy river, his children and wife obviously excited and singing praise to God. So that is what she was singing all that time.

As they went into the water, the preacher indicated that belief in Christ is necessary for baptism to be effective. Immediately, he spoke loudly so that his voice echoed through the trees, disturbing the calm of the valley, “Ah b’lieve that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” When he came up out of that watery grave, his loving wife’s face was the first he sought. It was streaming with tears. When he asked, she explained that they were tears of joy. All of those years she had been praying that one day he might see the light and would come to God. Now her earnest pleadings had been answered. God had led him to the truth. She did not seem to realize that He did it through her.

1 Peter 3:1 ¶Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

The Church of the Living God

It is inevitable that enthusiastic members of the churches of Christ will begin to speak with members of other religious institutions, and invariably, the characteristics of what makes one church differ from the other must be discussed. Our religious friends will agree that there is one God, and that Jesus is the Head of the Body, the church, but there is a disconnect that occurs between us regarding what those things mean. While we insist vehemently that the churches of Christ (the sound ones) have the faith and practice right and everyone else has it wrong, this seems too much to swallow to our friends.

There are several ways to deal with this, but I believe that discussing the character of the church in the Bible is much better than attacking whatever false doctrines each denomination maintains. After all, we do not have to know and debate the nature of every form of counterfeit $20 bill; we just have to know what a real one looks like. If approached with an honest heart, anyone can discern whether or not their faith, practice, and group stand in harmony with the scriptures; and if not, they can conclude that such group should not exist. It is simple enough to ask, what does the Bible say the church was in the first century?

The church of the Bible only takes one name, though there are variations and metaphors of many types. There is only one proper name given to individuals: “Christians” (cf. Acts 11:26), and thus, we conclude that any other designation is wrong (cf. Acts 4:12). The most precise of all designations when speaking of all or groups of these individuals is “the churches of Christ” (cf. Romans 16:16). These are the names the churches of Christ today have taken for themselves, and swear off any other.

The church of the Bible describes its leadership structure as having a plurality of elders in each congregation (cf. Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Each elder has a set of qualifications he must meet (see 1Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). All of the terms “elders,” “Overseers,” “Bishops,” “Pastors,” “Shepherds,” and “Presbyters,” have reference to the same group of men, and actually come from only three different Greek words. These men, working together, make the decisions for the congregation, but have no authority over other congregations. They appoint Deacons (see 1Timothy 3:8-13). Either set of men may do the preaching, or they may have an outside man come in to preach who would be known as an “evangelist” (cf. Acts 21:8; 2Timothy 4:5), a “preacher” (Romans 10:14), or a “minister” of the gospel (cf. Romans 15:16). The preacher occasionally may become and elder, but the modern use of the term “Pastor” is a misnomer. His main function is to “preach the word” (2Timothy 4:2), not “oversee the flock” as is given to elders (cf. Acts 20:28). These are the terms as they are used for the church in the Bible, and these are what the churches of Christ today have in place.

To be brief, the Bible describes the church’s assembled worship this way: Prayer to the Father (cf. 1Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 6:6), singing without the use of mechanical instruments (cf. Acts 16:25; Ephesians 5:17; Colossians 3:16; 1Corinthians 14:15; Hebrews 2:12), giving of an offering once every 1st day of the week (see 1Corinthians 16:1, 2 & 2Corinthians 8, 9), taking of the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week (cf. Acts 20:7; 1Corinthians 11:23-26), and preaching the gospel (cf. Acts 20:7; Romans 1:15-17). This is the worship of the churches of Christ today.

There may be several other things that are issues preventing fellowship among congregations, but the system of salvation that the Bible presents is first priority. One must hear and believe the gospel (cf. John 8:24); one must repent from sin, turning to God (cf. Acts 17:30, 31); one must confess faith in Christ (cf. Acts 8:37; Romans 10:10); one must be baptized in faith (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12; 1Peter 3:21); and one must live faithfully even unto death (Revelation 2:10). When a Christian sins, he has access to God through prayer to seek forgiveness (cf. Acts 8:9-24; Hebrews 4:16). This is the plan of salvation the Bible describes, and it is what is offered by the churches of Christ today.

Please consider the character of the church you attend. You may discover your soul depends on it.

-R.

That They All May Be One

If any passage of scripture deserved to be called “The Lord’s Prayer,” contrary to popular thought, it is John 17:1-26. In the first portion, He asserts His relationship to the Father (vs. 1-5), and from here, He turns His attention to those men standing near. He commends them to God in glowing terms of having been faithful to the Word (vs. 6-10). He makes a definite distinction between them and the rest of the world: “I pray for them: I pray not for the world…” (v. 9). This was a special prayer on behalf of those special men. Then He brings a little more focus to what it was He desired for them: “…keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” (v.11) He wanted the individuals to have the sort of unity He enjoyed with the Father, but not only so for them: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us…” (v.20, 21)

Now, let us be honest: Are all who admit a belief in the Bible “one” like the unity Jesus had with the Father? Do all the various groups distinguished by names and doctrines have any true biblical unity at all? How did all of this division happen? It could not be with the sanction of the Father, as “God is not the author of confusion” (1Corinthians 14:33). We can be certain that belief in “their word” – meaning, the apostle’s words – was not the cause. They wrote such things as: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1Corinthians 1:10). The only conclusion one may rightly draw is that somewhere along the way, people stopped doing and believing what the apostles wrote, and started doing other things, taking other names, and dividing themselves from the truth.

Jesus’ heart-felt prayer is being thwarted by stiff-necked, stubborn people whose pride prevents them from reexamining their beliefs, and conforming to God’s Word. What was Jesus’ reason why He wanted them all to be one? “…that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me…” (vs. 21-23) The very purpose of Jesus coming to Earth, “…to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10), is being undone by the disunity of those who claim to believe.

Why is there such apathy among the denominations, an unwillingness to discuss the right and the wrong beliefs among “Christendom?” Perhaps, it is because “…every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (John 3:20, 21) The proverb of Solomon continues to be true: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1)

Encouraging unity, Paul explained that “[There is] one body…” and “…one faith…” (cf. Ephesians 4:3-6). Should we not be making efforts to bring believers together, rather than separate into denominations? Can we not see that division is sinful? With a willingness to correct any errors we might hold, we openly invite anyone to discuss any topic. Honest, God-fearing people should be able to use common sense, reason, and logic, and come to the same correct conclusions over what God says to us in the Bible. To fulfill Jesus’ prayer, who will come, “that [we] all might be one?”

-Robetron