March 25, 2010

The Perils of a Strong National Government

Capitol Building

The President just signed health care reform legislation that will greatly expand the power of the federal government. In this article, I do not intend to praise or condemn this new set of laws and regulations. This is not a political article at all. Instead, I want to use the Bible to address the potential impact of a powerful, centralized government on our lives as Christians.

The word of God contains warnings of the dangers that are presented by a strong national government. It also contains teachings that will help us deal with this. Currently in our country, an expanding government is a reality. Let us turn to God’s word for wisdom and instruction in dealing with this present condition.
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March 17, 2010

Give Us More

More

Our society has produced a large number of people who expect others to provide for them. While there are certainly some with legitimate needs, many abuse the kindness of others and demand help rather than helping themselves. Young people grow up, yet continue to live at home and be supported by their parents because they do not want to move out and support themselves. Families remain on welfare from one generation to another because it is easier to receive a modest living for free than to work hard for a decent living. Americans, in general, have grown dependent upon the government for education, retirement, and health care. This mentality is everywhere in our society. But is this what God expects from His people?
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November 24, 2009

Know Well the Condition of Your Flocks

Sheep at sunset

Our country is in the midst of a recession. The economic outlook for the future is uncertain. Unemployment continues to rise. The national debt is ballooning at an astronomical rate. Naturally, people are worried about their financial situation, both for the present and the future.

Despite all of this, we have the responsibility to provide for ourselves (2 Thessalonians 3:10), our families (1 Timothy 5:8), and be able to help those in need (Ephesians 4:28). Paul told us of the importance of working hard so as to not be a burden to anyone (1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8). But how can we do this if the economy collapses?

Christians ought to first consult the Bible to see what instructions are contained there that would relate to this economic crisis. The proverb writer has a very important reminder for us that we should notice, particularly with the current progression we are seeing in this country.
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July 7, 2008

Let Not the Church Be Charged

Walking with Elderly Woman

“If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed” (1 Timothy 5:16, KJV).

This verse comes at the end of a section dealing with the care of certain widows. Paul had given Timothy instructions about which widows were to receive continual, ongoing support from the local church and which ones were not. In the case of widows who had family to care for them, the church was not to be charged with their care.

The idea of the church not being charged with something can certainly extend in application beyond just the care of certain widows.
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July 1, 2008

Money Matters

Money in Pocket

Money is a matter of priority to many people in our society. As the economy is a concern in many places around the country, there is a tendency to worry about financial matters. As Christians, we must take heed to what God has instructed with regard to money. The Bible actually has quite a bit to say about the subject. We will consider some of God’s instruction that relates to our finances in this article.
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December 1, 2007

Be Ready

We spend our lives getting ready for what is coming in the future, both short and long term. We get ready to go to work, cook a meal, get married, retire, etc. In addition to things like these, we must also get ready and be ready for certain things that are of a spiritual nature.

What does it take to be ready? First, we have to know what needs to be done. Second, we must prepare ourselves to do what needs to be done. Finally, we must be willing to do what we have prepared ourselves to do. These will be true whether we are talking about spiritual or earthly matters. For this article, let us consider a few things for which we must be ready that are mentioned in the word of God.
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October 5, 2006

“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 4: Institutionalism and the Sponsoring Church Arrangement

Collection Plate

As we noticed in the previous section, there are many who use funds from the church treasury for things other than just the works of the church – evangelism, edification, and limited benevolence. Some use money from their treasury for these works, but they do so by sending funds to another organization (either a human institution or another congregation) so that organization can carry out these spiritual works. We often refer to this practice as either institutionalism or the sponsoring church arrangement, depending on the nature of the organization to which the funds are sent. Does God authorize this in His word?

First we need to be sure we understand what exactly is being done before we can compare the practice with Scripture. Institutionalism refers to the forming or use of organizations separate from the church to carry out the works of the church. The sponsoring church arrangement has to do with one or more churches sending funds to another church that collects funds from these various churches and uses that money to do the work of the church. Much could be said about these issues; but so as to not divert too much attention away from our topic of the collection, we will briefly compare these concepts with the word of God.
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