Becoming A Mature Christian

2009-07-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

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Please Note: The entire book is on this blog-site. Please leave me a comment about anything to improve this site, or to request a hard-copy of this book [$20 - paperback $25 - hardcover/limited availability]. Thanks, pdc
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BECOMING A MATURE CHRISTIAN
AM I STILL A SPIRITUAL BABY?
By Donald W. French

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface…………………………………………………………
Acknowledgements…………………………………………….
Foreword……………………………………………………….

SECTION 1:
The Benefits of the Worship Service in Christian Growth

Section Introduction…………………………...…
Chapter 1: The Blessings of Preaching.
Chapter 2: The Blessings of Singing.
Chapter 3: The Blessings of Prayer.
Chapter 4: The Blessings Partaking of the Communion.
Chapter 5: The Blessings Associated with the Contribution.
Section Summary ……………………………………………….

SECTION 2:
The Importance of Submission

Section Introduction……………………..
Chapter 1: Submission to God.
Chapter 2 : Submission to the Leadership in the Local Congregation.
Chapter 3: Submission to the Other Members of the Local Congregation.
Chapter 4: Submission to the Government.
Chapter 5: Submission to the Family.
Section Summary……….

SECTION 3:
Putting on The Armour of God

Section Introduction…………….………………
Chapter 1: Having Your Lions Girt About With Truth.
Chapter 2: The Breastplate of Righteousness.
Chapter 3: Feet Shod With The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace.
Chapter 4: The Shield of Faith.
Chapter 5: The Helmet of Salvation.
Chapter 6: The Sword of the Spirit.
Section Summary………..………………………………

SECTION 4:
Christian Growth

Section Introduction……………………………
Chapter 1: Faith.
Chapter 2: Virtue.
Chapter 3: Knowledge.
Chapter 4: Temperance.
Chapter 5: Patience.
Chapter 6: Godliness.
Chapter 7: Brotherly Kindness.
Chapter 8: Charity.
Section Summary………………………………..........

SECTION 5:
Am I still a Babe in Christ?

Section Introduction……………………………….
Chapter 1: Am I still Carnally Minded.
Chapter 2: Do I Possess the Fruits of the Spirit.
Chapter 3: Do I Understand and Teach the
First Principles of the Doctrine of Christ?.
Chapter 4: Do I know my Function in the Body of Christ?
Section Summary...................

SECTION 6:
Book Summary

2009-05-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

BECOMING A MATURE CHRISTIAN
Am I Still A Spiritual Baby?
By Donald W. French

PREFACEThe focus of this book is to provide a step by step process starting with the first step a person takes in their Christian growth and continues until an individual reaches maturity. These steps are in Sections (chapters).

As each step is considered, you will notice emphasis is placed upon internalizing each principal taught. For instances, in singing in worship services, we sing with such fervor and thought, as if, "to pluck, twang the strings of our hearts," as we make melody (music) to the Lord. In every facet and principal covered in this book, this is stressed.

The sincerity of Don is indicated throughout in his deep conviction in "saving souls." Although hindered greatly with "Parkinson's Disease", with help and assistances of brethren in the church, he continues to conduct Bible studies with those he can find that are willing to study with him, and has realized a conversion rate of well over fifty percent. This inter-conviction is seen as he stresses the importance of each child of God being a soul winner for Christ.

This book should be a source of encouragement and strength as each individual endeavors to live the Christian life.

Jack A. Cutter

2009-05-27T23:42:00.000-07:00

BECOMING A MATURE CHRISTIAN
By Donald W. French

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI want to acknowledge the help of many people in the shaping of the mindset that formed in my character over the 56 years of my life. First of all, I want to acknowledge my indebtedness to my parents, Jesse and Lena French, who raised me to believe in, to love, and to obey the Lord above all else. I disagreed with them about many things while I was a youngster at home, but it is amazing how much wiser they have become as I grew older. After having done not so good a job in raising three kids, I am truly amazed and filled with respect after looking back and seeing how good a job they did with seven.

I also want to acknowledge the tremendous aid I received in my younger years, studying with preachers of the caliber of Jack Cutter and Ervin Waters. From Jack Cutter, I learned about preparing sermons, studying topics and how to understand the Bible and the basic doctrines that differentiate the Church of Christ from the many religious organizations that exist. Additionally Jack has been a tremendous help to me in helping edit this book, without his help, it would not have been nearly as readable. From Ervin Waters, I learned compassion and an enthusiasm for personal work. To both of these men, I want to express my appreciation and love for taking the time to encourage a naïve young kid.

Additionally, I want to thank Steve DeWitt of the Yuba City, California congregation, who put a bug in my ear one evening in March of 2007. He is the one who first put the idea into my head about writing a book of some of my sermons. At the time, I just laughed, but then my brother, Ken French, of the Norco, California congregation agreed with him and said he thought I had a unique perspective and ability to tie verses in the Bible together.

So if there is anyone to blame for my undertaking this task of assembling this book of some of the sermons I have given over the years, it is these two men. I appreciate their encouragement very much.

For those of you who do not know me, I possess no superior knowledge or training and have held only one weekend meeting in my entire life and that was at the Winters congregation in California around 1980 give or take a year or two. I do not even classify myself as a preacher, but am proud to have been a teacher of the gospel in a number of congregations, such as the 64th Street Church of Christ in Sacramento, California where I have studied privately and taught publicly for the last seventeen years, two years at the Yuba City Congregation in Yuba City, California, and for one year at the Fair Oaks congregation, in the Sacramento area. I also owe a special thanks to the North Area congregation, where I taught and worked for approximately ten years. The congregation there gave me the opportunity to teach and supported me part time, while I was attending College.

I also want to give a special acknowledgement to my very special Aunt, Flora Helvey, who passed away in November of 2005, after having been in a convalescent hospital for ten years suffering from Alzheimer’s. When I first came to Sacramento from Redding, in 1973, at the young age of 21, she was the first to encourage me to teach and work for the Lord. She sold Watkins’ Products in order to give me the money to eat, to pay for gas for my 1966 Ford Mustang. She is also the one who got me the job working at the Crestwood Manor Convalescent and Psychiatric Hospital where I met the woman I have been married to for 31 years, my wife, Jeannette. I owe everything to Jeannette, She has laughed at either me or my jokes, put up with me telling everyone I had to go to a mental institution in order to find someone that was crazy enough to marry me, and encouraged me and been there for me through thick and thin. Without her, I do not believe I could have stayed the course and fought the good fight. Thank You, Jeannette, my sweet loving bride of 31 years.

2009-05-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

FOREWORDI have chosen to write this my first book and entitle it, “Becoming A Mature Christian”, because this is the area in my opinion is the most needed in the Church of Christ. This has been the area I have tried to concentrate on in my 39 years of teaching and conducting Bible studies. This is also the area I have found the least amount of writing that exists within our brotherhood. While there has been no lack of men with knowledge to preach and conduct Bible studies within the brotherhood, I have found there is a surprising lack of these studies put down for others to study and learn from. This was the niche I have devoted my life to, developing studies and sermons and putting them down on paper, so others could use them, if they so desired.

I do not mean to sound like I think I am better at getting up studies than anyone else, or that my studies are so clear and full of wisdom, but rather almost anything is better than nothing, as long as it is from the word of God. I do not claim to have developed a new style of conducting Bible studies. At an early age, I knew I wanted to do personal work for the Lord and I found the style that suited me in the book, “From House to House” by Ivan Stewart. I had no desire to teach publicly, as I was extremely shy and was scared to death at just the thought of standing before a group, let alone talking. But I quickly learned the people I had been studying with were more likely come to the worship services of the Church to hear me if I would but speak and that is how I started teaching publicly.

The method I use to get my studies and sermons together is time consuming, but it works for me. The longest time I worked on any single sermon was approximately eight months was two sermons I worked on simultaneously, “The Establishment of the Kingdom” and “Grace”. I will use the sermon “The Establishment of the Kingdom” as an example of how I get sermons and studies together.

The first stage is what I call, “Gathering the Information Stage”. During this stage of preparing a sermon, I try to find every verse I can find on the subject. I also write down stories I think may help explain what I am trying to say, as well as any thought, poem, song, or anything I can think of. During this stage, I do not try to eliminate any verse or form any opinion or preconceived idea. My purpose is to study to learn what the Holy Spirit intended on the matter. I just try to gather information. For example, in preparing the sermon, “The Establishment of the Kingdom”, during this phase, I went through Strong’s Concordance and Young’s Concordance, just listing every verse I could find that included the words, kingdom, king, and ruler.

The second stage, I call “The Culling Stage”. During this stage, I start reading the verses for context and eliminating verses that obviously do not deal with the topic of the lesson. For example, when I was preparing my sermon, “The Establishment of the Kingdom”, during the second part of the preparation, “The Culling Stage”, I found many of the verses I had written down, dealt with different earthly kingdoms, earthly kings, and earthly rulers and I eliminated them because I was only interested in the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven. During this stage, the only verses I eliminate are verses that obviously have nothing to do with the topic.

The third stage, I call “Listing of Points Stage”. On this third pass through the sermon, I go into a more in-depth study of each verse. I will look up the Greek words and their meanings, I will read various translations and commentaries, and I begin listing the points are contained within the verse or group of verses. I may also eliminate verses that upon a closer examination do not deal with the topic. During this stage, I actually try to list every point I can find in a verse, whether or not I may end up using the point or not.

The fourth stage, I call “Arranging by Topic Stage”. During this stage, I begin grouping verses together by the points I have listed and by topics or rather subtopics, since by this point in the process most of the verses all deal with one topic. During this stage, I still do not eliminate verses based on anything other than the fact it is obvious they have nothing to do with the subject of the sermon. As I go through the verses and again studying them carefully I begin tying verses together based on the points I have previously listed.

The fifth stage, which I call “The Elimination Stage” I normally go through the entire sermon again for the purpose of eliminating verses. Since by this stage, I have already eliminated verses that do not have anything to do with the topic, I am concentrating on eliminating verses that say the same thing. During this stage of the sermon, I probably do the most praying for the help of God and for understanding. If I have several verses that say the same things, I will try to find the verse that uses words I can explain the easiest or a verse that covers several points simultaneously. I then eliminate the other verses as long as I am sure I am not eliminating any important point.

The sixth and usually the final stage is one I refer to as “The Final Stage”. This part of getting the sermon together is normally the least time consuming since I have already studied the verses within their context and in depth. What I am doing during this final step is simply going through and checking for spelling errors and reading the sermon aloud as I am writing down or since I have began using a computer, keyboarding the final points into the sermon or study. As you can tell, I have no magic potion which enables me to get up and teach, but rather, I have worked out a process which even though it is time consuming seems to work for me. It involves a lot of in-depth studying but I have come to realize that is how God intended it to be.

Isaiah 28:13 "But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken."

In Isaiah, God reveals through the Holy Spirit, one of the reasons God has chosen the way he has to deliver the word of God is to cull out those who are lazy or who want to believe what they want. Putting the sense of these verses in my words, what God is saying here is he has chosen to give the Bible a little here and a little there so it takes effort to find everything God has given on a subject. In simple plain English, God has set the Bible up in the way he has to filter out those who will not study to see what God wants them to do.

I hope this is helpful to some in understanding and studying the Word of God and preparing sermons and studies. During the writing of this book, I have had to use the same type of procedures I do in getting up my sermons. I have done my fair share of producing scrap paper in the many rewrites I have done and according to modern scientists I have probably done more than my fair share of contributing to global warming. But I trust in God all things will work together for good to them that love him and look forward to his appearing.

SECTION 1: The Benefits of the Worship Service in Christian Growth

2009-04-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Section Introduction
In my experience, the most important factor in whether or not a newborn babe in Christ grows into a mature Christian or whether they die spiritually is their attendance at the Public Worship Services. If you want to grow as a Christian and succeed in being pleasing to your Lord and Master Jesus Christ the righteous King, then you will put attending the worship services of His Church first. By this I mean, you will plan everything else around the scheduled worship services of the local congregation. You do not plan vacations unless you have checked ahead of time to make sure you can be at the worship services of a faithful congregation of the Church. You will not accept work which may interfere with being able to partake of the Communion every Lord’s Day with Brothers and Sisters of like precious faith.

I have noticed a pattern of success or failure in Christian growth, in the 40 years since I first began teaching the gospel. If the newborn babe in Christ does not understand the importance of the spiritual meal that is the Sunday morning worship of the Church, within a year, they have left the Church and fallen by the wayside. I have also noticed the habits a newborn Christian develops after they were baptized into Christ stays with them for the rest of their lives. If you do not make serving God the very highest priority when you begin serving him, you will find it extremely difficult to change. I have seen many newborn babes fall into a dangerous pattern of worship. They fall away, come back, repent, confess their sins before the brethren and God, and have the brethren pray for them then they turn right around and go back to their old ways. They repeat this pattern time and again. I am reminded of the verse in 2 Peter 2:22 where it says “The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” Why do they continue in this destructive pattern? I believe it stems from the patterns and habits they set when they first obeyed the gospel. It appears to be very difficult for people to change later. This is not a Biblical fact I am stating, but I have seen it happen over and over again.

Steadfast and heartfelt worship is the food on which our spirits live. A good spiritual diet is necessary to keep one strong and healthy. If an infant does not receive a steady diet of nutritious foods, it not only affect the child’s physical growth, but their mental growth as well. They also develop poor eating habits which may last the rest of their lives. In the same way, a spiritual newborn that is not fed properly in the beginning of their Christian life may suffer as a result and never grow to be a strong, healthy, and mature Christian.

The public worship service was designed by an all-knowing God to be a well-balanced spiritual meal. It is designed to feed babes in Christ who have just obeyed the gospel. They need spiritual milk. It is also designed to feed the mature Christian who loves to gnaw on spiritual meat. However, unlike a physical meal, where it does not really matter what you are thinking about or the effort you put into it, the spiritual meal that is the worship service depends quite heavily upon the thought and effort Christians put into it. There are a multitude of spiritual benefits and spiritual blessings which are available in the public worship services. God has planned for you to receive these benefits and blessings, but it ultimately depends upon the effort you put into the worship service.

Whenever I hear someone complaining about how they did not get anything from the public worship service, I am reminded of a story I read many years ago. In this story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this man, John Carter, is transported to the planet Mars and several books are dictated supposedly by John Carter recounting the stories of his adventures to Mr. Burroughs. In one of these books, John Carter recounts a story about this culture on Mars where they executed their prisoners by putting them in “The Pit of Plenty.” The prisoner was lowered into the dark pit and after they were safely at the bottom, the lights would come on and they would find themselves surrounded by tables covered with the most delicious food and drink. But whenever someone reached for the food to partake of it, they would find an invisible barrier in the way. The horror of this means of execution was that surrounded by mountains of food and drink, the prisoner would slowly starve to death. This is what happens to many Christians. When they are surrounded by an immense amount of spiritual food, they slowly starve to death spiritually because they either are not taught properly to recognize these spiritual foods or they simply refuse to reach out, pick up the spiritual food, and feast. In essence what they are admitting is they did not put any effort into the worship service if they did not get anything out of it.

God has placed a big responsibility upon the leadership and teachers in a congregation to make an effort to ensure the needs of both the individual members and those of the entire congregation are met by making sure a well-balanced spiritual meal is provided. But ultimately it is the responsibility of each member of the congregation including teachers and leaders to make sure they are putting their whole heart into each part of the worship service in order to strengthen the other members of the body of Christ and in turn each member is fed. Christ did not come down from Heaven to get anything for himself. He came to give his life for our sins and to provide for our needs. As Christians, we are to follow Christ’s example and to be more concerned about what we can put into the worship service to strengthen others than what we can get for ourselves from the public worship service. But this in turn causes us to be strengthened. So in reality being unselfish benefits one more than being selfish. So it could be said the unselfish person is actually being more selfish, since they are receiving more blessings.

Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

The writer of Hebrews teaches us the same thing, Christianity is not a selfish religion. We are not to be as concerned about what we can get out of the worship service as what we need to put into it in order to strengthen our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. This is one of the reasons we as Christians should not forsake the assembly of the Church because how can I exhort or strengthen you, if I am not at the assembly with you? How can I know how to provoke you to grow in love and good works, if I do not know you what your strengths and weakness are? What your needs are?

1 Corinthians 12:11-26 "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it."

Another important fact is the worship service was designed by God to be the means a congregation uses to strengthen one another, sometimes referred to as “the one another principle.” Contrast that with today’s culture of instant gratification in which people have come to look upon the worship service as Entertainment. If they have not been entertained they do not believe they have been spiritually uplifted and spiritually fed. If you have ever visited one of these “so-called” churches, you will see nothing like the simple, but elegant design you find in the Bible. Each part of the worship service is designed by God for each Christian to encourage and strengthen each other by using the talents God has given each of us, as members of His Son’s body. Each of our talents work together to bring out the best in each of us and to strengthen us.

As we will notice further on in this section of the book, God has designed each part of the public worship service to be a combined effort of each member rising up as sweet incense before him. In my mind’s eye, I picture the public worship service as a symphony with Jesus as the conductor. In the same way it takes every member and their instruments playing at their best to do the musical piece justice, so each and every member of the congregation putting their emotions and mind into each item of worship is necessary to provide the spiritual meal that is first and foremost pleasing to God as well as uplifting to each member of the congregation.

Chapter 1: The Blessings of Preaching

2009-04-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
WHAT IS PREACHING: The word in the Greek which is translated preaching is uangelizoo which means to bring good news, to announce glad tidings, to tell thoroughly, to talk, to discourse, to make full.

Preaching is a lot more than just talking. Anyone can get up before an audience and talk. Comedians do it all of the time. But being a good comedian does not mean one is a preacher. To be a preacher of the gospel is to be a forth-teller of the good news about Jesus Christ, to proclaim His salvation to others. In order for one to be preaching, they must first be speaking the good news about Jesus Christ, who came down to this world of sin and sorrow and died on the cross to become the author of eternal salvation.

Is it enough to just teach and say Jesus Christ should be the Lord of one’s life in order for one to be preaching? NO!!! A preacher must also fully inform others of God’s will. To be a servant of the most-high God, one must be willing to teach all of the will of God. The style and eloquence of the preacher is not the point of preaching, but rather the content and the message being delivered is what determines if one is a preacher of the gospel or not. While the eloquence of a speaker or his charisma might help the listener in enjoying the speaker, it has nothing to do with the truth of his message. Truth is necessary for one as a preacher of the gospel to be pleasing to God. Preaching the truth is the element that truly makes one a preacher of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 14:6-12 "Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church."

To be able to preach or teach means I have the ability to not only understand what I am reading, but to understand it well enough so I can explain it to the listeners in such a way they will understand also. What Paul is saying is, “What good does it do to understand something if you can not explain the topic in such a way as to edify the audience.” Therefore it is important to use language the audience understands as well as to use words the audience can understand also. The entire purpose of preaching in the worship service is the edification (building up) of others. We need as teachers to make sure the purpose for our teaching is not showing the audience how smart we are and how many big words we know.

So from a Biblical perspective, the things that make you a good teacher or preacher of the gospel also depend on your audience. If you can communicate your knowledge of spiritual matters in such a way the audience will understand and grow spiritually, then you may be a successful preacher. I personally enjoy a very in-depth study where the teacher goes into detail regarding the Greek words and their meanings, but it is possible to go too deep into the lesson and to lose the attention of the audience. If they do not understand what you are saying, you might as well be speaking in an unknown foreign language.

1 Corinthians 14:21-22 "In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe."

Another important part of preaching is letting God speak though you. The most important factor is to make sure you are speaking the oracles of God. The only way I know how to do this is to let the Bible develop the points I am trying to make by using Bible verses. I do not claim to be a great orator, so I tend to use a fair number of verses in my sermons. I am not trying to say others can not teach a scriptural lesson without using a lot of scripture, but I just know it works out better in most cases, in my experience, if the teacher uses more verses and less opinion.

I Corinthians 14:34-36 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?"

We see the Bible teaches that for the teaching to be satisfactory in the sight of God, it must be done by men only. We all recognize many people and religions do not want to accept this Biblical truth and today it is not considered politically correct, but it is still what the word of God teaches. In the public worship service, the only time a woman may speak is when God has directly commanded her to, for example, all Christians are commanded by God to sing as a congregation. It is not pleasing in the sight of God if women teach publicly.

The commands of God are not given to be applied in one congregation, but not in another congregation. The commands given are to be applied to everyone. This does not mean everyone is identical and so you must deliver the message exactly the same in every congregation. But it does mean while God has left in many cases the exact words the teacher uses to the speaker, He still expects the same doctrine to be taught everywhere in every congregation of the Lord’s Church. God does not send different commands to different congregations. Every command applies universally

WHY WE PREACH
Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

Many different reasons could be given as to why we need preachers and teachers. The first one is: to spread the gospel (good news) to as many as possible, in order to give the lost a chance to be saved. How can they obey the gospel if they have not heard it? We preach to make believers of non-believers. This is a very important work and one we need men to feel very fervent about. There are more non-believers than there are men who are capable teachers. In Matthew 28:20, after baptizing non-believers and making them into disciples, Jesus taught we need to “Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” This is when the real work begins. It is the responsibility primarily of the teachers in a local congregation to teach Christians to observe all the commands Jesus has given. Sometimes it appears we understand the first part of the Great Commission, but do not realize there is more to it. Baptism is not the end of our work, but it is only the beginning.

Another reason we need preachers and teachers is to help Christians mature, to grow and to study to understand the word of God so they can in turn help other Christians mature and grow. Often we baptize many people in a congregation, and we rejoice with each baptism, but after a short time, how many are still faithful to the Lord?

Something is wrong Brethren. In my ministry, I personally have baptized approximately 35 people, not to mention those I was involved in studying with, but others baptized. Most of them are out of duty. Most of whom over the years I have lost contact with and have no idea how to get in touch with them. They are most likely lost.

Why? Part of the fault was my inexperience in understanding how to help others to mature as Christians over the years, and part of the fault lies with brethren striving against each other, rather than striving together, and there are probably many other reasons. However, all we can do is learn from our mistakes. Let us repent and bring forth “works that show our change of life.” We need to be ready to “Teach the word, in season and out of season” Let us strive to teach the word of God together and pray together and work together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

We also want to notice our responsibility, both individually and collectively as a congregation of believers and as the Church of Christ does not end after 10 or 20 years. Brethren, preachers and teachers, we have a responsibility to be teaching about Jesus and his reason for coming to this world until the time comes for him to return in the air. We need to realize we are in this for the long haul. We need to learn to run and not grow weary, lest when Jesus returns, he find us resting on our laurels. He may find us out of duty.

Acts 8:35-36 "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?"

We see the purpose for teaching is to reveal Jesus. Brethren, we need to learn to start where people are at and learn to preach Jesus unto them. I imagine if Phillip were alive today and the Ethiopian Eunuch said to him, I am reading from Isaiah the prophet, could you help me to understand what I am reading, if he were like many of us, he would have said, “That is the Old Testament, we will have to wait till you get to the New Testament, then I can help." The point is we need to realize Jesus came to seek and save the sinner. If we are too busy to preach to sinners, then brethren, who do we preach to and who do we baptize?

We want to notice preaching Jesus includes teaching about everything Jesus taught and commanded, from baptism to dying, from the new birth to how to be ready to face God on the Day of Judgment. Teaching is a serious responsibility, one we need to take seriously. Either we take it serious here or the consequences will be serious on the final day.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

The main reason for preaching and teaching is to reveal the gospel plan of salvation. If a person claims to be an evangelist, a preacher or a teacher of the gospel and they do not reveal the full plan of salvation, they have either fooled themselves or they know they are liars. In order for someone to be a true teacher, they must study the Holy Scriptures to come to a full understanding of the gospel plan of salvation, otherwise they are not wise, they do not understand the things of God. They have never allowed God to speak to them through the Holy Scriptures when they study to prove what they already believe, rather than studying to learn what God actually wants.

Another reason for preaching is to reveal the complete doctrine of Jesus. Jesus told the apostles in the Great Commission, “…Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…” To do the work of the Lord, one must be willing at times to do the unpopular thing and stand for the truth.

Sometimes preaching is necessary to reprove those who have not been living right. A teacher of the gospel must be careful and differentiate between reproving those who have sinned and reproving those who do not live up to their expectations. Preaching is sometimes necessary to correct sin in the congregation and in the lives of individual Christians. A teacher MUST be tolerant in matters of opinion and intolerant in matters of sin. It is essential the teacher also knows the difference.

Another purpose for preaching is to instruct the congregation in the ways of righteousness. This was clearly stated in the Great Commission. Too many times when someone has been studied with and converted, after they have been baptized, they are expected to survive on their own. The main reason and purpose of preaching after one has been baptized is to provide spiritual food which will help encourage Christians to mature and to grow. After all, most preaching and teaching on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and at mid-week services is to baptized believers.

1 Corinthians 1:21 "For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

The purpose of all teaching and preaching whether to unbelievers or to believers is to get people to heaven. God uses us and the preaching of the gospel to begat spiritual sons and daughters. If our preaching is not fulfilling that need, then we need to re-examine our priorities. For example, one time, years ago, I attended services at a congregation on Sunday morning only to hear a speech about why it was so important for Christians to vote. Even then the speaker did not use a single verse to show what he was trying to teach. When the speaker was done, who had been fed spiritually? The Church is not a political entity. How liberal or conservative one is politically has nothing to do with one’s salvation or growth as a Christian.

HOW WE ARE TO PREACH?
WHAT ARE THE BIBLICAL GUIDELINES FOR PREACHING?
Acts 20:7 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

The Bible clearly teaches preaching is to be part of the worship service, especially on the first day of the week, on the service that normally now falls on Sunday morning. To be scriptural and pleasing to God preaching MUST be done to an undivided assembly, all disciples are to be gathered together to sing, pray, partake of the communion, to give of their means and to be involved in the teaching of the gospel. One other comment on a pet peeve of mine, while I do not believe it serves the best interest of the congregation for a preacher or a teacher to continue speaking long after he has lost the attention of the audience, lately it seems a preacher is judged good or bad based solely on how short his sermon is. I believe while it is one of the responsibilities of a teacher to have studied and prepared his lesson with the idea in mind to keep the attention of the audience, the audience also has a responsibility to listen and pay attention in order to be edified.

1 Corinthians 14:29-33 "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, had to chastise and correct them, because they were not following the doctrine as it had been delivered unto them. Apparently they were allowing more than one man to speak or to teach at the same time. Paul starts off by reminding them the number of men who should teach in the worship service was two or three and then only if they were speaking one at a time. Additionally he reminds them it was the responsibility of the teacher to teach in such a way the audience could understand and they could receive comfort from the word of God. Not only is it the responsibility of the teacher to edify the congregation, but they have a responsibility to teach in such a way as to bring peace and harmony in the congregation.

The pulpit stand is not the place to bicker and fight over petty things. If I think I have learned a truth from God’s word that is new or if I have a disagreement with another teacher, as a teacher of the gospel, I have a responsibility to go privately to the other teachers and study the matter and reach an agreement privately before teaching it publicly. Think of all of the troubles that would have been avoided in the past, if this had been followed.

1 Corinthians 14:34 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law."

We see to be a preacher or a teacher or even to hold an office in the Church one must be a baptized, believing faithful man. No where does the Bible teach this is because the woman is not as bright as a man or not as good as a man. Rather it is the will of God as revealed through the Holy Spirit. God does not permit women to teach or to speak in the public worship service of the Church, instead they are to be under obedience. I do not claim to understand all the reasons for this or any other command of God. It should be sufficient the word of God commands it.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

Paul in writing to Timothy repeats the command about women learning in silence and being under subjection. Paul, again very clearly states a woman is not to hold an office in church, or to even speak, the difference being Paul gives two reasons God wants this, first Adam was created before Eve and the Eve was deceived when she partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but the man knew what he was doing was wrong. These are the only reasons given. I do not claim to understand how these reasons even apply, but these are the reasons given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God said it, and that is enough for a child of God.

WHAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PREACHER?
2 Timothy 2:15-16 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."

One of the first responsibilities of a Christian teacher is to study to make sure he understands what he is teaching. This should be of primary importance, starting from the first lesson he ever attempts. It is also the responsibility of the leadership of the congregation to make sure this takes place. If the leadership of a congregation fulfilled their responsibility in regard to training the young men to study and to be prepared before they become regular teachers in the congregation, a lot of problems and false doctrines that have sprang up, would have been handled long before they became big problems.

So, we see it is the responsibility of the teacher and leadership of the congregation to make sure what is being taught is first scriptural, secondly it is being taught in such a way as to be understandable to everyone. I believe, this means preachers and teachers should as much as possible avoid speculations and opinions, because the opinions of men are ungodly and once they are allowed and tolerated in a congregation, they will bring in much more ungodliness, heresies, and problems within the congregation.

Proverbs 26:20-21 "Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife."

The wise man, Solomon, uses a law of nature to teach a spiritual truth. He says, “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.” How true this is. According to Solomon, every congregation that has strife and wishes to put an end to the strife, in order to solve their problem first needs to silence those who are stroking the fire through tale bearing. This also means teachers within the congregation must use extreme caution that they do not either intentionally or accidentally become guilty of the sin of tale bearing.

1 Peter 4:11 "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

The Apostle Peter gives a number of important guidelines to follow if a preacher or teacher of the gospel wants to be pleasing to God. First and foremost, they must make sure the things they teach are the oracles or commands of God. I would hate to stand before God in the Day of Judgment and hear the proclamation, “Depart from me, I never authorized the things you taught.

It is essential a teacher humble themselves and recognize the fact he is just a tool being used by God. God is owed all of the glory and honor, the teacher is owed none, just as a carpenter who uses a hammer to build a beautiful house, the carpenter is the one who possess the talent, not the hammer. It is very important the teacher avoid all appearances of bragging about what a good speaker they are or how good their lesson is.

Every teacher and preacher must realize also the fact that while God has given them the speaking ability they possess, God still expects us to use our talent or ability in order first of all; glory and honor will be given unto Him. This is so His word will not return unto Him void, but rather we can be used as a tool to lead others unto Him.

2 Timothy 4:2-5 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

It is the responsibility of the teacher or preacher to be ready to preach the word whenever the opportunity arises. This means the teacher needs to be well-versed in a wide variety of subjects and while some of us do not have great memories, we can still use a concordance or write a sermon or a study and save it for later. It is still the responsibility of these offices and men to be able to defend the truth and to be able to give answers to every one who asks a reasonable intelligent question.

The preacher may have to reprove at times, rebuke at times, and exhort at times and to comfort at other times, which means he must take his responsibility very seriously. Sometimes the audience may not want to hear the truth, it may not be popular, but he must still teach and be ready to give an answer. This is how the preacher does the work of an evangelist and makes full proof of his ministry.

2 Timothy 2:14 "Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers."

The preacher has a responsibility to bring the words of God to the remembrance of the audience and then to remind them of their responsibility in spreading of the gospel. The preacher also has a responsibility to not be nit picking about words which serve no purpose and to make sure the listeners know they have the same responsibility. While I personally think in general, the attitudes of the members of the Church has improved in this manner, I have in the past seen congregations split up over the striving of words not for the profit but for the subverting of the hearer.

1 Corinthians 14:32-33 "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."

Another reason why it is so important for teachers and preachers to study and be prepared, is because from my experience if a teacher has not studied and they get up and teach expecting to be delivered a message from God or the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit must have been asleep, because I have never heard someone get up and not be prepared that it did not show in their delivery.

The phrase “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” means the preacher always has control of what he says and is always responsible for what he says. The offices of the Church are all about responsibility and the same thing is true of the offices of the evangelist and the teacher. They have a responsibility to study so they preach the truth and they do not use the pulpit stand to bring strife and confusion to the congregation. Thus if one teacher comes to an understanding of a subject that is different than another teacher’s understand, the pulpit stand is not the place to argue it out, the teachers need to study the subject privately and reach an understanding of the truth.

WHAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUDIENCE?
Acts 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

We can see very clearly from this verse the opinion of God is not the opinion of most people today, especially in the religious world. Today, so many people expect the preacher to entertain them. Over the course of your life, how many times have you heard someone complain at the end of a sermon, “Well, I never got anything out of the services!!” God does not put all of the responsibility on the preacher. The listener has a responsibility to listen with an open mind and then to go study for themselves in order to make sure the things taught by the preacher are true. Then lastly they have the responsibility to apply the things they have learned to their lives.

Acts 20:7-9 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead."

The audience has a responsibility to listen and to pay attention, no matter how long the sermon is. As I had mentioned early, it is not the preacher’s responsibility to entertain the audience, but to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is part of the responsibility of the audience to pay attention, even though the speaker may be a boring, long-winded speaker. Therefore at times, perhaps the listeners need to take notes or find some means of helping them to keep their mind centered upon the sermon.

Hebrews 5:12-14 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Even though the preacher has a responsibility to study and to learn to teach in a way to edify the congregation, the audience also has a responsibility to listen, to study themselves, to apply what they learn to their lives and to grow spiritually. According to the writer of the Hebrew letter, the audience has a responsibility to grow to the point they can eat strong meat spiritually. This means one of the responsibilities of the audience is to become skillful in the word of righteousness. Every Christian has a responsibility to grow to the point where they can become teachers, in the case of men either publicly or privately and in the case of women privately.

1 Corinthians 14:20-22 "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe."

Paul, in I Corinthians, teaches some important facts in regard to the listeners: First-The listener has the responsibility to be a mature audience and listen objectively; Second-The listener has a responsibility to apply the teachings to themselves; Third-The listener has a responsibility to not become angry when the lesson applies to them, but to gain wisdom. These are the responsibility of being men versus being children.

1 Corinthians 14:25 "And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth."

We see the listener has a responsibility to apply the lesson to their own lives in a mature fashion. This means if the preacher accidentally steps on your toes by his preaching, first of all, you need to realize he probably was not thinking of you when getting the lesson together and instead you should thank him and God for revealing something you needed to know

1 Corinthians 14:37 "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."

The listener has the responsibility to listen with an open mind, then to study for themselves and after studying for themselves, to acknowledge the things taught from the Bible are from God and if it applies to them, then they need to add it to their lives.

Romans 10:15 "And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

We see here the listener has a responsibility to respect the preacher, to pay attention to the preacher, to learn from the preacher, and in turn to support the gospel through giving of their means.

How the World has changed Preaching
The religious world has changed preaching by making it into entertainment as they have everything else given by God. They have done this in a variety of ways. One of these is the preacher is expected to teach only nice feel good lessons. Many of the religious organizations have taken their guidance from the political scene rather than from God. Many religious organizations take polls to see what the community wants from their church and that is what they are given. Preachers preach in singsong voices for entertainment and charismatic effect rather than for a thus saith the Lord.

Additionally instead of preaching the word, many churches have started enacting plays and/or having everything from weightlifting champions lift weights or break boards while they talk and think they are doing a service for God rather than take the time to teach the truth from the word of God. Entertainment has replaced the almighty creator of the universe as God in the religious world. If you watch any television or radio program from the religious world, you will see nothing like the beautiful simplicity the Bible shows of simply preaching the word of God, which means at times teaching the simple doctrine of God’s word, at times having to reprove sin, at other times having to teach on how to correct sin and at times simply instructing the listeners in the commands of Jesus. Let us make sure and always stick to the simple teaching of the gospel as shown in the Holy Scriptures.

Chapter Summary
Blessings that come if all do their part properly in the preaching service:

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Chapter 2: The Blessings of Singing

2009-04-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

BIG>Chapter Introduction
WHAT IS SINGING?
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"

When God, in the New Testament, talks about singing, He does not talk about the requirement for sounding beautiful, but rather the emphasis is always on the heart (thinking about the words being sung and meaning the words being sung). As we notice here in Ephesians, Paul, speaking by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does not even use the Greek word for singing, but rather he uses the Greek word, laleoo, which is translated in the King James Version as “speaking”. According to Thayer, the word laleoo means to utter a sound. In Psalms the writer uses the phrase, “a joyful noise” stressing again the fact God is not concerned about how the words sound to the ears as men are. But rather God is concerned about how the words proceed forth from the heart.

In Ephesians 5:19, all three Greek words that are used to describe the songs being commanded, refer to songs that are sung acappella, or only using the voice. The Greek word translated here Psalms when used in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament used in Jesus day and time, does include songs that are sung with the accompaniment of instruments, but by Jesus day and time, the word, psalloo, Strong’s number 5568, had changed in meaning and according to Greek scholar’s meant only songs that were not accompanied by instruments. There were Greek words in general use at the time that meant songs were accompanied by the use of instruments. God did not see fit to use them rather He chose words that indicated songs which were not accompanied by instruments.

Therefore when I use the term, singing, in this book, I am always referring to songs which are sung without the use of mechanical instruments of any type. It is not enough to sing only without instruments of music in order to be pleasing to God, but the song has to be sung also with the spirit and understanding. Every song that is sung must be sung with words the user understands and they must come from the heart.

Matthew 15:18-20 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

The words which come forth from the lips originate in the heart (mind). Therefore, God is not pleased with a Christian just mouthing words they have memorized. Do you want to please God or man? If we want a choir accompanied by instruments of music, we are concentrating on what is pleasing to men. Songs sung by trained singers with natural talent accompanied by various instruments of music are pleasing to men, but are they pleasing to God? Nowhere does the Bible even hint that instruments of music are pleasing to God.

WHY WE SING
When we understand how much we have received from God and we begin to appreciate the love God has for us, then in natural response to that we begin to feel thankful which in turn leads to gratitude. A natural outcome of gratitude is a joy which is expressed through singing. Therefore any time we realize how great God is, we will want to burst forth in songs which express our feeling.

Singing is one of the many ways we as human beings have of showing our thanksgiving, our love, or feelings and emotions. If we want our singing to be pleasing to God, we need to know what is pleasing to God. So that is our purpose in this chapter, to see what the Bible, the word of God, says about singing, to please God.

Psalms 13:6 "I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me."

A natural outgrowth of receiving blessings from God is that we are thankful to Him and a natural way of human expression of thanks is singing. When we recognize how much we have received from God, we sing and this pleases God. Singing is one way we show appreciation to God and God wants us to recognize what he has done for us. He wants us to appreciate the sacrifices His son made for us and he is pleased when the human heart cannot be quiet, but must burst out in praise and thanksgiving to our heavenly Father.

I Chronicles 16:9 "Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works."

The realization of the many works the Lord has done for us causes us to want to sing. The more we realize how much we depend upon God, the more we desire to sing praises about God and His spectacular works. This is a natural response if we appreciate all God has done for us, but only if we truly appreciate the love God has manifested towards us.

Exodus 15:1-2 "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him."

Here is a perfect example of how appreciation for what God has done causes people to sing. If you remember God has just delivered the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. The children of Israel were trapped with the Egyptian army behind them and the Red Sea before them and miraculously they were delivered. The Egyptian army, which was coming to take them back, had just been drowned in the Red Sea.

Moses and the Israelites make up a new song and go about camp singing and thanking God. “I will sing unto the Lord, the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, He is become my salvation.” Only when someone truly understands what God has saved them from, will they truly desire to sing it out and tell others.

Romans 15:9 "And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."

Another reason we sing is so outsiders will know about God and sing praises unto His name also. We sing because we understand what God has done for us and so others will know the mercy of God and will glorify God because of the greatness of His mercy.

Acts 16:23-25 "And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."

Paul and Silas, even after they have been beaten, are singing praises unto God. Singing praises to God, helps fill us with the Holy Spirit and helps see us through trying times. Singing praises to God also teaches outsiders about God and differentiates Christians from non-Christians.

HOW WE SING
Psalms 92:1-2 "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,"

Our songs should show forth thanksgiving to God for what he has done for us. This means we should be thinking about all God has done for us. We should be remembering how Christ suffered and died in our place. If we realize how much God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son have done for us then we should have no trouble singing, knowing our songs will be showing forth praise to God. Our songs should and do show unto others how we feel about God. Therefore we need to stop and think before we start singing and examine ourselves as to what our hearts are feeling.

1 Corinthians 14:15 "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."

Our songs should spring forth from the heart and should express our feelings for God. We should also understand the words we sing and think about what the words mean as we sing. The phrase “to sing with the spirit and understanding” basically is saying we should sing words we understand and we need to think about them, in order that we mean the words we are singing. While singing with the spirit does not mean just singing with emotion, one cannot sing with the spirit without having emotions involved.

Ephesians 5:18-19 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"

Here being filled with the Spirit of God is being contrasted with being drunk. A person who is drunk has their inhibitions taken away, so they are more likely to just do or say anything. Thus basically they react emotionally without control, where being filled with the Holy Spirit while our emotions are involved, does not take away our will or our self-control at all. A person, who is filled with the Spirit of God, will be willing to express their feeling of joy, but they have control over their thoughts and emotions. Here in Ephesians, God does not just tell us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but he goes on and tells us how to do this, the first thing he says is “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” So we see being filled with the Spirit of God is something we as Christians have control over. Do you want to be filled with the Spirit of God? Then stop and start counting your blessing and as you realize how much God has done for you, just burst out singing praises to God. Tell God in song how much he means to you, thinking about the words as you sing, make sure they are coming from your heart., Make sure you are “plucking the strings of your heart”, that you are putting your feelings into your singing. If we do our part, God will do His part, because He always keeps His promises. You will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Just remember there is more involved in being filled with the Spirit than just singing, Paul, through the inspiration of God, goes onto say “ Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” So we see we always are in control of our spirits, as the Bible says, “The Spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” But if you want to be a Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit, you need to be a person who first of all is in submission to God. Then secondly, you need to be a person who is in the habit of going about singing praises to God from the heart, understanding the words you are singing, meditating on them. You need to be a person, who takes time to count their blessings and who takes the time to go to God in prayer, thanking Him for the many blessings you have received from Him. You need also to be a servant to others, helping them to grow as Christians, and helping them in whatever things they have need of.

To sum it up, a Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit is a baptized believer, who is a singing, appreciative servant of God and of his or her fellow Christians. We should be teaching each other and the visitors in our assembly how we feel about God, Jesus Christ, and one another through our songs.

THE BLESSINGS WE RECEIVE FROM SINGING PROPERLY
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

When we sing in the proper way, we grow in spiritual wisdom. When we sing in the scriptural manner, we are taught about spiritual things. When we sing as God would have us, we are admonished and encouraged. But for all of this to happen, we must sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, or to put it simply, we need to be singing in such a way our songs rise up before God as a sweet incense, as our gift back to God to show our appreciation for all He has done for us.

Ephesians 5:18-21 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

We, as Christians, are told not to be drunk with wine, wherein is excess, instead, we are told to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible goes on to tell us how to be filled with the Holy Spirit: by speaking to ourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, by teaching each other by the way we sing, by teaching visitors about the love we have for each other, by being a prayerful, appreciative people, and by being submissive first to God and then because we are in submission to God, we are submissive to each other. These things, if done properly, cause us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 2:11-12 "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee."

If we sing in the scriptural manner, we declare unto everyone we are brothers and sisters in Christ. If we sing in the scriptural way, we declare the name of Christ to everyone in attendance, especially our fellow Christians and if we exalt (lift up) the name of Christ, he will exalt us.

1 Chronicles 16:23 "Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation."

When we sing unto God in the way He has instructed, we show we are saved. When we sing unto God in the way we are commanded on a daily basis, his salvation grows in us and is shown through us.

Exodus 15:2 "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him."

When we sing unto the Lord God in the scriptural manner, we are preparing our hearts as a habitation for God. When we sing in the way God has intended, we lift up the name of God and we exalt Him. When we sing in the proper way, we show forth the salvation of God and we declare Him to be God.

Isaiah 35:10 "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

When the ransomed of the Lord return to the house of God and sing spiritual songs with joy in their hearts, they obtain joy and gladness. All sorrows and sadness will vanish away. When you are sad and depressed, sing unto the Lord as if you were happy and you will become happy and joyful.

How The World Has Changed The Singing Service
The world has changed and corrupted the singing service of the worship service probably more than any other part of the worship service. From the year, 666, when the Catholic Church introduced the organ into their services until now, the changes that have been made to the singing service has proven once again the wisdom and truthfulness of God when He revealed to us through the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:15-16 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us to study in order that God will approve of the things we do and so we can correctly understand the scriptures."

Paul continues in verse 26 and warns us to avoid profane and vain babblings for they are ungodly and once we start down that path, they will increase unto more ungodliness. Profane simply means anything not found in the Bible and vain babblings are talking about human wisdom or as the religious world loves to say, theology. Theology is simply trying to understand and comprehend about God and spiritual things from human reasoning which we know from studying the Bible is impossible. In the Old Testament in Numbers 24:13 "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?", the prophet Balaam lets us know how God looks at mankind’s additions. Even if I think I have a good idea, I am not to be adding to what God commands.

The first major change was the addition of musical instruments under the guise of convenience and improvement. As if mankind can improve on anything God has given! The next, as far as I can tell, is the addition of the choir. Both of these are supposedly justified by how they are an aid and not an addition, but I have visited at various religious organizations which have both instrumental music and choir and my experience tells me different. Every church I have been to that has musical instruments has at times during their services played their instruments with no singing, but I have never seen them even for a moment have singing with no instruments being played, the same being true for the choir, I have never seen the congregation singing but always the congregation sits and listens while the choir sings. Which is more important to them? Clearly their instrumental music and choir has become their entertainment and is more important to them than the beauty and simplicity the Bible pictures in the word of God. Otherwise if as they claim, these things are just conveniences, they would be having congregational singing by itself at times and the instruments of music and the choirs would be silent.

The religious world has gone so far astray that you can not in many cases tell the difference between the concerts you can go to in the world and the abominations the religious world refers to as their worship service. So far the only difference I see is I have not yet seen the insanity referred to as ‘The Mosh Pit” being justified as worshipping God, but I would not be surprised anymore by anything people do and the extremes they will go to in order to justify the things they do. Anything people do that works them into “a frenzy” has become what the denominational world refers to as “worshipping God.”

Chapter Summary

10.

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Chapter 3: The Blessings of Prayer

2009-04-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
WHAT IS PRAYER?
To petition, to beseech (beg), to smooth down, to bend or bow (to humble oneself), to ask, to wish.

Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Prayer is simply talking to God and letting Him know our needs. God does not want us to spend our time worrying. He wants us to trust Him. We manifest this in prayer by turning our problems over to God. We talk to Him about our problems and ask God for His help and then we go on with the rest of our life, trusting God to take care of everything. In the same way little children trust their parents to supply their needs, we as Christians should trust our heavenly Father. Children do not worry about where their next meal comes from. Children just know their parents will take care of them.

Prayer is talking to God, whatever the purpose.
Prayer includes a number of things. Prayer is petitioning God, asking for His help. Prayer is also taking the time to thank Him for what He has done. If we just stop and think a minute or two we would realize how numberless the blessings are that we are continually receiving from God. Prayer is also a time we can just talk to God as one would talk about their innermost thoughts with a friend. We also need to realize that prayer would not be complete without asking God for His forgiveness because of the many sins we commit against Him.

WHY WE PRAY
Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

One of the main reasons most people pray is they have problems in their lives. Prayer is letting God know our problems and our needs. We should not be worrying about our problems. Prayer is asking God for His help and then one of the hardest things for us to do sometimes is after turning it over to God for us to let go and have the patience to wait for God’s answers. We are to be like little children in that when they want something, they know in order to receive it, it must come from their parents, so they ask their parents for what they want and they trust their parents to supply their needs. Have you ever known a child worrying about where their next meal comes from? Children don't worry about it, they just know their parents will provide.

Whether or not we continue to worry about a problem after we have prayed to God and supposedly turned it over to Him, is probably one of the biggest indicators of how much we trust in God. A Christian who has ulcers from worrying about problems is something that should never happen.

Acts 6:4 "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word."

This verse and the surrounding verses teach a very valuable lesson about the importance of prayer. If you remember, the Church in its infancy was growing rapidly. This was shortly after the establishing of the Church on the day of Pentecost. Every year, according to history, from the Passover to Pentecost, Jews from all over the world came to Jerusalem to worship God and they remained there for around 50 days until Pentecost. The city of Jerusalem swelled to approximately 10 times its normal size. After the church was established on the day of Pentecost, instead of returning to their homes which were in “every nation under heaven”, the Christians remained in Jerusalem to learn more about this Messiah. If the Jews, who obeyed the gospel, were in the same proportions as the rest of the Jewish population in Jerusalem at the time, for every Christian who lived in the area of Jerusalem, there was at least nine who did not. So as time went on and those who were from other places ran out of money and food, it was impossible for the Christians who lived in Jerusalem to support the Christians from other countries. The need became so great they began to sell their property in order to meet the need of the saints. This is the situation that existed at the time of Acts Chapter 6. The Christian’s from other lands began to complain to the Apostles because they felt their widows were not being taken care of equally.

The Apostles tell the Church, “Look here, let’s get some help here, We Apostles are being distracted from the more important work of praying for the work and the work itself.” The spiritual work of the apostles was more important than feeding the hungry. Prayer is more important than any part of the physical needs of the Christians. Prayer is to be and always must be an essential part of taking care of everything we do. How many times do you think a work has failed, because we have allowed ourselves to be distracted by the physical needs of people and have not devoted ourselves to prayer and the spiritual work of the church?

I Timothy 4:4-5 "For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

When something is sanctified it means it has been set aside as special, dedicated for a special purpose. The Bible in these verses says it is prayer and the Word of God which sanctifies. Two important reasons we pray before our meals is to set aside the food to be used for the nourishing of our bodies and to show our appreciation to God for the blessings we receive. We as Christians should automatically pray to God and ask His blessings and give Him thanks, whether we are simply praying for food, offering thanks for the communion, praying for a new work, or anything we are doing at all. We need to learn to dedicate anything we do with prayer and then continue to pray for its success during the life of the work. I sincerely believe if we spent more time praying for the work of the Lord, we would have a lot less failures in the work. When we start off a new day with prayer, we have sanctified the day to the Lord or in other words we have set it aside as special and we have prepared ourselves for service to the Lord. The same is true of any work we become involved in. Fervent Prayer is essential to the success of any work.

HOW WE ARE TO PRAY
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

It is very plain what the Holy Spirit has revealed about the role of women in the public worship service and in praying publicly. They are to be in silence! Only male members are to pray aloud in the public worship services. The woman’s role in the public prayer is to be praying silently. This does not mean the private prayers of women do not accomplish as much and perhaps more for the work than the prayers, both public and private of men, it simply means that for whatever reasons, both stated and unstated, God does not want women to be praying openly and publicly. As Christians, we are to be pleasing to God and it should be enough for us that this is the will of God.

1 Corinthians 14:14-17 "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified."

Paul here reveals several important facts about prayer. The first thing we want to notice is if one of us as a faithful male member of the Lord’s Church is chosen to lead the prayer for the congregation we need to realize how great an honor has been bestowed upon us and how seriously we need to take the honor. We are to pray in such a way the entire congregation can hear us. This is why at my home congregation, we ask the men who are chosen to lead the prayer, to come up to the front or to stand up, in order they can be heard by all. The men chosen to lead the prayer must realize they are praying for the entire congregation and speak loud enough to be heard by all.

I enjoy leading prayers in the worship service very much, yet I have had to give it up because the Parkinson’s disease I am afflicted with has affected my voice to the point I can never be sure it will be loud enough to be heard by people standing near me let alone the entire congregation. I believe in the Word of God strongly enough I have voluntarily had to give up the leading of public prayers and teaching publicly because that is what the Word of God says and that is enough for me.

Saying amen at the close of a prayer is the scriptural way of acknowledging the prayer and adding one’s agreement. This is why it is so important the public prayer is said loud enough and plain enough for all to hear. Saying amen is not just a means of saying “OK, this prayer is over, we can get to the next part of the worship service.” The word amen, basically means, “I agree and give my approval to the things prayed.” If the man who is leading the prayer, prays for something amiss, DO NOT SAY AMEN. Saying a-men at the closing of prayer means you are adding your approval and voice to the prayer and we do not want to give approval to false doctrines that might be advocated in a prayer we have not been able to hear. This is why it is important for the leadership in a congregation, the Elders, and the teachers to teach everyone how to pray, so problems will not arise during the worship service.

Please forgive me for going off on a tangent, but I think many people even in the Church misunderstand a simple truth taught in these verses about teaching or praying in an unknown tongue. I have heard preachers say from the pulpit stand these verses are teaching the speaker cannot understand himself when he is speaking or praying in an unknown tongue or as the original Greek implies through the context, in a foreign language. I disagree and believe strongly that is not correct. What Paul says is “... but my understanding is unfruitful.” The phrase “my understanding” means I understand something. The phrase, “my understanding is unfruitful” simply means if I teach or pray in a foreign language or in such a way that the listener can not hear and understand me, the things I have learned and understand do not bring forth fruit in the listeners. They are not edified and I have not fulfilled my responsibility.

Matthew 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Here Jesus gives us a model prayer. This was never intended by God or Jesus to be an exact prayer to say word for word, but rather one to teach the manner we should pray and some of the things we should pray for. Let us investigate the components of this model prayer and see what we can learn.

Our Father which art in heaven,

From the way Jesus opens the model prayer, we learn all prayer is to be directed to God the Father, we do not pray to Peter, Paul or John, or to any dead saint, or even to Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit, but to God the Father only. Many religious organizations and individuals teach and practice different, but that does not make it scriptural. The Holy Spirit has taught us very clearly all prayer is to be directed to God the Father.

Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Here in Ephesians, Paul reminds us of the same thing Jesus taught in the model prayer, all prayer is to be directed to God the Father. We are not to direct our prayer to anyone other than our Father who is in heaven. This includes praying to Jesus for any reason, even for salvation. This clearly teaches one is not to pray, what the world calls “The Sinner’s Prayer”, where they say the alien sinner who wants to be saved should simply say “Lord Jesus, come into my heart and save me.” It is wrong to pray to anyone other than God the Father at anytime and any place.

I have heard it said Stephen the first Christian martyr prayed to Jesus, when he said in Acts 7:59-60 “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” When Stephen said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”, I do not believe Stephen, who had just had a vision of Jesus in Heaven, standing on the right hand of God, and was talking directly to Jesus could be said he was praying to Jesus anymore than any of the disciples or any one, such as Pilate, who talked to Jesus while he was on the Earth could be called praying to Jesus. In any case, the Bible clearly teaches we are to pray to God the Father, and even if Stephen as he was dying, prayed to Jesus, it does not change what the Bible clearly teaches.

Hallowed be thy name.

Jesus continues on in His model prayer to teach us not only should every prayer be directed to God, but in addition, anytime one is praying to the Creator of the Universe, they should be in such awe of God, they should additionally give praise, honor and reverence to God. In my opinion, anytime anyone is talking to the Heavenly Father, they should be in a sense of shock, that the Almighty, Omnipresent God, would care enough for them He would take the time to listen to them, words of praise should automatically and humbly fall from their lips.

Romans 16:27 "To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for-ever. Amen."

Paul, in closing the book of Romans and writing about God ties words of praise to the name of God and shows even the purpose of the ministry of Jesus Christ was to bring glory to God the Father. So we can easily conclude our prayers would not be complete if we did not give praise to God in some fashion.

Thy Kingdom Come,

The Bible shows in many different ways, the terms “the Kingdom of Heaven”, “the Kingdom of God”, and “the Kingdom” are all referring to the Church of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. While Jesus was on the Earth, before his resurrection and subsequent ascension into heaven, He prayed for the Church which was to come and taught his disciples to pray for the Church also. But now the Church is here, does it make sense for one to continue to pray for the Church to come? No, it does not, but we can and should pray for the Church every time we pray. There are many more things we could pray for the Church than I can write, but to mention a few, we can and should pray for the unity of the Church, we should pray Christians everywhere would strive together to have true peace in the Church, we can pray for mission efforts throughout the world and we can pray for the Evangelists, Elders, Deacons, and teachers to allow the wisdom from above to guide them in all they do. When every Christian remembers to pray for the Church and the various works the local congregation is involved in as well as praying for mission fields around the world, I believe we will see a revival that has not been seen since the days of the Apostles.

John 17:20-21 "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: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me."

Jesus is in His hour of greatest trial and tribulation. He knows He is about to die on the cross and at the time of His death, the future Church was still one of his greatest concerns. I believe every time we pray, the Church should always be on our hearts and minds. We should also pray for the leaders in the Church, that God would grant them the wisdom, humility, and courage to serve the Church properly.

Luke 6:28 "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you."

Not only should we pray for the saved, but we also need to pray for those who are lost, and those who have not always treated us right. We especially need to learn to pray God will help us to have the proper attitude towards our enemies and He would help us to come in contact with them in such a way as to give us the opportunity to teach them about the gospel plan of salvation. It is also appropriate we ask God to help prepare their hearts, to put them in such a place they would recognize their need for the Saviour and help us to be in contact with them at that time. I believe we should also ask God to give us the wisdom to recognize the opportunities He makes available and He would help us to prepare our minds and we would have studied the scriptures in such a way we would have the knowledge to help them see their needs. There are many ways we can and should pray for the growth of the Church, both numerically and spiritually.

Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.

In these simple words, Jesus teaches we should pray, first of all for ourselves, we would have the humility to submit to the will of God in the same way the angels in heaven submit and are servants of the Most High. Just think about it, if God tells an angel to go to a certain place and do a certain thing, what does that angel do? The angel does just what God told the angel to do. Do you think the angel asks “Why?” or “How long do I have to go?” The closest example I know of in the Bible to show the attitude we should have is when God told Abraham at the age of 80 to leave his Father’s house and to go. Abraham packed up his things, and left his home behind. He wandered around the rest of his life, because he trusted in God. Would you do that? That is what is necessary for God’s will to be done in earth as it is in Heaven.

In Heaven all beings are under obedience to God, the only way that could happen on the earth is if every human being is given the opportunity to obey from the heart that form of doctrine. Does this not sound like the Great Commission? Basically, with every prayer, if we are praying for God’s will to be done in earth as it is in heaven, we are asking God to open up fields for us to go and harvest.

Matthew 7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Just saying we love the Lord is clearly not all there is to serving God as shown in these verses. We must show it in our day to day decisions. Do we plan our lives around God, from things as simple as making sure we can be to the worship service of the Church to the type of job we take or don’t take? We need to be as Jesus was when He said, not My will but Thine be done, then He proved He meant it every day of His life, up to and including the day of His death.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Here we acknowledge the fact we depend upon God for our daily necessities and we can count on God to supply them. We also need to recognize the fact there is a tremendous difference between our daily necessities and the tremendous blessings God has given us. Our daily necessities include things like enough food to eat today, enough clothes to protect me from the elements today and to keep me modest, a roof over my head and the heads of my family and in today’s world, perhaps a means of transportation so I can go to work so I can go to the worship service of the Church, and so I can pick up people to take them to worship God also. Anything more is not necessities, but luxury. There is no way I can call the two cars I have necessities. There is no way I can call my computer a necessity. I enjoy very much the fact these things make it easier for me in life, but they are not necessities.

Psalms 37:24-25 "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Here David expresses a truth, even though Christians may be persecuted or have problems in their lives because of doing the right thing, God still has control over the world. God promises through David if we continue to stand with God, it always turns out for the best to serve God. Our daily necessities will be taken care of.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

We are reminded for God to forgive us of our sins when we sin against Him, we must not only obey God, but we must also have a forgiving heart. In many different ways, we are reminded the debt a fellow Christian or anyone else for that matter, could owe us is minor when compared to our debt to God.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

We are reminded to acknowledge we understand the Church, the future, and all things are in God's hands. When we truly realize this, we can face anything that comes along, because we trust in God and know He will not let us down.

I am reminded of a story I heard in one of my Dad's sermons years ago. There was a passenger liner sailing upon the ocean. A great storm arose and the big ship was being tossed to and fro and seemed in danger of sinking. The passengers were panicking. As they were filled with fear, one of them noticed this little boy who seemed calm and fearless. One of the passengers asked the little boy, "Aren't you afraid?" The little boy answered "No, because my father is the Captain of this ship and he will not let anything happen to me" How much do we trust God to take care of us and protect us. Even if God sees fit to allow me to die in a horrible fashion, like His son did, do I trust God enough to still serve Him?

Amen

The word “amen”, basically means “let it be so”. This is the scriptural means given by God in which each Christian acknowledges and agrees with the things being prayed. This is how we make the prayer the entire congregation’s prayer, by simply saying amen. What a powerful word. If God listens and answers the prayers of one child of His, how much more do you suppose He listens and answers the prayers of an entire congregation?

Matthew 6:6-7 "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

When we are praying for ourselves, we are to be private in our prayers. But whether we are praying for the Church publicly or privately, we are not to use vain repetitions, such as just repeatedly saying Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Our prayers should be thought about and prayed from the heart with the spirit and with the understanding.

BLESSINGS THAT COME FROM PRAYING
Acts 8:22 "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee."

The Bible teaches here and in many other places prayer is essential to having our sins forgiven. If a baptized believer has sinned and if they repent either they or another child of God can pray for them and they will be forgiven. Nowhere does the Bible even hint they must wait until they are at a public worship service to take care of their sins. But it does make sense both logically and from a scriptural perspective, if a sin is public, it is known by others, all that know of the sin should also be made aware of the repentance and prayer. Otherwise, if I have sinned and another person knows about it, unless they become aware of my repentance and the fact prayer was said for the sin, they will not be able to deal with me as a faithful brother in Christ. There would be a veil between us. But it is important to realize the difference between what is necessary for God to forgive us and the need to let our brothers and sisters in Christ know we have made things right with God.

But it important for us to realize if we do not pray and ask for forgiveness, none will be forthcoming. Time erases human memories, but not God’s. If we sin and 20 or 30 years go by and we have not repented and had prayer about the sin, humans might forget and accept us back, but God insists upon repentance and prayer.

The forgiveness of sins is a blessing comes from praying. This is a tremendous blessing Christians enjoy, no one else in the world possesses this blessing. We have the ability to go to God at any given time and have the slate wiped clean. This is truly a fantastic blessing and while having the ability to have our sins wiped away is priceless, there is not enough money in the world to have it, it comes free when we obey the gospel.

Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Whenever we are being tempted, if we stop and look for the way of escape God has promised, we will find it. If we stop and pray, prayer brings strength to overcome temptation. Not only can prayer help us to overcome temptation, but if we get to know ourselves and the areas we are weak in, areas where we are prone to temptation, if we stop and pray to God, prayer can bring us strength to avoid and even to overcome temptation. Which do you think is better in the eyes of God, to pray ahead of time and avoid temptation or to be overcome and wait until we have repented of the sin, so we can then pray and receive forgiveness? Of course it is always better to avoid temptation in the first place. This is a big step in a Christian’s growth, when one realizes the power prayer can have in their life.

Matthew 21:21-22 "Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer , believing, ye shall receive."

If we trust in God and pray for the things we have need of, God will see to our needs and answer our prayers. We need to always realize we do not have all knowledge, at times God's answer may be no, because God knows what is for the best.

James 5:15-16 "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

If we pray in faith, the sick will be healed. Why do you think some congregations have prayer boards and NewTestamentChurch.org sends out prayer requests? Because we believe in the power of prayer and we believe the more Christians you have praying for you the more likely it is God will answer our prayers. If the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, how much more do you think the fervent prayer of a righteous congregation will avail?

If we confess our faults to one another and pray for one another, our sins will be forgiven. Isn’t this a marvelous thought, we have the power to make things right between a child of God who have become estranged from their Father God Almighty Himself. Also another purpose for the Church is before we sin, if we are struggling with a problem, if we go before the Church and ask for help, we can overcome that problem, fault, or temptation.

Colossians 4:2-3 "Continue in prayer , and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:"

These verses teach us about another blessing we have because of prayer. If we pray for the Evangelists and the teachers and ask God to open doors for them, then God will open up opportunities for them and help them know what to say. But the same as any prayer, we must believe and trust in God and then He will answer those prayers. Our prayers can soften the hearts of the alien sinner. Thus we should continually pray for the work of the Church and for those who serve God and the Church and our prayers can and will make a tremendous difference. How much do you want the alien sinner to be saved? Do you want it enough to pray diligently for God to soften their heart? I have seen examples of wives who have prayed diligently for their unsaved husband for years and I have seen the joy that comes when God answers their prayers, not by saving them through some miraculous means, but by eventually their hearts being opened and receptive to the gospel plan of salvation.

Several times I have seen it happen. One time in the late 1970s, I was working with the North Area Church of Christ in Sacramento, California and we had gone through a period of six months where we had not had any visitors to the congregation, let alone any conversions. As a congregation, we began meeting expressly for the purpose of praying for the work. Additionally, we asked each member of the congregation to mention the work every time they prayed. Within the next 2 weeks, we had over a dozen visitors from the local community just dropped into the worship services and most of them were baptized. I believe so much in the power of prayer because I have seen it happen too many times to doubt.

Acts 10:4 "And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, 'What is it, Lord?' And he said unto him, 'Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.' "

Another blessing our prayers bring us is every time we pray, our prayers rise up before God as a memorial. Memorials are designed to help us remember someone or something such as the Vietnam Memorial, the Washington Memorial, and others. Our prayers act as a memorial before God, they rise up before him as sweet incense and they cause us to be brought favorably to God's thoughts.

Matthew 9:37-38 "Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest."

Here is another blessing that comes from our prayers, if we pray and ask God to send laborers into the fields, he will answer and send laborers. But we need to be prepared either to become one of those laborers if God chooses to send us or to be willing to help to financially support those whom God does send. It is our responsibility to pray to God to bless the work, but our responsibility does not stop there. We must then do what we can to act as tools for God. One of the blessings which can come from prayer is the spiritual and numerical growth of the Church. Just think, we have the power to shape the hearts and minds of men through our prayers.

Luke 11:9-13 "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"

Anytime we begin a study, open a new mission field, or start any work, we need to be heavily involved in prayer about that work. God has promised His word will not return unto him void, but it will accomplish what its task is, thus it behooves us to pray. If we pray believing God is answering the prayer, it will happen. God said it and we believe it. Look at the great things God has accomplished in Africa, in India, in the Philippines, in Cuba and elsewhere around the world.

Anytime we start a sermon, or a study, or a book, or any project, if we pray and search the scriptures, we will find the truth and our project will be much more successful. Additionally if we pray and ask for God to strengthen the Holy Spirit we received when we were baptized, He will answer. God is our heavenly Father and if He takes care of the Lilies of the Field, how much more will He take care of us whom He loves. If anyone will give prayer the place it should have in their lives, they will no longer have a single doubt about the power of prayer. Just imagine, in any given moment, when we are being buffeted by problems and trials and tribulations, we can stop and turn to God in prayer. The God who is so powerful when He imagined the universe and spoke the words to create it, the creation had to take place. There was no way to stop it, we have the attention of that All-Powerful God, the God who loves us and wants to help us. The next time you are feeling overwhelmed. STOP! Look out at the universe and all of its immense glory and mystery, think of the power that was necessary to create it. That is God. He is listening to you. If God can create the universe and life itself, surely He can solve any problem you may have. All you need is to trust in God and turn it over to Him.

How the World Has Changed the Prayer in the Public Worship Service
The religious world has even corrupted the way God has specified we are to talk to Him in such a way that clearly most who even try to talk to God are not being listened to. The ways prayer has been perverted can be seen in many places and many ways. For example many religions have turned prayer into a way to make money. They have people send in money and they either pray for them or they send prayer handkerchiefs, the answer to those prayers being based in part at least on the amount of money has been donated. Others forgetting Jesus condemned those who pray using vain repetitions run around saying Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and believe they are praying and God is pleased, even though they are violating a number of commands of God, as was noted, praying vain repetitions and praying only unto to the Heavenly Father.

Many of the religious world have gone so far as to say we are to pray to Mary the Mother of Jesus, or to angels or even to dead Christians who they claim are with Jesus and since they have the ear of Jesus or of God, these dead people can intercede directly for us. All of this having no basis in the scripture, but the religious world does not care.

Since the Bible teaches us very clearly God prefers simple prayers, and does not want us to be repetitious in our praying, we need to remember praying is just talking to our Father in Heaven using ordinary everyday language in such a way everyone can understand and thus make it their prayer also by saying amen at the closing of the prayer.

Chapter Summary
Prayer:

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Chapter 4: The Blessings of Partaking of the Communion

2009-04-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
WHAT IS THE COMMUNION?
The Bible uses several different terms to describe the Communion service. Each of these terms emphasizes a different aspect of the Communion. To begin our study of this part of the worship, let us look at each term, the Bible uses to describe this part of the worship service.

1 Corinthians 10:16 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"

First, we want to notice the term Communion is used in the Bible to refer to the item of worship specifically dedicated to the remembrance of Jesus. The word communion literally means a common sharing, a partnership, a fellowship. This term is used to emphasize the fact this item of worship was instituted by Jesus Christ on the night in which he was betrayed. It was designed by God to always be done jointly with our brothers and sisters in Christ in a local congregation. We jointly share each of the three emblems which are part of this item of worship with all of our assembled brothers and sisters as well as with Jesus Christ. The Bread which we all jointly partake of, is it not the communion (common sharing) of the body of Christ. The Cup which contains the fruit of the vine (grape juice) is designed by God for all of the assembled Christians to jointly drink from the one cup. In partaking from one cup, we are showing we are all bound together by the one covenant which we have with God. Because the one Cup which represents the one covenant (contract) we jointly have with God, contains the fruit of the vine which is to us as Christians the common sharing of the blood of Jesus Christ, we are all acknowledging it was the blood of Jesus Christ, which ratified the New Testament and cleans us from all unrighteousness.

1 Corinthians 10:21 "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."

Here the term used to refer to the Communion is “the Lord’s Table”. The term “the Lord's Table” emphasizes the fact this is something we do that is ordained by the Lord. This term is emphasizing the Lord is the one who determines what is to be set on His table and how. The Lord Jesus Christ is in charge. He instituted the Communion service and he determines what is to be used on His table. If I say, “This is my wife's table”, this phrase shows my wife is the one who determines what will be served, she is the one in charge.

1 Corinthians 11:20 "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper."

The term The Lord's Supper emphasizes the fact we are partaking of a spiritual meal. But this term gives emphasis to what is to be eaten rather than who determines what items are in the Communion service. The term, the Lord’s Supper seems to place the emphasis on the emblems themselves being consumed rather than the table itself. The thoughts are centered around the emblems, the eating of these items, and the benefits that are available if we partake properly.

We have looked at three scriptural terms for the same part of the worship service, the Communion, the Lord’s Table, and the Lord’s Supper. Each of these terms brings out different aspects of this item of worship.

WHY WE PARTAKE OF THE COMMUNION.
John 6:53-57 "Then Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me."

These verses in John are in dispute among various preachers and scholars as to their meaning. Some believe Jesus is talking about simply following Him. While others among who is the author, believe Jesus is prophetically talking about partaking of the Communion. I believe He is talking about partaking of the Communion for several reasons:

John 6

But also I do not think it matters, since even if he was not talking about the Communion, He was talking about eating His flesh and drinking His blood which everyone admits we do when we partake of the Lord’s Supper. So either way, I believe the things written in John 6 apply.

I believe the Bible teaches it is the contact with the blood of Christ that takes away our sins. I believe sins can be forgiven during the partaking of the Lord Supper. This occurs when we examine ourselves, as instructed, and realize we have sinned, especially, during the part of the Supper when we are partaking of the cup which represents the New Testament. It is degrading the New Testament, if we realize we have sinned, and do nothing about it. We then should immediately pray to God asking for His forgiveness. The eating and drinking at the Table is in remembrance of what Christ accomplished when He died on the Cross and shed His blood for our redemption.”

1 Corinthians 11:28, 30 "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."

One reason why we as Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper is because one who does not partake of the Communion properly has no life in them. We see because Christians do not partake properly in the right frame of mind, many become spiritually weak and many die spiritually. We as Christians must place a high priority on partaking of this spiritual meal in such a way so we can live spiritually. We partake because one who partakes properly hath eternal life and having eternal life is what Christianity is all about. We partake in order to dwell in Christ. For human beings to rise above their frailties, they must partake of the flesh and blood of Christ. We partake because of the importance of the Communion in our spiritual lives.

We partake thoughtfully and carefully because of the responsibility the Bible places on each of us to examine ourselves and then to partake of the body and blood of the Lord. We partake thoughtfully because we can partake in an unworthy manner with disastrous consequences. We also want to show the greatest reverence and respect to our Lord. We can see the attitude we have when we partake is just as important as partaking in the proper manner on a consistent basis.

1 Corinthians 11:17, 22 "Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not."

Paul in writing to the Corinthian brethren is correcting a number of things they were doing wrong. Apparently they had changed the entire worship service to God, because Paul in the remaining chapters of 1 Corinthians covers the rules and guidelines for every part of the worship service. Here, he tells them because they had changed the Communion they were no longer partaking of the Lord’s Supper. They had turned the Communion into a common meal and they were eating a common physical meal during the public worship service of the Church and calling it the Lord’s Supper. He goes on to tell the Corinthian brethren no matter what they thought, no matter what excuses they made, what they were doing was wrong. They were bringing shame upon the Church and their brethren in Christ.

We are to stop and study carefully and make sure what we are doing is what the Lord has commanded. If we want to partake of the Lord’s Supper, we need to make sure we are partaking thoughtfully. Since it is possible to observe the Communion improperly, we need to study in order to insure we are partaking in a worthy manner and in the proper way. We also need to make sure what we are doing is within the bounds of both the letter of the commands of God as well as its spirit.

We need to partake thoughtfully because heresies and false teachings are involved every time the communion is changed. We are to partake carefully after studying because there is no praise or no good involved in changing the Communion. We partake thoughtfully so we partake of the Communion properly. We need to partake thoughtfully because the attitude we have when we partake makes the difference between being saved or being damned.

HOW WE ARE TO PARTAKE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
The first element of the Communion is the bread. The Greek word translated bread in the New Testament is transliterated which literally means a loaf of bread. This word is singular in nature and is defined by Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words in the following manner: artos NT:740, "bread", signifies (a) "a small loaf or cake," composed of flour and water, and baked, in shape either oblong or round, and about as thick as the thumb; Every translator or commentator I have read uses a singular “a” or “the” when either translating or commenting on this word.

Luke 22:19 "And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me."

To a Christian, the bread is the body of Jesus. While we know and understand the bread physically always remains bread, to a Christian, it does not matter we are to have the same respect and reverence as we would have if it literally became the body of Christ. This means we need to be thinking about what Christ did for us. He gave up his home in glory came down to this low-land of sin and sorrow. He took the sins of the world on Himself and paid the price for them by dying on the cross at Calvary, all for you and for me. We need to keep in mind the seriousness, the somberness and at the same time the tremendous joy of the occasion. We are to realize we are to partake in remembrance of Jesus. We are to remember Christ died on the cross in our place.

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, He brake it, and said, 'Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me.'"

The Church at Corinth had changed the Communion and in doing so, it meant when they came together, they were no longer partaking of the Lord’s Supper. In correcting their sin Paul takes them back to the night in which Jesus was crucified and relates how the Communion was instituted and how it should be done. Further more he reminds them this knowledge had not been passed on through human beings to the Apostle Paul. Rather Paul makes it clear he had received this information directly from God. He goes on to say the bread represents the body of Christ, but only after it was blessed (prayed over). Prayer is an essential part of sanctification. The word sanctify means to set apart for a particular purpose, it is prayer that sets the bread aside for the purpose of representing the Body of Christ. We are reminded we are to partake in remembrance of Jesus. Our minds need to be centered on Christ during the Communion.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread."

The Bible using the phrase, “The bread which we break,” referring to the fact each Christian breaks off a piece of the bread and eats it. The Bible goes on to tell us the partaking of the bread is the Communion (the common sharing) of the body of Christ. It is because we jointly participate, or because the assembled Christians partake of one loaf we are a congregation, a local body of believers with each of the members being part of one another.

THE CUP (POTERION; A Drinking Vessel, With or Without A Handle, With or Without A Stem)

The second element or item on the Lord’s Table is the cup. The word Cup is translated from the Greek word poterion which according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament words means that whenever this word is used the cup being spoken of is a literal cup.

1 Corinthians 11:25 "After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, 'This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.'"

Paul is explaining what Jesus had revealed unto him says the cup (singular) is the New Testament which Jesus brought into effect by his death. Every time we partake of the one cup, we need to remember we are in a covenant relationship with God. We have a contract with God that was ratified with the blood of Christ. We should be thinking about the agreement we made with God when we were baptized, we need to examine ourselves comparing the life we have led in the past week to the Bible and if we have sinned, we need to make it right then and there with God, rededicate our lives to his service and go forth sinless in the sight of God. Just as there is one contract between God and man, there is one cup on the Lord’s Table. If we each have separate cups, it would indicate we each have a separate contract with God, it would mean there is more than one faith. Because there is one New Testament, Jesus took one cup and we are to partake just as Jesus did, from one cup.

Luke 22:20 "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.'"

We have a plain declaration the one cup represents the New Testament which was ratified by the blood of Christ. Just as you cannot pass around a liquid, such as the fruit of the vine without a container, you can not separate the blood of Jesus from the New Testament. The New Testament was brought into effect by the shedding of Christ's blood and we need to be thinking about this as we drink from the one cup.

FRUIT OF THE VINE (GRAPE JUICE)
The third element or item in the Communion service, the Lord’s Supper, is the contents of the cup, the fruit of the vine. When used in this sense according to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, it is being used as a figure of speech called a metonymy, in which the container is being referenced to imply the contents. This is shown clearly in the following verse where cup and fruit of the vine are used interchangeably.

Luke 22:17-18 "And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 'Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.'"

The cup Jesus took contained the fruit of the vine. The assembled Disciples were told to divide it among themselves. We see this was to be done by drinking of the contents. Prayer is what dedicates the fruit of the vine as the blood of Christ and the cup as the New Testament. Until the prayer is said in the worship service to set aside the cup and its contents for their sanctified purpose, they are just a cup and fruit of the vine, but when the prayer (blessing) is said, to a Christian they become the New Testament and the blood of Christ.

Matthew 26:27-29 "And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink ye all of it; For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.'"

Jesus took one cup containing the Fruit of the Vine. The contents of the cup, after it was prayed for, represents the blood of Jesus Christ. The disciples were told to divide the contents of the cup by drinking it. There are only two ways this could happen: Either All drink from the cup or one to drink all of the contents of the cup. We are to remember Jesus shed his blood for our sins. Jesus drank from the cup and communes with us in the Kingdom, the church

Mark 14:23 "And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it."

We see Jesus took one cup. Remember in the previous verses we looked at in Luke and Matthew, Jesus commanded them to divide the contents of the cup by drinking all of it. How did the disciples fulfill this command? They clearly understood what they were being asked to do because each one of the assembled disciples drank from the one cup.

1 Corinthians 10:16 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"

The cup here is said to contain a blessing. The phrase, “Which we bless” simply means we dedicate it with prayer. This is the communion or the common sharing of the blood of Christ because we share the one cup by all drinking from it.

Isaiah 65:8 "Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all."

The unfermented juice, the new wine that comes from the cluster of grapes has a blessing in it. We know that the contents of the cup is unfermented grape juice and not just any juice from a vine. The fruit of the vine that grows in clusters is grapes and new wine is always unfermented when it is squeezed from the grapes. The term “Cup of Blessing” refers to the fact God said through Isaiah the liquid, the new wine, the grape juice, when it was squeezed from the grapes, contained a blessing. The Communion cup contains a blessing because a blessing is in the new wine squeezed from a cluster of grapes.

THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMUNION
The Communion, the Lord’s Table, or the Lord’s Supper was instituted by God for various purposes. Let us investigate and see what the Bible says some of those reasons are.

A Memorial Service
1 Corinthians 11:24 "And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, 'Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me.'"

We are to partake in remembrance of Jesus Christ. We should be thinking about what Jesus did for us, how He died for our sins. We should be respectful while the Communion is going on. This is not a time to be balancing the checkbook, worrying about what we are cooking, or planning what we will be doing the rest of the day. We need to concentrate on what we are doing. We need also to remember the manner in which we partake can bring damnation to us.

An Outward Showing of Christ's death
1 Corinthians 11:26 "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come.

When we partake of the Communion we are showing to others what Christ's death means to us. What does the manner you partake of the Communion show to the world, to your fellow Christians, and to Jesus who is in our midst, about how you feel about Jesus and his death? The world has chosen to remember Christ's death at Easter, God intends for us to remember it weekly.

An Inward Examination
1 Corinthians 11:28-29 "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Each of us is to honestly examine ourselves before we partake. We are to compare our lives to the New Testament, see how we have done, repent and rededicate ourselves, then to partake of the Communion. If partaken of properly, the congregation after the Communion is made up of sinless, rededicated Christians. The Communion is intended for Christians and Christians only, not for children or outsiders. But God leaves it up to each person to examine themselves and determine if they should partake. This is a time for self-examination, not a time to be examining others.

Looking Forward to Christ's return
1 Corinthians 11:29 "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

We are to examine ourselves and partake, remembering the judgment at Christ's return. If Christ returned at the end of the service, what would your destination be? Most of us have children or loved ones who have gone to be with Jesus, if Christ returned today, would we spend eternity with them or separated from them?

When We are to Partake of the Communion
Acts 20:7 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

The disciples assemble on the first day of the week and partake of the Communion on first day of the week. We should plan ahead to worship God. That is the Biblical pattern, in the same way the Israelites remembered every Sabbath and kept it holy, so we need to gather together every first day of the week.

The Blessings that come to us from properly partaking of the Communion
1 Corinthians 11:26-31 "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."

One of the blessings we receive is we remember weekly the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord. Another blessing we receive is weekly we reexamine and rededicate ourselves to God. If taken of properly another blessing we receive is we grow in strength and do not grow weak and fall away. Another blessing we receive is when we honestly judge ourselves, others do not have to judge us. The Church sometimes must take action because individuals do not judge themselves. The laws of the land sometimes must judge Christians because they did not judge themselves.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

One blessing we receive is as Israel ate a spiritual meal, so do we in the Communion and are strengthened. Another blessing we receive is we feed our spiritual body, if we partake properly. The Communion is one of only two places I find in the Bible where it says, If you do this properly, you will go to heaven and if you don't you are lost. The other is in II Peter, where we are told to add to our faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity and if we do this we shall never fall.

John 6:53-57 "Then Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me."

One of the blessings we receive when we partake of the communion properly is eternal spiritual life. Another blessing we receive when we partake properly is we partake of a spiritual meal. Our spiritual body is fed.

Luke 22:19 "And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.'"

Another blessing we receive is on a weekly basis we are reminded of what Christ did for us. Thus we are less likely to take him for granted. Human beings tend to easily forget the things that are done for them. I consider the fact if I partake of the Communion properly, I will be less likely to take Jesus for granted and forget about what he did for me which is a tremendously important blessing.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Another blessing we receive if we partake in the proper manner is on a weekly basis we come in contact with the blood of Christ. It is contact with the blood of Christ which takes away sin. The reason I believe sins are taken away in the Communion is when I realize after examining myself during the part of the Lord’s supper involves the cup, the New Testament, if I find I have sinned, it is natural for me to pray quickly for my sins to be taken away. If we partake properly, every week we are brought in contact with the blood of Christ and are rededicated to God. Another blessing we receive if we partake properly is we become members one of another. Another blessing we receive if we partake properly is we acknowledge we are members of the body of Christ and as such we acknowledge the responsibility we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

How the World has changed the Communion
The world has taken the simplicity and beauty of the Communion and in the name of convenience has changed it into something that no longer paints the beautiful picture that is the Lord’s Supper. It has been changed within many of the congregations of the Lord’s Church into a bastardized version. The beauty of the one loaf of unleavened bread which is the one sinless body with Christ as its head has been changed into multiple loaves, which if it symbolizes anything it would be the denominational world which claims to follow Jesus as its head, but in reality has clearly taken the stand the commands of Jesus mean much less than the thoughts of man. The beauty of the unleavened bread representing a sinless body has been changed into crackers that can no longer be said to represent the one sinless body, since each person having their own cracker has destroyed the image God has portrayed of a body with many members and changed it into an image that could only be representing the thought each person today stands by themselves, thus the body, the Church is no longer important. The only picture that could be even attempted to be drawn is a grotesque image of a head being attached to each of its many bodies which are composed of one organ, which have no interdependence on each other.

The beauty of the one cup which is the New Testament which shows we share a common salvation, we have a common agreement with God has been changed to multiple cups which could only symbolize a concept each Christian has worked out their own salvation with God since each one is separate from the other. The extent many of our brothers and sisters in Christ will go to in order to justify their convenience and fear of germs is astounding to me. It just proves what Paul wrote Timothy about profane and vain babbling being ungodly and increasing unto more ungodliness is as true as it ever was.

The beauty of the fruit of the vine, grape juice, being the blood of Christ is such a beautiful picture because it shows the image of how the blood of Christ is inseparable from the New Testament in the same way the fruit of the vine or any liquid is inseparable from the container as it is passed from one member to another. It is contact with the blood of Christ that takes away sins and as the cup passes from one hand to the next, if each person is partaking in the way they should, the image is presented each week of sinless members of the body of Christ being united by one covenant and being one body brought alive by the blood flowing from member to member. This image is distorted and outright destroyed by many congregations and churches because of the use of fermentation in wine. The unleavened or unfermented wine, the fruit of the vine symbolizes purity as opposed to leavening which is used in the Bible to represent sin. The use of fermented wine to supposedly symbolize the pure sinless blood of Christ is an abomination which destroys the very concept the fruit of the vine shows. Truly the religious world has no concept of the simple beauty Jesus showed in his instituting of the Lord’s Supper.

Chapter Summary

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Chapter 5: The Blessings Associated with the Contribution

2009-04-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
What is The Contribution?
The Greek word translated collection in 1 Corinthians 16:1 is logeia which is Strong’s number NT:3048 (in the commercial sense); a contribution. In this book, I will be using the terms, Giving, Contribution, Offering or Collection interchangeably. Whenever any of these terms are used in this book, I am referring to the free will offering that is taken up by the command of God on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day.

Why We Give
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."

One of the first things we will notice as to the Biblical reasons we should contribute is to help our brothers and sisters in Christ who may find themselves in temporary position of poverty or special needs. We are to give because we care about the needs of those in the Church who are in a situation where they need help. We also need to give because it is a command of God. We realize God’s commands are given for our good and we want to please God. It is important to notice God’s command to give is tied to how we have been prospered. For us to fulfill this command properly, we need to sit down during the week and count our blessings. I believe this is essential for a Christian to receive the blessings God has in store for us as we partake of this part of the worship service.

In my opinion, based on my study of the Bible and also of human nature, one of the biggest reasons Christian’s get discouraged and fall away from the Lord is they begin to take God for granted and quit appreciating the shower of blessings God gives to them each and every day of their lives. I firmly believe one of the reasons God has for basing what a Christian is to give on how they have been prospered is so we will take the time to at least try to count the blessings God gives us.

I have advanced Parkinson’s disease and I learned very quickly if I concentrated on the few problems in my life, I could quickly become discouraged. One of the problems many Parkinson’s patients struggle with is depression. It is a path for about a year I found myself slipping down. There are physical reasons why Parkinson’s patients are prone to depression, for example, the body’s production of dopamine is affected. Dopamine is the chemical the body produces that seems to be involved in being happy. Besides it becomes easy to be worried about the possible future when one reads about all of the things that can go wrong when one has Parkinson’s or any other degenerative disease.

Fortunately through the grace of God, I found if I just put my future in the hands of God and trusted in Him depression does not have to be one of the symptoms. If I start off my day concentrating on the few problems in my life, those problems get blown out of proportion and I can become consumed with my problems. But if I start off counting my blessings, I never finish counting them, so I do not even have the time to worry about the few problems that are in my life today, let alone have time to begin worrying about possible problems in the future.

I am blessed so far above my ability to count and when I realize this, I will be less likely to take God and the blessings I receive from Him for granted. When we truly realize how much we have been blessed, then our appreciation for God will show forth in our giving. I firmly believe that is why Paul could boast about the churches in Macedonia even though they were in great poverty how they gave liberally to help the brethren in Jerusalem. They had counted their blessings first and therefore even though Paul knew their poverty, they thought of themselves as rich and they trusted God to supply their needs, thus they could give as if they had a tremendous bounty.

Another reason we give is so when the need arises, the need can be met without having to take up a special collection. Can you imagine the humiliation that would arise if every time there was a need for let’s say, Brother Joe Smith, we had to stand before the Church, take up a special collection and say Brother Joe Smith, needs $200.00 and have a public debate over the issue. God in his infinite wisdom has commanded us to take up the collection on the first day of the week so this and other problems will not arise.

Another side note, I personally find it very humorous the very denominations that will argue and fight against having the Communion every first day of the week or even that every Christian should assemble together every first day of the week, have no problem taking up a collection at a minimum of every first day of the week, plus more often if they feel they have not received enough in the collection.

2 Corinthians 9:1-11 "For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God."

Paul reminds us one reason we give is because it is part of our responsibility to minister to the saints. How could any of us call ourselves Christians and claim to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and shut up our bowels of compassion for a brother or sister in need when we realize how much God has blessed each of us with great bounty. Also we give because we trust in God who has said “as we sow so shall we reap”. We give the amount we give because it is the amount we planned on giving after we have counted our blessings and it is an amount we can give cheerfully. We give the amount we give because it is based on the blessings we receive from God. We give the amount we give because it shows our thankfulness to God. In addition we give an amount that is also based on what is needed to support those who have ministered to our spiritual needs.

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

We as individual Christians and collectively as a local congregation have been commanded by Jesus Christ to spread the gospel in every generation to all nations. We are told to baptize those who believe. This baptism is to be in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. We as Christians are also commanded to teach those who are baptized they have a responsibility to obey all of the commands of God. This takes men who have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ. These men have the right to have a family also have a responsibility to provide for that family. This means the Church has a responsibility towards those who minister to the gospel.

Another reason we give is so the Church can fulfill its responsibility to spread the gospel. The Bible also teaches us when evangelists and teachers are involved in conversions and doing the work of the Lord and are supported through funds we have contributed, we as individual Christians and the local congregation that is supporting the work, we share in the rewards that come from those conversions. So every time we contribute, we in turn receive spiritual treasures in Heaven. We give because supporting the gospel is necessary for the work to get done.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Giving is a natural expression of love. The more a person gives of themselves the more love is shown. Do you know how much God loves us? God's love was shown through the fact he gave his only begotten Son to die in our place, so we could have a hope of eternal life. I know several people I love enough if the choice had to be made, I would give my life for. But I do not know anyone I love enough to give the life of one of my children or grandchild for. It sends shivers up my spine to realize God loved me enough to not only let His Son die for me, but to also suffer as Jesus did. Every stripe He took, He took for me.

This brings us to another very important thought. If giving is a natural expression of love, how much am I demonstrating that I love God by the amount I give on the first day of the week? One reason we give is because giving demonstrates the love we have for God, Jesus Christ and the Church. I try to answer that question when I am determining how much I am going to give. We need to realize the attitude in which we give also demonstrates the love we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ. I think we need to realize our attitude matters whenever we give and make sure we are giving cheerfully.

HOW WE GIVE
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."

One of the reasons for assembling upon the first day of the week is because God has commanded us to give of our means on that day. We are to give as God has prospered (blessed) us. This means it is not just a “reach in your pocket and give what you happen to have event.” For me to give as I have been prospered means I MUST know how I have been prospered. This implies ahead of time, I need to sit down and determine how much God has prospered me. Then I need to determine the amount I am going to give. I personally think it is best to do this on the day before which is on Saturday. I have found if I wait until Sunday morning to do this, I usually start running behind and start getting stressed which is not conducive to being properly prepared for the worship service.

I try to count all of the blessings God has given me which includes monetary blessings, physical blessings such as health, family, transportation and spiritual blessings such as our brethren, salvation, how God has answered our prayers and etc. One of the reasons I believe this is important is God wants us to remember these blessings come from Him. I personally still find myself not appreciating everything God does for me, so I can imagine how easily it would be to take these blessings for granted and to stop appreciating how much God does for us every day of our lives.

Another thing I find very important I do not believe is stressed enough is in the contribution, the attitude we have in giving affects our worship service to God. In other words, the amount I give, the attitude I have during the collection, shows reverence, respect, love and trust towards God. We need to stop and realize this while we are counting our blessing and determining how we have been prospered and while we are deciding the amount we can and will give cheerfully.

Matthew 25:14-18 "For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money."

In this parable, Jesus portrays himself as a man who is taking a long trip to a far country. He has many goods. Before he goes on this trip, he divides up his wealth and entrusts it to the care of his servants accord to their ability to handle it. When he returns, he calls in his servants and demands an accounting of how they had used what he gave them. He then rewards them based on how they had used his goods. He is happy with how they used his goods until it comes to the servant who received one talent. This man had been so afraid of losing his master’s wealth that had been entrusted to his care he had buried it and he returns the original amount. If you read the full parable you will see the servant is called an unprofitable servant and is cast into the lake of fire. God is teaching in this parable we will be held accountable for several important things. The first is God expects us to use what he has given us to the best of our abilities. God wants us to develop the abilities we have. Secondly God will only hold us accountable for what we have the ability to do. What do you think would have happened if the one talent man had used the one talent to the best of his ability and through a bit of bad luck had lost it? I firmly believe God would have told the one talent servant, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” God is not judging these men according to what they returned to him, but rather, he is judging them according to how they put forth the effort to fulfill their responsibility.

The same Master, who divided his wealth according to his servant’s abilities, teaches us it is He, God, who gives the increase. Otherwise, Noah would have been considered a failure because we have no evidence in 120 years of preaching and warning the world, he was able to convert anyone. Yet Noah is listed as a man of great faith. Why? Because in the 120th year of his labor, Noah got up and worked on the ark and warned the people the same as he had in the first year. He is a shining example of what God wants us to do, cast the seed.

The third point I believe God is teaching is every Christian has been entrusted with talent, ability, and things of great wealth. The one talent man was given 1 full talent, which depending on whether it was a talent of silver or a talent of gold was worth in today’s currency depending on which scholar you ask anywhere from $15,000.00 to $100,000.00 if it was a talent of silver and a talent of gold was worth anywhere from to $180,000.00 to $2,500,000.00 (2.5 million dollars). This is no small amount. God does not consider any Christian as not worth much. God expects all of us to use what we have for him and He will hold us accountable.

OUR ATTITUDE CONCERNING GIVING
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."

We see we are to give from WHAT GOD has given us. This means we need to realize everything comes from God. I used to know a man who claimed God did not give him anything, he earned everything he had. And for some strange reason he was an unhappy bitter old man. I believe if we do not realize how much we depend on God, we can never truly appreciate what we have. I used to think I understood that fact, I thought I appreciated what I had. Then one day approximately eleven years ago, the doctor diagnosed me with Parkinson’s and I learned how much I had been depending on my own strength rather than the Lord.

Another thing having Parkinson’s has done for me, I count my blessings more and appreciate them more and am able to give much more cheerfully which is the main thing is pleasing in the sight of God. We also want to notice we are to give as God has prospered in order when the need arises, funds will be available to take care of that need.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:"

An important fact we learn from the Bible is not only are we to give an amount we can give cheerfully, but we are not to be stingy about our giving. We are to give because we want to, not because we have to. God loves a cheerful giver. The Apostle Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit uses a natural law to teach an important spiritual truth when he says, “He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” Can you imagine a farmer bragging ahead of time about the bountiful harvest he is expecting and someone saying, “You must have sown a lot of seed.” The farmer replies, “No, I only sowed one ear of corn, but I got a feeling I am going to have a big harvest because I am trusting in God.” Trusting in God means one sows a lot of seed, not they sow only a little, just in case the harvest is not good, so they will still have something to eat.” Reaping as we sow means we will be blessed as we have given. We also need to keep in mind, as we give, God has promised to make sure we have everything we need. To sum up everything this verse is teaching, we need to give an amount we decide we need to give based on how we have been blessed and how we trust God to take care of us.

Luke 12:33-34 "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

One of the most important things a Christian needs to know is material possessions are temporary and not important and heavenly treasures last forever and are most important. We can tell where our heart is by where we put our treasures. If we love the Lord, it will show in how much we give and the attitude we have in our giving. We should feel cheerful and willing with our giving. If we want to make sure we keep our heart on spiritual things, we will make sure and lay up spiritual treasures in Heaven, where we do not have to worry about them being stolen or wearing out.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

We have heard giving is a measure of love. We should be astounded then because God loved us so much He gave His son for us. There is no question about how much God loves us. The only question we should have is how much do we love God? If God loved us so much He gave His son to die a humiliating cruel death on the cross, what does the attitude we have when we give and the amount we give say about how much we love God?

Matthew 6:1-4 "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."

We learn an important truth here in Matthew. The amount we give should reflect how we have been prospered and shows the love we have for God. But the amount we give should remain between us and God. We should not give because of what people may think of us. We are told what we give should be a secret between us and God. We are to give in such a way others do not know the amount we give. If we give in secret, God will reward us openly. If we give in order to be seen of men, then that will be the only reward we receive, because God will not have a good reward for us. We should give generously, cheerfully, and out of love as we have planned ahead of time

One more side note, in today’s environment where checks are the primary means of giving and is required for tax purposes, it is essential, whoever counts and records the collection, needs to be quiet about anything they inadvertently learn about the amount any person contributes.

HOW MUCH ARE WE TO GIVE
1 Corinthians 16:2 "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."

We are to lay by in store as God has prospered us. The Bible stresses this fact. If we do not think we have been blessed or prospered by God, then God does not want anything from us, even though I doubt if any of us really have not been blessed by God. If we want to be pleasing to God we are to count our blessing, to determine how we have been prospered. Then we are to decide for ourselves, what we are going to give. If we do this properly, at least once a week we are reminded of the blessings we have received from God. I believe this is one of the most important reasons God has us lay by in store in the first place. If we do this at least once a week it will help us to not take God and His blessings for granted.

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always."

While we know the Old Testament is not something we are to follow anymore, we do know it was given for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. The Old Testament was given as an example. If we use it properly, it will help us to avoid making mistakes and sinning. Israel was commanded to give 10% of the increase of their goods. They were prospered by whatever increase came in their goods. If they planted 1 bushel of wheat and they harvested 11, they were prospered 10 bushels of wheat and they were commanded to give 1 bushel back to God. So we see we are prospered by whatever we are blessed with. I receive a paycheck. Whatever the amount of the paycheck is, that is how much I have been prospered.

Romans 12:8 "Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness."

Paul, in writing to the brethren, lays down a very simple guideline regarding the way we are to determine what we are going to give. We are to keep our giving simple. If we need a lawyer to figure out what we are going to give, it is becoming too complicated. We are to decide what we are going to give based on what we receive. One of the simplest ways is a simple percentage basis. We determine if we are going to give 5%, 10%, 15% or whatever and give.

2 Corinthians 9:5-7 "Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

This means we need to realize is how much we are blessed by God. We are blessed in this United States in a material way probably more than any other nation in history. We are so blessed and yet we do not appreciate our blessings like we should. We have such abundance the biggest health problems in our country stem from having too much, being overweight, and eating so much junk food. We truly have a bounty and only when we realize it and appreciate the blessing God has showered down up on us, then and only then can we give in such a way we are pleasing to God. It is only when we realize we have been blessed with abundance we can give of our bounty. The amount we give is to be determined by the amount we receive. Our blessings are affected by the attitude we have and how we give. The amount we give is to be an amount we can give cheerfully. We are to give as we determine ahead of time, after we count our blessings. We are not to give in a grudging manner. We are to remember God loves a cheerful giver.

Malachi 3:6-10 "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

Here God through the prophet Malachi tell us people forsake God when they quit following his commandments. We see also it is possible for us to rob God. We rob God if we do not give as he wants us to. We also learn the blessings we receive is partially dependant on how we give. The attitude we have in our giving or rather should I say in not giving properly can cause us to rob God.

WHEN SHOULD WE GIVE
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."

Christians are commanded to give on the first day of the week, Sunday, the Lord’s Day. One reason we should give every first day of the week is when the need arises, the money will be there to help take care of that need.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE CONTRIBUTION
1 Corinthians 16:1 "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye."

One purpose for the collection is to help the needy saints. It is a command of God we help the Brethren who are in need.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward."

The Elders in a local congregation have a right to be supported, if they rule well. The congregation has a responsibility to support or to provide for the needs of those who serve the congregation. The leadership in a congregation has a right to be supported because the labourer is worthy of his hire. In other words, the congregation has a responsibility to those who labor among them because if someone is working hard for the Lord, they have a right to be supported because you do not muzzle the ox that treadeth the corn.

1 Corinthians 9:7-14 "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."

We see the Bible teaches those who preach the gospel have a right to be financially supported by the gospel. This does not mean they have a right to live high off the hog, but neither does it mean they should be living below the poverty level. My own personal opinion is those who are being supported by a congregation should be supported at about the average for a family in the congregation, if they have no other means of support. The Bible clearly teaches in 1 Corinthians those who sow to the spirit have a right to receive carnal blessings from those who are blessed spiritually. Why? Because God commanded the mouth of the ox that treadeth the corn is not to be muzzled. Paul quoting from the Old Testament shows the reason God had commanded the Israelites not to muzzle the ox they used to tread the grain, was not because of the ox, but because God wanted the example clearly shown if the ox was expected to be able to eat of the grain we as Christians could realize we have an obligation to make sure those who labor in the gospel are to be taken care of. Again we see the example given. Is a soldier expected to pay for his own equipment and salary? NO! The soldier has a right to expect to be paid. We can sum it up by saying the contribution can be used for all things that are necessary in the spiritual fight, that are expedient and are not wrong.

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

The Church has a responsibility to spread the gospel, baptize believers, and strengthen them. We see then the contribution is to be used to spread the gospel and can be legitimately used to do so. The contribution can be used on anything in this category, as long as it is not wrong. So we can use the contribution for such things as supporting the preacher, buying advertising time in a newspaper or TV, buying bibles for those who have been baptized, buying song books, grape juice or etc.

How the Religious World Has Changed The Contribution
The religious world has changed the way money is raised in much the same way they have changed the rest of the worship services of the Church. Anything that is successful monetarily is fine for them religiously. The only way the Bible shows God authorizes for his people to raise money is through the free-will offering. But the world has changed this until it has no semblance of the simplicity God gave.

The way some religious organizations have changed the giving, range from instead of relying upon the will of the members, the church dictates the amount each member is expected to give. It has become so bad the purpose of many of these religious organizations is to raise money. The purpose of the Church is to spread the gospel. Raising money is incidental to the mission of the Church. Most religious organizations have bought stock in companies because they have forgotten everything God has said about what He wants. The business of many religious organizations has changed from the concept of primarily spreading the gospel to one of primarily raising money.

Chapter Summary

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Section 1 Summary

2009-04-26T07:58:00.001-07:00

As I have mentioned in the Introduction to Section I, the worship service is a spiritual meal designed by an all-wise all-knowing God. To be more specific, it is like a 5 course spiritual meal with each part designed to feed a different need that exists in the spiritual life of each Christian.

The preaching was designed by God to feed the beginning Christian with the milk of the word, while at the same time feed the more mature Christian with the meat of the word. The new born babe in Christ needs to concentrate on the simpler things in the sermon while at the same time they learn to write down verses and take notes in order to be like the Church at Berea of whom it was said they listened with a ready mind and then searched the scriptures to see if those things were so.

The fact the new born Christian is encouraged to study for oneself helps them to grow quicker unto maturity. And by writing down the verses used by a more seasoned teacher of the word, should help the spiritual infant to learn now to tie verses together and to learn how to glean the sense the verses are teaching. As the new born baby in Christ begins to develop and grow spiritually, the preaching plays a part as the young spiritual child understands more and can digest more mature foods until they begin to be able to explain these simple things themselves. Over a period of time as the young Christian grows from the newborn stage as they learn to understand and then to explain more and they learn to teach these concepts both privately and publicly, if they are men and privately if they are women.

Prayer in a similar fashion in the beginning of the spiritual life of the babe-in-Christ is more self-centered and more about the needs of the spiritual child. A babe-in-Christ, just as a physical baby is selfish and immature, thus these traits show up in the things they do. Thus their prayers are simplistic and self-centered more and as they grow and mature, their prayers change and become more about others and less about their own physical and spiritual needs. Also with maturity comes more of an understanding of the importance of accepting and trusting in God will. Even if they do not understand why, the more mature Christian has learned from experience God knows and understands much more than we humans ever will and thus they learn to trust in God and to wait upon the Lord.

Singing is much the same as the other items of worship in this fashion. When a Christian is a spiritual babe, the singing is something that is there to feed the infant. It is the babe in Christ who says such things as, I did not get anything out of the worship service today, because they are still thinking from a selfish perspective, as though the world revolves around them. But as the spiritual baby uses the singing service to feed the Holy Spirit within them and learns to think about and to meditate upon the words they are singing, they begin to mature and to grow spiritually. As this growth process takes place, the young adult Christian begins to realize if they concentrate on putting their heart into their singing and the other items of worship, there is more for them to take from the worship service, then their spiritual growth begins to really take off and their growth becomes much more noticeable. At this time when the Christian is more capable of concentrating on putting their spirit into the worship service, then they can begin to build up their brothers and sisters in Christ and when the entire congregation is working together, growth both spiritually and numerically begins to take place at a phenomenal rate.

The Contribution is perhaps the least understood and at the same time it is an important item of worship. Many times all a new-born Christian knows about the contribution is the little that may be said by the man who is waiting on the table. Too many times we treat the contribution as a red headed stepchild of the items of worship. Most places I have been, the man taking care of the contribution just mentions how this item of worship is used to help the needy saints and to spread the gospel. Then the basket is passed around and since nothing else is said, it gives the impression this is something we do as an afterthought. But if we study the Bible and understand it properly, we realize this is not just a method for raising money, but it plays an important role in the Christian’s growth and maturity.

The Bible says we are to give as we have been prospered. This means we need to take time to count our blessings, to know how we have been prospered.. The Pharisees took this to the extreme of counting even the herbs they raised in their garden. But Jesus did not condemn them for that, he said “This they should have done, but not to have forgotten Mercy, Faith, and Love.” I understand one of the reasons we as Christian are told to count our blessings before we decide how much to give back is that this way, when we truly understand how much God has blessed us, first we will be less likely to take God and the things we receive for granted and then when we truly have counted or meditated about our blessings, then the appreciation we have in our heart helps us to be able to give cheerfully.

The young Christian, if they start using the contribution in the way God has intended, will never take God and the blessings He showers down upon them for granted. But they will begin to see how God takes care of them each and every day. This helps the new Christian to trust in God. When one trusts in God, they will quit worrying about where their next meal comes from. Then with trust and faith in God, the new Christian can better devote their lives in service to God and because of this trust, they will grow unto maturity much faster.

The Communion, while its important can not be stressed too much, after all this is one of the main reasons we as Christians come together on the Lord’s Day, still, I believe many of us do not realize just how great a role partaking properly and partaking in the right frame of mind plays in our Christian growth. This one item of worship is so important and so pivotal in our living the Christian life it is written in the New Testament if we partake in the wrong manner we bring eternal damnation upon ourselves, but if we use the Communion in the way God intended we will not fall, but rather we will grow unto being a mature Christian.

In the same way a good parent tries very hard to provide a well-balanced meal and tries hard to see their children eat properly, so a good congregational leadership struggles together and works together to make sure their spiritual off-spring, those have obeyed the gospel and entrusted into their care by God, have a well-balanced spiritual meal placed in front of them at every worship service and encourage each and every child of God to be at every worship service of the church.

John 4:23-24 "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

But being at every worship service is only part of the growth process. Each and every time a Christian comes to worship God, two things must be there for the worship to be pleasing to God. First, the worship must be in truth that is everything in the worship must be done according to the pattern laid down by God and it must be found in the Holy Scriptures. Second, the worship done must be from the heart. For worship to be from the heart, it must be a conscious choice, with each part of the worship service being thought, felt, and believed. For example, when we sing praises to God, the Bible has chosen to mention singing that is not accompanied by instruments of music. This is the truth part. We are to sing songs, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord. Singing and making melody in our hearts is part of the truth, in that God has commanded where the singing and making melody is to come from, our hearts. But also, this means we need to think about the words we sing and the emotions of our heart need to be put into our songs.

Thus as responsible leaders in a congregation, it behooves us to do everything in our power to make sure the worship service is pleasing in the sight of God. We need to make sure the teachers are faithful men who have been taught to love the truth. We need to make sure the man who is chosen to lead the congregation in prayer, understands his responsibility to pray with the spirit and understanding. We need to make sure the song leaders understand their responsibility to lead songs that can be sung with the spirit and understanding. We need to make sure the man who waits on the Lord’s Table understands what the bread, cup and fruit of the vine represent and can bring it forth in such a way that the congregation can partake in a worthy manner and lastly the man who takes care of the contribution does so in such a way as to help encourage and remind the members of their responsibility to give as they have been prospered and an amount they have determined they can give cheerfully.

If all of this is done, then we as leaders in the congregation have done everything we can. The only thing left is for us to pray for guidance and the congregation will have the right type of heart to put into the worship service in order we can encourage, strengthen and uplift one another. We also as leaders need to realize we are human beings and as such can and do make mistakes and sin. We need to make sure we keep a humble spirit and we provide an example we will not be ashamed of in the Day of Judgment.

Section 2: The Importance of Submission

2009-04-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

Section Introduction
Another important step in the process of maturing as a Christian is for a Christian to realize their place in the universe and learn Christianity is all about becoming humble and submitting to God, to the leaders in the local congregation, to every brother and sister in the local congregation, to their parents, to their spouses and even to their children. Until a Christian learns the Christian life is not about getting one’s way, but rather a life of submission, they will never progress to the point of becoming a mature Christian.

It is amazing to me how people can claim to believe in an All-Wise, All-Knowing, and All-Powerful God and claim they trust in Him and believe He knows what is best for them and even claim to acknowledge Him as Lord and then turn around and flagrantly disobey His commands.

I have come to the conclusion most people have no concept of what having Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour means. Most people seem to think mentally believing in God and saying Jesus Christ is their personal Saviour is all acknowledging Jesus as the Lord of their lives entails. When you look at many of these people who claim to be Christians and they take pride in lifestyles given to drugs and alcohol, their significant others are clearly not their spouses, and they seem to change spouses as often as their moods or their feelings change. Is this what God meant when He told us to be holy as He was holy? I think not. God expects us to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

Clearly many people today do not realize that having Jesus as their Lord, means they must examine themselves and change their lifestyles to be pleasing to God. Christianity is a lifestyle which involves the daily choices one makes to submit their will to God on a daily basis. While a Christian is not perfect, we must realize we can no longer make stupid silly excuses to justify not living for God. Claiming we are not perfect is not an answer God will accept anymore than He will accept Satan.

Submission to God, then to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ is something we as Christians must realize is important in our Christian growth. Jesus shows this clearly where He says in Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Jesus makes it clear the leaders in His Kingdom, the Church do not exercise dominion or authority over the flock. Rather in the Church, the leaders govern through a unique method, that of serving the members of the congregation. This does not mean leaders serve by ordering the members around and telling them what to do. But rather, they serve by ministering to the members, finding out the spiritual needs of the congregation and filling those needs.

This can be further seen in 1 Peter 5:3-6 "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:"

The way leaders in the Kingdom of Heaven, the Church, rule is not by being lords over the flock, but by being examples. This is the only way we have record of in the Bible, that leaders in the Church rule. They rule by submitting to the congregation in such a way the examples they set are an inspiration for the flock. Though this example those who are younger learn how in turn submit to the elder and everyone else in the congregation. This shows the importance of the example of the leaders, which would be the Elders, the Evangelists, and teachers within the congregation.

Chapter 1: Submission to God

2009-04-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
One of the most important things for us as Christians to learn is our proper place in God’s creation. There are many people today who call themselves Christians and say Jesus is the Lord of their lives who in actuality have no desire to give up their freedom to do whatever they please and submit to Jesus as their Lord. There are couples today who claim to be Christians, who are living together without the benefit of marriage, even though the Bible clearly teaches the sins of fornication and adultery are sins that are condemned by God and Jesus Christ. There are people today, who claim to be Christians who proudly boast they have never set foot inside a public worship service. They think they can do whatever they want and God and Jesus will accept them. But we want to notice what the Bible says about this.

DO WE NEED TO SUBMIT TO GOD?
Matthew 7:12-23 "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Do these verses indicate God does not care what His creation does? Clearly the answer is NO! Here Jesus speaking refers to what is commonly called the Golden Rule. In other words, Jesus is saying, “Do unto others as you would have them to do to you.” If you treat everyone in this fashion, you are fulfilling the Law of Moses and the prophets, because basically everything that is written can be summed up in these two commands:

But Jesus does not stop there, He continues on and tells us the path a Christian must take is strait (difficult) and hard to stay on, for wide is the path leadeth to destruction and many will go in thereat, while the difficult path is narrow and few will stick to it and find life. When compared to the vast numbers who are running rapidly towards destruction, only a few will head down the narrow path to righteousness. This does not mean you can count the number of people who will make it to heaven on one hand, because in a number of places, we find the Bible teaches very plainly the number of people who are God’s children and will be with him in Heaven is numberless. But what is meant is at any given moment, such as now when the world population is over 6.5 billion people, if you compare the number of people who really love the truth to the number who do not care, the number of the faithful is few.

As a matter of fact, Jesus goes on to warn against those who are false prophets. Many people would have us believe God does not care what we do. If that were true, why is so much of the Bible dedicated to warning against false prophets, to warning against wolves in sheep’s clothing, to warning against perverting or changing the gospel? The only answer that makes sense is it does make a difference.

Jesus continues on in these verses to warn about even the type of fruit that is produced, saying a Christian will produce good fruit for the Lord. If bad fruit is produced, clearly the one producing it is not living for the Lord, they are not a Christian. But just as important is for us to realize Jesus is also teaching implicitly if one produces no fruit it is the same in the eyes of God as if they produced bad fruit. The only type of person that is pleasing to God is a true Christian who produces good fruit.

The verses go on to say there will be many people who honestly think they are pleasing to God, who in the Judgment Day will be surprised to learn God never approved of the things they did. They will speak up in amazement proclaiming, Lord, Lord have we not done all of these wonderful things in your name only to be told by Jesus, “Depart from me ye that work lawlessness, I never authorized the things you did.” Or in very simple English, You will spend an eternity in the lake of fire, because you did not go to my word, the Bible, to find out the things that are pleasing to God. You did not submit to God.

1 Corinthians 11:1-3 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."

The only way we are to listen to men or follow any man is as they are following Christ. This means we as Christians need to make sure whenever we are listening to a preacher or any person, we have a responsibility to make sure the things they say are straight from the Bible. We need to check book, chapter, and verse for everything that is taught. In this sense, every one of us as a Christian need to be like the people from Missouri are, the SHOW-ME state. Whenever someone tells us something of a religious nature, we need to say “SHOW-ME” from the Bible.

HOW CAN WE SUBMIT TO GOD?
How many times have you struggled with trials and temptations in your life. All of us have temptations we have a difficult time overcoming. Fortunately God knows this and tells us how to overcome temptation. It is not necessarily easy, but when God tells us how to do something, we can be sure it can be done. Let us see what the Bible has to say.

James 4:5-8 "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

James says the scripture tells us the spirit which dwells in us, our spirit, is given to temptation and failure. But God gives more grace, and He resists the proud. So we see the first thing we must do is recognize we do not have the power within us as humans to overcome temptation by ourselves. We need the power of God to help us.

2 Chronicles 7:14-16 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

These verses here in II Chronicles give several steps are necessary to submit to God and to receive forgiveness from God. First you must be a child of God, which means you must be a baptized believer. We know this because God is talking about His people, which are called by His name. This is part of a prophecy about the Church, Christians. Yet after they have become children of God, they can still sin and leave the Lord God through sin. The first thing a child of God must do when they realize they have sinned is to humble themselves, repent by turning from their wicked ways and pray to God and ask His forgiveness, then God will hear them from heaven and will forgive them their sins.

First one must come to the realization of their sin, next they must humble themselves by repenting, turning their life back over to God, then pray to God humbly asking Him to forgive their sins. This will bring about forgiveness from God, which is the only place that matters. So we see humility and submission to God must be such a part of the Christian’s life it is their natural character.

2 Chronicles 34:27 "Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD."

We see several things are necessary before one can be considered submissive to God. First one must possess a tender heart. In other words, they must be receptive to God’s word. They must also humble themselves before God. This is done through applying the word of God to themselves, and having a tender heart through changing anything they have been doing wrong. Then God will listen to their prayers.

HOW DO WE SHOW OUR SUBMISSION TO GOD?
I think a majority of the people in the country, if you asked them if they were obeying God and under submission to Him would say YES. But if you look at the lives of a vast majority of the country, clearly they are not living according to His will. One of the reasons for this discrepancy is most people have no concept of what being under submission to someone else entails, even if person is God.

John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

In this simple statement in John, we can see the importance of loving God, keeping the commandments of God as well as submission to the will of God. First we have to ask ourselves, “Do we love God the Father and Jesus Christ the son of God?” Is the fact we claim to love God enough? What should motive us to obey God and Jesus Christ?

1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

In 1 John, the Apostle of love, John, words it even stronger when he says “For this is the love of God, we keep His commandments." Or to reword the verse without changing its meaning, If we do not keep his commandments, we do not love God. This statement may not be politically correct, but it is true.

Psalms 69:30-34 "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein."

Here in Psalms, David shows us several things that being under submission to God causes one to have in their lives. The first thing the psalmist talks about is one will desire to sing praises and tell others about the glory of God and the blessings they receive from him. If one truly feels under submission to God and think of him as Lord of their life, then it is natural for that person to talk to their heavenly Father in prayer. This pleases God more than any sacrifice we might make. The Christian who truly serves God in the way that is pleasing to God is a humble, joyful person, who seeks and searches through the Bible to truly understand what God wants them to do.

Psalms 34:2-3 "My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together."

Again we see the psalmist praising God and showing through example how a person who submits to God will humble themselves and the only boasting they will do is about God and everything they do is designed to exalt, glorify, and please God.

Psalms 10:17-18 "LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress."

Here in the tenth psalm, we have a prophecy regarding how things will be in the Kingdom, the Church. We see God will listen to the humble, he even prepares their heart to be such He will listen to the humble and their prayers. Then he goes on to say those who are fatherless and oppressed will not be oppressed any more. God cares very much for the humble, those who submit to him.

1 Peter 2:13-15 "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:"

Another sign one is humbly following God is they also submit themselves to the laws of the land in the same way they submit to God. This is what God wants His followers to do, to submit to every law of man except if doing so would cause us to be going against the law of God.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO SUBMIT TO GOD?
We have seen how we can tell if we are submitting to God. Now we want to see what happens to those who submit to God. What are the results to those who submit to the Heavenly Father?

James 4:5-10 "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge."

We see the spirit that we have within us, causes us to lust for things we shouldn’t. But if we ask God, he will give us the grace to overcome. The problem is that we struggle and fight against Satan and we are still overcome, because we do not fight Satan as we should. The Bible tells us how to overcome Satan. We first must humble ourselves and submit ourselves to God, then after submitting to God, we need to resist the devil, and then he will flee from us. If we do not humble ourselves first, have a contrite heart and submit to God, we can never overcome Satan on our own. We need to also be careful with our mouth and not allow ourselves to speak evil of our brother because then we become judges of our brethren and of the law.

1 Peter 5:1-7 "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

We see in I Peter, not only are Christians to be humble, but those who would be leaders in the Church must be examples of humility to the flock. As a matter of fact, the Elders and leaders in the Church must be examples the rest of the Church can look at and follow. Too many times the leaders in the Church are not the examples of humility they should be, but are filled with pride, boisterous, and arrogant. The Bible promises if we humble ourselves under the hand of God, He will exalt us. Too often we live as if this promise was reversed, if we exalted ourselves, God will exalt us. Humility is a necessary attitude for Christians to have.

Matthew 18:3-4 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

In Matthew the Bible goes on to teach that unless we become converted to God we cannot enter into the Church, the implication being if we are arrogant, we are not members of the Church, the body of Christ. If we want to be a member of the body of Christ, let alone a leader in the Church, we must have a humble attitude.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DO NOT SUBMIT TO GOD?
We have seen what the Bible says happens to those who submit to God, now we want to take a look at what happens to those who arrogantly do not submit to God, those who are not members of the body of Christ.

Proverbs 6:2-4 "Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids."

When we do not humble ourselves, we end up entrapping ourselves with hasty words. Do you ever end up at odds with other people because of the words that are said? Do you find your mouth gets you in trouble? Then these verses apply to us, we need to humble ourselves and save our friendship, because the arrogant haughty person will have few friends.

Proverbs 16:18-20 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he."

If we are filled with pride, we are headed for destruction, an eternity in the lake of fire. If we have a haughty spirit, we are going to sin and fall away from God. Better off is the man who humbles himself in the eyes of God, than one who is filled with pride. These verses go on to say if one humbles themselves and handles a matter wisely they shall find good in their friends and their lives. This is how one trusts in God is to humble themselves, or in other words, the man who is filled with pride does not trust in God at all.

Proverbs 29:23-25 "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not. The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."

These verses teach very clearly one of the main problems we as Christians have is pride. God warns us here in Proverbs, pride brings us down to sin, but if we are humble, we will have honour. The second problem is even if pride does not cause us to sin directly, it causes us to partner up with people who are sinners and will make us sinners by default. If we fear man, it will cause us to stumble and sin, where the fear of God brings about righteousness.

Isaiah 57:15 "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

Thus saith God who inhabits eternity, let him who has a contrite and humble spirit revive the spirit of the humble. When we stop and think about the fact the God we believe in and worship is the creator of the universe. Not only is he the creator of the universe, but God inhabits eternity, he was, is, and always will be, He is the Great I AM. This God takes time to listen to me every time I pray and he loves me enough to send His son to be beaten, crucified and die a horrible death for me. Isn’t this humbling and exhilarating at the same time. This should both humble us and revive our hearts.

Matthew 23:12-13 "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

Here we are warned against the religion of the Pharisees who went around bragging about how religious they were, and but they would not go into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves, and they would not allow others to go in either.

Chapter Summary

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Chapter 2: Submission to the Leadership in the Local Congregation

2009-04-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
It is important to recognize the fact while the Bible teaches submission to the leadership of the local congregation, it is a special instance and type of submission. As we will notice in this chapter, it is a conditional submission based on the leadership being such an example so any submission to the leader is also construed as submission to Jesus Christ and to God the Father. This submission is also based on a condition of trust has been built up between the leadership of the congregation and the members and new-born babes in Christ. A trust which is based on the leadership having shown through many examples they only desire what is best for the members of the congregation through years of working together.

The leadership is to be such a Christian example they have earned the trust through their service and examples of submission to the needs of the congregation. We see Christians are taught in the Bible to submit to the leadership of the congregation, but it is not to be a blind submission.

1 Corinthians 16:15-16 "I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth."

We see the type of leadership a congregation should have. If this type of leadership exists, the question would never arise, “Do I need to follow the things being taught by the leadership of this congregation?” We see members and new-born babes in Christ are to submit to the leadership, but not just someone who wants to be a boss, but to leaders who have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. These are men who are extremely dedicated to serving the needs of the entire congregation. When the members of a congregation find someone who has addicted themselves to the work of the Lord, through the example of their life, then in turn the members of the congregation would naturally submit to those leaders who have shown they care deeply for the growth of the congregation by proving time and again that they are striving to be pleasing to God.

Hebrews 10:24 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

The attitude a Christian should have is one of concern for every brother and sister in Christ. Every action I take in regard to my brothers and sisters in Christ should be based on the question, “What can I do to encourage every Christian to grow unto love and good work?” So basically every one of our actions, everything we do or say, should be designed to encourage each and every other Christian to grow unto spiritual maturity.

This is the attitude each member of the congregation should have, thus it needs to be clearly seen in the leadership of the local congregation in order the example is there for all to see.

1 Peter 5:1-5 "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."

The purpose for the eldership and for all leadership positions in a local congregation is to take the oversight of the congregation, not as lords, but as examples. Through these examples the leaders are to teach the congregation how to act, speak, think, and teach. Another example the leadership is to teach as is clearly shown in these verses is how to submit to one another. YES, the leadership is to submit to the congregation as an example and means of teaching each member of the local congregation and in particular the babes in Christ how to submit properly.

We as a local congregation are to be subject one to another for the purpose, among other things, of teaching humility, because God resists the proud and extends grace to the humble. We do not want God to resist us, but rather we need all of God’s grace we can get. This is only achieved through humbling ourselves and serving each other.

Luke 22:24-27 "And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth."

These verses seem to be overlooked by many in teaching about such things as Evangelist authority, the authority of the Elders, and the place of the leadership in the local congregation. It is my opinion one can even not even begin to grasp the concepts of Christianity until they understand these verses. These verses show very clearly, there is a complete difference between how the world views things and how a Christian should view them.

The simple truth is the apostles of Jesus at this time in their lives, still thought like the world as do many who should have progressed further in their Christian growth. The truth being taught here is about the difference between a Christian’s attitude and the attitude of the world. The world worries about their position in the world and other people’s perception of their position. Jesus points out this difference when he talks about the kings of the Gentiles exercising lordship over their subjects. When an earthly king gives an order, he expects it to be obeyed because of who he is. After all, he is King! His subjects do not question, but they obey because if they do not, they suffer the consequences. The way you tell who is considered the greatest is who is giving the orders and who is carrying them out.

Jesus uses himself as an example. Did Jesus order his disciples around and have them waiting on him? NO, instead Jesus was as a servant. Many Christians seem to forget the command Jesus does give here. After stating how the kings of the Gentiles are, Jesus says, “But ye shall not be so! But he is the greatest let him be as the younger.” In simple English, Jesus is asking and answering an important question. “Do you want God to consider you as great in My Church?” Instead of pushing your own ideas and trying to get your own way, submit yourself to the rest of the congregation, encouraging their ideas over yours, build up the rest of the congregation. Then and only then will God exalt you and lift you up. But it seems these scriptures get overlooked whenever we hear of so called leaders in the Church fighting over opinions.

Hebrews 13:17 "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."

We are told to obey them that have the rule over us and to submit ourselves to them. But as we noticed earlier this rule over is not in the sense of being the Boss, because the Bible clearly teaches in the gospels in several places there would not be rulers in the worldly sense in the Church. This submission is to be a conditional submission based on the leadership being in submission to God in both the examples they set and in the things they ask the members to do. If a leader in the local congregation ever tells you to do something that is contrary to the will of God, our answer must be NO!!! Then we need to start double checking every time leader asks us to do something. The leadership must be very careful in the things it expects of the congregation.

Here in Hebrews, we see a reason given as to why we are to submit to the leadership of the local congregation. This reason is God has given the leadership the responsibility to watch for our souls as they that must give an account. So we understand the Elders, teachers, and Evangelists not only have to give an account to God for their lives, as every other person must do, but in addition God will hold them accountable for the souls of the members of the local congregation which they accepted responsibility for when they began teaching or when they were ordained to the leadership office they are in.

The Bible teaches one needs to think very carefully before they decide to accept a leadership role in the local congregation, because of the responsibility that goes with the office. No office of the Church is to be entered into lightly, but one needs to understand both the responsibility of the office and the scope of work that is entailed in the office before accepting the responsibility for it. They will be held accountable by God in the final day, if they accept the responsibility.

Does this mean because one of the members of the congregation ends up losing their soul, the leadership will automatically be lost? NO, it does not, but I believe it means for each member of the congregation who is lost, the leadership will be expected to give an account of what they did, to try and prevent loss and what they did to help encourage the lost person to grow as a Christian. It does not profit anyone when Christians refuse to submit to the leadership of the local congregation because they are rebellious.

James 4:6-7 "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

We see God is not pleased when people are proud and think more of their abilities than they should. When we resist the leadership of the congregation we are not submitting to God. When we resist the leadership of the congregation are we resisting the devil as God wants us to? The answer is obvious, NO! The first thing we must do to overcome Satan is to submit to God, then only after we submit to God can we resist the Devil and overcome sin. This is one of the reasons we need to submit to the leadership in the local congregation. So we can have help and advice in our spiritual fight against the Devil. Whenever we resist the leadership in the local congregation by refusing to do simple things they ask us to do, such as studying the word of God, leading a song or anything we are asked to do, we are being proud and God will resist us. We need to make sure what we are being asked to do is unscriptural before we refuse to submit. Too many times we act like we know more than the leadership in the congregation, by the attitude we display. The reason the leadership probably is asking us to conduct a study or to take part in a study is for not only our spiritual growth, but for perhaps for the spiritual growth of others as well.

Ephesians 5:18-21 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

Here in Ephesians, Paul starts off teaching us as Christians we should not be drunk with wine, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul proceeds to tell the Ephesian brethren how to do this, and by extension, us today. How does Paul tell us to be filled with the Holy Spirit? There are three things Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us are necessary for this to happen. First, we need to be speaking to ourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our heart. Second, we need to appreciate the blessings God has showered down upon us and give thanks to God for them. And third we need to submit ourselves to one another in the fear of God. Imagine that!!! If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you need to learn how to submit to one another and to serve one another. This shows me, as much as anything the importance of submission in becoming a mature Christian.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king."

It is all summed up in Samuel, where we learn how God feels about a rebellious attitude. It is as the sin of witchcraft. It goes on to say stubbornness a lack of submission is as bad in the eyes of God as the sin of lawlessness and the worshipping of idols. To obey is better than sacrifice and to listen and submit to the leaders who have addicted themselves to the ministry of God is better than the fat of lambs. When we reject the word of the Lord by refusing to submit to the leadership of the congregation, God in turn will reject us just as He rejected Saul from being King of Israel.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LEADERSHIP
In the Bible God has given several reasons for the various leadership offices in the Church. When we better understand these purposes, we will better understand the role the men in these offices are to play in becoming a mature Christian. Then we can better understand our relationship to these offices. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding in the brotherhood about the offices God has put in the Church and as a result the Church has suffered.

Ephesians 4:11-16 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

We see each of the offices in the Church was given for the same purpose, the scope and the qualifications for the offices being the main difference between them. The purpose of these offices is for the perfecting (maturing) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. This is done to bring us all into the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, to help cause each of us to grow into mature Christians, until we grow unto a measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. This causes the body of Christ to fit together as God intended, where the body increases through the edifying of itself in love. This is even clearer in the New King James Version, where it reads:

Ephesians 4:11-16 "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

The New King James Version shows very clearly the offices of the Church, which today are the Evangelist, the Pastor (or Elder) and teachers, are for the purpose of equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry, to edify the body of Christ, to help the Church to grow unto what God intended for it to be. Here we clearly see the purpose of the offices of the Church is to first help the members recognize the work God has given them, then to train the individual members to do their work. When the members do their job then the body of Christ will grow in the way God has planned.

Ezekiel 3:16-21 "And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul."

When someone understands what is being taught here in Ezekiel, then and only then can the understand the importance of fulfilling the vow the leaders of the Church make to God either formally as in the office of the Evangelist and the Elders when they were ordained or informally when they take on the responsibility of teaching in the local congregation. These verses teach when God gives one responsibility they cannot just quit in the middle of the job and escape unpunished. Can you imagine the watchman who is on the mountain looks out and sees an army coming, he looks around and the other watchmen have quit. Is he supposed to quit? NO! Do you think this relieves the watchman of his responsibility to warn the people? His work is more important if only one watchman is left. God will still hold him responsible if anyone dies. The same is true if someone accepts the responsibility of the Eldership, Evangelist, or teacher in the local congregation. They have made a vow to God and woe to them if they do not fulfill their vow. Combine this with the fact the Bible teaches very clearly in Matthew 20:25-27 the offices of the Church are offices of service rather than offices of authority, the fear against having one Elder remain in office, if all of the other Elders die, is irrational as long as the remaining Elder knows his proper position is to serve the congregation, not to be lord over the local congregation.

Ezekiel 33:1-9 "Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul."

Here in Ezekiel chapter 33, in the New King James version, this warning is repeated about God holding His people responsible for any duty they undertake, whether it is the job of parents, or Evangelist or Elder or teacher. Again God, through Ezekiel, is clearly spelling out what he expects from His people. This to me, seems to parallel the Parable of the Talents, where we find God holds his people responsible for developing and fulfilling their talents and abilities. If the watchman fulfills his job and warns the people, he has fulfilled his responsibility and the responsibility for their life, lies with each of person to either heed the warning or ignore it. But if the watchman does not give the warning, for any reason, the responsibility for the blood or death of anyone who is lost or dies, God will demand at the watchman’s hands. The same is true of the teachers, Evangelist, and Elders in a local congregation. If they take on a responsibility and do not fulfill it for any reason, God will hold them accountable for anyone who is lost. This means if a congregation matures to the point of having Elders and if all of the Elders in a local congregation die except for one, the one remaining Elder must fulfill his vow to God. This becomes especially important since he would be the sole watchman left to warn the congregation. It also means he must be very careful not to allow himself to become a lord or a dictator over the flock of God.

Hebrews 5:12-14 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Here in Hebrews, we see God expects each Christian to grow until they can teach others the gospel of Christ. Each and every Christian also is given the responsibility to grow and learn from studying the word of God, the Bible. This means one can not just blame the leadership of the local congregation and not be held accountable themselves to God. Even if the leadership does not fulfill their responsibility, one cannot claim they have no responsibility in their failure to grow. God has given each and every Christian, the responsibility to grow and if they do not grow, they will be held accountable by God. As a matter of fact, as we had noticed in Ephesians 4:11-16, the purpose of the leadership is to train the members to fulfill their responsibility in the body and to each other. God does not want the leadership doing the job of each member, but rather to train each member to fulfill their function. What good would it do for me to blame the leadership of the local congregation in the Day of Judgment? None! The leadership may be held accountable by God for not doing their job, but it does not free me from my responsibility to do the work of the ministry through fulfilling my part in the body of Christ.

We want to notice anyone who is unskillful in the word of righteousness is still a babe in Christ. This means in many cases there are too many spiritual babies who have been members of the Church for years. In order for me to grow from being a spiritual baby to being a mature adult Christian, means I need to accept responsibility to visit the sick, both physically and spiritually, to call or send cards to the members of the Church who are elderly and do what I can to help. Only by exercising my spiritual body will it grow until I can discern both good and evil. So every time I am asked to do something by a leader in the Church and I refuse, I am acting like a spoiled child and am not growing as a Christian and at the same time I making it difficult for the leaders in the congregation to fulfil their responsibility joyfully and I am keeping myself as well as the other members of the body of Christ who depend on me for doing their jobs from growing as they should.

2 Timothy 4:3-5 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

We see there are many Christians who after they obey the gospel who will not want to follow the gospel, the things Jesus has commanded his disciples to do. As these verses teach, “they will not endure sound doctrine.” Implying they do not want to be bound by the commandments and lifestyle Jesus wants and demands they follow. They will begin to refuse to submit to sound leadership and will heap to themselves teachers who will say whatever the listeners wanted to hear.

We see Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, warns Christians, teachers, and Elders, to be careful in their attitudes because from among their own midst would arise those who do not take their God-given responsibility seriously, but would be guided by their own lusts. In the United States, one of the major problems Christians have to overcome, is for all of our lives, we have been told we are as good as anyone else and we learn to demand our rights, where as Christians, we are taught the exact opposite, it is all about submission and responsibility, not about rights.

Proverbs 17:10-12 "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool. An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly."

We see the Bible teaches it is the wise man who listens to reproof and applies it to their spiritual lives. A simple word of reproof is more effective to a wise man than a hundred lashes would do for a fool. How true this is, especially if a wise leader of the Church, in the same way Peter did when he caused division in the Church over not eating with Gentiles, repented and changed his ways when Paul confronted him to his face and rebuked him before all.

God considers a Christian who is rebellious and not submissive as evil. One of the purposes of the leadership is to help keep the congregation and the individual members of the congregation on the straight and narrow way Jesus has taught through his word. If one refuses to submit to a wise spiritual leadership in things that are for their own good, these verses teach us that person is evil and will spend an eternity separated from God. Solomon here uses words in a way that makes this very clear. In comparing the rebellious man to a fool, he wants us to realize it is better for us to run into a mother bear who has lost her cubs than to spend time in the company of a fool while he is in his folly.

2 Corinthians 5:10-11 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences."

These verses sum up the entire purpose of the leadership positions of the local congregation. The purpose of the leadership of the Church and all members of the Church is to spread the gospel to a lost and dying world and to save the lost. If this is not happening then why does God need us?

We will all stand before God on the Judgment Day and will either be rewarded with a home in Heaven with God or we will spend an eternity separated from God in the lake of fire. The entire purpose of the Church is to provide a means of keeping people out of the lake of fire.

Chapter Summary

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Chapter 3: Submission to the Other Members of the Local Congregation

2009-04-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
We want to notice God not only wants us to submit to His will and to the leadership of the local congregation as a part of submission to God, but also He wants us to submit to every other member of the congregation. Submission and humility are stressed so often in the Bible, by its frequency alone, one should get an idea of its importance as a foundation for living the Christian life. As a matter of fact, as we will notice in this chapter, submission and voluntary servitude is so importance to our Christian life if we do not possess this humility, we are in danger of losing our soul’s salvation, if we ever possessed it in the first place.

In this chapter, we are going to try to investigate the importance of serving our fellow Christians and the place it should play in growing as a Christian.

Hebrews 10:24 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

We want to notice the writer of Hebrews tells us we as Christians are to be considerate of each other and we do this by trying to encourage each other to grow in the Christian love they have and to encourage them to produce more good works.

The way we as Christians are to do this is in every action we take that may affect a brother or sister in Christ. We need to make sure the action will be one that encourages them to grow in a positive way in the area of love and good works. Everything we do as Christians should be done for the purpose of encouraging or exhorting one another. In other words, we need to deal carefully in our actions to make very sure when we provoke someone it will be to encourage them to the good not to the bad.

1 Corinthians 16:15-16 "I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth."

The Bible in I Corinthians uses the household of Stephanos, as an example of how we as Christians should be. The household of Stephanos had addicted itself to the ministry. The Greek word translated, “ministry” is also translated Deacon and also servant.

The word addicted implies a very strong attraction to something. The implication is something one has to be involved in. We as Christians should to be addicted to ministering to each other or to serving one another.

So we as Christians are to be addicted to helping and serving our brothers and sisters in Christ. This means at the very minimum it should be our habit or our nature to be putting the needs of the congregation and the other members ahead of our own needs.

Luke 22:24-27 "Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves."

We see here in the New King James Version’s rendering of Luke 22:24-27, the disciples were as human as many people in the Church today and were concerned about their position in the coming Kingdom of Heaven, the Church. Of course each one of them thought naturally, they should be the greatest and most important. Jesus answers this dispute with words that should have settled this argument forever, but many people today like the disciples back then, do not listen. Jesus said and I will paraphrase if I might. The world worries about power, authority, and rank, but in the Church there shall never be positions of rank and authority. But rather, the only positions which shall exist in the Church shall be positions of service. The only way my Father will consider one as great in the coming Kingdom of Heaven, the Church is if they humble themselves and serve the other members of the congregation. In order to do this, they must consider the rest of the body as more important than they are.

James 4:6-7 "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

In James, we are told in words that make it abundantly clear as how God feels about proud arrogant people. We are told God resists the proud. Do we want God to be on our side or do we want God to be opposed to us. The attitude we portray determines whether we have God on our side or against us, whether He extends his grace to us or whether He puts stumbling blocks in our path. If we have an arrogant attitude, we put God against us.

The best and only way to get God on our side is to stop being arrogant, to humble ourselves and submit ourselves to the will of God, then when we try to resist the devil, he will turn and flee from us because there is one being who Satan fears and that is God.

Ephesians 5:20-21 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

Here in Ephesians in talking about being filled with the Holy Spirit, among the things we are told that are part of being filled with the Spirit is submitting to each other in the fear of God. This shows very clearly, I believe, the importance and necessity of humbling one’s self and submitting one to another. If God tells us it is necessary to submit to and serve one another in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit that should speak volumes about the type of person we should be.

If you really want to be strengthened and mature as a Christian, there is something we can do to make sure this happens. In order for one to become a mature Christian, we need to feed the Holy Spirit that indwells us. One of the ways to do this is to serve the other members of the local congregation. The more we submit to the needs of the other members of the congregation, the more we humble ourselves and serve others, the more we feed the Holy Spirit within us and the stronger it becomes and the stronger we become. As Christians, the stronger we become, the more mature we become also.

The irony is the more we humble ourselves, the higher God will exalt us. The weaker we appear in the eyes of man, the stronger we become. The more we serve others, the greater we are in the Kingdom of Heaven, the Church. This is the paradox many cannot overcome and the reason why many people never mature as Christians.

1 Peter 5:5-6 "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:"

Peter tells us the younger should submit to the older, to us this seems logical, but how do we learn to submit properly? We are to learn from the example set by the leadership in the local congregation. This does not seem logical to us from a worldly perspective. Why would the leadership be held accountable, if they have no control over the congregation? Shouldn’t the leadership be those who are telling the rest of the congregation what to do? This is how the world thinks, but God’s ways are much higher than our ways and God’s thoughts are much higher than our thoughts. God’s ways are definitely different than our ways. It is God the Father though His Son, Jesus Christ, who said there would not be positions of authority in His Kingdom, His Son’s Church.

God’s way is instead of telling the congregation what to do, the leadership of the congregation, demonstrates what to do through example. God’s way is after a man has humbled himself and served the needs of the congregation, this will cause the other members of the congregation, to learn to trust him and thus they will begin asking his advice and through this process the leadership is exalted by God.

Proverbs 15:33 "The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility."

Solomon in his wisdom puts it very simply and clearly. Do you want to be considered wise? In order to gain wisdom, first you must have a reverent respect and fear of God. This means before one just jumps into the thick of things, they stop, pray to God for wisdom and guidance and then they search the scriptures to come to the understanding and knowledge of what God wants. This is the only way one can gain the wisdom which is from above. And when one humbles himself and chooses to serve the needs of others, then truly God will exalt him and bestow honor upon him.

Proverbs 18:12-13 "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility. He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him."

We see through the wisdom of Solomon what the results of thinking like the world is. The world teaches the bosses in the world are better than the workers and they know what is best for the average person. In the words of Solomon, they are haughty or high minded. When a person thinks they know what is best for everyone else, they have become haughty and high minded and they don’t listen to others. They surround themselves with “yes men”, people who tell them what they want to hear, so then they do not listen to warnings of danger and before they know what is happening, destruction is upon them.

In verse 13, Solomon gives forth tremendous words of wisdom, when he says, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” I never used to understand this verse, because in the midst of someone trying to tell me something, I would interrupt and try to answer them before they would finish their statement. This is something I have had to work hard on, to let the other person speak until they were finished. Even then I found in many instances I still needed to solicit more information from them. I am reminded of the game show “Family Feud”, in which the contestant with the most points wins the contest. I never understood this verse very well until I watched two families playing. One family had over 200 points while the other family had 0. On the last question, the man representing the family which had the most points, jumped in and hit the buzzer when the question was only partially read. The question started off with “What food does not tastes right…, The contestant blurted out “Sour Cream”, then when the rest of the question was read, ”without salt?” The other contestant, ended up getting the answer and the family with 0, went on and won the game. I remembered thinking, “How foolish that man looked.” Then the next time I read this verse, I thought of that instance and I understood better what Solomon was saying.

1 Corinthians 12:12-28 "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say 'Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body'; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."

Paul uses the example of the human body to help us to understand the importance of each member of the local congregation. What good does it do, if the stomach is healthy and ready to do its job, if the mouth does not do its job and eat food? The entire body would starve to death. What does it matter how healthy the rest of the body is if your heart is in bad condition? Through these examples we can see the effect any member can have who is spiritual weak, or spiritual sick or dying spiritually on every other member of the spiritual body, the Church.. In the same way the stomach cannot do its job if the mouth isn’t doing its job, each member’s spiritual well-being depends on the spiritual well-being of every other member.

When one realizes other member’s of the Church depend upon them to do their work, and also realizes Christianity is not a selfish religion, then and only then will one understand the importance of doing their job. If anyone of us does not do our job, other Christians are harmed and the entire spiritual body, the local congregation could die and each one of us will give an account of the results of our actions to God in the final day.

Chapter Summary

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Chapter 4: Submission to the Government

2009-04-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
Not only does God want us to submit to the leadership of the Church, but he also wants us to consider our relationship to the leaders of this world. Our purpose in this chapter is to consider what our relationship with the government is? Where the government derives its power from? What the purpose of the government is? Plus we want to consider some other things that are important in the relationship between us and our government.

WHO ORDAINS THE GOVERNMENTS
Romans 13:1-8 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

We learn in Romans God wants us to be subject to the higher powers. The reason given is every power that exists is ordained by God and thus to resist the power would be the same as resisting the commandments of God. And we know that resisting the commands of God brings on damnation or an eternity separated from God in the lake of fire.

God has ordained governments to protect people that do good and to punish those that do evil. If we do well then we have nothing to fear from our government. But if we do evil, the government then becomes an instrument of God to execute wrath. Thus all we need to do to avoid punishment from the government is to obey the laws and submit to the powers that be.

We see the relationship that exists between God and any government. The government is ordained by God and derives its power and authority from God and exists for the purpose of punishing those who are evil and protecting those who are good. We as Christians are to voluntarily submit to the laws of the land, not because we fear the government, but because we fear God.

John 19:8-11 "When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."

We see in this exchange between Pilate and Jesus all power the government has comes from God. Thus the power the government has to punish evildoers was given unto it by God as well as the power to reward those who do well. What Jesus is pointing out was Judas who betrayed him had a greater sin than Pilate, because Pilate, even though he knew Jesus was innocent, was only wielding the power God had given him while Judas did not have any God given right to betray an innocent man.

ARE CHRISTIAN'S TO OBEY ALL GOVERNMENTS?
Titus 3:1-4 "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,"

Paul in writing to Titus as well as what we had noticed in his letter to Romans, shows very clearly Christians are to be subject to any governments where they happen to be, because whether we like the government or not, it was ordained by God. Many people claim Christians only have to obey good governments, and they claim for example, Germany before and during World War II, was a bad government, because they killed 6.5 million Jews, plus many other millions through their actions. But Stalin in the Soviet Union killed approximately 21 million of his people and Communist China has killed even more and many of these same people have supported these governments.

We want to notice the Roman Empire was killing Christians by the hundreds and thousands, and every Apostle except the Apostle John was probably martyred by the Roman Empire, the same government crucified our Lord and Saviour. But this is the same government Paul wrote to the Christians about, telling them to obey the magistrates and the rulers, because God put them in power.

Paul in writing to Titus, an evangelist, reminds him to teach Christians to be subject to the government and to be ready to help in good works. So we see we as Christians are to be subject to each and every government of whatever land we happen to be in at any given time.

Mark 12:14-17 "And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him."

I remember in my youth, during the height of the Vietnam war many people in the world were claiming God would not want them to support the war, so they held back on paying their taxes or at least the part of their taxes they felt would go to support the war. But is this what Jesus says? No, it is not. The Jews hated the Roman government and hated paying taxes which was then used to support the Roman army kept them under subjection. This was the reason they asked Jesus this question. But Jesus, in answering, tells them to pay to Caesar, the Roman government, the things the Roman government told them to pay and to pay the things to God they owed God. The listeners understood exactly what Jesus said about paying their hated taxes, but He said it in such a way they could not trap Him.

We see not only are we to pay our taxes, but we do not get to pick and choose what taxes we pay or don’t pay, or what government we obey or don’t obey. We are to submit to whatever government God has ordained, which means whatever government that is in power where we happen to be, we are to be subject to that government.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOVERNMENT CONFLICTS WITH GOD?
Acts 5:27-29 "And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, 'Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.' Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, 'We ought to obey God rather than men'"

The only reason we as Christians are to refuse to submit and not obey something the government which is ordained by God tells us to do is if the government tells us to disobey God in something, we must still obey God and disobey the government. Does this suddenly free us from obeying the government in everything else and even rebelling against that government? No, it does not. When Peter and the other apostles were told to not preach the gospel any more, they disobeyed the governmentthat had been ordained by God because in the one thing they were commanded to do which was wrong, they had to obey God first. Even then the apostles did not rebelling against the Roman government, not even when times of persecution arose. The persecutions arose against the Christians because they chose to obey God rather than man, but they obeyed in everything else did not conflict with the commands of God.

1 Peter 2:12-19 "Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully."

The guiding principles we as Christians are to be guided by are honesty and good works. Then we are to submit ourselves to every ordinance or command of man, whether they be from the king, or governor, or simply a local magistrate. We are to obey them, not because of who they are, but because of who we are. We are Christians and we would rather die than rebel against God. If it be the will of God we suffer, then let us make sure we are suffering for doing right rather than for doing evil.

We submit to the governments because they are ordained of God, not because we fear the punishment they may render, because we are told to fear God, who can destroy both soul and spirit in hell. Because we are at liberty and free in Christ, we are not to use that liberty as an excuse for doing evil. The guiding principle we have as Christians is we are to submit to the government as part of submitting to God. The only time we can and must refuse is when the thing the government wants us to do is in conflict with what God wants us to do.

WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN'S ROLE IN GOVERNMENT?
Acts 5:27-29 "And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."

Christians are to always remember God comes first, before family, before work, before the government, and definitely before recreation. When we realize we should always put God before everything else, it makes all of our decisions that much easier. If anything conflicts with what God wants us to do, what God wants come first, so whenever what the government wants conflicts with the will of God, we do what God wants.

Acts 23:1-5 "And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people"

It is important for Christians to live with a good clear conscience, but as Paul brings out something more is needed, after all, Paul had lived with a good conscience even when he was putting Christians to death. It goes to show that a conscience is only as good as its training. It is important we make sure we keep our conscience trained by and grounded in the word of God.

We in the country we live in, the United States, have been told our entire lives we have a right to say whatever we want about our government, but as Paul tells us in several places, just because we have the liberty to do something, that does not mean is what God wants us to do. For example we see as Christians we have a command from God we should not speak evil of those who God has ordained, therefore even though the law of the land says we can say whatever we want, we as Christians must obey God first and keep control over the things we say.

Not only does God want us not to speak ill of the government, but as Christians we are to deal honestly with the government in all of our interactions. This means we do not argue and lie to a police officer if he pulls us over and it means we should pay our taxes. I believe to sum it up, we as Christians can claim every legitimate deduction the law provides. In other words, there is a big difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance. In the same way there is a difference between using what the law allows and lying about what we deduct.

Romans 13:13 "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying."

God expects us as Christians to live honestly in all of our dealings with each other and the government. Not only should we deal honestly with the government and people around us, but we should go the second mile and avoid becoming involved in strife of any type. So we as Christians need to keep our political opinions under control in such a way as not to get involved in arguments especially with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Acts 25:7-12 "And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all. But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go."

Here we learn through the Apostle Paul Christians are allowed to avail themselves of opportunities allowed by the government. As long as it does not conflict with the will of God, Christians can avail themselves of any opportunity that the government offers. This means that before we avail ourselves of any right our government offers us that we make sure it is right in the eyes of God. For example, if a Christian wants to vote, they need to make sure it is not contradictory to the will of God. If a Christians makes the decision it is alright for them to vote, they then also have the additional responsibility to study any issue they are voting on to make sure their vote would be guided by what God's commands teach.

Chapter Summary

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Chapter 5: Submission to the Family

2009-04-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
One of the most important influences a Christian can have is within their family unit. Whether you are a Father, a Mother, a Son, or a daughter, you have more influence within your family than you realize. This is one of the reasons God in the Bible spends so much time teaching and communicating about how each member of the Christian family should act. As parents, if we want to provide a good family home, then we need to study the Bible in order to understand how to provide that home. If we as children want to grow up happy, to truly enjoy life, and to live as long as we can, we find out how to achieve these goals and more in the word of God. If we want to have a long, happy, successful marriage, statistics prove this is achieved from following what the Bible tells us to do. In this chapter, we will investigate some of the ways God wants us as members of a happy Christian family to act, and what the results of submitting to one another within the family are.

HOW DOES GOD WANT US TO SUBMIT WITHIN A MARRIAGE?
THE PURPOSE OF MARRIAGE:
TO PROVIDE SUITABLE COMPANIONSHIP

GENESIS 2:20-25 "And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

The Bible teaches us man is not complete by himself. The reason God created woman in the first place was so she could be a help meet (suitable companion) for man. God looks upon a husband and wife almost as a single unit and the way each member of that unit acts helps determine where both the husband and wife spend eternity. The reason I use the phrase, almost as a unit, is just because one member of marriage unit acts in such a fashion they spend eternity separated from God in the lake of fire, it does not guarantee their spouse will also be lost. Each spouse has the freewill to chose to serve God or chose not to. The way a spouse acts has an influence on their spouse, but it is the spouse’s choice to serve God or not. We can see God intends the husband and wife to be a help to each other in everything they do, especially in their Christian walk.

We further notice there should not be any shame between a Christian husband and wife. God intends a marriage to create a family unit that acts in such a fashion as to provide the type of environment that encourages the husband and wife to grow both spiritually and mentally, as well as encouraging the children to grow up to be the best Christian adults they can be. Additionally God intends the family unit to shape society, the Church, and the government. The family unit shapes everything members of the family come in contact with and God wants us to be such a family as to shape the world around us to be a safe God-fearing society.

TO PLEASE EACH OTHER
I CORINTHIANS 7:32-39 "But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

Paul, in writing to the Corinthian brethren, makes it clear a Christian husband is to be concerned about pleasing his wife, within the proper priority of pleasing God first. In the same way, a Christian wife should be concerned about pleasing her husband. In the society we live in, we are bombarded with the idea the first responsibility of any person is to be happy and to do whatever they want or desire. We are bombarded from our birth to insist on our rights, to insist on our liberties. But when we study the Bible, we do not find this concept within its pages. The Bible teaches responsibilities and a voluntary service to each member of the family. A family which is guided by the commands and laws of God, provides the best environment to insure each member of the family will turn out to be good productive members of society, God-fearing Christians, and the children will grow up to be good spouses and parents themselves.

We see God intends for a Christian marriage to be such that both spouses are happy and content with both their marriage and their spouse and as such will remain together until death separates them. If every marriage in the world followed God’s commandments and laws faithfully, there would be no divorce, crime would be almost non-existent, and every ill that besets man would virtually disappear.

TO PROVIDE A LAWFUL RELATIONSHIP
HEBREWS 13:4 "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

Another purpose of marriage is to provide a lawful means of a man and a woman fulfilling their physical needs and desires in such a way that no sin is involved. Many religions teach the very act of sex is sinful in nature. But these verses teach a very different doctrine. Between a husband and wife, anything they chose to do does not defile the bed. In simple English, as long as it remains only between a husband and wife and does not include any other being, there is no sin in anything a husband and wife do in their sexual relationship. God does not judge anything that willingly takes place as long as it involves the husband and wife only. But God does judge sexual relationships that are outside of the marriage vows.

TO MAINTAIN AND FULFILL THEIR ROLES
I CORINTHIANS 11:1-3 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."

God has provided what might be referred to as a chain of command, or a priority of headship that exists within His creation. It is simply this, God the Father, is over everything, He has all power and His will reigns supreme over all, under Him is Jesus the Son. When we read and study the Bible, we learn God has turned all authority over to Jesus, God the Son, saving power over God, the Father Himself. Additionally, Jesus will retain that power and authority until the Judgment Day, when after the judgment is concluded, Jesus will return authority back to the Father.

Under Jesus next in the rank of headship is the man. Then under man is the woman. There are no doubt many unstated reasons for this chain of headship, but one of the stated reasons is so in the marriage relationship, a Christian husband and a Christian wife would portray the relationship that exists between Christ and the Church. If we keep this thought in mind and live by it, we will strive as husbands to always treat our wife as very special, to such an extent that we would be willing to die for her. We need to keep in mind since we portray Christ, how does the world perceive Christ by the way we act towards and treat our wives? Christian wives need to be guided by the fact that they are portraying the Church to the world. Every Christian wife needs to ask herself the question “Is the Church that the world sees portrayed by me, one they would want to belong to?” I believe if we as husbands and wives kept this thought in mind, we would probably treat each other much different than we do in many cases.

EPHESIANS 5:31-33 "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

Paul starts off quoting from Genesis Chapter 2, but then he goes on to show in the same way Abraham and his two wives was an allegory about the relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament, the marriage relationship as designed by God is an allegory showing the relationship that exists between Christ and the Church. We are told everything that was given in the Old Testament was given for our learning so we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Therefore it becomes important for Christian couples to stop and realize this fact, and then ask this question, “Looking at our marriage, how do I as a husband depict Christ and how do I as a wife depict the Church? Also what type of relationship do we show exists between Christ and His Church?”

It is important for Christian couples to realize the marriage relationship that exists between each couple depicts Christ and the Church. If we, through our marriage, paint a bad picture of Christ and the Church, how do we think God will feel about us shaming His Son and the Church?

I CORINTHIANS 11:7-12 "For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God."

We see the imagery and allegory relationship extends to more than Christ and the Church. The man represents the image and glory of God and the woman represents the glory of man. It is my opinion, this is part of the reason for the abundant warning that are presented in the Old Testament and the New Testament against changing the pattern laid down in the Bible. We know about the marriage representing Christ and the Church only because God revealed it to us. In the same way we only know about the man being the image and glory of God and the woman being the glory of man because it is revealed to us in the Word of God. How many other allegories are represented in the Old and New Testaments that are not revealed? When we change the pattern of worship to God, how many other wrong images may we be presenting?

Luke 22:24-32 "And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."

We have noticed in an earlier chapter, how these verses deal with the role of the leadership in the local congregation. I believe these verses also apply to the husband and wife relationship. Jesus in talking about ruling over one another says we as Christians are not to be so. I believe we must apply these verses to any relationship or role we as Christians might find ourselves in. We noticed in dealing with the leadership offices in the Church Jesus taught the way the leadership was to rule over the flock was through serving. Every office exists within the Church exists for the purpose of serving the local congregation. They are offices of service rather than offices of authority or rank. The same is true within the Christian marriage. The roles exist, for the husband and the wife, are roles of service or positions of service. The Bible teaches the way a Christian husband should rule over his wife is by serving her and treating her first as a Christian sister in Christ, which as we noticed in Hebrews 10:24, taught us how we as Christians are to consider one another, how we can encourage each other to grow in love and good works. Every action a Christian husband takes in regard to his wife should be done from the perspective of: “Will this encourage my wife, who is also a Christian sister, to grow to love me more as a husband and a fellow Christian and will it also encourage her to grow in doing good works?" And conversely the actions of the Christian wife towards her husband should be based on the same principle.

How many marital problems would be averted if every action, every word, every thought was guided by this principle. How many of the marriages that end in divorce could be saved if the basis of the marriage was Hebrews 10:24. My personal opinion is there would be a lot fewer divorce attorneys and divorce judges in this world if more people understood and practiced this principle.

DUTIES OF THE HUSBANDI believe for us to truly understand the role and duties of the husband, we need to also realize there are two different words that are translated into the English as husband. One is the word, baal, which means master, owner, possessor, man. We have already looked at how God intends any Christian, who is in a position of being over someone else, to act. The second word translated as husband is rea which means friend. From Jesus himself, we have a definition of a friend and that is, one who will lay his life down for another. If every time a Christian husband has an interaction with his wife, if he stopped and thought, “In this same circumstance, how would I treat my best friend?” and made sure that was how he treated his wife, what do you think would happen to the divorce rate?

TO LOVE HIS WIFE
EPHESIANS 5:25-33 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

How much is a husband to love his wife? The answer is only as much as Christ loved the Church. Well I will be the first to admit these verses set the bar pretty high. So high I can never say that I have achieved it. But it is a goal as a Christian husband, I must always strive to reach. Additionally I think it is important to notice why the Bible tells us Christ died for the Church. He died in order to sanctify the Church and the Church could be presented unto Himself as holy. Every action I take as a Christian husband should be done to encourage my wife to love me and to keep her reserved to me. One of the ways a Christian husband sanctifies his wife is by leaving his father and mother and making a home for his wife. Also the husband needs to live such a life his wife will find it easy to defer to his judgment and to reverence him.

COLOSSIANS 3:19 "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them."

Again this verse is stressing the fact Christian husbands are to love their wives. In talking here about the responsibility of the husband from the viewpoint of the husband, this does not say or mean the husband is to love his wife only when she makes it easy, but rather it is the responsibility of the husband to love his wife, no matter what. This does not mean the wife does not also have a responsibility to make it easy for her husband to love her, but as we noticed in Ezekiel in the story of the watchman, when God assigns responsibility, he expects it to be fulfilled, no matter what. God does not accept excuses.

We also want to notice God did not stop at just commanding husbands to love their wives, but he also commands Christian husbands to not be bitter against their wives. I like to think I have grown in this area, but I used to struggle with this, because anytime we had an argument, I liked to feel I was in the right and she was in the wrong. This is human nature, otherwise, why would I argue and fight with my wife? But if I am commanded not to be bitter, this means God expects me to look at arguments from my wife’s perspective and try to understand her side. When I came to understand this, for some mysterious reason the number of arguments and fights became fewer and this command became so much easier to obey.

TO RULE HIS HOUSE
I TIMOTHY 3:4-5 "One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)"

Paul is laying down the qualification for a man who would become an Elder. These are qualifications every Christian husband should strive to have, in order to be a good husband, a Christian husband will rule well his own house. We have noticed already what God means when He talks about any Christian ruling over another. God is talking about serving. Anytime you want to understand what God intends in the relationship between two or more Christians, if the word rule or oversee is used, substitute either the word submit or the word serve. Then and only then can one begin to understand what God is intending.

TO LIVE WITH HIS WIFE
I PETER 3:7-9 "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."

These verses sum up what God has been teaching throughout the Bible about how God wants His followers to act. A Christian husband is to dwell with his wife using intelligence or knowledge. The way this is done is a Christian husband needs to understand his wife and to use that knowledge to encourage her to grow as a wife and a Christian. Many times we learn about our spouses, but we use that knowledge to push their buttons, to get them upset or aggravated. What God wants is for us to use that knowledge to bring peace into the house. We also see we have a command to live with our wives. This again involves making a conscious choice to work together, to listen to our wives needs and desires.

Instead of returning railing for railing or yelling for yelling, God expects Christian husbands and Christian wives as well to return good for evil, whenever we feel we have not been treated fairly by our spouse. This becomes easier if we have compassion and empathy towards our spouse. Or in simple English, if we learn to walk in the shoes of our spouses, we will find we understand them more and instead of complaining and fighting, we will be much more likely to help them overcome our faults and problems.

I began to become a better husband when I came to a realization about what I think God is talking about here, when He says as a Christian husband, I need to consider my wife as the weaker vessel. If I and my wife have both been working at a job and we both come home and I throw myself down on the couch, watching television and expect my wife to run around, cleaning the house, fixing my meals, and yes, even expect her to be ready to fulfill my needs that night in the bedroom, who am I saying is the weaker vessel? Also, if I expect my wife to always give in on an argument, who am I saying is mentally the weaker vessel? When I realized this and I began helping more around the house, the less my wife was tired, the happier I was, and the happier I was the more I would help.

I have come to the conclusion in general, we as husbands hold the key to the success of a Christian marriage. If as a husband, I do not treat my wife with the respect she deserves and help her in the ways she needs, she becomes unhappy. But if on the other hand I treat my wife with respect, and consider her as the weaker vessel, and help around the house, it is amazing how much happier my marriage becomes. This was true in my marriage and has been true in most of the counseling I have done with Christian couples.

TO PROVIDE FOR HIS FAMILY
I TIMOTHY 5:8 "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel"

It is important as Christians we realize if Christian husband does not get out and get a job and provide for the needs of his family, God is not pleased. I realize hard economic times cause people to be laid off and illness can strike and cause additional problems, and I am not talking about these circumstances. But I have known Christian husbands who upon losing their job, just gave up, they did not look for a job or they felt since they had made $50.00 an hour before, they were too good to accept anything less. There is a difference between circumstances that happen and circumstances we allow ourselves to be overcome by. Here Paul, in writing to Timothy, lays down the primary responsibility for providing for one’s family. A Christian husband has a responsibility to provide not only for their wife and kids, but also for the parents in their old age and other relatives we might be able to help care for. If he does not provide for them, he is worse than an unbeliever. We need to remember the Bible clearly teaches that all unbelievers are going to spend an eternity separated from God. Do we as Christian husbands want to be worse off than an unbeliever?

TO ENCOURAGE HIS WIFE
HEBREWS 10:24-25 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

Each Christian has the responsibility to encourage every other Christian to grow unto love and good works. Every action, every thing we do and say, every thought should be preplanned for its possible affect upon our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to realize our spouses are Christians also and we should treat them at least as well as we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if we happen to be married to unbelievers, we still have a responsibility to encourage them, and to live the life of a Christian in front of them as an example.

DUTIES OF THE WIFE(WOMAN, MISTRESS, BELONGING TO A MAN)
We want to notice a number of things the Bible says are part of the duty of a Christian wife. These are part of her responsibility of submitting to God and also part of her responsibility to her husband. It is important for every woman who wants to be a Christian to realize that rights has nothing to do with Christianity, whereas responsibility is what it is all about. As we notice some of these duties and responsibilities, let us keep this in mind.

TAKE PRIDE IN BEING A WIFE
The first responsibility we want to notice the Bible gives to a wife is she take pride in her relationship to her husband. She must realize she is special to both God and her husband. She needs to be proud of who she is. She is a Christian wife. A high honor indeed!

Proverbs 18:22 "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD."

The wise man Solomon reveals how special and how precious it is when a man finds that special woman and gets married. A Christian wife is a good thing for a Christian husband to have. She is a special gift God has given to her husband. He has obtained the favor of the Lord in that God helped prepare her especially for him.

PROVERBS 12:4 "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones."

If a wife wants her husband to be proud of her and to brag to others about her, she must first of all be true to him. A virtuous woman is one whose husband feels like royalty because she has chosen to live with him and him alone. A Christian wife should take pride in the fact she is a woman who has dedicated herself, first of all to God and second of all to her husband.

NOT TO BE CONTENTIOUS
PROVERBS 19:13-14 "A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. House and riches are the inheritance of fathers and a prudent wife is from the LORD."

A Christian wife while she is not to just allow herself to be walked on or be mistreated is also not to be a nagging wife. The Bible teaches in many places the husband and wife team need to be working together in submission to God and not to be argumentative or dictatorial. I have seen and counseled a number of marriages in which either the husband or wife were contentious (argumentative) and none of the marriages were happy functional marriages while this attitude was prevalent. As I have said earlier in this section, while I think the actions of the husband has from my experience more to do with the success or failure of a marriage, that does not excuse the wife from not acting properly.

God wants every wife to be a prudent Christian wife. The word prudent means to have good sense, to carefully consider the consequences, to be careful in managing resources. After all if the wife is going to manage a household well, doesn’t this mean to be prudent? Every wife should want to be the type of wife her husband could thank God for every day of their marriage in the same way as every Christian husband should want to be the type of husband his wife could thank God for every day of their marriage.

UNDER SUBJECTION TO HUSBAND
GENESIS 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."

To talk about a wife being under subjection to her husband is not being politically correct today. But the last time I checked, the Bible as written by God has not changed. Too many times, people take verses out of context in the Bible and twist the scriptures to say something they do not say or mean. A Christian wife being under subjection does not mean she must surrender her opinions and just become a “yes” wife. The same Bible which says a wife is to be in voluntary submission to her husband also teaches this comes as part of her subjection to God. The Bible teaches a Christian husband’s responsibility is to trust his wife to manage the household and to submit to her needs. Taking everything together, in order for a Christian husband to be the head of the house, in a way is pleasing to God, means he will teach his wife how to submit through the proper example by serving her needs and putting her needs and the needs of the family before his.

Mark 10:42-44 "But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."

Let us refresh our memory by taking another look at Mark. How does God expect his people to rule over one another? God says as Christians who would be great shall be the one who ministers. Do you as a Christian husband want to be pleasing to God? Then the way you are to rule over your family, the way you are to be the head or chief of the family is by ministering by being the servant to all in the family. Too many times as Christians, we look to the world for our examples when we should be looking to the Bible and the Church. We must never look to the world for our examples of leaders and leadership because the best leaders in the world, judging by the standards of the world, are those who exercise Lordship over them. This has nothing to do with serving God. In the Church, the only way to be a leader is through service. This is true for a Christian husband as well. Because God created the institution of marriage, and because God defined the roles and responsibilities of husband and wife for those who follow him, and because God defined the role of the husband as a leadership role, the rules that God laid down apply.

EPHESIANS 5:33 "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

Not only is the wife told she must submit to her husband, but also she is to reverence her husband. The word reverence is defined as having feelings of deep respect for or devotion to. The only two beings the Bible commands God’s people to have reverence for that I can find is Christians are to reverence God and Christian wives are commanded to reverence their husbands. This is showing the relationship that exists between Jesus Christ and the Church. God and Jesus, both as members of the Godhead, behave in such a way as to deserve the reverence or the awe and deep respect we as members of the Church owe them. Wives in representing the Church, the bride of Christ, in this allegory must show the same reverence or deep respect for her husband the Church has for Christ. But we as husbands represent Christ as the head of the Church. This puts a tremendous responsibility on husbands to be the type of men the world can look at and see Christ in us. In plain simple English, we as husbands must strive to be the type of husband which would earn that deep respect and reverence.

EPHESIANS 5:22-24 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing."

We see Paul using the allegory of Christ and the Church to show the relationship between the husband and wife. First, Paul commands Christian wives to voluntarily submit to their husbands as part of their submission to the Lord. The reason given is that in the same way Christ is the head of the Church so the husband is the head of the wife. We have already noticed several times in, this book, what is meant when any Christian is in a position over someone else, to understand what God intends, use the term, submit or serve, in place of rule. But this is looking at it from the husband’s perspective. This verse is looking at the relationship from the wife’s perspective. The wife is to submit to her husband, not because of who he is, but because of who she is. As we have seen previously, God expects each of us to fulfill our responsibility to Him whether or not anyone else is fulfilling their responsibility.

GUIDE THE HOUSE
I TIMOTHY 5:14 "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."

Paul, in giving instructions to the Evangelist Timothy, gives some general advice and guidelines and some reasons for these guidelines. Paul tells us it is the responsibility of the Christian wife to manage the running of the house. This is why Solomon referred to the prudent wife. The word prudent implies one who can manage resources. In the same way if someone hires a person to manage a business, the hired manager has a fiduciary (legal ) responsibility to manage the business in an ethical manner to bring a profit to the owner of the business. In the same way the Christian wife has a fiduciary responsibility (to her husband and to God) to guide the house in such a way no reproach will come against her. Many times Christian husbands do not realize this and they do not want to have the wife handling these household responsibilities. But it is not the husband who gives her this responsibility but God, therefore a Christian husband must not only allow the wife to guide the house, but must encourage and help her in whatever way she needs to fulfill this responsibility.

TITUS 2:3-5 "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

One of the resources that is very much underutilized in the Church today is the women and in particular the elderly women. So many times, we treat the elderly woman as though they were of little value. But the Bible teaches the younger women they need to have such a relationship with the elderly women they can turn to them and by taking advantage of the accumulated wisdom that exists in the elderly women in the congregation, the younger wives can have an advantage and gain from the experience of others. What happens many times instead of learning from the older women, each wife learns by her own mistakes and sins. As a result, divorce is starting to find its way into the Church. The Bible shows a Christian wife is to be serious about the role and job she has in the family. A Christian wife should put her husband and children above herself and willingly serve them. A Christian wife also needs to be discreet in the things she says and does. She also should not be running around neglecting her responsibility, but rather should be a keeper at home. She also needs to be careful and behave in such a manner the word of God will not be blasphemed.

BEAR CHILDREN
I TIMOTHY 5:14 "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."

One of the first commands of God was to multiply and replenish the Earth. It has continued to be through having children is one of the ways God has chosen to expand his kingdom, the Church. For this reason and perhaps many others, God has made it part of the responsibility of a Christian wife to bear children and raise them in a Christian home. These decisions should be discussed as a joint responsibility of the husband and wife so they can work together as a team to raise their children in a Christian home. I want to make it clear in this case Paul is not stating this as a commandment of God for woman to have children. If it were, every woman who did not have children would be committing sin. Since Paul also stated it would be better for a woman’s service to God if she not marry, clearly he is not turning around and demanding every woman have children.

I TIMOTHY 2:15 "Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

Here Paul does tie having and raising Christian children as having a part in a Christian wife's salvation. I do not claim to fully understand this or any Bible subject completely, but what I believe Paul is saying is while it is best for the cause of Christ if a man or a woman could continue in an unmarried, single state, since they could make serving God their first priority, most people has natural desires prevent this. So God has provided a lawful means for those desires to be fulfilled in a marriage relationship. But if a Christian chooses to marry, they need to remember in the same way Isreal desired to have a king and that choice created many problems, marriage does not solve every problem, but it creates many challenges which must be met and overcome. If a Christian woman is going to marry, she needs to realize she will no longer be able to do only as she desires, but she, as a wife and mother, has certain responsibilities and duties she will be required to fulfill. One of which is she has been given the primary responsibility to teach and raise her children to love and obey God.

LENGTH OF DUTIES
I CORINTHIANS 7:39 "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord."

The Bible clearly makes the point if a Christian man and a Christian woman chose to marry they need to realize they are making a vow to each other and to God to act in a prescribed fashion and to fulfill certain responsibilities. These responsibilities are to remain in affect until death separates them. Even in the case one of them dies, the surviving spouse may remarry if they chose, to whom they chose, but only to a fellow Christian. We see the responsibility God has given Christians who chose to marry are not to be taken lightly, but are to be taken seriously. This is one of the reasons I never performed a wedding either for those in the Church or those without the Church without going through a time of counseling.

GOD'S IDEAL PARENTS
Now we want to consider the duties and responsibilities God has given to parents and children. While most of this will be dealing with the period of time from when the child is born until they leave home to live on their own, we also want to notice as parents get older and need help, God places the responsibility for taking care of a Christian’s elderly parents on the Christian children of that parent and then if no child steps up to fulfill their responsibility, my understanding from the Greek words used God has put the responsibility on grown nephews, nieces, or grandchildren within the Church.

BE PROUD OF CHILDREN
Psalms 127:3-5 "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

One way God has chosen to reward parents is through having children. A Christian should look upon their children as a reward from God. Sometimes, when children are going through certain stages, we may need to remind ourselves they are a reward from God, and not a punishment. We as Christian parents have a responsibility to God to serve our children by raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The laws, at least in California, have been rewritten to say if for any reasons a parent does not want to accept this responsibility anymore, they can drop them off at any fire department or hospital and they will not suffer any legal consequences. While from a human worldly perspective, I can understand the reason for this, God expects us to fulfill the responsibilities He has given and God will hold Christian parents accountable.

TEACH CHILDREN
Proverbs 22:6-7 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

As Christian parents, one of the responsibilities God has given us is raise our children in the way of the Lord. This means as parents, we need to have a clear idea about how we want our children to turn out. If we know and understand how we want our children to turn out, the better the odds we can accomplish that goal. Under most circumstances, if we raise them in the fear of God, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, they will not depart from it. I realize sometimes a child can be raised right and when they get out on their own they can still go their own way, but generally if we raise a child right they will turn out right. Also, it is my personal opinion that in the same way leaders in the congregation will give account to God, for the members of a congregation, in the same way parents will give an account as to how they raised their children, what they did to raise them in the nurture and admonition of God

Proverbs 29:15-17 "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall. Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul."

We know from both the Bible and from child psychologists that children need firm boundaries and they learn what those are by continually testing them. Even child psychologists admit when the parents give in continually, it confuses the children. Here the wise man, Solomon, says it best. Correction and discipline give wisdom, but a child left to them self bringeth their mother to shame.

When children are raised without firm guidelines, they do not learn respect for authority, are continually throwing temper tantrums, and ends up causing their parents many heartaches. This causes them to perhaps end up in prison. When society in general encourages this action, the wicked are multiplied and transgression (sin) increase. But if one remains righteous in the eyes of God they will see the fall or end of those who turn to evil.

If this is not the end you want your children to come to, correct them and make sure correction is guided by heavenly wisdom and your children will grow up giving you rest. They will grow up and chose to be guided by God in their lives. This is what is meant when it says, “He will give delight unto thy soul”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

The Bible teaches here in Deuteronomy parents are to teach their children the words of God. But simply teaching via words is not enough. Parents also need to live what they teach. These verses are basically saying the same thing as the saying we hear so often today, which is “Not only should you talk the talk, but you also need to walk the walk.” The best way to teach your children about God involves regular prayer and Bible study as well as making sure the life you live before them is consistent with the things we expect from them and with our manner of life.

Deuteronomy 31:11-13 "When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it."

These verses stress the importance of teaching your children to do right from the time they are born. They also stress the importance of taking your children to the worship services of the Church from the time they are born. These verses also teach the fact the worship of God should take place in an undivided assembly, with the men, women, children and visitors all being present. And in this type of environment, the infants can hear and learn to fear the Lord God.

TO CORRECT AND DISCIPLINE CHILDREN
A part of submission to God and to your family involves discipline. The Bible does not go into depth saying which action deserves which punishment, but I think a little common sense and experience can give us some basic guidelines. First of all, I believe firmly parents should never discipline when they are angry. Many times, before I learned this, I would get angry with my son, ground him for life, only a little while later having to go back and apologize and change the punishment to something reasonable. One of the first guidelines we need to have is not to impose punishment when you are angry.

Also we need to realize there is a big difference between an infant and a child. Both for correctional purposes as well as what we would expect them to understand. For example, there is no excuse for disciplining an infant under 6 months of age, in my opinion, or the age they begin to crawl and start to walk. If a baby cries and cries, there is a problem with the child, either its diaper needs to be changed, or it is hungry or in pain or the baby may be trying to train the parent to hold it consistently. If a baby cries, there is no excuse for shaking it or whipping it, instead we need to find out what the problem is and get it corrected.

The purpose for this section of the chapter is not to supply an opinion for when it is appropriate to discipline a child, but rather to show we need to apply some common sense in discipline and realize we discipline because it is the right thing to do in the eyes of God, not because we are angry. We need to find some method of setting discipline that reinforces the concept we are servants of God. For example, the best example I have ever heard of was a Christian father, who before he imposed any discipline sat down with the child who was to be disciplined, prayed to God for guidance for both the parent and the child, then discussed with the child what the child had done wrong, what the punishment was and why.

This process served several purposes, it gave the parent the time to calm down, it gave the child a chance to see how what they had done affected the child, the parent and God, and perhaps many other purposes.

Proverbs 19:18 "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying."

Parents need to realize several important facts when it comes to disciplining their children. The first is what may seem cute in a little child, if you laugh and hug the child when they are little, it only encourages a behavior that may be a problem when they are older and it is suddenly not cute. For example, I have seen parents, when their two or three year old smarts off to them, laugh and joke about it, then when they are 10 to 13, become very angry and wonder where they got their smart mouth.

If a baby who can only crawl does something wrong, you need to say “NO", firmly or “NO, HOT", if they start to touch the stove. When they are at an age for walking, perhaps a light swat on the hand or bottom might be appropriate, but do not make the mistake of disciplining out of anger or encouraging actions later on if they do them, you will be upset about them.

Another important factor is before Christian parents make a choice to have children in the first place, they need to work out a consistent approach they both can support and take part in. One parent should not be the one doing all of the disciplining and the other parent the one who gives the hugs and the shoulder to cry on. If one parent is doing all of the disciplining it becomes too easy for them to become too concentrated on the discipline aspect and become either too tough in their discipline or to forget the child needs hugs and love shown from both parents. Also, the parent who does not discipline can become too lenient or begin to make idle threats such as, “Wait till your Father comes home.” For discipline to be effective, both parents need to be able to support the action and also take turns administering it.

Proverbs 23:13-15 "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."

Parents should not withhold proper and consistent correction from their children. The reason we know it is possible to discipline improperly is Solomon says about the disciplining of your child, he will not die. So even though the translators of the King James Version use the phrase “beatest him with a rod”, Solomon makes it clear the discipline will not in any way possibly cause physical harm to the child. Solomon is not defending in any way, someone who beats, tortures, or shakes a child in anger.

When properly administering discipline it needs to be first of all fair, secondly it needs to be consistent. One of the best ways to apply discipline of any type is to set the child down, then pray for wisdom from God to properly discipline the child without anger. Then sit down, making sure you are not angry, and discuss with the child, what discipline you have decided on after prayer and take time to make sure you are calm and the discipline is right, and why the discipline is necessary. Then administer the proper discipline in the correct manner and in the correct attitude.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FATHERS
TO TEACH THE WAYS OF THE LORD
Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

We are told as fathers, to make sure we do not provoke our children to wrath, which is an uncontrollable anger. This is why it is important for parents to be fair and consistent in correcting their children. If a child is beaten on a regular basis for minor infractions, the effect of the discipline will quickly disappear and the child will become angry and sullen. It is best to keep the punishment to simpler things such as time outs or groundings for a reasonable amount of time and to reserve corporal punishment for the most sever infractions. Otherwise it becomes acceptable and normal and no longer serves the purpose for which God intended and it also creates an upward spiraling effect which can quickly get out of hand and cross the line into child abuse. This is just my opinion based on raising three children.

Proverbs 13:24 "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Solomon goes into the real basis of proper discipline. The only proper basis for any chastening is love. A father, who doesn't correct his children properly and consistently, not only does not love his children, but is displaying hatred. Love will cause a father to chasten his son as often as needed. This does not necessary mean if a father beats his children, he is demonstrating love. There are many ways to effectively chasten your children, of which corporal punishment should always be a last resort, not a first.

Colossians 3:21 "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged."

Again, we see an admonition from the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul against carrying punishment too far, because if a parent is harshly disciplining the child for every minor offense they will become discouraged and angry and probably quit trying to please their parents and God.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MOTHERS
TEACH THEIR CHILDREN
1 Timothy 5:14 "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."

God is pleased when his people marry other Christians. He is pleased when a Christian couple decides to have children. Christian couples need to understand what the responsibility to marry and have children entails. This means a Christian woman needs to realize God has placed on her the primary responsibility to guide the house.

Titus 2:3-5 "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

This is one of the purposes for older women in the Church. In today’s terminology older women have a responsibility to mentor the younger woman. Among the things younger women need to learn is to take their roles serious, to learn what true love is all about, to have an agape type love for their children, to be discreet, not to gallivanting around the countryside, to be good, and to learn how submitting to their own husbands is part of submitting to God. The older women also need to help the younger women realize how their behavior can bring blasphemy against the word of God.

RESPONSIBILITY OF CHILDREN
REMEMBER GOD
Ecclesiastes 12:1 "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;"

The first responsibility of children is no different than that of any Christian. They are to put serving God first in their lives. Children need to be taught to realize the priorities they set in their youth shape the rest of their lives. If they want to live long happy lives, the only way to guarantee this, is to put serving God first.

OBEY PARENTS
Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."

Children, if you want to be pleasing to God, obey your parents in the things they would have you to do, unless the specific thing they are asking you to do is directly contrary to the word of God. Honor your father and mother, because it was the first commandment of God was connected to a promise that promise being if you obey your parents, it sets up an attitude that helps you to avoid problems in the future and you will live long.

Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord."

Children, we see here are to obey your parents in everything, unless as we just finished noticing, what they told you to do is a sin in the sight of God. If you do this, you will be well pleasing in the sight of God

Isaiah 30:1 "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:"

But we see that woe is promised to rebellious children. By being rebellious, they gain such an attitude that will cause them to get in trouble. Rebellious children, do not stop and listen to God, therefore they are given to sin and being guided by their own desires.

Chapter Summary

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Section 2 Summary

2009-04-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

We have noticed in this section of the book, the importance of submission on Christian maturity. I realize submitting willfully is contrary to human nature, but it is what is commanded by God both through Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit via the written word of God. The Christian life is a struggle to overcome our human nature and live up to our potential as a Christian.

Submission to God is a necessary and essential part of a Christian’s life, if they want to be pleasing to God and spend an eternity with God in Heaven. Submission to God is simply obeying the commandments of God, which in turn is the love for God. A number of places in the Bible, some of which we looked at in this section and others we have not because of time and page constraints, says basically the same thing in different words, “For this is the love of God, that ye keep his commandments.” We see it is impossible to separate the love for God from obeying the commands of God.

A necessary part of submission to God involves submission to the leadership of the local congregation. God has placed men in the leadership positions in order to have someone accountable for the overseeing of the spiritual growth of the congregation. We have noticed in this section God will hold the leadership responsible for the effort they put forth. This is why, except in the case of the leadership in a congregation becoming dictatorial and sinful, rebellion against the leadership is the same as rebellion against God.

In addition to submitting to the leadership of the local congregation, we noticed God also expects us to submit to and to serve one another. The attitude the Bible says must dictate my actions and thoughts is, “Will this encourage my brother or sister to grow unto love and good works?” As we have noticed, submission is the theme of Christianity and at the same time it is one of the hardest things for us as human beings to do. Submission shows whether we are still carnally minded or if we have grown to the point of becoming a spiritually minded Christian.

We also noticed not only does God expect us to submit to our brothers and sisters in Christ, who at least are part of the spiritual body of Christ, but He also expects us to submit to the government of the land in which we live. We do this as part of our submission to God. We obey the laws of the land, not because we fear punishment from the government, but because of our reverent respect and fear for God.

Lastly we noticed our submission to God extends even to our families. Husbands are to please their wife, not from fear of being nagged, but rather because we fear God. Wives are to submit to their husbands, not because they are afraid of their husbands, but because they love God and want to obey the commandments of God. As a couple, trying to serve God working together to be the type of parents God would have them to be, they work together to provide a united consistent front to their children, raising them in the fear of God. They discipline their children in a consistent fair manner, not giving their children reason to be angry or provoked to wrath. The children submit to their parents not because of fear of corporal punishment, but because they want to please God.

Submission is truly an important part of becoming a mature Christian. We are not pleasing to God until we have learned to humble ourselves and serve others. The more we serve, the greater we appear as God exalts us. The more we humble ourselves the greater we become. This is truly the paradox of Christianity.

Section 3: Putting on the Armour of God

2009-04-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Section Introduction
After a new-born babe in Christ has made attending the worship service a priority and a habit in their lives and they have begun to grow spiritually, there comes a time when the new Christian will begin to become more active in the spiritual fight against our enemy, Satan, Lucifer, the prince of this world.

Hopefully the leadership in their congregation has been studying with them, helping them in their beginning steps in living the Christian lives. I recommend the next logical step would be in helping these new Christians begin to prepare for their battle, by making sure they are equipped for the spiritual battle by helping them to understand about the armour of God, what it is, how it needs to be put on and how the armour is intended to be used in order to prepare the maximum protection against the formidable foes Satan will throw against us.

A natural place to start to prepare for the battle is to study in order to learn how God wants us to put on this armour and how it all interacts to provide safety for the Christian in the spiritual fight. Many Christians have begun the fight well by making the worship service a priority in their lives, only to fall victim to Satan because they have not understood the importance of putting on the whole armour of God. The purpose for this section is to help us to understand what each part of the armour is, how it may best be put on, and how it may be used to help us to stand in battle and fight the good fight.

Ephesians 6:11-18"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

The Apostle Paul considers every Christian as a soldier having warfare to fight against numerous, powerful, and subtle foes; and therefore they would need much strength, much courage, complete armour, and the skill to use it. The Greek word panoply which is translated “the whole armour” here refers to the armour of the heavy troops; those who were to sustain the roughest attacks, who were to sap the foundations of walls, storm cities, etc. The word rendered "whole armor" (The Greek Word: panoplian "panoply"), means "complete armor," offensive and defensive. The armor of God" is not that which God wears, but rather that which he has provided for the Christian soldier. The meaning here is:

(1)

(2)

whole armor

a part

Paul is comparing a Christian preparing to live the Christian life to a Roman Soldier preparing for battle. When you stop and think about it, it seems obvious since we are fighting the good fight of faith. I have used this entire section to deal with this subject in the hope that by using a full chapter to cover each piece of the armour, we can first better understand the purpose for each piece of armour and help each one of us in our Christian life and in our daily battle of fighting the good fight of faith against our enemy, Satan.

The first item a Christian needs to have is the Truth and it is compared to the armour that goes around a soldier's middle or loins. This may seemed strange to you now but hopefully it will be clearer after studying the first chapter. After I had studied and used some logic, hopefully it becomes obvious as to why the first thing a Christian should be concerned with in preparing for battle is the Truth.

For example, in the same way the armour a soldier puts on first, which protects his belly, loin, and upper thighs, is important because not only does it protect his belly from the enemy’s weapons, but by putting the armour on in such a way the armour placed around the loins serves as a foundation so the pieces of armour together overlap and provide much better protection. In the same way if a Christian does not have the Truth in everything they teach, they have no protection against the wiles of the devil instead they have become one of Satan's warriors.

Chapter 1: Having Your Loins Girt About With Truth

2009-04-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
TRUTH IS NECESSARY FOR KNOWLEDGE
First we want to notice truth is necessary for knowledge. This is true in mathematics as well as in the Word of God. If I think 4 + 5 =7, it does not make it true. I cannot start my own brand of mathematics and declare it to be true, just because I want it to be so. If I manage to confuse the issue and get 1 million people to declare they believe 5 + 4 = 7, it does not mean it is true, no matter how many people I get to believe me. In the same way, just because I want to believe one can be saved without obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ by being baptized, it does not make it so. No matter how many millions, I get to believe me it does not change the truth. So just as it is important to know the truth in mathematics, it is important to know the truth in regard to spiritual things.

James 3:13-18 "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

Do you think you have spiritual wisdom and you understand anything of a spiritual nature? First you must show forth your wisdom by the way you live. Spiritual knowledge and spiritual wisdom are not like earthly wisdom at all. Earthly wisdom and earthly knowledge can be had without affecting your manner of living, but this is not true of Heavenly Spiritual Wisdom. For spiritual wisdom and knowledge to be possessed, it must also be shaping the one who possesses it. James here tells us, as long as we live emotion-centered lives, we do not have spiritual knowledge and spiritual wisdom. Do you become angry easy? Are you quickly given to anger or strife? James is telling us if we are given to strife, if we get angry easily, we should not fool ourselves and think we know and understand anything spirit. This wisdom is not from above, but rather is devilish, or in other words, it comes from Satan. To have truth in our knowledge, means more than just reading the Bible, it also means we must put it into practice in our lives. It must be practiced in order to be understood, it must shape our lives in order to truly be in our lives.

1 John 1:5-10 "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

These verses are saying the same thing James said, but from a different perspective. They say God is light and in him is no darkness. If we claim to have fellowship with God, but we are continuing to walk in darkness, we are liars and we do not practice the truth. To put this more in the words of James, If we claim to be followers of God, but our lives have not changed to reflect the life of Jesus Christ, then we are liars and we have no concept of the truth. But if the knowledge we have gained through a study of God's words, changes us to be like God and Jesus Christ, then and only then do we truly have fellowship, one with another and only in this way can we show the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from our sins. To simply disavow our sins, to claim we have no sin, shows we are deceived and we haven't received the truth from our studies. But instead, we are claiming that God is a liar and we do not love the Word of God and it does not dwell within us.

1 John 2:3-6 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."

Do you want to know Jesus Christ? Do you want to know the truth? Obey God by keeping the commandments of God. It is impossible to know God or to know the truth without experiencing it. The only way you can experience the truth is through the obedience to the commandments of God. But this obedience is not just a one time obedience, it must be a life style change, from the heart. Because you trust in God, you do what he commands. And because you do what he commands, it changes your life, and then you can know the truth.

John 8:31-32 "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth , and the truth shall make you free."

We see here Jesus lays out in better words, what I have been trying to say. Here He is speaking to some Jewish disciples that believed on Him. They had trusted Him enough apparently to begin obeying Him. Jesus tells them, If ye continue in following my word, If you continue in obeying me, then are ye my disciples, my followers indeed, and then after it has begun changing your life, only then can you truly understand what I am telling you, then and only then can ye know the truth, and then truth will set you free from the bondage of sin.

I have known a number of people in my life who can understand this very well. From what I have heard Crank is such a powerful drug only about 3 percent of those who become addicted are ever able to break free of the addictive power of this terrible drug. Yet Jesus promises 100 percent of those who apply his truths to their lives can break free. What does one have to do? Let us apply this truth taught by Jesus about 2000 years ago. First you have to come to believe Jesus is the Son of God. You have to believe it enough you have come to trust in Him and God the Father. You must trust in Jesus Christ enough to commit your life to Him. You must obey from the heart that form of doctrine. You must be baptized into Jesus Christ, in the Name of the Father, and In the Name of the Son, and In the Name of the Holy Ghost for the Remission of Sins. When you arise from the watery grave of baptism you MUST make a commitment that whatever Jesus wants you to do, you will do. You then must begin attending the worship services of the Church, partaking of every spiritual meal you can. You must begin a regiment of daily Bible readings, prayer, and Bible study. You must break away from the old acquaintances you had, acquaintances since no one who is addicted to Crank, can truly be a friend. You must forge true friendships in the Church, spend time with Christians, and have the attitude of WHATEVER I LEARN THAT JESUS WANTS ME TO DO, I WILL DO IT. Then and only then are we truly disciples indeed and only then, can we know the truth. And then can we be truly set free from our addictions to sin.

TRUTH IS NECESSARY FOR GODLINESS
God wants us as Christians to continue to grow. The first things God wants us to work on according to II Peter 1 are internal. We are to add to our Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Temperance (Self-Control) and Patience (The ability to stick to doing the right things). But in our growth, there comes a time God wants us to grow to the point our faith turns outward. This is the point of Godliness, when we begin to show the world what we believe, when we begin to invite others to Church, when we begin to spread the Gospel.

Titus1:1 "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;"

We see as we continue to grow as Christians, truth becomes more important not less. It is essential as we begin to tell others about the Lord we speak only what the Bible says, we speak only the truth. It is also essential we recognize what we know and can show from the Word of God and what we don't know. If we cannot show what we believe from the Word of God, we need to tell someone, I DO NOT KNOW, but I know Brother So-and-So who can show us from the Bible what the Will of God is.

Romans 2:8-11 "But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God."

Here Paul writes to the Romans and shows the importance of obeying the truth. Paul says not only are those who do not obey the truth, contentious, but they actually obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, and they are doing evil. This is true of the Jews and of the Gentiles. To sum up what the Bible says about godliness, if we are not obeying the truth, we are not godly, the things we are doing are not from God, we are evil.

TRUTH IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION
We also want to notice Truth is NECESSARY for Salvation. In other words, it does not matter what we think, want, hope for, or believe, if it is not the truth, we will not be saved. Truth MUST be there in order for salvation to follow. We can believe something is true and trust God to save us, but if it is not true, WE ARE NOT SAVED.

James 1:18 "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."

The means God uses to BEGAT us is the word of truth, the Bible. Using the word of truth, God has brought us forth to be the firstfruits, THE BEST, the most important of his creatures. Without TRUTH, we cannot even be conceived let alone be born of God. Truth is NECESSARY for Salvation.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Here in 2 Thessalonians, Paul reveals the importance once again of TRUTH in salvation. Paul says there will be those who will act as if they are Christians, but they will not be sent by God, but rather they are sent by Satan. How can you tell? They will come with all power and signs, and lying wonders. He goes on to say, they will perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, in order they might be saved. To rephrase this, Satan will send forth men who will claim to be following Christ. They will come with all power and signs. In other words we are not to look to the power and signs they claim to have in order to see if these people are of God, but rather we are to look at what they do and say. If they are speaking as the Bible would have them speak, accept what they say, but if they are not teaching you must obey from the heart that form of doctrine, If they are teaching you can be saved without baptism, they are liars and they speak lying wonders. They will be damned. God will send them a strong delusion, such they will believe a lie. Have you ever known someone when you show them what the Bible says, they just refuse to accept it. Instead they double talk, they say things like, Well, if you want to be literal about it, but I don't think God minds if we are not baptized, this is what Paul is talking about.

Ephesians 1:12-14 "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

Paul here again lays out the order of salvation, First we, as Christians, have first trusted in Christ. We believe him and are going to allow him to shape our lives. How? Through the Word of Truth, which is the gospel of our salvation, how Christ died for our sins, according to the scripture, He died, was buried then He arose. When we believed it, we obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine. We were baptized in water, for the remission of our sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Why does God want it to be done this way? So we will have nothing to glory about, but rather we will bring forth praises to his name. Those who knew us before, when they see the change in us, they will know we did not do it ourselves, but God did it through us.

TRUTH IS NECESSARY FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Even though we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the down payment of our inheritance, we still need to grow as Christians. When we quit growing spiritually, we begin to die spiritually. Truth is essential to our spiritual growth.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

If we as Christians do not grow to love the truth, we will become turned to fables. We will not like the teachers who helped us to grow. Rather we will want to listen only to those preachers who say nice things about us, those who will scratch our itching ears. For our continued growth, we need teachers who are not afraid to teach the truth.

Hebrews 10:26-31 "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

We see how important knowledge is regarding sin, If we do something that is contrary to the will of God, we sin whether we know it is contrary to the will of God or not. This is why knowledge is important. As a child of God, we want to please God. How can we know what pleases Him unless we have knowledge from God about what pleases Him or what does not please God. The difference is whether we sin because of ignorance or because of rebellion. If we sin willfully, we are in rebellion against God, basically we are saying, I don't care what you want God, I am going to do as I please. If we get a rebellious attitude we are rejecting Christ and God basically tells us the same thing many fleshly parents end up telling their children. When children become too rebellious, parents at time end up having to tell their children, "I love you, but until you are ready to live by my rules, you are not welcome to live in my house."

James 5:19-20 "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

We want to see anytime we leave the truth, it involves sin. Not only is truth necessary for spiritual growth, but if we leave the truth, not only do we sin, but unless we are converted from the error of our ways, we will spend an eternity separated from God. To put it bluntly, we will go to hell. We will spend an eternity separated from God. What could be worse than being separated from God, who is the source of everything good? Nothing!

THE TRUTH IS NECESSARY FOR LOVE
The last thing we want to notice in this chapter is truth is necessary for love. We are commanded to have love for God and for each other. But again we want to notice truth is necessary for love. In today's world when we talk about love, we mean the attraction we have for our spouse. We think the fact our heart goes pitter patter when we are with a certain person that means we are in love. But the Bible does not mean that at all when it talks of love.

1 Peter 1:22-23 "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (We need to be honest with ourselves, recognizing where we really are)"

Peter tells us if we have become Christians by obeying the truth AND by having a unacted or a natural love of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to grow until love is a passion from a pure heart. In other words, love is a command not an emotion. We can control how we act towards one another and the things we say about one another. We can even choose to give our lives for a brother or sister in Christ.

1 John 4:6-8 "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

John says the way we know if a person loves God is how a person obeys the command of God. As a very dynamic preacher said over and over in his sermons, we need to internalize and to personalize the sermon to ourselves. Applying that principle to loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, How do I, Don French, know if I love God? The answer to that question is easy. Do I love my brothers and sisters in Christ? How can I love God who I have not seen, if I do not love my brethren, whom I do see? How do I know if I love my brother and sisters in Christ? Again the Bible says it is easy for me to tell, I know by two things. Do I obey God? Do I love my brethren? If I do have the proper type of love for God, the Church, and my brothers and sisters in Christ, it will show through the way I treat them.

When the Church comes together, am I automatically at the assembly of the Church? When my brothers and sisters in Christ need encouragement, am I there to encourage them? Christianity is not a selfish religion, love is always shown by the concern we have one for another.

1 John 3:17-19 "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him."

John says the same thing, but in different words. If I have possessions and you have a need of them, love requires I share with you. The Christian's love for one another is shown by actions, by our deeds. If I am not moved by compassion when you have need, it says at least three things about me:

Chapter Summary

Chapter 2: Breastplate of Righteousness

2009-04-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

Chapter Introduction
THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
The next piece of armor we are told to put on is the breastplate of righteousness. In the same way the first piece of armor protects the belly, loins and upper thigh, the breastplate is designed to protect the heart and vital parts in the upper body. The breastplate is designed to overlap the armor is protecting the lower body so as not to leave an unprotected gap. This piece of armor is extremely important as is each piece is used. In the same way the breastplate is designed and used to protect the heart, lungs and upper part of the body, Righteousness is intended by God to protect us spiritually from the wiles of the Devil, Lucifer himself, in our spiritual battle.

WHAT IS RIGHTEOUSNESS?
The first thing we want to notice is, “what does the Bible mean when it uses the word, righteousness?” If we understand what the scriptural meaning of righteousness is, it will enable us to better understand its role in the Christian armor. We can be better prepared to use it to its fullest in the way God intended. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines righteousness as:

The words that are translated righteousness in the Bible means: the right (morally or legally), prosperity, rightness, rectitude (The quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure), justice, moral correctness or virtue. To put it in simple terms, righteousness means to make the right decisions both morally and legally, to do the right thing, to do the just thing, to do the correct thing, to be virtuous.

Let us look at several verses in the Bible to better understand righteousness through Biblical example. Let us first take a look at Romans Chapter 4, where it says

Romans 4:1-6 "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness . Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,"

We see these verses teach Abraham was not justified or considered righteous because he labored and worked for years to earn righteousness. But rather he believed God and that belief or trust was counted unto him for righteousness. What made Abraham so different from everyone else of his time? Why was Abraham considered righteous by God? Abraham did not necessarily labor any harder than anyone else of his time that God should take notice of him. Instead it appears righteousness has more to do with trusting in God than hard work. Let us take a look at several men in the Bible were considered righteous by God and see why God considered them righteous.

Hebrews 11:1-3 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

We want to notice faith is the substance that gives us hope. Faith comes from trusting in things we can not see. For example, the universe and the worlds around us, they had to come from something, they were created from something. What was it? As we study the Bible, we are taught God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1). We accept this by faith. All of the human theories and all of the books combined present theories and they are just theories. What causes us to trust in the Word of God and God himself? As we study the Word of God and put it to the test, we see everything the Word of God says is true. We develop this trust in God. In studying His will, we learn about God's plan for redeeming mankind, about heaven and hell, and as a result, we realize our hope of eternal life is in God. This strengthens our trust in God and our faith in Him. It gives substance to those things we cannot see, such as God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, Heaven, Hell, and etc. Our faith continues to grow to the point we can close our eyes and almost visualize heaven. The doubts we sometimes have of the existence of God and of the thing spoken of in the Bible, fade away.

Hebrews 11:4 "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh."

We also see Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice than Cain, because he trusted in God and followed His Instructions. This pleased God. Abel offered the first-born of his flock to God as a sacrifice as instructed. In contrast, Cain disobeyed God and offered a sacrifice of his own choosing. While God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice, He rejected Cain’s, but Abel’s was counted as righteousness. As a result, Cain was overcome with jealousy and anger and rose up and killed his brother Abel. Because Abel did what God had commanded, his name still stands to this day and speaks of righteousness.

Hebrews 11:6-10 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

We see faith is necessary to please God, but what kind of faith is pleasing to God? Is it just a mental assent meaning I believe in God and is all that is required? Let us note the verses teach For one to approach God, they must not only believe he exists, but he will reward them that diligently seek him. So how does one diligently seek the Lord? The answer is “by faith.” But, what is this faith that was counted unto Noah for Righteousness? When he found out God was going to destroy the world by a flood, Noah trusted God. And did he say "I trust you, God. I know you are going to save me, not because of anything I could possibly do, but because you just want to."? NO, he trusted God and then did what God told him to do. Every day for 120 years, Noah got up, took his tools and went out and proceeded to do two things, 1. He built the Ark. 2. He warned people about the destruction of the world. He did this even though for 120 years, while he continued to trust in God and continued to build the Ark, it did not rain, it did not flood and not one person listened to him outside of his immediate family, but he never let this get to him spiritually.

Hebrews 11:16-19 "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

Here we see detailed the righteousness of Abraham. God had promised Abraham a son through whose descendents the Messiah, would be born (Genesis 12:1-3). Based on promise, Abraham had left behind his family, his culture, and his birth city, Ur. He wandered about in Palestine waiting for years for son to be born to them. After Isaac was born (the promised seed), and before Isaac had married and had any children, God instructed him to offer his only son, Isaac as a sacrifice to God. This was after Sarah and he had waited about 20 years for Isaac to be born. Abraham, not understanding why God was requiring him to do this (to sacrifice his only son), obeyed God. This was a test of Abraham’s faith and trust in God. Because of his complete trust in God, God counted Abraham’s faith as righteousness.

James 2:20-24 "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness : and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."

James uses the story of Abraham and his son, Isaac to show the relationship between faith and works. It was the faith of Abraham that caused him to believe and trust in God, even when it seemed God was contradicting himself. Trust in God causes works of obedience and these works of obedience are counted for righteousness. Does this mean if I took my son and offered him as a sacrifice as did Abraham, I would be considered righteous? NO! The reason is this was a command by God to Abraham and not to anyone else.

God has commandments that apply to everyone, such as being baptized in water for the remission of sins. We are to study the scriptures and obey all the commands given to us by God. (John 14:15). This is the only way the things we do can “be counted as works of righteous’ to us. If you listen or read to the Word of God, and believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, turn your life around (repentance), and confess (by telling others Jesus Christ is the Son of God), and then been immersed in water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost for the remission of your sins, you have done the works of obedience necessary to have God impute this as righteousness to you. You have started on the path towards serving God by living a Christian Life. You are considered a child of God and have started down the path of righteousness.

I want to point out since we have shown being obedient to the commandments of God is what God considers righteousness and these works of obedience are not considered works by God, but rather is counted as faith or trust, when we use the terms: righteousness, faith, and obedience, they are interchangeable and if we use any one of these terms, we are implying all of them.

THE BLESSINGS OF BEING CONSIDERED RIGHTEOUS BY GOD.
But what benefit is there for me to turn my life over to God? If God imputes righteous unto everyone, what difference does it make how I live? Let’s consider this question by noticing the blessings that come our way because of obedience to the commands of God.

1 Peter 3:12-17 "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness ' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."

Once you are a baptized believer and are trying to obey the commands of God, one of the blessings that come your way is God has promised to watch over us. Another blessing is the happiness that comes from knowing the things that we do in accordance to His will are pleasing to God. This doesn’t mean we will be spared from life’s unfortunate occurrences and nothing bad will ever happen to us. We will experience many hardships and difficulties. If we accept these are tests of faith they will strengthen us. God has not promised us we will not be persecuted, but if we are, it is much better to be persecuted for living correctly and knowing we are right with God. Compare Paul and Silas, after preaching the gospel they were thrown into prison, to someone today that may be thrown in prison for using or selling drugs. Which situation would you rather be in?

This is one of the reasons the armor of God has righteousness as the breastplate. This is the part of the armor protects the upper body, the heart and the belly and is designed to help absorb blows maybe potentially fatal. This is the same purpose righteousness serves. For your act to be considered righteousness, they must be based entirely upon the commands of God, in other words you have studied the Bible carefully and you know what God wants you to do, BEFORE you do it. So when Satan tries to tempt and persecute you, you are protected, to the degree you will not be overcome as long as you stop and look for the way of escape God has provided. You are not easily stunned or shocked or swayed to change your mind easily. For example, when someone questions your baptism, you have studied and understand
why you were baptized, so your faith is not shaken every time you hear someone question your beliefs

Romans 4:8-9 "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness."

Another blessing that comes to those who obey the commands of God is God does not impute sin to them. Or in other words God does not count the works one does as sin, if they have studied and did what God has commanded, rather it is counted as faith and faith causes the works we do to be counted as righteousness.

Hebrews 10:25-26 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"

One of the reasons Christians assemble together is to encourage and exhort one another. Part of being considered righteous by God includes the fact we care about our brothers and sisters in Christ enough it becomes a priority to us to assemble together for the purpose of strengthening one another, for encouraging each other to grow in love and good works.

Another reason we encourage and exhort each other is if we sin willfully after we are baptized, Christ's blood is no longer a sacrifice for our sins. What this means is while we are serving God and obeying his commands and studying and when we learn something God wants us to do we did not know before, we begin doing it. Another aspect of righteousness is that willful sin or knowing something is a sin and then going ahead and doing it, can remove us from the righteousness of God.

HOW IS RIGHTEOUSNESS MANIFEST?
The next point I want to briefly notice is, how do I and others know God considers what I am doing as righteousness? Do I just have to guess? Or do I not have anyway of knowing if God is pleased with my life? In other words, can I know before I die and it is too late for me to correct mistakes I may be making?

James 3:13-17 "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."

Righteousness is either easily seen in our lives or we are not righteous in the eyes of God. Here as the King James Version says, let him show out of a good conversation his works. Or to reword this in simple 21st Century English, the way I am living, the things I do in my day to day life, my manner of living will reflect the life of Jesus.

If we are living righteous before God, our motives are first pure, we are peaceable, gentle and when we have disagreements it is easy for someone to come talk to us, we are full of mercy and we bring forth good fruits for God, we do not show partiality by judging others differently or hypocrisy in judging others differently than we do ourselves.

HOW DOES ONE BECOME RIGHTEOUS IN THE EYES OF GOD
Next we want to notice how we can be considered righteous in the eyes of God. There are many religions that teach one cannot tell for sure if they are considered righteous in the eyes of God. Many religions teach there is nothing we can do to affect one way or another, where our eternal destination will be. These religions teach God decides if we are going to heaven or hell. It is not based on anything we may do right or wrong. There is nothing we can do to control our eternal destination.It is all in the hands of God. But let us see what the Bible says about this matter.

Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

Matthew teaches us if we have a hunger and a thirst for righteousness, we shall be filled. In other words, I have to make a choice and chose to want to learn what God counts as righteousness then afterwards I have another choice to make and consistently do those things I have learned God wants, and if I do these two things, Jesus promises I will be filled spiritually speaking.

Acts 10:34-35 "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."

Here in Acts, Peter teaches very clearly we have a choice in the matter. We can count on the fact God is no respecter of persons. If I live the same type of life as another Brother in Christ, I can count on the fact we will spend eternity together, either in heaven, if we have made righteous choices or in hell if we have not. I have control over my eternal destiny. Either I will serve God and be in heaven or I will serve myself and Satan and will spend an eternity in hell.

Romans 10:1-4 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness , have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

Paul says he wished Israel would be saved, clearly the nation of Israel as a nation currently was not saved. Why not? Because even though they were zealous for God, they were not doing the things God wanted them to do. They were doing what they had decided God wanted them to do. They were doing it with enthusiasm, but in actually, they were rebelling against God with zeal, thinking in their own minds they were pleasing God. This was what Paul was talking about when he said he had lived before God in all good conscience, even when he had been putting to death Christians. He thought he was doing what God wanted him to do, because he was ignorant of God’s righteousness.

Romans 10:8-10 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness ; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Paul begins revealing the first part of God’s plan of salvation. These verses teach us one has to first hear the word of God. Then they have to have faith in the things they had heard. In other words they have to believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died and was resurrected by the power of God and Jesus Christ has a reward he will give unto those who believe in him and trust him enough to diligently seek him through putting into practice and doing the things God has commanded. When we believe and confess with our mouth we believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, these are counted as works of faith and are imputed to us for righteousness.

Romans 1:16-19 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;"

We see the gospel of Christ is the power God chooses to use to save anyone who would be saved. We learn if anyone wants to be saved, there is only one way God has given and this way is through the gospel. This is what God considers righteousness or the one way God counts or imputes to us for righteousness. The gospel is how God has chosen to reveal his righteousness. Trusting in God by obeying Him by doing the works God has commanded in the Bible is how God has chosen to impute righteousness.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

Paul declares the gospel is the power of God to salvation. The gospel is the fact Jesus died for our sins, was buried and he arose from the dead, victorious over Satan and Death. Talk about power, Jesus showed forth the power of God so clearly when he broke the bonds of death and arose, never to die again.

Romans 6:3-5 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"

Paul ties it all together in these verses. I do not see how anyone can read these verses and then take the stand baptism is not essential for salvation. We see baptism is how we come in contact with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul goes on to say, if we wish to be raised from the dead in the same way Jesus was, unto eternal life, then we had to have been planted in the likeness of his death and burial. Then after our old man of sin has died and been buried, we arise a new creature, a Christian, we should no longer live the old live of sin, but rather we should walk a new life, one dedicated to God.

HOW DOES ONE STAY RIGHTEOUS IN THE EYES OF GOD?
The last thing we want to notice about righteousness is after we become Christians, we must continue to live righteous lives. We need to walk in newness of life.

Hebrews 5:13-14 "For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

The first thing we want to notice about staying righteous in the eyes of God is God does not expect or desire a babe in Christ to start off by taking on the toughest tasks. A babe in Christ should be started off with the milk of the word, things like the importance of being at the assembly of the Church, their relationship and responsibility to their brothers and sisters in Christ, their relationship to the leadership in the church and their need to study to be approved unto God, things to grow spiritually, such as adding to their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity.

James 1:19-20 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."

Another important thing for every Christian to learn is self-control. God wants every Christian to learn to listen, to stop and think things through before they open their mouth and speak and not to become easily angry. Each Christian needs to learn these things if they wish to stay righteous in the eyes of God. James makes it very clear when we do not stop and listen, when we are not slow to open our mouths and if we are not slow to become angry, the things we do, on the spur of the moment are not the works God would impute as righteousness to us. If we are swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath, we are much more likely to do the right thing the first time.

Hebrews 12:11 "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Another thing we see is how important it is we as Christians need to learn to take justified criticism. No one likes to be chastised, but if we learn to use chastisement in the proper way, it will help us to bring forth the fruits of righteousness. This is one of the hardest and at the same time, most important things we can do. No one likes to be criticized, but if we both learn to critique someone properly, in meekness and humility and at the same time, accept criticism properly, we will be well on our way to learning how to remain righteous in the eyes of God.

Matthew 6:33-34 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Another important thing many Christians do not necessarily learn is we always remember the proper place of material possessions. God has promised if we put the Church and the righteousness that exists within the Church first in our lives, He will take care of our physical needs. Too many times, we get so wrapped up in the things of this world, we begin to think things are important that are only temporary. What I try to do when I find myself getting wrapped up and anxious about things, is ask myself the question, will this matter in 100 years. Will anyone care? I have found this helps me keep my priorities straight.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame."

Another important fact Christians need to learn and learn quickly in their Christian life is the friends you choose to hang around with; the people spend time with; have a lot to do with our eternal destination. If you do not understand this, you have allowed Satan to deceive you. Paul very bluntly says if you find yourself hanging around with the wrong crowd you need to awake to righteousness and quit sinning. You do not have the knowledge of God which is necessary to be considered righteous in the sight of God and you should be ashamed of yourself.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

If we study the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, we can gain heavenly wisdom about salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus. Paul goes on to point out the entire Bible, both Old and New Testament are inspired by God and we do not need anything else to accomplish any good work. Paul tells us the purpose of the Bible is to provide all of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Thus the Holy Scriptures are all we need to reprove someone, or show them through the written word they are wrong. It provides everything needed to teach us how to correct the sin in our lives, to instruct us in righteousness, to obey the commands of God. We need nothing other than the Bible, anything else such as concordances, commentaries, or topical Bibles are at best for our convenience. And even then, we need to be careful, realizing any commentary is the work of man and thus is vastly inferior to the Word of God.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing."

Paul is writing to Timothy, just before his death. Paul says because he had fought a good fight, and kept the faith, he has a crown of righteousness laid up in heaven for him as his reward. Paul here sums everything up. How can we stay righteous in the eyes of God? Many religions teach there is nothing a person can do to affect their eternal destination. Paul here makes it abundantly clear we have control over whether we will spend eternity in heaven or hell. How? By keeping the faith or as Jesus said in issuing the Great Commission, learning to obey everything Jesus commanded us. Paul says this crown of righteousness is laid up and awaiting anyone who shows they love the appearing of Jesus, by obedience to Him or in Paul’s words, “Keeping the faith."

Chapter Summary

10.

Becoming A Mature Christian

Table of Contents

SECTION 1: The Benefits of the Worship Service in Christian Growth

Chapter 1: The Blessings of Preaching

Chapter 2: The Blessings of Singing

Chapter 3: The Blessings of Prayer

Chapter 4: The Blessings of Partaking of the Communion

Chapter 5: The Blessings Associated with the Contribution

Section 1 Summary

Section 2: The Importance of Submission

Chapter 1: Submission to God

Chapter 2: Submission to the Leadership in the Local Congregation

Chapter 3: Submission to the Other Members of the Local Congregation

Chapter 4: Submission to the Government

Chapter 5: Submission to the Family

Section 2 Summary

Section 3: Putting on the Armour of God

Chapter 1: Having Your Loins Girt About With Truth

Chapter 2: Breastplate of Righteousness