Image And Allegiance

By Joe Slater

    April 15 typically involves long lines at the Post Office as procrastinators mail those dreaded 1040 forms along with a sizeable check to the U.S. Treasury. We have extra time this year due to circumstances beyond our control, but it just delays the inevitable!
    Nobody enjoys paying taxes. No doubt much of our tax money is spent unwisely, to say the least. Nevertheless, Romans 13:7 says, “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”
    When Jesus walked this earth, His enemies tried to trap Him with the controversy over Jews paying taxes to the pagan government in Rome. “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Luke 20:22). If Jesus just said, “Yes, pay the taxes,” they could claim He wasn’t a loyal Jew. But if He said, “No don’t pay,” they could accuse Him of treason against the government. As always, the infinitely wise Jesus recognized their ungodly motives and gave them an answer they couldn’t use against Him. “‘Why do you test Me? Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?’ They answered and said, ‘Caesar’s.’ And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s’” (Luke 20:23-25).
    The coin bore Caesar’s image. Caesar had a right to require it in tax. People bear the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). He has a legitimate claim on our service. There is no conflict between the two. As we pay our taxes this week or in weeks to come, may we be mindful to render to God that which is due to Him!

- Joe Slater serves as minister of the Church of Christ in Justin, TX. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://justinchurchofchrist.com

Recipe for Building a Better Church

By Gerald Cowan

    “Join the church of your choice.”  The determinative word there is not join or choice.  It is your. Not something someone else chooses for you or imposes upon you (such as communism, which is not really ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people” as in democracy). As Adolf Hitler mandated a Volkswagen (literally “people’s car”) so certain countries have mandated a “state religion”  (such as Islamic, Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, etc) or a “national church” (such as Church of England, Church of Sweden, etc). There’s a world-wide phenomenon in nominal Christianity: the creation and proliferation of churches to  meet the requirements and desires of the people who will be members in the so-called “purpose-driven” churches where members determine what the church will be and do – these could be called “churches of  the people, for the people, and by the people.” What are the premises, purposes, and promises of such a “people’s church?”
    Some churches are formed to protest against some other church or religious group.  They are commonly labeled as “Protestants,” and they began as a protest against Catholicism, which they feel is not fully or properly Christian. Some are formed to be more exclusive; each one characteristically views itself as “the only true church.” Others are formed to be more inclusive; they view themselves as ecumenical, promoting unity in diversity. Some are organized around a particular doctrinal viewpoint, such as Sabbath or Seventh-day, Presbyter-ruled, emphasizing a certain Method of baptism, initiation, worship, or concept of God – variations and excuses for them seem endless and numberless. The concept of the “purpose driven” churches and members is still popular. 
    Shamefully some are constantly shifting the boundaries and the goal posts of the church to accommodate cultural and ethnic factors (not Biblical). As Neil Armstrong famously said in July 1969, as ostensibly the first human to step on the moon, “That’s one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind,”  when stepping on the moon, some insist now that every cultural shift – such as “gay liberation” and the embrace of gender variations – is a giant leap forward for mankind (in truth such things are a giant step backwards, a retreat into abysmal ignorance and darkness and a repudiation of truth).  So, to appease our cultural and ethnic tension we are accosted by black church, white church, indigenous church, gay, transgender or non-binary church, messianic Jewish church, etc, etc –  ad infinitum ad nauseum. Some want to provide a “one size fits all” church  – a “Community Church” –  where every person can feel he or she belongs and is welcomed into a loose coalition rather than strict doctrinal or creedal exclusivity. It is assumed that man himself determines and adjusts all things to suit himself and to judge whether anything meets his current desires and values. It is assumed that man himself is able to shape his own life and destiny, therefore religion must evolve to accommodate man’s evolving nature and evolving culture – man must build himself a church that “meets his needs.” Protagoras was a  5th Century BC pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. He created a major controversy during ancient times through his statement that, “Man is the measure of all things,” interpreted by Plato to mean there is no absolute objective truth. Whatever individuals deem to be the truth is true – man by man himself is judged, each person’s judgment of himself is the only valid one. This concept is popular today: whatever you believe is “your truth” and is valid for you – let your conscience be your guide and ignore those who disagree with you. The New Testament of the Bible, being about 2,000 years old, is not “new” enough – God and His Bible need an update. How arrogant is man!  But. . . .
    . . . . Without a valid existing all-knowing God who presents and upholds absolute truth any church or any religion is invalid and irrelevant. Islam claims Allah is God – some nominal Christians foolishly believe and claim Allah and the God of the Bible are one and the same, that Allah is simply God by another name. But the Bible clearly states that is a lie. The first three of the ten commandments assert that there is but one God and His people must not countenance any others (Exodus 20:1-7). The Jews knew that the Lord our God is one, and there is no other – He alone is to be worshipped and served (Deuteronomy 6:1-5). The same is true for Christians – all supposed gods other than the God of the Bible are idols, no matter who believes in them and acknowledges them (1 Corinthians 8:1-6).  Buddhism has no god(s) – Gautama Buddha himself was/is not a god. Some claim to honor all gods and are willing to accommodate any new deities that may be invented, as for example in Hinduism, the Masonic Lodge, etc. Catholicism and all of  so-called Christendom claim to honor the God of the Judeo-Christian  Bible. But that necessarily  raises the question: Does God accept and approve all or any of them?  Since they all differ in some ways they cannot all be valid, accepted and approved by God. Unless the Lord God builds the house those who build it labor in vain (Psalm 127:1). As co-workers with God we are to build up the house of God, the church of the Lord (1 Timothy 3:15, 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, 2 Corinthians 6:1-3).
   
HOW CAN WE BUILD UP THE BETTER CHURCH?

    Obviously we cannot hope to build something better than what the Lord himself has built and established for us. Making up something more compatible with the personal preferences and desires of those who attend cannot please God if it differs from His will and plan and stipulation.  I have noticed that most of us are concerned about any wolves that may be threatening the church, but we do not recognize all of them because they have learned they are easily detected when they come dressed as sheep.  Currently many of the shepherds (pastors and overseers, leaders of the flock) are wolves – they are much more effective as shepherds than they could ever be as member sheep mingling with the true sheep of the true Shepherd.
    The Lord has built and is building His house, the church. As noted, if He does not build it those who do try to build it or one to replace it are  laboring in vain (Psalm 127:1a). Remember that it is intended to be the Lord’s church, not yours or mine or ours.
    We must build upon the foundation of the Lord himself as laid by his chosen apostles (Ephesians 3:20), upon the words the Lord himself has delivered, not upon the words of men about His words and sometimes interpreting his words in such ways as to pervert His message (Matthew 15:3 and 9, Galatians 1:6-9). No self-proclaimed  preacher, prophet, or pope can claim to know the mind of God better than the Holy Spirit-guided men chosen by the Lord to speak for Him. Silver and golden tongued orators are no better than cardboard bells and dry clattering sticks pretending to be oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11) unless they faithfully present the Lord’s words. You can’t build up the Lord’s house by hanging your own portrait in it.
    Have we forgotten the motto about calling Bible things by Bible names and doing Bible things in Bible ways? Why hesitate to  speak where the Bible speaks and keep silent where the Bible is silent? 
    Why are we so concerned with the looks and décor of the building in which we meet and so little concerned about what is said and done in the building? That’s a bit like insisting on a genuine leather cover and gilded edges of the pages in the Bible but not knowing what is said in it. The container cannot be more important than the contents. We are not called upon to build a better building but rather to build up those who meet in it. The people, not the building, are the church. We are to build each other up in the most holy faith (Jude 20).
    We build up the church by showing ourselves to be faithful members of it, sharing the Lord, sharing the word of the Lord, sharing fellowship in the Lord, sharing love in the Lord, and being holy people by the Lord’s definition (Galatians 5:22-26, 2 Peter 1:2-12).  Be the people of God in deed and truth, not only in words – what you are usually speaks more forcefully than what you say.
    To outsiders emphasize more what the Lord can and will do for them than what they can do for Him. To the insiders, the members,  emphasize what they can do for each other but especially for the Lord and for His church.

- Gerald Cowan, a longtime preacher and missionary, is retired from full-time pulpit preaching. Gerald publishes an e-mail newsletter entitled GERALD COWAN’S PERSONAL PERIODICAL WRITINGS. He is available for Gospel Meetings and he may be contacted at Geraldcowan1931@aol.com

Redbuds and Dogwoods

By Joe Chesser

    Every year at this time our part of the world (southeast Missouri) is blessed with the blossoms of redbuds and dogwoods.  In the spring the redbuds sprout their purplish brilliance, followed in a couple of weeks by the equally brilliant white and pink blossoms of the dogwoods. In many areas these trees are planted in such a way as to accent each other.  Our older redbud is blooming brilliantly this year, and a younger one is just beginning to bloom a bit. It has taken a few years, but our dogwood will also bloom soon.
    Each year the spring plants and trees offer us a vivid reminder of God.  It’s not evolution that maintains the laws of nature – it’s God!  If evolution was true (and of course it’s not) things would be constantly inconsistent.  You would never know from one year to the next how evolution would have worked it “magic” and altered the redbuds to start producing yellow blossoms or begin blooming in September instead of late March.  But we know that won’t happen because God is in control of nature and will maintain his laws of nature as long as the world exists.  One of the great things the book of Hebrews says about Jesus is that He not only created the entire universe, but He also sustains “all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:2-3).  That’s why every spring the redbuds and dogwoods put out their beautiful colors.  Because of God, you can count on it year after year!
    Jesus consistently demonstrates His power over the physical realm, and because of this we have reason to believe that He also can and will exercise His power over the spiritual realm.  Redbuds and dogwoods give us evidence for believing that Jesus has all power and all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).  When Jesus healed the paralytic (Mark 2:1-12) He made the point: “‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…,’ He said to the paralytic, ‘I tell you, get up, take up your mat and go home.’”  Jesus used the visible, healing a crippled man, to expand their vision to also see that He could heal the spiritually crippled.
    If we choose to, redbuds and dogwoods will do the same for us.  They give evidence of His creative power.  They give evidence of His power to maintain His laws.  They give evidence that if He can do that each year, He also can do so much more.  Jesus can give us renewal, new birth (John 3:3-5).  Jesus can maintain our spiritual relationship with him year after year through His power working within us (Ephesians 3:14-21).
    We have no excuses for refusing to believe in Jesus’ power.  King David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).  Paul added that “God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
    Remember this when you see redbuds and dogwoods every year.

- Joe Chesser preaches for the Fruitland Church of Christ, Fruitland, MO.  He may be contacted at joeandareva@yahoo.com

A Better Answer

By Ron Thomas

    Three men on the cross, One in the center gathered much attention. On one side, a man on the crucifixion lumber called out to the One in the middle, “Save us!” while on the other side of the One in the center said, “Lord remember me.” The other, who cried out “Save us” did so with no contrition. Two were prepared for eternity.
    It illustrates life. We make choices, some of those choices are bad, very bad. Some of those choices are good, but the good decisions made are interpreted by others in a very negative way. They feel threatened by what they don’t understand. It’s not that they can’t understand, it’s their choice to not understand. It takes time, time is a precious commodity and “I have no time for this!” is the frequent reply (spoken or unspoken). “I am too busy raising children, working to provide for my family...” and on and on it goes.
    We live in a politically divided world, much more so than anything one can read about that occurred in the late 1960’s, perhaps equaling the era leading up to the Civil War (perspectives vary on this). Very disheartening. I have a very hard opinion and response to what is going on, but I am old enough to know that I am in no position to know what I need to know and to do what I would like to do. I really have no time for this and, moreover, I want to give no time to this. I can, perhaps I should, but I won’t. So, what do I do?
Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil: It will be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones (Proverbs 3:5-8, ASV).
Do you have a better answer? 

- Ron Thomas preacher for the Sunrush Church of Christ, Chillicothe, OH. He may be contacted through the congregation's website. http://sunrushchurchofchrist.com/

Lost Faith or Stopped Believing?

By Lance Cordle

    I don’t want to appear “picky” or overly analytical, but there are times when I fear that Christians allow commonly used phrases to shape their way of thinking. One such phrase is “I lost my faith.”
    As you may likely know, “faith” is a noun that represents the result of a verb, “believe.” A person believes and the resulting condition as a matter of continuation of that action is “faith.” As far as I can tell, the predominant use of the two concepts by the writers of the New Testament is to emphasize the action of the person in believing. For example, the book of John was “written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31, ESV). Almost one hundred times, John used a form of the Greek word for “believe” in that book. Note also that when the writer of the book of Hebrews commended Old Testament heroes such as Abel, Abraham, and Joseph for their faith, emphasis was placed on the action of the person involved (Hebrews 11:4, 8, 22, ESV).
    On the other hand, “faith” is sometimes used as the system of faith which the person believes. For example, faith can be departed from (2 Timothy 4:1); contended for (Jude 3); and was said to dwell in Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5). However, I believe theses concepts are in the minority an are used in accommodative ways to speak of something that is, in its essence, active. In other words, on departs from the faith by stopping believing one way and beginning to believe in another.
    I think much of the confusion has been brought about by some incorrect teaching on Ephesians 2:8, 9. Those verses say, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (ESV). Some teach that “faith” itself is a gift from God. In other words, our action of belief was brought about by God, overruling our will. If you will examine this passage closely, however, you will see that the “gift” is the “have been saved” part. The “faith” is our act of believing and involves more than mere assent.
    Now, stay with me just a little longer. If we think of faith as a passive thing, that has been given to us (maybe even “passed on), it is much easier to say, “I lost my faith.” It is more accurate and descriptive to say, “I chose to stop believing.” We choose to believe based on a set of evidences presented to us. We also choose to stop believing based on another set of evidences. This principle applies to our children and anyone else who falls away (note the active words) from God. The responsibility rests on the shoulders of the believer who becomes an unbeliever. Let’s make sure we don’t evade it (or allow someone else to do so) by our misuse of language.

- Lance Cordle preaches the Calvert City Church of Christ in Calvert City, KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com

The Need for Jesus

By Bryan McAlister

    Few, if any really, would argue against the pursuit in this life to acquire things like fulfillment, pleasure, contentment, knowledge, or even purpose. In fact, most, even in the world believe such pursuits are the framework of most of our lives. In those pursuits, however we find what we are looking for, we are the better if our search produces the results we have desired. Therein lies the problem most of us face when trying to meet our needs. The approach most in our culture and society would suggest today for meeting our needs comes from a “relative” perspective. What may suit and fulfill the life of “Fred” may not satisfy the desire of fulfillment in the life of “Fred’s” neighbor; but if something else can and does, then that course should certainly be pursued.
    Common ground is difficult to find, when we live in a world where so many opinions exist about nearly every aspect of life. Yet in the long ago there were words written to describe such a ground; where to find it and even how to stand upon it. Through a source greater than philosophy or higher academia, we learn of a message mankind has the privilege to know: “the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:6). Accompanying those words were a prayer that all who would have the opportunity would hear, would not only believe the message; but also, “be filled with all knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col 1:9).
    The common ground for every race, every culture, every country, every government, every family is ground of Jesus, His church, His body, His authority, and His love. The grace of God is in Jesus (Col 1:13). The greatness of God is in Jesus (Col 1:16). The glory of God is in Jesus (Col 1:27). The goal of God is in Jesus (Col 1:29). How desperately our world needs Jesus! How blessed of an occasion it is to come share with you the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to share with all who will hear, “The Need for Jesus!” 

- Bryan McAlister preaches for the Walnut Street Church of Christ in Dickson, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://www.wscoc.com/

Sun Up!

By Joe Chesser
 
    I watched the sun come up the other day. Needless to say, it was awesome. From where I sat, most of my surroundings were only dimly visible in the pre-dawn light. But, I could see the reddish-orange glow on the horizon and knew the sun would appear at any moment. And then … there it was, peeking through the leafless trees. Just a sliver at first, but it quickly began to be fully visible. The more I saw of the sun, the more the dimness around me vanished. How wonderfully things had changed at sun up.
    Then it dawned on me how wonderfully things changed at Son up!
    Two men were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus late one Sunday afternoon. Even though the sun was still up, their hearts were in darkness. Their hopes for the redemption of Israel had been nailed to a cross when Jesus was crucified just three days earlier. This left them downcast, filled with doubts and uncertainties. So, when a stranger approached them, they couldn’t help sharing with him their heartaches and disappointments. They even related to him how some friends had gone to Jesus’ tomb earlier that morning and found it empty. They were at a total loss about what to do.
    Fortunately for them, that stranger turned out to be Jesus. Beginning with Moses and the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. A short time later, as they were breaking bread with Jesus, their eyes were opened. They were no longer in the dark. The Son had risen, now they understood it, now they could see! Even though it was dark outside, they hurried back to Jerusalem to tell their friends that the Lord had risen! The Son is up! Now there’s hope! (Luke 24:13-35).
    Nothing cheers the heart more than the resurrection of Jesus. It gives substance to faith, victory over sin, and purpose to life (1 Cor. 15:12-19). Jesus’ blood frees us from the guilt of sin, but it’s Jesus’ resurrection that gives us hope for life (Romans 6:3-10). Jesus came to be life and light for all (John 1:4).
    The challenge is for us to open our eyes to the light. It may only be a sliver at first, but eventually you can be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 4:12-15). As the light of Jesus grows within you, darkness and doubt will be replaced with faith and hope and peace. You’ll want to tell everyone about it.
    How wonderfully your life will change when you see the Son!

- Joe Chesser preaches for the Fruitland Church of Christ, Fruitland, MO. He may be contacted at joeandareva@yahoo.com