There is One Faith

By Brian Mitchell
    The story is told about an atheist who was spending a quiet day fishing when suddenly his boat was attacked by the Loch Ness monster. In one easy move, the Loch Nest monster tossed the atheist and his boat into the air. Then the beast opened its mouth and was ready to swallow the man right out of the air. As the atheist sailed in the air toward the mouth of the monster, he cried out, “Oh, God, please help me!”    At once the entire scene froze in place with the man hanging in midair above the open mouth of the Loch Nest monster. Then the booming voice of God came down from the clouds, saying to the atheist, “I thought you didn’t believe in me.” The atheist replied, “Come on, God, give me a break. Until a minute ago, I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness monster either!” Faith is a funny thing, isn’t it?    As you know, we are in a sermon series about the 7 ones that equal unity. God wants His people to be unified and the 7 ones are the things that unite us. So far in our series we have discussed the one body, the one Spirit, the one hope, and the one Lord. While Ephesians 4:5 states very clearly that there is just one faith, we live in a world in which there appears to be many faiths.    A popular belief that many people hold says: “There are many ways to God and all religions are equally valid.” There’s also the false idea that all religions are basically the same. Certainly, there are some similarities to the ethics and ideas of the assorted religions. But there are huge fundamental differences about who God is, what God is like, what God is doing in time and history, in how God saves and what God requires from people.    God could have provided many paths to Himself if that’s what God wanted, but that would certainly lead to a lot of confusion, and it would make the sacrifice of Jesus unnecessary. If people could be saved without the death of God’s own Son, then why would God offer that as one of the many paths to God? Another absurd thing that people often say is: “It doesn’t really matter what you believe as long as you believe in something.”    Faith in faith is really nothing at all. Faith in general has no power at all. It’s not faith that moves mountains, its faith in a God who can move mountains that makes a difference. So, there’s a big difference between faith in faith, and faith in God. The object of our faith is way more important than the strength of our faith in that object.    For example, if I believe that a certain chair will hold me when I sit on it, the primary issue is the construction and quality of the chair – which is the object of my faith, not the amount of faith I might have in the chair. Even if I believe very strongly that the chair will support me, if the chair is a broken-down piece of junk, then it will break if I try to sit on it. My faith, even if it is ever so strong, will not make the chair good, if it is bad.    So, let me repeat, it is the quality of the object, not the quantity of my faith in the object, that is of primary importance. Do you have the one faith? Are you leaning wholly on Jesus? Sadly, far too many people claim to believe in Jesus, but you can’t tell it by how they live. We must believe Jesus is the one Savior and Lord and put our faith into action as we obey His commands and walk in His steps. This is the one faith. 

- Brian Mitchell served as a minister with the Jackson Church of Christ in Jackson, MO. Visit the congregation's website at https://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.net

There is One Lord

By Brian Mitchell     One of the most challenging and most offensive of Paul’s 7 ones is that – there is one Lord. Why would I call it the most challenging and offensive of the “ones”? Because while everyone in Christianity might agree that there is one Lord, they often want the one Lord to be them, not someone else, and for many, certainly not Jesus. Jesus is the one Lord and that means He’s in charge; He’s the Master; He’s the King.     The apostle Paul clarified this truth clearly when he wrote to the Corinthians about eating food sacrificed to idols, he wrote: 4 About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him” (1 Cor. 8:4-6).     I like the way that Paul contrasts the many “gods” and many “lords” (lower case) with the one “God” and one “Lord” (upper case). In truth, there are many lower case “gods” and “lords.” These lower case “gods” and “lords” include everything from the government, to our bosses, our parents, our spouses, ourselves, and our addictions.     Bob Dylan was right when he famously sung “you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” The chorus of his song says: But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed, you’re gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” If the only choice were between serving God and serving the devil, then most of us would quickly choose God.     But Satan, the great deceiver and the father of lies, has convinced many that we don’t have to serve anyone, and that we can do as we please. But make no mistake about it, if we don’t choose to serve God, then we are serving Satan. If we are self-serving, then we are ultimately Satan-serving. Here’s the other thing that makes this truth so offensive to some.     Jesus is Lord whether I believe in Him or not, or whether I think He is the Lord or not. My lack of belief in Jesus or my failure to acknowledge His lordship has no impact on the fact that Jesus is Lord. Similarly, I might refuse to believe that Joe Biden exists as a human being or refuse to acknowledge that he is the President of the United States. But my lack of faith and acknowledgement doesn’t change the truth that he exists and that he is president—at least for another couple of months.     Similarly, I might refuse to believe that gravity exists or that it is in control of things on our planet. But my lack of faith in gravity doesn’t change the truth that when I jump off the roof, gravity will bring me crashing to the ground. In addition to the fact that this truth is offensive to many, it is also challenging for all of us. What makes it so challenging is our struggle to allow someone else to be our Lord or boss. One of the most important issues that must be settled in every person’s life is the question of “Who’s the Boss?” And the truth is that God is “the boss” and the sooner we allow Him to be our boss the better off we will be.

- Brian Mitchell served as a minister with the Jackson Church of Christ in Jackson, MO. Visit the congregation's website at https://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.net

There is One Hope

By Brian Mitchell     Paul’s seven ones that equal unity is a fascinating study. God wants His people to be unified and the 7 ones are the things that unite us. So far in our series we have discussed the one body and the one Spirit. Consider the one hope we have in Christ. Let’s begin with an illustration from the Peanuts.     Lucy asked Linus, “You know what we’re going to do tomorrow?” Lucy continued, “Patty and Violet and I are going on a picnic!” Lucy concluded, “I just hope to goodness that it doesn’t rain.” Linus, the resident theologian, replied, “‘Hoping to goodness’ is not theologically sound!” This “one hope” is not an uncertain “hope so” type of hope, like the way we often use the word hope.     Like Lucy, we often say, “I hope it to doesn’t rain tomorrow on our picnic,” but we don’t really know one way or the other until it is time to go. We use the “hope so” kind of hope when we talk about hoping to get promoted at work, or hoping that our sports team will win. I hope that Alabama will win the national football championship–I hope the Titans will win the Super Bowl–that’s “hope so” hope. Our Christian faith gives us a “know so” hope, not a “hope so” hope. In biblical hope, we hope for things that are absolutely certain, but have just not yet been realized.     How can we be so certain about the biblical things we hope for? They are a certainty because God has promised them and God always keeps His promises. God had promised that Abraham would have a son with Sarah and many descendants to follow. He made the promise when Abraham was already 75 years old, but then Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years for the promise to be fulfilled—BUT IT WAS FULFILLED! (Heb.6:13-19).     I think that one of the reasons why God made Abraham wait so long was to prove how God is able to keep His promises and can even do so in a man and a woman who are way past child-bearing age. When God makes us a promise, He has no one greater than Himself to swear by. But when He makes a promise, we can know that He will keep it – because it is impossible for God to lie. God’s promise of our salvation through Jesus is the hope of our calling and it is an anchor for our souls, firm and secure.     In the end, our hope is so secure, because our hope is in Jesus Christ and His righteousness; our hope is not in our righteousness. Like the great hymn proclaims: My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. In Rom.3, Paul explains: 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:23-24).     Our God is full of love and grace, and so, He has provided salvation through Christ Jesus. We are saved by grace through our faith in Christ. We are not saved by our own meritorious works, otherwise we might boast, and we would certainly fall short, rather we are saved by Christ’s work in His death, burial and resurrection. How’s that for good news? Great news!

- Brian Mitchell served as a minister with the Jackson Church of Christ in Jackson, MO. Visit the congregation's website at https://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.net

There Is One Spirit

By Brian Mitchell
    The story is told about a Christian who arrived in Heaven and was excited to meet many people from Old Testament times and he had lots of questions for them. To Noah, he asked what it was like to be in the ark with all those animals. To Joseph, he asked what it was like to understand dreams and be second in command of all of Egypt. To Moses, he asked what it was like when the Red Sea parted. To David, he asked what it was like to take down Goliath.    To Solomon, he asked what it was like to have such great wisdom. To Daniel, he asked what it was like to be protected in the lion’s den. Each of the great people of the Old Testament answered the Christian’s question. Then each of them asked the Christian a question and it was the same question: What was it like to have the Spirit of God living in you? As great as all the displays of God’s power in their time, none of them had the promised Holy Spirit living in them.    The promised Holy Spirit living in us is a new covenant promise for Christians. I hope we can appreciate how unique and wonderful the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is. As you know, we are in a new sermon series called “7 Ones Equal Unity” based on Eph. 4:4-6. The seven ones that lead to unity are: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father.    In the first sermon in the series, we looked at the context of these verses in the book of Ephesians, in general, and in chapter 4 of Ephesians. We found that it is God’s desire that we live a life that represents the worthiness of our calling. Last week, in the second sermon of the series, we talked about the fact that there is only one body. There is only one body, meaning there is only one kingdom of God, one family of God, one church of God, one church of Christ, and one temple of God. When we obey the Gospel then God adds us to the body, the church.    Now let’s turn our attention to the second “one” that leads to unity and it is that there is one Spirit. Let’s begin by asking: What is that one Spirit? Or better yet, who is that one Spirit?     Praise God for the one Spirit who brings us into God’s family and makes us one body. Praise God that the Spirit lives in us, brings us life, and transforms us into the likeness of God. Praise God for the way the Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit and gives us spiritual victory. I pray that all of us will be filled with the Spirit, walk in the Spirit and not grieve the Holy Spirit.    I pray that we will prepare ourselves for the spiritual battle by taking up the sword of the Spirit and by praying in the Spirit, so that the Spirit will enable us to win the battle. But it all starts by being born again of the water and the Spirit – when we are baptized into Christ, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And it all continues by walking in step with the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit and not grieving the Spirit.

- Brian Mitchell served as a minister with the Jackson Church of Christ in Jackson, MO. Visit the congregation's website at https://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.net

One Body

By Brian Mitchell     There is hardly a congregation of the Lord’s church today—Large or Small—that is not feeling some type of pressure to change. Whether it comes from within or without, there is mounting pressure today to alter our teachings about the nature of the church, salvation and worship. This pressure can be either good or bad—positive or negative.     It can be positive if it causes us to examine closely what we believe and make sure that it is in accordance with the Word of God. If it helps us to be able to distinguish between the Truth of God’s Word and the Traditions of Men—holding to the former while being willing to let go of the latter. It can be negative, if in an attempt to ease the pressure or simply to be more like those around us, we are willing to give up any of the essentials of our faith. That are dictated to us by the Word of God and thus not subject to change.     It does not matter if they are popular or not, there are certain limits beyond which we cannot go, if we are to remain pleasing to God—Gal.1:6-9. Regardless of what is often heard from the “change-agents” among us, we cannot alter, adapt or change in any way the foundational principles and practices of the Lord’s church. And to do so would be of no benefit to ourselves or to those we would “supposedly” be reaching by doing so.     I believe that it was Barton Stone that long ago said: “In matters of faith, Unity, In matters of Opinion, Liberty and In all things, Love.” While I wholeheartedly agree with the principles behind these sentiments, the practice of them, even in the Lord’s church, has never come easily. What are matters of faith and opinion to one individual or group is often quite different than what is considered to be so by another group. And there has often been anything but love, expressed towards one another by those on opposing sides.     Is there any way that we can know what are and are not matters of faith upon which our unity is built and maintained? How Do We know the Biblical Limits of Faith and Practice Beyond which We May not Go? While I wish there was, within the Bible, a concise list of all the things that we must believe, practice and teach, the reality is that it is not quite that simple. If we were looking for one place in the NT that provides us with insight into the principles upon which the Unity of the Christian Faith is built, Eph.4 would be that passage.     The Basis of this Series—Eph.4:4-6. It is here that Paul provides 7 Foundational Pillars that serve as the foundation of the Christian Faith. Any one of which removed will cause the entire structure to crumble. There is ONLY ONE Body, Spirit, Hope of Your Calling, Lord, Faith, Baptism and God the Father of All. Thus, if an individual or groups teachings conflict with one of the 7 principles found in our passage, unity is destroyed.     If one teaches that one religious group is as good as another, they are violating the teaching that there is only 1 Body. And this teaching would destroy the unity for which Christ prayed and died, thus making our walk unworthy of our calling. So our goal beginning this week, is to more fully understand the 7 Ones and specifically to understand the One Body, of which Paul speaks in Eph.4:4.

- Brian Mitchell served as a minister with the Jackson Church of Christ in Jackson, MO. Visit the congregation's website at https://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.net

Standing Firm in Hard Times

By Jeff Arnette     Psalm 52–59, with a focus on Psalm 57:4, highlights a time in David’s life when he was surrounded by trouble. Sometimes we too face actual hardships, maybe at work, in the home, or even unexpected crises we never saw coming. David’s prayerful words remind us that it’s normal to feel frightened or stressed when circumstances seem overwhelming. But just like him, we can hold onto hope because God is bigger than whatever we face. Even in dangerous situations, David found the strength to praise God rather than dwell on his fear.     Ephesians 6:12 points us to the spiritual side of our battles. Many times, the problems in front of us go beyond the physical difficulties we see. We might be dealing with anxiety that keeps us awake at night or temptations that test our integrity. It’s not that we ignore physical threats, but we recognize that our inner struggles can be just as significant. David wrestled with his enemies in a real way, but he also turned to God for the spiritual support he needed. This invites us to do the same. We can’t handle life’s battles alone; we rely on God’s power and guidance.     Acts 16:23–25 shows an example from the New Testament where Paul and Silas praised God even in prison. Like David, their circumstances were bleak. They had every reason to feel hopeless, yet their response was to worship. Their story assures us that God’s faithfulness isn’t limited by location or difficulty. Whether we find ourselves stuck in a dead-end job, dealing with strained relationships, or facing health challenges, we still have the option to look up and trust in the One who never fails.     Taking these passages together, we learn that praise isn’t just for the good times. It’s a statement of faith that God is at work, even when our situation looks grim. In America today, stress can come from financial pressures, family conflict, or social tensions, and we often feel like we have too much on our plates. Yet, like David, we remember our experiences of God’s deliverance in the past. His record of faithfulness remains solid. When we cling to that truth, fear no longer controls us, and our hearts can find peace. In every trial, we have the assurance that God is with us. By lifting our voices in praise, we practice a faith that stands firm and shines light in the darkest places.

- Jeff Arnette preaches for the Central Haywood church of Christ, Clyde, NC.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://centralhaywoodcoc.com/

Finding Rest in God’s Forgiveness

By Jeff Arnette 
    In Psalm 46–51, we see a powerful picture of God’s steadfast love and willingness to forgive. These chapters remind us that God is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1) and that we can call upon Him in times of trouble, just as David did in his prayers. When we pause to be still (Psalm 46:10), we discover that true rest comes from trusting God, acknowledging our sins, and receiving His forgiveness. David’s own cries for mercy (Psalm 51) assure us that no matter our past, we can approach God with humility and sincere repentance.    Ephesians 1:7 and 2:8–10 reinforce this truth: salvation cannot be bought or earned. It is a free gift from God, offered to us through the sacrifice of Jesus. Many people try to secure favor with God by doing good works, giving money, or following religious routines. Yet these verses make it clear that grace alone saves us. Our role is simply to believe that through Jesus’ death and resurrection, our sins are wiped away, and that we don’t add anything to what He has already accomplished.   We also see that forgiveness is personal. We can pray for others, but each person must respond to God’s invitation individually. Second Thessalonians 2:13 teaches that God has chosen us for salvation, and our part is to accept it by faith. We cannot rely on family tradition, church membership, or someone else’s prayers to save us. Instead, each of us must personally admit our need for Jesus, trusting Him to cleanse and renew us.   The decision to follow Christ is the most important choice we will ever make. Second Timothy 4:1 reminds us that Jesus is both Savior and Judge. One day, everyone will stand before Him. Psalm 50:4 echoes this call, declaring that God gathers people from every corner of the earth for judgment. As believers, we’ve already tasted the joy of forgiveness. But distractions and worries can dull our appreciation of God’s goodness. When we remember the depth of Christ’s sacrifice and the reality of eternity, we regain our excitement and sense of purpose.    May these verses inspire us to pursue God wholeheartedly. No amount of effort can secure what Jesus has already given us, and no one else can decide for us. Let us stand firm in faith, pray for those who have yet to believe, and remember daily the wonderful gift of God’s grace.

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