All have authority for what they do

 

Consider how fragmented the religious world is today. Do all have authority for what they do? Yes! However, most people do not have the same source of authority. It might be their own, an organization’s or even the Lord’s. As long as man rejects the need to have one source of authority, religious division will always exist.

 

Our God knew that unity would require one source of authority. Our Lord has all the authority (Matt. 28:18) and left us with His written word. Because of this, mankind must have Biblical authority for all that we do in order to be pleasing to God (Rom. 10:17; Heb. 11:6). This source of authority is being rejected by the majority of religious people today. One might wonder how this could happen when the Bible is regarded by most people as the inspired word of God. The answer is found in several forms of faulty thinking….

 

It is inspired but left to private interpretation

 

Is it possible for many people to understand the Bible in the same way? Yes! We are clearly told that the Bible is not left up to private interpretation (II Pet. 1:20-21), yet many make the claim that the Bible can be interpreted different ways (i.e. people can look at the same passage and come to different understandings). Their conclusion is that people can believe and practice different things and all still be acceptable to God. If this is true, then either God did not intend to communicate to man in a way that all could understand, or God did not expect mankind to understand the scriptures alike. In either case, why would God even speak at all then?

 

The fact is, the problem is not with the inspired word – the problem is with man. Many things can hinder people from reading and comprehending what the Lord has said. First and foremost, I again must point out that if man already thinks the Bible cannot be understood alike, then they have lost before they get started. The gospel message was written in a way that there can be only one proper conclusion (Gal. 1:6-9). Those who respect this can obtain unity in understanding (I Cor. 1:10).

 

It is inspired, but it has to make sense to me

 

Too many times in Bible discussions, I hear people read a verse and then say, “I know what is says, but…”  Notice that they recognize what the Bible says – they are instead questioning why God said that. For example, people read Ephesians 5:19 and often tell me, “Yes Chuck, we should sing spiritual songs to God. And yes, we can sing without the aid of mechanical instruments. However, I do not see why it would be wrong to use mechanical instruments in worship.” God has given them enough info to enable obedience. The problem is clearly not with God’s word – the problem is with people expecting answers to unnecessary questions.

 

Also consider Genesis 4 – Cain knew he needed to sacrifice to God. He did not think it mattered what he offered to God though (verse 1-6). No matter how extensive or well-thought out Cain’s ideas were, they do not change what God already stated. In fact, God reminded Him of exactly this (verse 7)!  Many religious people love the Bible and claim that it is inspired and understandable. Despite this, they believe they can reason through God’s word to add things not explicitly stated.

 

 

It is inspired but takes a backseat to feelings and experiences

 

This problem goes beyond our last point. It is one thing to say that the Bible is the inspired word of God. What good is belief in the Bible if our experiences and feelings are also given authority? From a Biblical standpoint, they cannot. We are clearly told that whatever we do in word or deed must be done by the authority of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:17). It does not matter if someone argues to give feelings/experience equal authority to the Bible, more authority or even less authority – Colossians 3:17 teaches that the only acceptable for of authority is that of Christ.

 

How would you react if an angel of God spoke to you? The apostle Paul said that if an angel preaches any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8). God’s word should be the first and last word on anything. It does not matter what one feels based upon some experience. All that matters is that we go to the scriptures for doctrine, for correction, for reproof and for instruction in righteousness (II Tim. 3:16).

 

It is inspired but is not completely accurate

 

Usually when a person makes this argument, the parts of the Bible that they feel are unreliable are the things that a person does not want to accept. The obvious problem with this is that it also discredits the parts of the Bible that they deem as correct. Why? Because if parts of the Bible are untruth, then none of the Bible is trustworthy. It is either 100% right or 100% wrong.

 

Jesus used this logic in discrediting the false accusation that He healed people by the power of Beelzebub (Luke 11:15). If that be true, then Satan would be fighting against himself (verse 18). Either Jesus healed because He has the power of God, or else He cannot have power at all. It makes no sense for Him to heal people of demon possession via the power of the ruler of demons. Thus, we cannot accept parts of the Bible while at the same time rejecting other parts.

 

Every religious person claims to have authority for what they do. I agree that they all reference some sort of authority. However, most do not accept the supreme authority of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18). May we fully accept the Bible as the inspired word of God without any conditions, additions or reservations.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Chuck                                                                                                                                                                    

Respecting the Holy Spirit

 

The Bible contains some warnings regarding the Holy Spirit – there are certain things we should never do to Him. Consider these admonitions.

 

• “Do not quench the Spirit” (I Thess. 5:19)
• “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit,” (Eph. 4:30)
• “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him” (Matt. 12:32)

 

The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead (Rom. 1:20) and is to be recognized as God just like the Father and Son (Acts 5:3-4; Heb. 1:8-9). Each part of the Godhead plays a part in the plan of redemption. Therefore, our actions toward Him can help us get to heaven or prevent us.  We must never minimize the Holy Spirit’s role. This is why the statements above were given concerning the Spirit.

 

What role did the Spirit play in helping man get to heaven? The answer is given in John 16:13: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”  Without the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles as promise and in fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4, then we would not know the will of God.  We could not even go into all the world and preach the gospel so people can be saved (Mark 16:15-16).

 

Knowing all of this, we can understand why quenching, grieving or blaspheming the Spirit puts our soul in jeopardy. Those who refuse to accept the gospel message are essentially rejecting the Holy Spirit. The inspired writers of the scriptures were moved by the Holy Spirit (II Pet.1:20-21).  This is why Paul told the brethren at Rome to listen to the message – in doing so they were being led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). They were not led in some mystical, mysterious way. It simply means when we do what the spirit revealed, we are following Him. May we always respect the Holy Spirit.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Chuck                                  

Just say thank you!

 

As a young man many years ago, I was given a needed rebuke by a sister in the Lord. When someone did something for me, I would say things like, “Oh, you didn’t have to do that!” Or, I would try and be funny and state, “What is this? And look, I don’t have anything for you!” Although I did appreciate what was done for me, I did not know how to express it properly. Then the sister in the Lord corrected me – “Just say thank you!”

 

People do like to do things for others (Gal. 6:10). We understand that it is more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35). Is it wrong for people to expect me to say thank you? Not at all. After all, I do not want to come across as ungrateful even though I inwardly feel very grateful. It is easy to overlook what is required outwardly when we are okay inwardly. However, as our Lord has taught, our attitude will show outwardly when it is first right inwardly (Matt. 23:25-27).

 

As a preacher, I am well aware of Paul’s example in being thankful for churches that support the preaching of the gospel. In Philippians 1:3, the apostle told the brethren that He thanked God for every remembrance of them. He also pointed out his appreciation by mentioning how they helped him financially time and again (Phil. 4:15-16). Did Paul need to do this? Yes. It was the right thing to do and showed that Paul did not take their kindness for granted.

 

Jesus taught this principle when He healed the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Jesus did not “need” the praise per se so much as those who were healed needed to be thankful. People are pleased when they hear a “thank you”, but keep in mind what it prevents. You do not want to make light of what was done or indicate that you someone “deserved” it.

 

Think about our relationship with the Lord. Why pray when He already knows what we will say? Why praise Him when He already knows how we feel? Let’s not take our God or our fellow man for granted. Remember – in everything give thanks (I Thess. 5:18).

 

                                                                                                      Chuck                                                                                      

What church would Christ attend?

 

Although the title’s question is hypothetical, our Lord is present when His followers gather to worship Him (Matt. 18:20). Moreover, we know that Christ dwells within the hearts of the faithful (Eph. 3:17). Knowing these things, the Scriptures provide enough information for us to answer the question.

 

If Jesus were to walk the face of this earth, where would He go to worship on Sunday? The answer can be found in Eph. 2:19, which describes God’s people as being part of a household. Christians belong to the family of God. When someone goes away on a trip and comes back, which family will he spend time with? That might seem like a silly question, but it will help us understand which church Jesus would worship with. Logically, He would spend time with His family and thus worship with His church.

 

Jesus said He was going to build His church (Matt. 16:18). This happened when He died on the cross and purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). When someone is covered by His blood and becomes a Christian, the Lord adds them to His body – the church (Acts 2:38, 41, 47; Rev. 1:5). This is why Christ calls them His own special people (I Pet. 2:9).

 

If Jesus returned to earth, would He assemble with the church that He is the head of (Col. 1:18) or some manmade religious organization? The answer might seem obvious. But would Christ show His love by visiting every denomination? This is an interesting question.

 

This should cause us to ponder a few things. I expect that Christ would visit every religious sect. He would not visit to worship though – He would visit to correct and admonish, telling them they need to abide only in His doctrine (II John 9) and that there is only one gospel (Gal. 1:6-9). Consider Revelation chapters two and three – the deeds of every congregation were recognized, but they were not all praised.

 

Let us return to the original question; which church would Christ attend? It would be His. We should not expect Christ to choose to worship with us if we designed worship for our own preferences rather than for His (John 4:24). Furthermore, why would anyone think that Christ would gather where He is not recognized as the head? Paul called the faithful who gathered in certain cities as churches of Christ (Rom. 16:16) because they belong to Christ.

 

Would Christ be pleased and willing to worship at any place that called themselves a church that is Christ?  Not at all. Again, He may go there to rebuke and admonish them to repent, just as He did with the seven churches of Asia in Revelation chapters two and three. Five of those churches were told to repent or else their candlestick would be removed. Jesus could say these churches belong to Him!

 

Let me make this perfectly clear – Jesus is not coming back to live on the earth again. But He is coming back, and everyone will be judged (II Cor. 5:10). It will be at a time when not expected (II Pet. 3:9-10). It is therefore important to be found faithful. If Christ would not be found worshipping at a manmade church, why would He be pleased to find you at one?

 

People who claim it does not matter which church we go to should look to the Scriptures and see how Jesus addressed His church. Remember, there will be many in the last day who will think they are going to be received into heaven but will instead hear the Lord say, “I don’t know you” (Matt. 7:21-23). Which church will you belong to?

 

                                                                                              Chuck

Look at Barabbas and look at us!

 

There are many powerful lessons surrounding the death of Jesus Christ, but one great lesson we must not overlook is that of Barabbas. To appease the Jews during the annual feast, Pilate would release a single prisoner that the Jews requested (Mark 15:6). The Roman ruler was hoping to release Jesus due to His innocence, but the chief priests stirred up the crowd to request the release of Barabbas (Mark 15:11).  As a result, Jesus was crucified and Barabbas was set free (Mark 15:15).

 

What do we know about this prisoner who skirted his deserved punishment? According to the scriptures, this man was part of a rebellion that resulted in murder (Mark 15:7).  We are told that this man was a notorious prisoner (Matt. 15:16).  It is also clear that many knew this man and his reputation as Pilate thought the crowd would want this evil person remain in prison and have Jesus released. Unfortunately, the guilty person was freed and the innocent Christ was crucified (Matt. 27:21-26).

 

As much as this whole incident should bother us, it should also hit home. In a sense, each of us is Barabbas. By that I mean, Barabbas was a sinner yet Jesus went to the cross for him. My wording was intentional. You might think I should have said, Jesus went to the cross instead of him. That is also true, but Jesus died for everyone (John 3:16).

 

How should Barabbas have looked at Jesus? This is interesting. After all, he would not have been set free that day if not for Christ. He did not respect the law or the lives of others. Same as the evil people of our day, most guilty people during Biblical times would do everything they could to avoid punishment if they were caught breaking the law. We see no evidence that Barabbas was concerned about the false accusations made against Jesus – he only seemed interested in his own freedom at any cost. Regardless of whether Barabbas changed his ways after being freed and learning about Jesus, we need to recognize this lesson for ourselves.

 

All people are lost in sin (Rom. 3:23). We might not literally be behind bars for committing our sins, but we are still in a state of spiritual bondage (Gal. 4:3). Therefore, those who have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ are free to roam on earth, but they are on the run from God. However, there will be a day of reckoning (II Cor. 5:10).

 

Did Barabbas turn his life around after receiving a second chance? The Bible does not tell us. Statistics show that most people who are a prisoner today will return to prison in the future. If a person who is punished for his crimes is unlikely to learn his lesson, then it seems logical that a man like Barabbas who did not receive his full punishment will also be likely to continue to break the law.

 

What about us though? What makes us so different from Barabbas? He rebelled and murdered – are we guilty of the same? Yes! When we sinned, it was like we crucified Christ (Heb. 6:6). Any transgression can be called a rebellion against the will of God. How many of us look at Jesus and consider His sacrifice personally? For all intents and purposes, we are all Barabbas. We deserve to die in our sins without any hope. Then, here come a Savior who pays our debt without being asked! It was not something we earned or deserved (Rom. 5:6-11).

 

As we look to the cross, we need to understand that Jesus did what we could not do for ourselves. We use the expression “paying one’s debt to society.” Sin does not work this way – the only pay for the debt of our sins was through an innocent person – Christ (II Cor. 5:21). In other words, He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Let’s look at Barabbas, then look at ourselves and learn.

                                                                                          

   Chuck