The first article is a perfect example of Christians conforming to the way the world perceives the church to be (Rom. 12:1-2). If you were to ask the average person on the street what a church should be, they would state that the church should be provide for the physical, emotional and material needs of the community. Many people believe that, in sum, this is what it means to provide for people “spiritually”.

This is why some churches provide daycare services, language-classes, blood drives and facilities for groups like Weight Watcher and the Boy Scouts. The list goes on and on. It is no longer surprising when churches of our Lord do the same things under the disguise of “good works.”

This is not a slam against anyone who wants to do good works. Opening daycares, organizing get-togethers for fun and games and volunteering in the community are all good and need to be done. The question is, why do those things only if people know you are a member of a certain church?

Jesus dealt with this kind of behavior in Matthew 23. I am not suggesting people are guilty of being just like the Pharisees Jesus was rebuking. I am suggesting that we can be guilty of doing the things those religious people were doing that the Lord had to rebuke. In verse 5, Christ said of those individuals, “But all their works they do to be seen by men.”  Drawing attention to self is not the goal.

What kind of message would I be sending to people in the community if I wore a T-shirt saying, “I belong to Debbie” (my wife)? Do I have to tell people that? Can I not act accordingly so that people know I belong to someone else? Religious groups are simply conforming to what they know people want. This is turn will draw people in and gain the large numbers.

Jesus’ earthly life had a purpose. He did not change that purpose to satisfy those who wanted other things from Him (John 6:26-27).

Chuck

There is an ongoing movement in churches of Christ to engage in all kinds of unlawful activities by putting it under the umbrella of “good works.” This is nothing new, nor is it unique. Most religious sects are also expanding their definition of “good works”. The influence is so strong that Christians look around and start to think, “Since everyone is doing it, it must be okay.”

This manner of thinking is shown in Israel’s desire to be led by a king rather than by God directly (I Sam. 8:5-6). Desiring to follow what is popular on the earth often results in forsaking the creator. What is wrong with expanding the mission of the church though? The church was founded by Christ (Matt. 16:18) for a specific purpose – to serve as the pillar and ground for God’s truth (1 Tim. 3:15). If we expand the mission of the church, we disregard Christ’s purpose for it.

Many local congregations follow the Biblical pattern of only governing themselves and having Christ as their head (Col. 1:18, Eph. 1:22-23). Still, a local church can be guilty of over-stepping its bounds by engaging in activities beyond what God has sanctioned. For example, the apostle Paul told Timothy to preach that Christians should take care of their own family members rather than burdening the church with that work (I Tim. 5:16). Even though helping needy people is a good work, there are still Biblical limitations on what the church should do. Having established that there are Biblical limitations on what a church should do, let us examine some other ways churches can go beyond their Christ-sanctioned purpose:

Raising our children

Some churches want to have a hand in child rearing, so they provide camps, parties, “trunk or treat” events, gyms and playgrounds.  However, parents are responsible for raising their children, not the church (Eph. 6:3; Titus 2:4). These activities have no direct spiritual application, so why should churches engage in them?

Providing meals

The brethren at Corinth were rebuked for mixing what they could do on an individual level with what the church can do collectively by trying to make feasts a spiritual event (I Cor. 11:22). They were told that they should eat at home as feasting is not a church work!  Until people can see that there is a difference between what the church can do collectively and was can be done individually, we will continue to see more and more local churches taking on unnecessary responsibility at the expense of their Christ-given purpose.

Loving our spouses

Husbands do not love their wives as a “church work”. But that is what happens when a church organizes a date night for couples and supplies babysitters. Husbands can and do handle these things without the oversight of any church!

It is tempting to look at these examples and ask what is the harm? Instead, God’s children should ask if God has authorized these activities. The purpose of the church is specific and spiritual, so it makes logical sense that its authorized activities will also be specific and spiritually grounded. Many people would refuse to go to a church that is doing something obviously sinful. Let us not ignore God’s purposes for the church though. The church is Christ’s (Acts 20:28), and no one has the right to presume to think for the Lord.

Chuck

Have you ever had someone tell you that the church they attend is such a loving church, as if to imply they are a faithful group? Oh, I don’t want to suggest that they are not loving. The problem is, a loving church is often viewed as faithful when they are not. Let me explain.

In Revelation chapter 3, we read where our Lord wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus because they lost their first love (vr. 4). Because of such they were commanded to repent (vr. 5). However, let’s take a close look at what they were commended for:

“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.” (vr. 2-3).

Many of the “loving” churches that I am told about don’t respect Biblical authority and don’t test anyone with specific teaching. They keep it general so as to not offend anyone. They have become the religious stand for “political correctness.” This is done so as to not upset anyone and make them feel uncomfortable. You do that by living under the umbrella of “love.”

This article is not to belittle the importance of love. Let’s face it that it was a specific problem at Ephesus which was specifically addressed. To not heed that warning would cost them their salvation. The point of this article is to see that the Lord was not telling those brethren that “all you need is love.” No, they needed to love and they also needed to continue to do the other things they were commended for.

The reason this article was written to help us see the danger of going to extremes. A church without love is in sin. A church without standing and respecting Biblical authority is in sin. The church of Christ is to be the pillar and ground of truth (I Tim. 3:15). Why? Because it’s Christ’s!

Chuck

Jesus, during His sermon on the mount (Matt. 5-7), preached many great lessons. One of which is found in chapter 5:38-42. This is where the Lord encourages His followers to resist the urge to be vindictive, to turn the other cheek, and go the extra mile. What we will do with this article is to examine the benefits of doing what the Lord is admonishing us to do.

It is what the Lord wants

Even though there are many good reasons to go the extra mile with someone, it really wouldn’t matter if we knew what they were. The truth is, if the Lord tells us to do it and we do, the greatest benefit is knowing it is what our Savior wants. For those who say they love Jesus, it ought to mean they want to keep His commandments (Jn. 14:15). It’s okay to think of, why does He want us to do it? But just the fact He tells us too is more than sufficient.

It is what the Lord did with us

Think about the time before we became a Christian, we were without strength, having no hope, walking in sin (Rom. 5:6-11). It was as though we were crucifying Christ anew not caring for Him at all (Heb. 6:6). Yet, Jesus didn’t give up on us. By His longsuffering and undying love, we who have obeyed the Gospel are so very grateful that Jesus didn’t turn His back on us. As we can see, our Lord has not asked us to do anything that He hasn’t already done. Christ has provided the perfect example for us to follow (I Pet. 2:21).

It is to let our light shine

Whenever saints let their light shine, the goal is to have them glorify God (Matt. 5:16). This good work might not impress most people, but the hope is that by going the extra mile people can witness your godliness and change themselves. Jesus made the point that if you just love those who love you, what is so great about that, even the tax collectors do the same (Matt. 5:46). As children of God, we are to be different and not conform to the world (Rom. 12:1-2).

It is to help Christians get stronger

There is nothing in the Lord’s admonition that insinuates that it is an easy task. After all, there wasn’t a clause that stated that you go the second mile when it is appreciated. James reminds us that we ought to count it all joy when we face all kinds of temptations because they help us become stronger when we overcome them (Jas. 1:2-4). It would be correct to say that Jesus tells us to do these things because He wants us to make it to heaven. The commands of our Lord, always and I mean always, have out best interest in heart.

It helps us accept our abilities

For Jesus to tell his people to do something that they couldn’t do, would make the Lord unjust. Christians are to do only what they are capable of doing and we are capable of going the second mile. That’s was the point of Christ’s lesson about the man who buried his talent (Matt. 25:24-26). We are not to bury our talent. To not do what we are commanded is to second guess our Savior. If we would see what our God sees in us, perhaps we would do much more for the Lord.

It will show just how much we care for others

Christ stated there are two laws that every other command hinges on and that is to love the Lord God and to love our fellow man (Matt. 22:34-40). There is no question that your love for others are clearly demonstrated when you go the second mile. Having learned all the benefits of doing what we are told, remember the Lord said to and that is more than enough.

Daniel

Over the years I have seen people get baptized in an animal’s water trough, in a swimming pool, in a lake, in a church baptistery and even in a household bathtub. Can any body of water really work for someone wanting to be baptized? Let’s take a closer look at this and learn some valuable lessons.

No power in the water

The first thing we need to talk about is the water itself. Throughout Biblical history, water has often been connected with powerful events.  In every case, the power is not in the water itself. Whether it be Moses turning the waters of Egypt into blood (Ex. 7:2), the parting of the Red Sea (Ex. 1421), Naaman dipping seven times in the Jordan river to remove his leprosy (II Kings 5:14), Jesus turning water into wine (John 2:8-9) or people being baptized (Acts 2:41), there was no inherent power in any of those waters. The power was always God’s.

Does not matter where the water is

In Acts 8, the Ethiopian saw water and said “See here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” (vr. 36). Was he looking at a pool, pond, river or lake? It does not matter. The emphasis was on the water, not where the water was located. Some think that because John baptized Jesus in the Jordan river, all baptisms need to be done in a river. Is this correct? No. Certain characteristics are required of the water used in a baptism, but there are no requirements placed on the location of the water (the geographic spread of even just the early church supports this).

More than a puddle

When we are talking about water, we are not talking about a small amount. When Peter asked “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (Acts 10:47), he was not speaking about a cup of water to sprinkle them or pour on them. The word baptize means to immerse, to plunge. The water that is required must be enough for a person to be totally submerged in. 

Can a bathtub really work?

Just because someone uses a bathtub it does not mean they are taking a bath. That’s is the very point Peter was making about baptism. He said the baptism was not for removing the filth of the flesh but rather the answer of a good conscience (I Pet. 3:21). Obviously, the average bathtub is just not going to work for everyone. If a person cannot be totally immersed (covered by the water), than some other source of water must be used. It might seem like a mockery of God to use a bathtub or water trough, but please keep in mind the purpose and urgency of baptism.

Being baptized into Christ

I once baptized a man in the Ohio River. I was not baptizing him into the Ohio River, I was using the Ohio River to baptize him into Christ (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). Jesus preached from boats and on mounts. Those places were used as a means to an end – to get the message out. Similarly, swimming pools, rivers and baptistries are just a means to an end. They can all be used to immerse people into Christ’s death for the remission of sins (Acts 22:16; 2:38; Rom. 6:4-7). If a person’s heart is not right, if they do not believe in Christ, do not confess Him and do not repent, then the person is just getting wet (Acts 8:36).

By turning baptisms into a ceremony with all the pomp and show, religious groups offer vain conversions. Many even think a special garment must be warn. Let’s beware of the danger of mishandling the words of truth.

Chuck