May 13, 2009

Do You Have The Lord?

Tim Haile has recently written an article about what it means to “have the Lord.” It is about our fellowship with God and how to maintain that fellowship. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Over the years I have been asked this question many times. The question is scriptural and good, but I fear that it is often answered apart from any consideration of the Scriptures. This results in many people affirming to “have the Lord” when they know nothing of what the relationship involves or requires. If we intend to use a Bible phrase, we should use it consistent with its biblical context. Let us see how the phrase is defined in Scripture.

Read the rest of the article: Do You Have The Lord?

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May 1, 2009

The Grace-Unity Movement

Candy Heart

The grace-unity movement has been one of the major controversies among brethren over the past twenty years or so. It is often called “unity in diversity” and it is the idea that we can continue to have unity despite our differences in matters that pertain to the faith because the grace of God saves us and covers our sins.

This movement has not just affected those in churches of Christ. It is all through the denominational world. We hear of multi-denominational programs, ministries, and worship services. We have community churches which are open to people from all denominations to come together, ignoring the things that could divide them. The differences and distinctions between the denominations do not mean all that much anymore. Members of one denomination are free to jump between churches without being out of place because these churches accept, tolerate, and endorse one another.
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May 1, 2009

Who Is My Brother?

Two Men

“Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).

The brotherhood that Peter mentioned was a special group of people. We know this because it was distinguished from “all people” in the same verse. Because a distinction was made, it would be good for us to understand who our brethren are.

We often talk of those with whom we worship and those with whom we agree in religious matters as being brethren. We are generally careful not to use the term to refer to those in denominationalism. We also talk about brethren in institutionalism with whom we cannot have fellowship. Why? What is the Scriptural basis for making these distinctions?

When told to love his neighbor, the lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). We are told to “love the brotherhood.” We should ask a similar question: “Who is my brother?”
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February 26, 2009

Unity of the Spirit

Ephesians 4:4-6

Paul instructed the church in Ephesus to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). He then went on to explain the reason for unity and the basis of it.

Our unity must be based upon the following:
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May 1, 2008

Doctrinal Purity

Open Bible

Doctrine, as many would define it, is not popular in religion today. Many believe that doctrine is what divides us. The denominations mostly leave matters of “doctrine” to the heads of their denomination. The preachers/pastors then can limit their message to topics like salvation, grace, love, social issues, etc. In the Lord’s church, some are de-emphasizing “doctrine” so they can focus more on the “gospel” (a faulty distinction that is not made in the New Testament). But doctrine simply means teaching. Many passages in the King James Version that use the word “doctrine” actually have the word “teaching” used instead in some of the newer translations. There is not a complicated definition of the word “doctrine.” That which is taught in the New Testament is doctrine.

The intent of this article is to show the importance of doctrinal purity. In the previous paragraph we noticed what doctrine is – the teaching contained in the New Testament. Purity means it is unchanged, uncorrupted, and complete. So when I speak of the need for doctrinal purity, I am referring to the desire to learn and believe all that is taught in the New Testament and only that which is taught in the New Testament. Many find this undesirable or impossible, but the word of God teaches that this must be our goal.
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October 3, 2007

Emphasizing Jesus Christ

Crosses

Paul told the saints in Corinth, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Why did Paul place such an emphasis on teaching Jesus? He explained: “So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:5).

The Corinthians had a problem of following after men. This resulted in division as some were saying, “‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ’” (1 Corinthians 1:12). Paul later explained that when they claimed loyalty to these men, they were carnally minded and immature (1 Corinthians 3:1-4).

The inspired apostle sought to correct this thinking so that they would focus on following Christ and not men. This is the first problem he addressed in his letter (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). But notice how he subtly made this point before he explicitly stated it.
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September 5, 2007

Do Not Receive Him into Your House

When Paul came to Thessalonica, he began preaching in the synagogue with some success (Acts 17:1-4). However, many of the Jews became upset and caused an uproar (Acts 17:5). They searched for Paul and Silas, the ones who had “turned the world upside down” with their teaching (Acts 17:6). When they could not find them, they brought Jason and some of the other brethren before the city authorities (Acts 17:6-7). What charge did they bring against Jason? He “welcomed them” (Acts 17:7).
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