Doesn’t God Want Me To Be Happy?

By Joe Slater

    This question usually refers to superficial happiness such as a child feels when given a new toy. Such earthly pleasure isn’t necessarily wrong, but neither should we think it is God’s chief goal for us! He certainly approves when we “eat and drink and enjoy the good of all (our) labor” (Ecclesiastes 3:13). As Solomon found, though, such enjoyment cannot fill the God-shaped void in the heart of every person.

    A man who had been unfaithful to his wife tried to rationalize his sin by asking me, “Doesn’t God want me to be happy?” He had confused “the passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:15) for true happiness.

    Undoubtedly Jesus could enjoy a good meal and the satisfaction of a job well done. For those perceptive enough to see it, His sense of humor shines through. We should not view Him as perpetually melancholy and forlorn. Yet Isaiah portrays Him as “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (53:3). What makes us think we, as disciples of Jesus, are entitled to continuous gratification because “God wants us to be happy”?

    The imprisoned Paul knew what it was like to have everything he needed and to be in want. “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11-12). Evidently, he didn’t believe the modern “prosperity gospel” (“gospel of health and wealth”).

    Genuine Biblical happiness doesn’t depend on your outward circumstances! Being faithful in a covenant relationship with God results in happiness nothing of this world can match! When that’s your concept of happiness then yes, God want’s you to be happy!

- 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

You Don't Have to go to Church

By Bill Brandstatter

    For the second time this year, I had someone expressed the above sentiment to me. The first time I heard this I was talking to a family whose loved one had just a few hours to live. We talked and had prayer together. Someone said, “You don’t have to go to church to be saved.” Then, recently I was talking to a person whose brother had had a stroke. He told me about the stroke and the recovery. He said their faith helped get them through. He indicated to me they didn’t “go to church” anywhere. He said they didn’t because some churches were just too political, and then changed the subject.

    In thinking about this, there are two things to be considered. First, what connection does our faith have to attending church services? Secondly, what is the importance of the church that my faith would cause me to attend worship?

    Faith tells me about the church. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17). So, as I read the Bible, I learn about God’s plan for the church. He had it planned before time began (Eph. 3:10, 11). Jesus shed his blood for the church (Acts 20:28). Jesus stated it was His church (Mt. 16:18). He is the head of it (Eph. 1:22, 23; Col. 1:18). God has provided a way by which we can be added to the church (Acts 2:47). Any faith I have in God, Christ, or the Word of God should cause me to see the importance of the church and my attendance at each gathering of the saints.

    Faith helps me to enter the church. I must have faith in God in order to please Him (Heb. 11:6). My belief in God and Christ causes me to want to obey the gospel and be baptized for my sins to be forgiven. Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. He who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16). On the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two, believing Jews obeyed the gospel message (Acts 2:38,41). Those who were saved were added to the church by the Lord (Acts 2:47). Without my faith I cannot enter the church and take an active part.

    Faith sustains me in the church. I need church members to help me on my Christian walk. The writer of Hebrews states: “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.” (Heb. 10:24, 25) We sometimes miss the import of verse 24 of this text. Part of the purpose of assembling is to consider one another to stir up love and good works. Assembling helps to sustain my faith and keep me going in the Christian walk.

    Without faith, I would not know about the church, I couldn’t enter it, and it wouldn’t help me. With the church and assembling with the saints, I get a tremendous blessing and will be pleasing to God as I attend church services and worship with other Christians. I need the church and the church needs me.

- Bill Brandstatter preaches for the Marion Church of Christ in Marion, IL. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/

By Faith Alone?

By Rob Albright

    A few years back, I entered a men’s baking contest. It was all desserts. I found a recipe that I liked so I started putting all the ingredients together. I also took into account how long I was to cook. It was all spelled out in the recipe. I thought I made a good cake – at least some people could eat it.

    In the matter of salvation there are different ingredients. The Bible teaches us we are saved “by grace, through faith” (Eph. 2:8); by “works” (James 2:24; by “calling on the name of the Lord” (Rom. 10:13; Acts 22:16); by “obedience” (Heb.5:8-9) by “baptism” (Mk. 16:16) by “belief” (Acts 16:31); and other things as well.

    Here is my point: Just as the ingredients of the recipe must be combined to make a cake, so must the ingredients of salvation be combined. You do not have salvation by faith alone. Just like you cannot take just one ingredient and claim to make a cake, you cannot just pick one ingredient and have salvation. The ingredients must be combined to get the desired results. You cannot produce a cake on flour alone and you cannot have salvation by faith alone.

- Rob Albright serves as one of the ministers at the Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.nwchurchofchrist.com/

Spend and Be Spent

By Joe Chesser

 

    I’m not sure we fully grasp what Paul meant. I’m not sure we want to.

    When writing his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul felt spiritually and  emotionally connected to them. The first time he had been to Corinth he spent more than 18 months with them teaching them the word of God (Acts 18.11). For a time he supported himself in Corinth by tentmaking (Acts 18.3). Later, at some point, he had made a second trip to the city, and was wanting to make a third one (2 Cor. 13.1). This brief history is important to our understanding of what he said to the church in 2 Corinthians 12.15.

    As he was planning his third trip to visit the church in Corinth, Paul wanted to assure them that he would not be a financial burden to them. He wasn’t interested in their money, goods or support. He was interested only in their spiritual welfare: their relationship with God and with each other (2 Cor, 12.14). To make his point as clear as possible, he wrote, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls” (2 Cor. 12.15).  

    That’s what I’m not sure we fully grasp, or maybe even want to understand. What did Paul mean when he said he was willing to “spend and be spent” for the sake of their souls? The answer is whatever it takes. For the sake of their souls Paul was all in, he would hold nothing back, … and do so with gladness. He was willing to spare no expense out of his own pocket; his services would not cost them a penny. The root word used for “spend” and “be spent” in this text was also used to describe the woman who had spent all her money on doctors hoping to heal her issue of blood (Mark 5.26). Paul was willing to spend all his money, time, possessions and energy so as not to be a burden to them, like he willingly did in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 2.9; 2 Thess. 3.8). Any expense that would promote their salvation, he was willing to “spend and be spent.” And he would do so with pleasure!

    The natural question is “Why?” Why would Paul “spend and be spent”? The only answer is love. The love of Jesus transformed his heart. Now, instead of himself, Jesus was in his heart, and so were the Corinthians (2 Cor. 7.2-3). Paul is showing us a practical example of what Jesus meant when he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9.23). Why? Because that’s what love does. Love sacrifices self-interests to meet the needs of the ones who are loved.

    This is not easy to do. This is not even easy to want to do … unless we, like Paul, have the Spirit of Christ in our hearts. When we learn to view our time, energy and money like Jesus does, when we learn to view the lost like Jesus does, when we learn to view our spouse, family and friends like Jesus does, and when we learn to view the church and our involvement with it like Jesus does, then we will willingly “spend and be spent” for the sake of souls … and do so gladly.

    When Jesus offers you an opportunity to “spend and be spent” for the sake of saving souls, how do you think you will respond? Reluctant and stingy, or generous and joyful?

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

The Toddler’s Creed

By Al Behel

    Children are special people... especially toddlers. They have a rather unique view of the world. Someone has shared this insight into their thinking, called, “The Toddler’s Creed”:

If I want it, it’s, mine.

If I give it to you and change my mind later, it’s mine.

If I can take it away from you, it’s mine.

If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.

If it’s mine, it will never belong to anyone else, no matter what.

If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.

If it looks just like mine, it’s mine.

    Every parent of a toddler knows that this is an accurate description of the world as they see it. While we expect this self-centered trait in toddlers, we find it very repulsive in older children and adults.

    Many people live almost exclusively for themselves. Extreme self-interest is called “narcissism.” The narcissist thinks the world should evolve around them...everyone should focus on them, elevate them, cower to their wants and demands, and yield to their emotional manipulations.

    Self is at the center of all sin. There is no room on the throne for Christ as long as self is king. Dying to self is essential to serving Christ. The apostle Paul taught that we should “count others better” than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

    Sadly, toddlers are not the only ones who suffer from self-centeredness.

Our culture worships at the alter of self. Our insatiable demand for fun, entertainment, and comfort leaves us approaching almost every issue with thoughts of how we are affected, not what effect our choices may have on others. Narissictic Christianity is not Christ-centered, but is self-centered, and will ultimately destroy itself. 

- Al Behel preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://greatsmokymountainschurchofchrist.com/

Opportunity

By Clifton Angel

    Opportunity. The word comes from the Latin phrase "ob portus". "Ob" means "toward, or in the direction of. "Portus" means "port, harbor." It was a phrase used by ancient sailors who had to wait for just the right wind and tide conditions to direct their ships into the harbor. If they missed an opportune moment, it could mean a lot of waiting for the next one.

     Paul writes, "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time" (Colossians 4:5). The word translated "time" is not necessarily "clock time." It might better be translated as "opportunity" or "season." The word translated "redeem" is the idea of going into the marketplace and buying up the best deals. It makes me think of going into the store Bargain Hunt, or Essex. You're looking for the best deals you can find. It also reminds me of my wife in the Kroger clearance aisle, buying up ALL the deals (Disclaimer: My wife approved this statement of jest). The ASV has a footnote at Colossians 4:5 that says, "buying up the opportunity."

    Paul, how can we be sure to take advantage of the opportunities God affords us? Paul says, ”Walk in wisdom toward them that are without" (Colossians 4:5). To the church in Ephesus, he said it this way: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15–16). Furthermore, "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Colossians 4:6). Therefore, if we expect to “buy up the opportunities” God gives us, we need: 1. Wisdom; 2. Preparation. Let us be growing in wisdom and preparation in our daily lives. Such requires that we rely on God and His Word. We must be praying (James 1:5; 5:16), studying (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16–17; James 3:17), and making application (James 1:22; 2:14–26; Ephesians 2:10). How do we speak to others? What words do we use? What do we say/share on social media platforms? Do we live in such a way that others see Christ in us, or is it difficult making distinctions between Christians and the world?

     Jesus said, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4). Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia, "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:9–10).

    Are we "buying up the opportunities" God gives us in our relationships with others

- Clifton Angel preaches for the Coldwater Church of Christ in Coldwater, MS. He may be contacted through that congregation's website: http://www.coldwatercofc.com/

The Bible’s Very Words Are Inspired

By Joe Slater

    We communicate with words. They may be written or spoken. Yes, you might communicate with a look; but that look means something that can be expressed in words.

    God also communicates with words; He always has. Creation occurred when God spoke words such as “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). “He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9).

    Today God speaks with us through the Bible, the written word which He inspired. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16), “breathed out by God” (ESV). Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

    Since the very words of Scripture proceeded from God’s mouth, we ought to treat every word reverently with careful effort to understand. For example, Jesus proved an important point based on the tense of a verb. He quoted God’s words to Moses in Exodus 3:6, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Matthew 22:32). Not “I WAS” their God back when they were alive, but “I AM” their God. Jesus then said, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living,” showing that though they were physically dead, their souls were indeed alive, proving that the Sadducees erred in denying the doctrine of resurrection.

     Likewise, Paul used the number of a noun (singular as opposed to plural) to prove that only those in Christ were heirs of the promises God made to Abraham. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your seed,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16).

    Every word of Scripture is inspired. Let is strive for accuracy in our understanding and our teaching!

- 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