The Pattern of God — The Pattern of the Organization of the Church

Posted on September 14, 2012 by parklinscomb

Last week we talked about the overall pattern of the church, the identifying features or “fingerprints” of the bride of Christ. One of those patterns we identified was the organization of the church. Let’s look at that today.

One of the most common ways for the Lord to talk about His church is as His kingdom. And as we think about the organization of the church it might be helpful for us to explain the pattern as the organization of a kingdom.

Who’s the King?

Jesus, first of all, is the King (see Luke 22:30; John 18:36,37; Hebrews 2:7; and many others); the Kingdom of Heaven is His. And as the King of this eternal kingdom, He has given explicit structure to its authority and organization. You would expect nothing less from a king.

And that structure starts with the top: (Matthew 28:18) “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Did you notice? “All authority…,” He said. “In heaven and on earth,” He continued. Like any king over any kingdom, Jesus claims utter and total authority over His kingdom. Any authority exercised by anyone else must actually come down from the top authority. Although lesser authorities may be given some latitude on some matters, those decisions must still be within the top authority’s parameters. So also with the Lord’s church; since Jesus is the King, He has claimed all authority and has allowed only so much latitude to other “rulers” that He has designated. Exceeding that authority would be called treason, rebellion, and treachery in any kingdom. Jesus is the king of His kingdom.

What does the rest of the Kingdom structure look like?

The pattern of the organization under His throne is not an earthly one with earthly headquarters and a pyramid-shaped leadership structure with international, national, regional, and finally local divisions. Instead, our King’s structure is that “headquarters” is in heaven alone directly over local congregations.

In the first century apostles were appointed by the King to “Go into all the world and make disciples…” (Matt. 28:18-20). They obeyed the King and established congregations everywhere across the face of the globe and exercised a certain wide ranging authority as establishers of these “colonies” (congregations) of the Kingdom. Even so, they themselves were told, (Matthew 18:18) “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” They were given authority only to speak what the King had already authorized, and not to exceed that authority.

As the apostles went about establishing new congregations of God’s people, they established the King’s governmental structure. For example:

Acts 14:21-23 — “After [Paul and Barnabas] had preached the gospel to that [Antioch Pisidia] and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’ When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

Titus 1:5 — “For this reason I [Paul] left you [Titus] in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,”

Apart from the apostles themselves, whose mission (as eyewitnesses to the resurrection) was limited to the first century, no higher leader or authority (international, national, or regional) is ever mentioned. And no apostolic succession is ever authorized from the King in Scripture (the authorized word of the King).

Local congregations, then, have been led ever since by elders by authority of the Lord Jesus. Even so, their authority is likewise limited to be only within the parameters of the King’s commands and patterns found in the Bible. Throughout Scripture we find these men appointed by apostles (in the first century) and evangelists, but only according to the stated qualifications of Scripture (1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9). Their commission is to shepherd (feed, strength, heal, and defend) the flock (1 Pet. 5:2), oversee the work (Ac. 20:28), and equip the church toward maturity through their teaching ministry (Eph. 4:11).

Under the oversight of the shepherds (because the elders are responsible for the soundness of teachings in the church) an evangelist or preacher of the word often works both preaching the Gospel to the lost and preaching the King’s word to the church “in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:1,2). They must be men who are neither afraid nor ashamed to preach the truth of the Gospel (2 Tim. 1:6-14). They must pay close attention to themselves and their doctrine (1 Tim. 4:16). And they need to be motivated by love for Christ and fear for the souls of men (2 Cor. 5:11-14).

Deacons are also part of the patterned structure of the Kingdom. First appointed in Acts 8 to minister to the Hellenistic Jewish-Christian widows (also seen in Philippians 1:1), they serve the physical needs of the congregation, like benevolent work, care of our buildings and grounds, rides to church, church finances, bringing communion to shut-ins, logistics of various programs of the church, etc. They likewise must be men who have met the standards set by the King in 1 Tim. 3:8-13.

The Kingdom also includes teachers and a number of other talents and skills for the church’s benefit. Teachers are, of course, those who teach us God’s word, the King’s message, so we can follow it — so we’ll be properly equipped and mature for the King’s service. There are others, too, who like the various limbs and organs of the body provide the other necessities for the health and growth of the body (1 Cor. 12).

This is the Kingdom’s pattern, established by the King of kings Himself; not one that men would be inclined to choose on their own. But faithful citizens of His kingdom, will gladly submit to His pattern of organization; others will have to face the Judge on charges of rebellion.

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Devotion to God

Posted on September 5, 2012 by parklinscomb

Do you have spiritual A.D.D.? Attention Deficit Disorder?

Physical A.D.D. is a widely (probably over-) diagnosed problem among kids these days, but it has been applied to a number of adults, too. This may be attributable to how we’ve trained our minds, because paying attention is a learned thing. Have you ever tried teaching — or watched someone trying to teach — a Kindergarten or first grade class? The teacher’s biggest hurdle is teaching the children how to be students and pay attention — some learn quickly, others not so quickly. Or have you ever tried to coach a little league team? It’s those kids in the outfield I always had the most fear for; they were the ones who were most likely anyway to be watching the clouds or the butterflies or the dandelions rather than the game — just as someone hits a fly ball their way. Lack of paying attention makes for a poor student and possibly an injured baseball player. And such a disorder, in a spiritual sense, also afflicts some disciples of Jesus —with dangerous consequences.

In 1 Cor. 7:35 Paul is in the midst of a discussion about the trade-offs and advisability of marriage and singleness. Because of persecution that Christians were facing, Paul was suggesting that some might want to consider refraining from marriage. He writes, “This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.” It was Paul’s inspired aim for them that they possess undistracted devotion to the Lord. And this is a virtue that applies to more than merely the states of marriage or singleness. Especially so in a world full of distraction, distraction, distraction — temptation, temptation, temptation — and busy, busy, busy.

Let’s start with what devotion is. Why? Well, the truth is that we’re a little “schizophrenic” about the definition. On the one hand, we know what Olivia Newton John meant when she sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You” in Grease. She wasn’t talking about 1 hour dinner date once a week was she? No, more; clearly more. She meant to say, “You come first for me!” But oddly enough, we have a different definition, if we are asked if we are devoted to the Lord. “Well, yes, of course!” we might say. But is it the same sort of devotion that Olivia Newton John sang about? The Greek word used in 1 Cor. 7:35 is euparedros, which meant: “constantly attendant”, “One who sits near, ready to serve through obligation or love”, and “ready to obey” — which makes this “devotion” a little more like Olivia’s song and a little less like our religious practices.

It is this sort of devotion that Paul wanted to secure for the Lord in Christian lives. This was, of course, nothing new…

Deuteronomy 6:5 ““You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Matthew 6:33 ““But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Luke 14:26 ““If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”

Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.””

Real discipleship will be devoted. Think about it…

  • What do devoted Christians do?
  • How often do they sit down to read and think about the Bible per week?
  • How often do they take time to pray?
  • What do devoted Christians do with their Sundays and Wednesdays (a day often set aside for church Bible study)?
  • What kinds of good deeds would they be involved in?

But the problem with devotion is how easily distracted we are. We each have obligation to family, work, and school — and, of course, we like to be entertained (a lot). Jesus recognized the distraction problem in Matthew 13’s parable of the sower. Some seed, you’ll remember, fell among the thorns and weeds and after initially germinating, was eventually choked out. Jesus interpreted this in Luke 8:14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” Similarly, Paul expressed fear for the church in Corinth: 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” He was worried that these Christians would be seduced from simple and pure devotion to the Lord.

One might find oneself worrying that such undistracted devotion to the Lord would result in entrance into a monastery. But lest your fears lead you astray on this point, let me point out that Jesus warns us about the dangers, but doesn’t demand we drop them, unless they’ve become our gods — they become what runs our lives. In most cases, we just need to prioritize them properly.

So, how do we juggle all these obligations and desires while “securing undistracted devotion” to Christ? Have you ever packed a trunk or a box? The trick to getting a lot into the box or trunk is to put the big things or most important things in first. Then you put the small or less important things in around the big ones. Application to life: determine what needs to go in first, the Lord’s things — those things that we listed in our minds a few moments ago “What do devoted Christians do?” Now, find room for the family. Now school or work. Now entertainment or relaxation.

So clear out the box of your life. Put spiritual things in first, and then put in the rest of it highest priority to lowest. Yes, that may mean that something will get axed, but that’s OK because Jesus is worth it. He’s worth all you devotion. He’s worth all your sacrifice — including things you may have had to cut out. He’s worth all your efforts to juggle and arrange. After all, Christ gave the full measure of devotion to you and me.

What will you do to secure undistracted devotion to Jesus?

Now, you may not be a Christian and you may be thinking that all this stuff sounds pretty stringent — a burden you may not be too keen on bearing. May I explain to you that Christian devotion is really no burden. Jesus, being by nature God, decided to lower Himself and live as a man. He put up with all the temptations and diseases and distractions and nonsense that we all have to put up with yet without sinning even one time. He allowed Himself, deliberately, to be captured by His enemies, unfairly accused, tried, and be executed in the most humiliating and painful way known to man — so we could be forgiven of our sin. Then He arose from the dead to sit at the right hand of the Father as King over His Kingdom — interceding for us regarding sin, regarding prayer, and everything that we need.

His love — demonstrated so long ago and being demonstrated even today, so deep and wide and amazing — has captivated the hearts of every Christian today. So, no, “undistracted devotion” is no burden.

If you’re ready to give your heart to Him, giving the devotion and obedience that He deserves, we encourage you to obey Him in baptism today.

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The Pattern of God

Posted on August 30, 2012 by parklinscomb

Patterns and molds have been useful in everyday life for millennia. If there is something you want to create the same way over and over again, having a pattern, mold, formula, or method is key. If the pattern is working properly, your product (a garment, metal, glass, coins, plaster, wood, etc.) always comes out the same shape or form.

Did you know that God has also been using patterns? One could consider our DNA as a biological pattern for all life, so that each creature looks like its predecessor. But even spiritually God has regularly pointed to patterns. There are patterns in men’s historic behavior and God’s responses (recorded in the stories of the Bible); but, more to my point here, there are patterns in the structure of worship, holy conduct, organization of his people, and even teachings — things He wanted to remain consistent.

Clearly there were some general patterns that men recognized from earliest times: patterns of covenant, marriage, sacrifice, and family (read Genesis). But the idea of following God’s spiritual patterns was formalized in Moses’ time, when God told Moses, (Exodus 25:9) “According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.” Just so.

But sadly men didn’t always follow God’s pattern “just so”. Nadab and Abihu are early violators of the pattern (Numbers 10), and it didn’t end well for them. Probably the most famous Old Testament example of someone who chose not to follow God’s pattern is king Jeroboam of Israel (the northern kingdom). In 1 Kings 12 Jeroboam, in an attempt to keep his people from returning to worship the Lord in Jerusalem, changed a number of God’s patterns — which became the spiritually infamous “sins of Jeroboam” (see 1 Kings 14:16; 15:30; 16:31; 2 Kings 3:3; 10:29,31; 13:2,11; 14:24; etc.).

Did God care? Yes, and He called Israel back to the pattern over and over again — Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus says the LORD, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” So, off to Babylon they were exiled in punishment for their disregard of God’s pattern.

And God continues to use and care about men following His pattern. Consider…

  • Philippians 3:17 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”
  • Romans 6:17 “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,”
  • 2 Timothy 1:13 “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”

…just to cite a few New Testament examples of how much it matters.

The pattern is found in the the book, chapter, and verse of the Scriptures, the Bible. And this is why churches of Christ (a result of the “Restoration Movement”) continue to also call men back to the original pattern — found in the New Testament — for the identity of the church, for worthy worship, for God-approved organization, for sound doctrine, for the way of salvation, for true discipleship, and sincere godliness.

In the next several weeks in our bulletin, let’s take a look at this holy pattern given by the Lord — with the intention to follow it “just so”.

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Tolerance 2

Posted on August 16, 2012 by parklinscomb

Yesterday I talked in this posting about tolerance’s virtues and vices. The world just gives “tolerance” a one-size- fits-all approach and tolerates everything, no matter how bad. But Christians are commanded to be tolerant about somethings and to refuse to tolerate other things. Sounds simple enough — except in the way that Christians are sometimes intolerant. You see, there’s a Christian way to be intolerant and a worldly way to be intolerant. So, how does a Christian not tolerate immorality, false doctrine, or the denominations in a good and proper way?

You see, sometimes intolerance is wrongly expressed in the form of persecution. Paul used to think that way: Acts 26:9 “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” But the Lord taught him otherwise. Finding sinful behavior intolerable mustn’t lead to malice, hostility, harm, threats, reviling, slander, or persecution toward others. Paul, having learned from the Lord where the real battle is, wrote this, (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” It doesn’t tolerate the wrong, but it doesn’t persecute either — it appeals, seeks, and reaches out to change hearts and minds by genuine persuasion, not force.

But proper Christian intolerance will start with (gasp!) judgment. Judgment is a rather intolerable vice in a tolerance- focused world. But before we too quickly judge those who judge, let’s be reminded about the fact that there are two kinds of judgment. There’s the kind that Jesus condemns in Matthew 6:1-3, a harshly critical fault-finding attitude and kind of speech. And then there’s the kind that we are required to exercise as we discern right and wrong around us. It is this second sort of judgment that Christians must exercise regularly. It leads us rightly to be intolerant and reject sin, like our tongue might discern and spit out poison. It is trained by the inspired Scriptures which not provide commands, but principles and examples of what God accepts and rejects. Did you know that the Bible talks a lot about what God hates? And what God finds intolerable, Christians must also find intolerable. Now of course, this should never lead to burning crosses, or terrorist activity, or abuse, or violence, or unseemly behavior. But it does lead somewhere…

It will lead to speaking up. When Paul walked through Athens, he found himself (Acts 17:16) “…provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.” This intolerance led to him speaking up, which led to being invited to speak at Mars Hill to the Athenian philosophers. We sometimes tremble in fear at the thought of speaking up about some intolerable behavior, but here’s the simple truth: no one will ever know they’re doing wrong unless someone speaks up and says so — think of the tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes. When no one says anything, everyone concludes that wrong must be right — that naked is clothed. But it can’t be just any kind of speech: (Ephesians 4:15) “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,” And it is here in the “speaking up” aspect of the question of intolerance, where patience, love, kindness, and yes even some tolerance needs to be exercised. It is the rare person who changes in a moment and never slips again; people usually “grow” in their godly changes. But the patience, love, kindness, and tolerance is exercised with an expectation that there really will be progress and growth.

But when progress and growth are not forthcoming, intolerance is sometimes rightly expressed toward wayward Christians in what is called withdrawal of fellowship (sometimes called in Scripture “handing someone over to Satan”). Paul was blown away by the Corinthian’s lack of action based on a sinfully tolerant attitude toward a particularly sinful behavior in their midst — someone had taken to living maritally with his father’s wife! Paul’s conscience prompted him to call for his immediate removal. It was in part because Paul was concerned about the sinner’s condition, and hoped to shock the sinner’s hardened heart to repentance. He also was concerned about the church’s understanding about sin, tolerance breeds the impression in the hearts of the tolerant that there’s nothing wrong with something. (This has been the agenda of gay activists for a long time — get people to tolerate and tolerate until it becomes OK and even legitimized by “marriage”.) The point here is never to simply hurt the sinner, but to win him/her back and make it clear to both the sinner and the church that such a thing is outside the pale of godliness.

And certainly Christian intolerance must also be shown by refusing to participate in deeds of darkness. This might seem like a “no-brainer” observation, but there have been a number of times in which worldly folks have had the gumption to invite me to get involved in something I don’t approve of “just to try it once” or alternately “How will you ever know whether it’s right or wrong unless you try it?” One fellow actually said, “I’ll listen to you about drinking, if you’ll come to bar and get drunk with me,” and he was serious. I know I can’t be the only one who has ever had to deal with such “invitations”. The Christian knows what is right and wrong; he need not experience it to know and he need not consult the latest polls. He know right and wrong because of what God has told us.

Tolerance is good, and intolerance is good. It all depends what we’re being asked to tolerate. But whatever you do, don’t learn to tolerate what the world presses you to embrace; love what God loves and hate what God hates — 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 22 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

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Tolerance

Posted on August 15, 2012 by parklinscomb

I saw a bumper sticker today with one of those fancy uses of various religious symbols to spell out words: one was “coexist” and the other was “tolerance”. They express the world’s current cardinal virtue sometimes stated in various other ways like acceptance, put up with, open-mindedness, broad-mindedness, forbearance, liberality, patience, charity, indulgence. The world recognizes it as a virtue, but clearly has no idea how to really apply it, so it gets applied everywhere without discernment. And while tolerance is indeed a true virtue (a Christian virtue), practiced without discernment it can also be a terrible vice.

God Himself is tolerant (Romans 2:4, “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”). And because God Himself is tolerant, we also should be (Ephesians 4:2 “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,”). And Paul strongly appealed to and commanded from this principle in his letters to first century churches that were divided down the Jewish/Gentile lines.

We today would find God’s approval for tolerance along racial, economic, educational, and age lines. Skin color, educational advantages, money, and facial features are such superficial triggers for divisions! Yet such divisions used to divide us severely and sometimes still do. While I’m sure it was true that Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, Romans and foreigners would have felt more comfortable worshipping “with their own kind”, Paul condemned such thoughts and called for tolerance and true unity between them despite their worldly differences. God approves of this tolerance.

The Lord specifically commanded tolerance for one another’s opinions (Romans 14:1 “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”). Of all the things that divide men, opinions and tastes seem to be the most divisive — and something that Christians must grow past to be pleasing to God (1 Corinthians 3:3, 4 “for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not mere men?”). We should be tolerant of other opinions. Including politics. Honestly, no politician or party is God-inspired or preaches righteousness like the Bible does. While there are political systems which are systemically evil (e.g., Naziism), most have a mix of good and evil. Jesus tolerated both Matthew (the tax gatherer) and Simon the Zealot (a revolutionary group opposed to the Romans) in his close group of 12 apostles. He taught them that the spiritual Kingdom of God was more important by far than any political regime.

But tolerance is not approved by God regarding morality. How much immorality have we learned to tolerate in the last 50 years or so? I’m not just talking about homosexuality, but casual sex outside of marriage, adultery, living together, hard and soft porn (think Victoria’s Secret ads), swearing, gambling, bare-knuckled blood-sport, raw materialism, permissive parenting, open disrespect for the marriage covenant, disdain for one’s husband/wife, and scorn for parents. Morality is founded directly on God’s own nature (1 Peter 1:16 “because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’”) and since God never, ever changes, neither does morality — no matter what century it is. Jesus said in Revelation 2:20, “‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” Tolerance for moral sin is not approved.

God expects His people to not tolerate false doctrine. The church is being challenged in many places to tolerate false teaching. God doesn’t approve — Revelation 2:2 “‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;” The inspired apostle Paul put it very strongly, (Galatians 1:6-8) “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” Although the world sometimes challenges the idea of truth, no one will tolerate mathematical or technological error. So also with spiritual truth, there is to be no tolerance for false doctrines.

And this would also naturally include no tolerance for denominationalism. Paul put it this way, (1 Corinthians 1:10-13) “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” This was nothing less than first century denominationalism, and God disapproved!

But being intolerant of sin, false teaching, and denominationalism doesn’t give any of us a pass to behave poorly or in an unloving fashion. So, how does a Christian not tolerate these sinful things in a good and proper way? Let’s talk about that next time.

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“Church People Judge Me” — Lessons for Christians to Learn

Posted on August 11, 2012 by parklinscomb

Many avoid coming to church, according to research (see my last posting), because of fear that they will be judged instead of well received. Some of their fear of judgment is really just a bad conscience that doesn’t want to be reminded of their sin; but in all honesty, there sometimes is some truth to it, too. That being the case, I thought it would be good for us to consider a few reminders, so that no one might be kept from salvation by anything that we might do.

Don’t be a stumbling block

Let’s be careful about our words, attitudes, and “looks”. Being careless of how people perceive us can become a stumbling block to those who who might otherwise want to investigate the teachings of Jesus. Now this is not to say that we must walk on egg-shells about sin, but it is to say that we really must avoid even being perceived to hold any sort of attitude like, “You will go to Hell over this, and you’ll deserve it!” Stumbling blocks, in the Bible, are people who tempt or otherwise cause other people to sin or stand in the way of doing what’s right. Jesus said, (Matthew 18:7) “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!” A correction of sin is much more palatable and apt to “take”, when it is clear that we are broken hearted about the sin, not rejoicing in the condemnation.

Be careful of the reason you’re offering a critique

The difference between sinful judgment and appropriate correction often depends on the motive for the criticism. Some folks offer criticism, because it makes them feel better to put others down, to “tell them off”, not because they’re really trying to help. Always be certain that the reason for offering a critique is a sincere interest in the other person’s benefit.

Remember that only God’s word is binding; your opinions are not

Some Christians have a difficult time discerning between their opinions, tastes, and speculations and God’s word. It’s an old problem that Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians 8-10 and Romans 14-15. What must be remembered is that our opinions (e.g., holidays, foods, and clothing) and traditional ways of doing things (e.g., meeting in church buildings, sermon before communion, etc.) is something different from the fundamental pattern of the New Testament (e.g., elements of communion, male spiritual leadership, or a cappella singing). Jesus taught, (Matthew 18:18) “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (the italics are my emphasis). Note that what is bound and what is loosed must be previously bound or loosed in heaven (i.e., by God); we’re not on our own to bind or loose as we wish. Application? Make sure what you correct in someone is really something that God would correct — book, chapter, and verse.

Remember that positive encouragement is better than negative critique alone

People who would like to change their lives for the better are often helped much more by specific things that they ought to be doing, not merely by “Don’t do that!” The inspired apostle Paul effectively instructed the church in Ephesus about moral living (Ephesians 4:22—5:10) with both “don’t” and “do” statements. And what makes the “do” statements all the more effective is when we congratulate and encourage people as they show growth and progress. There’s a thousand ways to do things wrong, that’s why simple criticism is so easy; but offering a positive “do” with encouragement to grow is a lot rarer — and more helpful.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care

The first reaction most folks have to correction is that the corrector is trying to be more hurtful than helpful, because in most cases that’s the way it is. That’s why a Christian’s motivation must be crystal clear — love. That’s why Paul commanded that we “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). Whether it is made clear by the voice, by the attitude, by touch, by deeds of benevolence or generosity, by friendliness, by a smile — the message needs to be, “We’re here and we care” (hopefully, this sounds familiar). Because when it is clear that we care, the message (what we know) will be better heard and considered.

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“Church People Judge Me”

Posted on August 9, 2012 by parklinscomb

I was reading the results of a survey recently on why people don’t go to church. One of the reasons most often cited is the fear that people in church will judge them.

As a minister of the Gospel I’ll confess to being saddened by such a report. Not because I was shocked but because Satan has been so successful at his deceit to the world. While it is true that some have had an unfortunate experience, this sad perception is also due to popular culture’s stereotype of religious people as being judgmental and “all about no”. If you have ever thought this way, may I have a few moments of your time? I’ll try to be brief.

First, let me apologize for anyone who called himself a Christian (there are many who claim it, but are not) and yet made you feel small, unworthy, or “put in your place”. That’s not Jesus’ way (Matthew 7:1ff). If they have done so deliberately, they themselves have sinned. If they did so accidentally, they need to fix it.

But, second, may I gently suggest that sometimes the feeling of being judged is not coming from any word said or “look” given from a Christian? Sometimes the mere presence of a person trying to do right will prick a guilty conscience. This has happened to me from time to time — I enter into a circle of strangers, I introduce myself as a minister, and before I say a word I am told, “Don’t judge me!” But that is not “judgment”. Please, don’t mistake a painful conscience for judgment from a Christian.

Third, not every suggestion to change your life is really “judgment”. Sometimes it is an offer of the kind of vital help we all need. Jesus Himself called people to change their lives. In the famous story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1ff), we not only hear Jesus saying, “He who is without sin, cast the first stone,” but Jesus is also quoted as gently saying to the woman, “Go and sin no more.” Sin is destructive to others and yourself — in the here and now, and more importantly in the eternal later. There’s a better way to live, God’s way. His are better choices that will heal, reconcile, set things straight, make you a better person and make life better for the people you love most.

Yes, coming to church, being a Christian, will mean that you’ll need to try to change. But we ALL need to try to change. And the change never happens overnight. People in church aren’t perfect, and they know it.  We’re all “in process”. The best any of us will be able to “boast” is that 1) we’re better than we used to be and 2) we’re forgiven of our sins by the grace of God. We’re all just trying to do better and encouraging each other to do better.

Dear friend, the wise King Solomon wrote, (Proverbs 9:8, 9) “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.” Please don’t broad-brush every Christian who offers a correction as a “judgmental hypocrite”. They may actually love you more than anyone else you know. And don’t avoid church; get past the stereotypes, become a Christian, find forgiveness, come to church, and with the rest of us work on a better life (and dare I say a better world?).

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Spiritual Growth from a Direction 
You Might Not Have Expected

Posted on July 25, 2012 by parklinscomb

Hebrews 10:24, 25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

The crystal clear concern of the writer of Hebrews throughout the book and especially in this passage was the brethren’s spiritual weakness and possible return to a lost state. In no less than 84 verses in Hebrews, the writer warns of both the potential and the consequences of falling away. But, you know, it’s interesting — in an attempt to get them to grow, he doesn’t talk about reading more Scripture, as important as that might be; he doesn’t mention more prayer, even though it is really important; he doesn’t stress involvement, despite the contribution that it makes to spiritual growth. What he does offer as a solution to their danger was attendance to the church’s assembly.

We might be tempted to say, “Really?” And that’s because we live in a time when church attendance is often disparaged as being not really all that important, having little to contribute to Christian growth — a poor cousin to Bible reading, prayer, meditation, fasting, or other spiritual disciplines. But the God-inspired writer of Hebrews strongly disagrees.

So, what makes the assembly so important? What’s the big deal about skipping the assembly from time to time? Well, let’s list a few things…

  • Here the worship of God takes place. “Oh,” you might say, “I could do that at home or anywhere.” But the possibly shocking truth is that you cannot — not the way that honors God as He wants. The gathered church is His Temple (Eph. 2:21), thus, corporate worship is something special to the Lord. It both worships God, and makes a statement to the world (see the 1 Cor. 11:26 passage that talks about making a declaration to the world “until He comes”).
  • Here is the fellowship that we need (Acts 2:42-47) — yes, even you “Jeremiah Johnsons” out there, we NEED it — and it can only possibly happen, of course, when the church gets together.
  • Here the word is not only read (1 Tim. 4:13) but explained (Acts 17:3), and we are encouraged and held accountable (1 Cor. 14:24) to live it.
  • Here the Lord’s death and resurrection are remembered and openly proclaimed until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26). Here in the bread of communion and in the midst of the assembly, we are reminded about the body that we have been made into. Here in the cup of communion and in the midst of the assembly, we are reminded of the covenant that we have entered into with first God and then our brothers and sister in Christ, the church (1 Cor. 10:16,17).
  • Here our spirits are lifted through spiritual songs that remind and inspire us to following Jesus faithfully (Eph. 5:19).
  • Here we lift our hearts up in prayer to bear one another’s burdens (Eph. 6:19) and appeal to the Father in Heaven about things we have agreed upon (Mt. 18:19) — and yes, there is something quite powerful about corporate prayer that individual prayer cannot muster.
  • Here we put our financial resources together to do more than we could on our own for the Kingdom (1 Cor. 16:1-4).

Moreover, Hebrews 10:24,25 tell us that our absence is not only a detriment to us on a personal level; it is a detriment to the spiritual growth of the whole church. Speaking as someone who has had to answer the questions of discouraged brethren about why others aren’t coming, I can tell you unequivocally, it definitely effects others — and we must consider our brothers and sisters or we have sinned (Romans 15:1,2 and 1 Cor. 3:16,17). And it is even more so if you are a teacher (of children or adults), a deacon, an elder, a preacher or a leader’s spouse — unexplained absences or absences for “lesser” things, in effect, tell younger Christians (kids and adults alike) that skipping church is OK — and their faith grows weaker. The fellowship obviously grows weaker without you. And the singing (and therefore the encouragement) won’t be as strong. Even the congregation’s prayers will miss your “Amen”.

The bottom line here is that when we fail to show up for worship for reasons that are within our control, we are choosing to weaken both ourselves and the church. Everyone is is placed just a little closer to the peril of falling away; some on the edge actually do so. The Hebrew writer, inspired by the Lord, knew exactly what he was talking about, and his warning and encouragement is exactly what every generation of the church needs to be reminded of to aid its spiritual growth.

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Raising Godly Teens: One Last Word — For Now

Posted on June 15, 2012 by parklinscomb

Over the past several weeks I’ve been talking about raising teenagers. There are whole books written on the subject, and all that I’ve been able to do is scratch the surface in these articles. And I had planned on finishing with last week’s article — at least until I found something else that needed to be said. Who knew that I’d find something this week already? But Tuesday morning I’m having breakfast and watching a morning news program and what do I hear but a guy who’s trying to sell books by essentially telling parents that anything they would do for their children is pretty much useless and children are simply going to be what they’re going to be. What?! I’ve touched on this topic before, but in view of what this guy is trying to sell — parents, what you do with your kids DOES make a difference.

Now, upon further reflection, I think I know what this author was trying to say: Take a break from trying to turn your child into a super-cultured intellectual or Ivy League success story. Stop and smell the parental roses and enjoy your children. I get that part; I can even partially agree with it.

But I fear that what he’ll actually do is start a new trend in lazy parenting — and in my observation, we have enough latch-key kids, enough TV-babysat kids, enough self-reared children already. God gave children parents for a reason: being human in all its physical, spiritual, moral, emotional, intellectual, social, cultural, and behavioral aspects is a complicated undertaking of growth. It’s not like being born a turtle out of an egg, abandoned on a beach in some remote Pacific isle, where waddling toward the sea by instinct is the only thing you need to know. Being God’s creative pinnacle, a human being, made in the image of God Himself, takes parenthood. It takes years. It takes unabated effort. It takes stalwart discipline — self-discipline and child-discipline. It takes patient endurance. It takes deliberate instruction and training and correction. It’s not a hobby or for the lazy.

So, speaking to the author’s point that parents should back-off, I’d say, let’s use the common sense our wise Creator gave us and invest our time, effort, and money for our children in things that will really make a difference in WHO they become. Invest in their spirituality and character as much as their intellectual and athletic development — “sow a character, reap a destiny.” Don’t let it become about getting involved in the “right” things, so that they can be in the “right” spot to meet the “right” people to get into the “right” school or “right” program. Let them get involved in a class or sport that they enjoy and then get them involved in things that will influence them for good. And I’ll be shameless about recommending the Lord’s church, the youth group, and Gander Brook.

Parenting can be a relatively thankless job — it’s a lot of hard work, diapers, arguments, frustration, unpleasant discipline, worry, and heartache punctuated by hugs, laughter, and kisses — until you see the good results on the other side of 25 years old. Don’t let the popular foolishness trick you into taking it lightly or abdicating your responsibility.

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Parenting Godly Teens, #8: Helping to Separate Legalism from Obedience

Posted on June 10, 2012 by parklinscomb

 

One of the thornier problems in raising teens is the oft argued question about tradition versus doctrine versus opinion. We may be tempted to think that our teens are simply challenging the status quo for its own sake — almost as a sacred “teen duty” — but the truth is that your teens are trying to grow up and understand their faith. You needn’t be offended by it; rather, you need to step up to the plate and help them. There is often a lot of misunderstanding — not just with the teens, but the parents as well — that leads to an erroneous and misdirected set of definitions and misunderstandings. These words and their definitions are crucial, if our children are to be and remain faithfully obedient to the Lord’s way. So, here are some definitions you might find helpful.

What is legalism? Too often the definition of legalism boils down to someone trying to make me do what I don’t want to do — never mind whether or not I really do need to be doing it. Legalism is not a biblical term. It is bandied about mostly in protestant, “faith only”, theological circles and among those who seek a “pass” on obeying God’s will. There is difficulty in defining it well, since there is no biblical definition for it and it seems to be used with a slightly different meaning by a number of theologians. But the essence of legalism seems to be a reliance upon works (rather than grace through faith, Eph. 2:8) to save. Judaizing teachers of Paul’s day, the Pharisees, and scribes are often categorized as legalists. But is it crucial to know that a call for obedience is not legalism. Hear the inspired apostle Paul’s teachings, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-4, NAS95). Before your teen gets the chance to use the charge of “legalism” toward your holding to the Scriptural standards about life, discipleship, morality, the church, or worship; make sure they know what you really believe about faith in Jesus and the grace He provides — and that holding to the faith once for all delivered to the saints is not legalism — “[Jesus Christ our Lord] through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,” (Romans 1:5, NAS95).

What is tradition? The “tradition of the elders” (e.g., Matt. 15:2) that we see in the New Testament is nothing more or less than non-biblical, Rabbinic teachings that sought to be commentary on practical living of the Law of Moses. They aren’t bad in and of themselves, of course; but on occasion they were mistaken, in conflict with the Bible, and elevated in authority above the Bible. This is what Jesus criticized and what we must avoid. Every generation of God’s people, you know, has a set of traditions, which are neither good nor bad until they conflict with God’s word or become a requirement to please God. The problem, as parents deal with teens, is often a sloppy definition — born of a lack of deeper teaching — of tradition and doctrine. Speaking personally, there were a number of teachings that I, as a teen, strongly suspected of being little more than tradition, only to find out from better informed teachers that there was actually solid, substantial biblical ground underneath them. When your teen challenges a teaching, calling it a tradition, (1) don’t get your feathers ruffled, (2) know the difference between a tradition and a doctrine, and (3) help them discover (through your own teaching, or an elder or preachers teaching) whether it is a tradition or doctrine. Traditions can be waived, biblical teachings cannot.

What is an opinion or disputable matter?

“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.” Romans 14:1, NIV. “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.” Romans 14:1, NAS95.

In every community or group of people there will be differences in taste, judgment, and style. They are not biblical teachings. If you want to argue them, you won’t be able to go directly to the Scripture (except the passages about loving one another) for a “thus, saith the Lord” answer. Especially in American culture there are significant generational differences — we almost cultivate them. This makes it a challenge to get along in the Lord’s body, but it is not too big a challenge for God or His people and we are given the command to find a way to get along. Sometimes the challenges can be compromised, everyone gains something and everyone loses something. Sometimes I abandon my opinion because, “I love you more than my opinion.” Sometimes others change their position, because to me this issue is an important matter of conscience that might cause me to lose my faith or moral footing. Now this last one is sometimes the real challenge, because there are sometimes people who really don’t have a problem with conscience as much as they just are self-willed. And it is here that Christian love really has to work hard to discern whether a weak brother might really be caused to morally fall or whether we might be merely enabling someone to remain immature in Christ. Help your teen to work through this one, too —encouraging love and service toward the other rather than self.

What is obedience? Obedience is the natural outcome of love toward the Lord.   (Cont on pg 2)  It is seeking to genuinely die to self and become conformed to HIS likeness (Gal. 2:20). Sometimes it is seen in a rather juvenile fashion as “stuff I have to do, even though I don’t want to”. Obedience from faith and love, nourished in the ground of God’s grace toward us (Romans 5:6-10 and Romans 12:1,2) doesn’t stiffen its neck at God’s commands — it lovingly submits. Obedience that is defined as “stuff I have to do, even though I don’t want to” kicks dirt, looks for loopholes in God’s law, scorns those who call for obedience as legalists, and sees discipleship as optional. Sometimes new Christians fall back to this sort of mind, but for the mature: “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf,” (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15, NAS95). Help your teen to understand discipleship, to avoid “loophole-ism”, and not fuss about lovingly serving the Lord in the way He seeks to be served.

Don’t shy away from approaching these issues with your teen. They may be thorny; they may demand that you think a little harder than you’ve thought recently; they may take extra effort and conversation; but it will be worth the outcome — faithful young adults steadily maturing in Christ, taking a Christian spouse, raising a Christian family, and serving faithfully in the Lord’s body, the church.

 

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