First Baptist Church in Fernwood, NY » emerging church

Death and Life in the Life of the Believer part 8

Pastor Scott Griese — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:25:44 +0000

Romans 6:12-23 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (15) What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (16) Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (17) But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (18) Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (19) I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (20) For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. (21) What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. (22) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We have been looking at the role of death and life in the life of the Christian. And death is important for the believer in Jesus Christ: the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the death of self in order to better follow and love God. Believers are to set aside their desires in order to follow God’s desires and commandments. This means that believers are to mortify their members in order to accomplish God’s will in their lives. And believers are to mortify the deeds of the body in order to follow God.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1, 2 are very well known verses and let us compare something about them with Romans 6:13.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

The word that is translated as “present” in Romans 12:1 and the word that is translated as “yield” in Romans 6:13 is the same Greek word. And the idea is the same in both verses: as believers in Jesus Christ we are to present ourselves before God and we are to yield before God. One day, believers will stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat and our works will be tried in fire as to our obedience to Christ.

1Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (13) Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (14) If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

But remember, we are to present ourselves to God everyday as a living sacrifice to Him. The idea here is that we are to yield to Him – let our will go in order to follow His good, acceptable, and perfect Will. Consider how a sacrifice was made during the Old Testament: a man would come to the Brazen Altar and present a bullock or a lamb to the priest for sacrifice on the altar. The animal would be slain and placed on the altar for burning. The sacrifice of the animal would temporarily atone for the man’s sins. The man had to present the animal to God and he yielded the animal to God – it became God’s to use as God wished, not how man wanted. God wanted the sacrifices performed as a sweet savor to Him. God had no need for the animals, what He wanted was man’s obedience to Him. God wants us to yield ourselves to Him and present ourselves to Him on a daily basis. I repeat the quote by Francis Schaeffer that I read last week. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means: That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to Heaven, and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].

That requires, as Paul stated in Romans 12, that we do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds to the things of God. That can only happen when we yield ourselves to God and not to sin. Yielding ourselves to sin will not renew our minds or bring us closer to God. Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. When believers go back to the things of the old man, they are yielding to unrighteousness. When believers go back to the things of the old nature, they are yielding to sin. Once sin is yielded to, it is hard to get back under control. Charles Spurgeon wrote: An officer in India had tamed a leopard. From the time when it was a kitten he had brought it up, till it went about the house like a cat, and everybody played with it. But he was sitting in his chair one day asleep, and the leopard licked his hand. But as he licked, the skin was broken, and the taste of blood came to the leopard. It rushed forth to kill, and was no more at ease till it reached the jungle. That leopard, though tamed, was a leopard still. So a man, sobered by moral motives but unchanged in heart, is a fallen man still, and the taste of blood, I mean the taste of sin, will soon reveal the tiger in him.

As believers, we have to choose to whom or what we are going to yield to – to whom or what are we going to present ourselves to? The old man or to God? Paul wrote:Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Someone wrote about this verse: One of the best men I ever knew said, at eighty years of age, “I find the old man is not dead yet.” Our old man is crucified, but he is long at dying. He is not dead when we think he is. You may live to be very old, but you will have need still to watch against the carnal nature, which remains even in the regenerate [Spurgeon]. As believers in Jesus Christ we must yield ourselves to Him and not to sin.

And our yielding or presenting to God is to be heartfelt and sincere. God does not want us to be hypocritical with Him or anyone else. Going through the motions may fool everybody here on earth, but God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. And what are your actions or inactions saying to others around you? What are your actions or inactions saying about what is important to you? And what are your actions or inactions saying to God about what is important to you? Turn to Isaiah 66.

Isaiah 66:1-4 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (2) For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. (3) He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. (4) I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

God wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us, but remember, the earth is His footstool. The earth is not as important to Him compared to His children. The Lord asks, where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? The earthly temple could not contain God. Solomon declared: 1Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built? God does not need an earthly home, for He is far beyond that. So where is at least some of His dwelling place today? In the blood bought, born again believer in Jesus Christ.

1Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Every believer is the temple of God, so shouldn’t we act that way? In 1 Corinthians 3:17, Paul wrote that the temple of God is holy, so shouldn’t we be holy? Believers are the temple of the living God, so believers should act that way! There should be a difference in our lives and we should behave that way! D.L. Moody said: A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

God is looking to use men and women that realize who they are before the all holy God. God wants men and women that are contrite or broken hearted about their sin and the sin of others. God wants men and women that tremble at the Word of God and have the proper fear and respect of Him. God wants men and women that are obedient to Him, not out of obligation, but out of love for Him.

Isaiah 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

This verse really stuck out to me this week. God wants our sacrifices to be true. If we are presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to Him, then our sacrifices to Him must be true, not hypocritical. Our sacrifices must be done His way, not our own way. Look at again at what the LORD said in verse 2: Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. The Israelites were performing the sacrifices that God had asked for, but they also offered up sacrifices to other gods as well. And when they did sacrifice to the LORD, they chose to do them their own way, not God’s way. Sadly, they were not truly presenting themselves as a living sacrifice to God and they were not yielded to God like they should have been. They were half-heartedly serving God because they were also serving idols and false gods. Half-heartedness consists of serving God in such a way as not to offend the devil. And we do the same today. Are you delighting in what God would call an abomination? Is your heart set on following God and loving Him with all of your heart and soul? Or is your delight in things that are not godly? Or is your time spent in forsaking time with God for other delights? Some people can talk Christianity by the yard, but they cannot walk it by the inch. Look at what God said He would do to those that act as in verse 3:

Isaiah 66:4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

God called for them, but they were so busy with their false sacrifices and false living, that they did not hear. God called, but they did not answer. They chosen to yield themselves to unrighteousness and present themselves to sin rather than to God, so when He came calling, they were not able to answer. Why? Because they were busy doing evil before God’s eyes and chose to do that which God takes no delight in. Note whose standard God is using: His Standard! Too many of us justify our actions, or our words, or our thoughts and use our own standards and pretend they are God’s standards. God has His Own Standards and they are written down in His Book so there can be no mistaking them! Believers must follow His standards, not our own standards. Sin is sin and you hate sin just insofar as you love Christ. Relevation 3 has a similar passage to Isaiah 66:4.

Revelation 3:19-20 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This is not a salvation verse – this is Jesus Christ speaking to believers. Are we listening for Him? Are we looking for His knock? Are we following Him the way He wants us to follow Him?

Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The wages of sin have never been reduced and when believers regularly remember what our sin cost, then believers will look to regularly follow God.
Sin, when viewed by scripture light,

Is a horrid, hateful sight;
But when seen in Satan’s glass,
Then it wears a pleasing face.

When the gospel trumpet sounds,
When I think how grace abounds,
When I feel sweet peace within,
Then I’d rather die than sin.

When the cross I view by faith,
Sin is madness, poison, death;
Tempt me not, ’tis all in vain,
Sure I ne’er can yield again.

Satan, for awhile debarred,
When he finds me off my guard,
Puts his glass before my eyes,
Quickly other thoughts arise.

What before excited fears,
Rather pleasing now appears;
If a sin, it seems so small,
Or, perhaps, no sin at all.

Often thus, through sin’s deceit,
Grief, and shame, and loss I meet,
Like a fish, my soul mistook,
Saw the bait, but not the hook.

O my Lord, what shall I say?
How can I presume to pray?
Not a word have I to plead,
Sins, like mine, are black indeed!

Made, by past experience, wise,
Let me learn thy word to prize;
Taught by what I’ve felt before,
Let me Satan’s glass abhor. – John Newton

Cries From the Modern Pew

Pastor Scott Griese — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:22:14 +0000

Our preacher is just too hard when he preaches.
We must laugh, be hugged, entertained,
isn’t that what the Bible teaches?
Lighten up, preacher, take it easy, cut
some corners, they say.
But God’s man knows such things won’t
cut it on judgment day.
The pastor should ease up on doctrine,
and try to just get along;
That way all the brethren together could
sing the same old song.
He makes too much of outdated and
costly separation.
But God’s man knows he must pass the
faith to the next generation.
Preach only the positive, just “Bless em,”
and be a man about town.
But God’s man knows, in the long run,
that will only bring souls down.
Get the people, no matter the cost, nickels
and noses is the game,
But with the prophets, the apostles, and
Jesus, it wasn’t the same.
And why oh why must he always defend
that old black Book?
He always says in the Authorized we
should only look.
It seems to us that other versions do just
as well.
But God’s man knows that twisted
Scripture surely leads to hell.
Brimstone, Bible education, loud
preaching, it’s all a lot of prattle.
But God’s man knows, folks fall away if
their cage he doesn’t rattle.
Make it smooth, leave out parts of the
Bible, those things that scatter.
But God’s man knows, it’s all God’s
Word and that ought to matter.
And does it really count how the
members live and dress?
But God’s man knows that’s why the
country is in such a mess.
Oh early beloved, let us faithfully the old
paths trod.
We’ll be very glad we did when, at the
end, we face God.
– Pastor Clayton Doss

Old Paths

Pastor Scott Griese — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 21:45:46 +0000

Jeremiah 6:10-21 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. (11) Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. (12) And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. (13) For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. (14) They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (15) Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. (16) Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. (17) Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. (18) Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. (19) Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. (20) To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. (21) Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbor and his friend shall perish.

We are in a difficult time of history and we know from the Bible that the future is going to get rougher. The events in Egypt could be a forerunner of the future events that are predicted in the Bible. The Middle East is chaotic and anything could happen. The world is rushing closer to the end times and believers in Jesus Christ should be expecting to hear that trumpet call at any moment. Mankind is in a hurry to get away from God and follow man’s own ideas rather than what God has written down in the Bible. Man wants to remake Christianity in his own image rather than follow what God has said! Listen to this illustration:

“A small boy filled with all kinds of playful ideas anxiously awaited his father’s return from work. An extra-long day at the office, however, had taken its toll, and his father longed for a few minutes of relaxation. Over and over again the boy tugged at his dad’s leg with yet another suggestion of something they might do together. Well, finally in total frustration the father ripped from a magazine a picture of the world and tore it into a hundred pieces. “Here,” he said handing the child a roll of scotch tape, “go and put the world back together.” Ah, peace at last, or so he thought. But, in just a few minutes, he was interrupted again, there before him stood his son-and in hands was a crudely fashioned picture of the world. “Son, that’s incredible. How did you do it?” “It was easy,” said the boy, “you see on the other side of the picture of the world was the picture of a man, and as soon as I got man straightened out the world came together.” What a profound answer from a child! How true! Get man fixed and the world will be okay.” The illustration ends there, but it seems incomplete, but it does express the philosophy of today: get man fixed and the world will be okay.

In February, there is going to be a conference called “Big Tent Christianity” that describes itself as “the convergence of new and old ways of being and becoming the Church: Progressive and Emergent; Denominational and Non-denominational; Large and Small Faith Communities Describable and Undescribable. BTX brings people together from across the country to proclaim what unites us as followers of Jesus in this modern world. More than a dozen leading Christian voices will break through boundaries to share new and innovative forms of ministry and renewal. You will be inspired by their visions of how we can speak even more powerfully in and to the world of the 21st century.”

One of the speakers at this conference is Marcus Borg, who recently wrote: “To be Christian means to find the decisive revelation of God in Jesus. To be Muslim means to find the decisive revelation of God in the Koran. To be Jewish means to find the decisive revelation of God in the Torah, and so forth. I don’t think that one of these is better than the other. You could even say they are all divinely given paths to the sacred. To be Christian in this kind of context means to be deeply committed to one’s own tradition, even as one recognizes the validity of other traditions.”

These people are looking to get man straightened out and then the world will be okay. The problem is that they are leaving out the God of the Bible in the process. Only God can straighten man out, no matter how hard a man may try. They are also trying to remake God and Jesus Christ into something more palatable and agreeable: Marcus Borg also wrote: “Seminary also introduced me to the historical study of Jesus and Christian origins. I learned from my professors and the readings they assigned that Jesus almost certainly was not born of a virgin, did not think of himself as the Son of God, and did not see his purpose as dying for the sins of the world… I also found the claim that Jesus and Christianity were the only way of salvation to be troublesome.” Reverend Lowell Grisham, an Episcopalian minister wrote: “But I’ve never understood why people would want to worship a God who was meaner than they are. That’s not a God who deserves our worship. What kind of God would condemn Gandhi and the Dalai Lama to hell? Maybe an unjust, tribal deity. But that’s not the God we see reflected in the life of Jesus, and it is not the God of healthy Christianity. When Christians speak of God, we look first to the person of Jesus as the incarnation of God, the human face of God. Jesus did not run around trying to convert everyone to his religion. He reached out with compassion and understanding toward those who were outside his religion, and he treated them with love and respect.”

What was one of the first statements that Jesus Christ is recorded as declaring in Mark’s Gospel? Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. That is the Jesus Christ of the Bible and that is the Jesus Christ people need to follow! People need to get back to what God has said in His Word rather than looking for new ways and new ideas. Only Jesus Christ can straighten man out and the world will only be okay when Jesus Christ returns! People need to put away these “new” ideas and return to the old paths. Jeremiah wrote:

Jeremiah 6:16-20 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. (17) Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. (18) Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. (19) Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. (20) To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.

God is telling the Israelites to return to the ways that He had taught them hundreds of years before during the Exodus. All they have to do is follow Him and they will find rest for their souls – they just have to walk on the good way. Jesus Christ Himself informed the disobedient Israelites where to find the good way: John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The word “the” makes the meaning all to clear: Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. But the world wants to think that there are many paths to God.

In the latest issue of Reader’s Digest, there is an article by a Muslim woman who is defending the mosque being built near Ground Zero in New York City. She believes that the world’s religions need to get along with each other and embrace the differences and realize that we all worship the same god. She ends the article with this: “The Sufi poet Rumi has a very beautiful poem. He says that God is like an ocean, and religions are like rivers that all flow into the same ocean. Our origins are the same, and our destinations are the same; it is our paths that sometimes differ.” Now if I read that statement to the average person out there – even the ones that profess to be Christian – they would applaud that statement. But it is completely contradictory to what the Bible says. There is not a shred of truth to that poem. Sadly, people do not want to believe the Word of God.

Jeremiah 6:10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. Jeremiah spoke the Word of God to the Israelites and they could not listen to it. Their ears were filled with their sin and they could not bear to hear the Word of God. Just as Paul wrote to Timothy: 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. Look at the last phrase of Jer. 6:10

behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. The Israelites refused to hear the Word of God and then began to mock it and found no pleasure in it. The Word of God is not always going to be what people want to hear – BUT it is what people NEED to hear. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Who ever wants to be corrected or chastised or rebuked? Nobody does, but each of us need to be corrected when we stray from the way of God. The Word of God is what every person needs to hear in order to follow God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Listen to what these men say about the Bible:

“Make it the first morning business of your life to understand some part of the Bible clearly, and make it your daily business to obey it in all that you do understand”-John Ruskin.

“I cannot too greatly emphasize the importance and value of Bible study-more important than ever before in these days of uncertainties, when men and women are apt to decide questions from the standpoint of expediency rather than on the eternal principles laid down by God Himself”-John Wanamaker.

“It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom”-Horace Greeley.

Jeremiah 6:11-14 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. (12) And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. (13) For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. (14) They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Look at verse 13: God is declaring through Jeremiah that everyone is covetous – everyone wants for themselves first. Everybody wants what is not theirs. Covetousness is the root of many sins: consider the Ten Commandments almost all of those involve someone being covetous. Commandments 1-4: “I want to have my own god or be god. I want to worship who or what ever I desire. I will talk as I like and I will do whatever I want on whatever day I want.” Commandments 7-10: “I want my neighbor’s spouse. I will take what my neighbor has. I will take my neighbor’s reputation away through lying. I will desire to have what my neighbor has.” Jeremiah goes on to state that the religious leaders – the prophets to the priests – are dealing falsely with the Israelites and with God. In verse 14 the false prophets and priests have claimed to heal the wounds of the Israelites, but all they have done is put a bandage on a wound that is infected. They did nothing to cure the problem and that is what is happening today: There are plenty of band-aids but they are only covering the wounds and not getting to the root of the problem:sin. People are refusing to see their sin and they refuse to answer to the conviction by the Holy Spirit when they do sin. They want to believe that they are at peace with God, while they are waddling in their sin!

A certain community was near a dangerous highway curve where several cars had driven too fast around the curve and fallen over a cliff. Great discussion took place in the town over what to do about the situation. Some in the discussion group thought it a good idea to station an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff to give immediate aid to the victims. Wiser heads suggested it might be better to erect a fence around the curve on top of the cliff. To us, such a discussion is ridiculous. We know it is much better to prevent accidents and deaths than to treat them after the fact. Let us not overlook the truth that this principle also has much spiritual merit. We need not debate whether Christians sin. The New Testament speaks plainly. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His Word has no place in our lives. The Apostle John immediately follows this truth with a powerful statement of assurance. 1John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Although forgiveness and grace are abundant, Jesus does not intend for us to just focus on these. He not only provides forgiveness, He also gives us the power to keep from sin. How much better that we focus on the “fence” at the top rather than on the “ambulance” at the bottom. How much better it is to warn rather than to try to pick up the pieces.

Jeremiah 6:15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. When people are filled with covetousness, their only concern is themselves and they feel no shame about it. A young man applying for a job as usher in a theater was asked by the owner, “In case of fire, what would you do?” “Oh, don’t be concerned about me,” was the reply. “I’d be able to escape immediately.” He did not even think of his responsibility toward others. Of course, he didn’t get the job. Sin blinds us all and keeps our focus on what I want. Sin is an “I” problem and becomes all about me. Sin has us saying, “I can do it myself.” The believer in Jesus Christ realizes that he or she must bow down before Him and say, “Help me, Jesus, I cannot do this without you.”

Music

Pastor Scott Griese — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:06:05 +0000

Is the church the proper place for a Contemporary Christian Music concert? Doesn’t it seem odd to make someone pay admission to enter a church, even if it is for a concert?

Charles Spurgeon wrote:

I am afraid that where organs, choirs, and singing men and women are left to do the praise of the congregation, men’s minds are more occupied with the due performance of the music than with the Lord, who alone is to be praised. God’s house is meant to be sacred unto Himself, but too often it is made an opera house, and Christians form an audience, not an adoring assembly. We come not together to amuse ourselves, to display our powers of melody, or our aptness in creating harmony. We come to pay our adoration at the footstool of the great King, to whom alone be glory forever and ever.

I hardly like to hear the high praises of God sung to the tune of a comic song or of a dance. There is a certain congruity about things that must be observed, and some good music may have associated with it such queer ideas that we had better let it alone till those associations have died out, lest, while we are uttering holy words, some people may be reminded by the tune of unholy things.

– Charles Spurgeon

Jerks?

Pastor Scott Griese — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 13:28:43 +0000

“CHRISTIANS ARE JERKS” CAMPAIGN (Friday Church News Notes, October 22, 2010, www.wayoflife.org , fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – by David Cloud

http://wayoflife.org/files/39e4265df7ab77a4409fe29317c09740-664.html

Christ Covenant Church of Beaumont, Texas, is kicking off a “What a Bunch of Jerks!” campaign to tell the community that Christians are typically jerks, whereas they are a different breed. The slogan is the title of an October sermon series and is broadcast through a large billboard. The church’s web site says that Christians are “guilty as charged” of being “prideful, hypocritical, selfish, judgmental jerks” who “fail to act like Jesus.” What they are referring to, of course, is an old-fashioned Biblicist church that loves the truth and hates sin and error (as well as loving sinners and proclaiming the free grace of Christ in the gospel) and is more concerned about saving souls than saving whales. According to the emerging church, to preach against sin and heresy is to be prideful, hypocritical, selfish, judgmental, and unchristlike, but the fact is that Christ and the apostles preached against sin and error in the strongest manner (e.g., Matthew 23:13-36; Acts 13:9-11; 17:29-31; Colossians 2:4-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-17; 4:1-4; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 3:3-10; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-23; 2 John 4-11; Jude 3-23). The emerging church is clamoring to please the world, to have the world applaud their kind of Christianity.

And they are getting some attention. The “Christians Are Jerks” billboard recently came under scrutiny by CNN in an interview with emerging voice Gabe Lyons, author of The New Christians. They gave Gabe a forum to spout his pathetic “I’m too cool to be a jerk” program. Gabe is a graduate of Liberty University, and though Liberty has largely renounced its early fundamentalist roots, it is still far too fundamentalist for Gabe.

The more serious problem is that Gabe and his crowd are lying about fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals, pretending that all they have cared about is criticizing and judging. This is a strawman.

Gabe told CNN, for example, that Falwell and the Moral Majority only cared about criticizing abortion, whereas the emergents are concerned about adoptions and a positive approach. The truth is that Falwell’s crowd spent a great deal of time and money toward finding homes for children that have been spared the abortionist’s knife and other “positive” approaches to the abortion problem.

As for their attempt to gain the applause of the world, the emergents are in for a rude awakening. At the end of the day, the world doesn’t care about any sort of Christianity. In fact, I suspect that the world is more likely to respect a rock-ribbed Biblicist Christianity that flies its flag unashamedly than it does the soft, apologetic, jellyfish type. Be that as it may, God has not told us to please the world or to conform to the world or to love the world. The apostle John said, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19).

The emergents claim to be thinking outside of the box, but in reality they are following the herd. They love the same music, wear the same clothing, fly the same hair styles, hold the same philosophy, have the same idolatrous love for modern pop culture and the same mocking hatred of “fundamentalism.” They attract the same youthful cool crowd. And they have the same campaigns. The “What a Bunch of Jerks” campaign is simply the latest in the “We Hate Church” series which have been so popular with emerging churches for the last couple of years. Emerging churches claim to be new, but it is the old social gospel warmed over for the 21st century. Emerging churches claim that they are “different,” but they aren’t. They are a dime a dozen today. They are mainstream.

Today, it is the old-fashioned Biblicist church that is really different, the church that doesn’t need a rock & roll band to worship God, where they love the truth and hate evil, and where all the members use the same Bible. Now, that’s a church with a difference!

House Fire

Pastor Scott Griese — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:11:32 +0000

http://apprising.org/

Once there were some people who decided that they would get together and build a house. So first they began to read some instructions from a book by a master house builder about how building a safe house was to be done.

But just to make sure that this house would be built the they wanted it to be built, these people also decided to consult various other manuals about building houses, which some of them had written themselves.

Finally, they were ready to begin building the house. As time went on they decided to add more and more people, from neighboring towns, who had also come to help out in building this house.

Some people came up with the idea that if they were to add even more rooms to the house, then the others who were helping, could also share this home. And so they did. In order that they could enjoy each other’s company more readily, they decided to set aside the certain specifications from that master builder’s book, and instead, use the more practical ideas they had found in their own books.

In doing so, they made sure that all of the rooms would also be interconnected. But one day, while they were busy building upstairs, the house caught on fire in a lower room. Actually it was just a very small fire, which began to smolder slowly. At first a few of the people thought they had smelled some smoke, but then decided that they were being too negative, and it was only their imagination.

And so they continued to read more manuals they’d written about house building, while continuing to recruit more builders in order to keep on building this big house. But eventually that fire began to grow, and grow, until the entire house was ablaze. The Fire Marshall was filled with compassion so he quickly dispatched his firefighters to the house, which by now was a raging inferno.

As the firemen entered each room they were amazed to find that many of the people were actually sleeping. Some were in deep contemplation about building, while still others were busy concentrating on building each room of the house exactly they way they liked it, even though this house was now completely on fire.

But even when the firemen finally got their attention, most of the people refused to leave the burning house saying, “We don’t believe the house is on fire; and we aren’t going listen to you, because you don’t look like any of the firemen we’ve ever seen in our building manuals.”

Now let me ask you; what do you suppose those firemen faithful to their Fire Marshall ought to do?

Separation part 3

Pastor Scott Griese — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:43:39 +0000

By David Cloud

http://wayoflife.org/files/baa7b9c8d7f9e6cf30592a11b620c73a-656.html

THE BIBLE DEMANDS PLAIN EXPOSURE OF ERROR

We are not to contend for the faith in vague generalities. The apostle Paul gives us the example of naming the names of heretics and compromisers. He did this 10 times in 1 and 2 Timothy.

1 Timothy 1:19-20 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

2 Timothy 2:16-18 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

If the preacher is not plain in exposing sin and error, God’s people will not know exactly who or what to avoid.

THE BIBLE DEMANDS SEPARATION FROM COMPROMISE, DOCTRINAL ERROR, AND APOSTASY

Not only are we to know sound doctrine and to test everything by God’s Word and to earnestly contend for the truth, but we are also exhorted to separate from error. This has become a dirty word in pop Christianity today, but it i clear teaching of Scripture.

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Someone might ask, “What about the Bible’s call for unity?” Bible teachings aren’t contradictory, and if we examine the unity passages in their context we see that one can obey them while also obeying the commands pertaining to separation.

Consider Romans 15:5-6: “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The context of this passage is the church at Rome. That is to whom it was immediately addressed. Observe, then, that the Bible’s call for Christian unity is primarily something that functions at the church level. Observe, too, that the unity that God demands is not the ecumenical/evangelical “unity in diversity,” it is the unity of speaking with “one mind and one mouth.” That is a very serious type of unity, and it is not possible in the midst of popular Christianity in these end times. Consider a typical ecumenical evangelism event or a Christian rock concert. You will have Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Church of Christ, Brethren, Orthodox, even Roman Catholics, all bringing their various conflicting doctrines. It is impossible to have “one mind and one mouth” in the midst of such a hodgepodge of doctrinal confusion, and it is not expected today, but to have less than “one mind and one mouth” is to disobey God’s Word.

The late David Nettleton, in a message entitled “A Limited Message or a Limited Fellowship,” described his experiences in an interdenominational youth ministry in the 1950s. He said that when he was invited to speak, he was instructed not to speak on certain doctrines, such as the mode of baptism, eternal security, tongues speaking, and the interpretation of Bible prophecy. These were called “non-essentials” and he was taught to focus only on the “essentials” in order to have a broader fellowship and ministry. Through prayer he realized that this philosophy is contrary to how the apostle Paul operated. In Acts 20:27, Paul reminded the elders at Ephesus that he was pure from the blood of all men “for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Nettleton realized that he had to make a choice, between popular evangelicalism or the Bible. He concluded his message with these words:

“Today we are choosing between two alternatives. A LIMITED MESSAGE OR A LIMITED FELLOWSHIP. If we preach all of the Bible truths, there are many places where we will never be invited. If we join hands with the crowds, there will be limiting of the message of the Bible. Bear this in mind–it is the Baptist who lays aside the most! It is the fundamental Baptist who makes the concessions! Think this through and you will find it to be true. We believe in believer’s baptism. We believe in separation. We preach eternal security. We believe in the imminent coming of Christ. We consider it an act of obedience to reprove unbelief in religious circles. The Sadducee and the Pharisee are to be labeled. But according to a present philosophy we must lay these things aside for the sake of a larger sphere of service. …

“It is our first duty to be fully obedient to God in all things, and then to wait upon Him for the places of service. It may be that we will be limited, and it may be that we will not. Charles Haddon Spurgeon did not travel as widely as some men of his day, but his sermons have traveled as far as the sermons of most men “(David Nettleton, “A Limited Message or a Limited Fellowship,” GARBC, c. 1960s).

(For more about the Bible’s doctrine of Christian unity study 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:3-6; and Philippians 1:27.)

THE BIBLE DEMANDS STRICT SEPARATION FROM SIN AND WORLDLINESS

Not only does the Bible require separation from false teaching and religious/spiritual compromise, it also requires strict separation from sin and worldliness. Consider the following Scriptures:

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

These verses are why I changed my lifestyle dramatically after I got saved (though it was part of a growing process that took time, of course). I changed my clothing styles so as not to be identified with the rebellious, licentious “hippy” movement. I cut my long hair. I stopped smoking and drinking and using drugs. I changed my music. I stopped going to bars and movie theaters and the beach (to ogle the half-naked girls) and other wicked places.

The Bible teaches us that believers are to walk in the fear of God. The word “fear” appears 30 times in the Epistles.

Hebrews 12:28-29 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

This is not the “Jesus is my pal,” Jesus is a party guy, type of Christianity that is popular today.

Believers are warned about a strict judgment at the Bema of Christ (1 Cor. 3:13-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-10).

CONCLUSION

Scripture demands strict biblicism. We are to hold fast to the old paths until Jesus comes!!! Biblical Christianity is not new and it is not cool. The newest part of the Scripture is 2,000 years old, and it came from Heaven rather than from earth.

Jesus hates lukewarm Christianity (Revelation 3:15-16)!

It is impossible to obey the Scriptures we have listed and also to follow any of the contemporary programs and movements; all of them renounce this strict approach. All of them hate biblical fundamentalism and find time to mock it and take cheap shots at it every chance they get.

Furthermore, biblical strictness is not mean or unloving.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

The late Mel Rutter, vice president of Maranatha Baptist Mission in Natchez, Mississippi, told me the last time I saw him in 1978, “Son, be as firm as a rock in your position, but be as sweet as the honey from rock in your disposition. That is a proper biblical objective and calling.

It is salvation that made me a strict biblicist. I made a profession of faith at about age 11 and was baptized into a Baptist church, but there was no evidence that I knew Christ. I never read my Bible of my own accord. I never prayed about God’s will. I had no interest in church or in preaching. But when I was biblically converted at age 23, my life changed, and as I studied the Bible as a young Christian I read the verses we have considered in this sermon and I began to try to take them seriously.

We live in an age of terrible compromise, an age that was prophesied in Scripture (e.g., 2 Timothy 4:3-4), but many are standing in an evil age. They refuse to be swept down the river of compromise or to bend with the winds of apostasy. They are more fearful of God than the crowd and more impressed with the Christ of the Bible than the big names in evangelicalism. I am thankful for every preacher and church that does not compromise when the pressure to do so today is so very strong.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).

Separation part 2

Pastor Scott Griese — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 03:42:41 +0000

By David Cloud

http://wayoflife.org/files/baa7b9c8d7f9e6cf30592a11b620c73a-656.html

The following Scriptures teach me to have a “fundamentalist” type of Christianity. Call it what you will, these Scriptures condemn the Evangelical-Emerging philosophy of our day.

THE BIBLE DEMANDS STRICTNESS IN DOCTRINE

This is foundational. If a believer is as strict about doctrine as the Bible commands he will not be able to follow any of the contemporary philosophies or movements.

Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Acts 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

1 Timothy 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine.

1 Timothy 6:13-14 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

The Bible teaches that God’s people can know sound doctrine through diligent study, obedience, and surrender to the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 7:17; 8:31-32; 1 Timothy 2:15; 1 John 2:27). We can learn to rightly divide God’s Word.

THE BIBLE DEMANDS THAT WE TEST ALL THINGS

Not only are we exhorted to know sound doctrine, we are to test everything by it. We are taught that we live in a world of lies and that heresies and compromise will abound more and more as the time of Christ’s coming draws nigh (e.g., 2 Corinthians 11; 1 Timothy 4:1-6; 2 Timothy 3:15; 2 Peter 2; Jude; 1 John 4).

Following are some of the passages that require the child of God to develop a testing mindset:

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Philippians 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

THE BIBLE DEMANDS THAT WE CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

Not only are we to know the Scripture and to test everything by it, but we are also to contend against all errors.

Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

It is impossible to take this verse seriously and also to be an evangelical or emerging Christian today. If you try to fight for the truth once delivered to the saints, you will be mocked, misjudged, and ostracized. Which part of the old faith are we to fight for? All of it! Especially that part that happens to be under attack at the moment.

Not Growing Old

Pastor Scott Griese — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:05:13 +0000

Not Growing Old

They say that I am growing old;
I’ve heard them tell it times untold,
In language plain and bold–
But I’m not growing old.

This frail shell in which I dwell
Is growing old, I know full well–
But I am not the shell.

What if my hair is turning gray?
Gray hairs are honorable, they say.
What if my eyesight’s growing dim?
I still can see to follow Him
Who sacrificed His life for me
Upon the cross of Calvary.

What should I care if time’s old plow
Has left its furrows on my brow?
Another house, not made with hand,
Awaits me in the Glory Land.

What though I falter in my walk?
What though my tongue refuse to talk?
I still can tread the narrow way,
I still can watch and praise and pray.

My hearing may not be as keen
As in the past it may have been,
Still, I can hear my Saviour say,
In whispers soft, “This is the way.”

The outward man, do what I can
To lengthen out this life’s short span,
Shall perish, and return to dust,
As everything in nature must.

The inward man, the Scriptures say,
Is growing stronger every day.
Then how can I be growing old
When safe within my Saviour’s fold?

Ere long my soul shall fly away
And leave this tenement of clay;
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the “everlasting prize.”
I’ll meet you on the streets of gold,
And prove that I’m not growing old.

–John E. Roberts

http://www.mwtb.org/pages/display.php?id=500140

What Is The Church? part 5

Pastor Scott Griese — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:08:07 +0000

The Universal Church is a company of called out believers in Jesus Christ and they make up the Body of Christ and belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. So what is the Local church?

In the Bible, the local church is a group of professed believers gathered together in one location. In the Book of Acts we see references to the church in Jerusalem, the church of Antioch, and the church of Ephesus. In Paul’s epistles we see specific references to the church of Corinth, the churches of Galatia, the church of Laodiceans (Col. 4:16), the church of Thessalonians, and the churches in Judea. In the Book of Revelation, we see references to seven churches in Asia. But are these churches THE church? Even today, we have churches all over the place but are they THE church? Is this church here in Fernwood THE church? No. Even on the local church level, we are not THE church – none of these churches are. Local churches are still not the brick and wood buildings, but are the people in those buildings. The buildings are good to have because it can get pretty cold and windy outside, but they do not make the church. So does that mean that our assembly of called out believers here are THE church? No, but we are a part of it. The local church is part of the larger Body of Christ or Universal church. Ideally, the local church should be a duplicate of the True Church which is part of the Body of Christ. The members of the local church should be striving to conform to the image of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

The foundation of the Universal Church is the same as the local church – Jesus Christ. The question becomes whether or not the group of people that state that they are a local church has actually made Jesus Christ their foundation. Just because a church building has the word “church” on it, does not mean that Jesus Christ is their foundation. The “church’s” disobedience does not change the fact that the true church still has Jesus Christ as its rock. Too many churches have made man as their foundation or have been built upon traditions. Traditions and rules that have been decided by man too often rule a church more than Jesus Christ gets to rule that church. Within the Universal Church, what is true at one local church should be true at another local church IF those two local churches have made Jesus Christ their foundation. Therefore, when one local church is blessed by God, all the local churches are blessed. Likewise, when one local church is hurting, the other local churches are affected.

1Corinthians 12:25-27 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (26) And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. (27) Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

So if one church has been blessed, we should rejoice with it! We should be happy for it because the cause of Jesus Christ has been furthered. If we grumble or are envious, then we need to ask ourselves whose cause are we really looking to further. When a local church is having problems, then all local churches are affected by that problem and each believer is affected by it – remember the True Church is made up of individuals called together by God. No matter how much a person may try to ignore it, when there is a problem in a church it does affect the rest. Matthew 18 gives guidance to the believer when a fellow has offended that believer, but Galatians 6:1, 2 goes even further.

Gal 6:1-2 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (2) Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

If the local church rejoices when other believers are blessed and hurts when other believers are hurt, then regardless of what local church a person “belongs” to, they should be able to help (through the guidance of the Holy Spirit) restore one that is overtaken in a fault. We are all members of the same church by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (emphasis mine)

The Local church is part of the Larger Church of Jesus Christ and needs to replicate Jesus Christ in its practices. The Local church should be founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ – His death, burial, and resurrection – and based on the Word of God, the Bible. It is through the Bible that we can best know God and what He wants from the local church.