WHAT IS THE “STANCE” OF THE CONGREGATION?

That is a good question, and one especially appropriate in our day. It has been shown, time and time again, that a person baptized can grow and develop into a knowledgeable, working, and faithful child of God due, to a great extent, to the congregation wherein he has his membership. The opposite has been shown also. In fact, it is seen in the movement that some members must make, through job transfer, etc. Leave one sound and faithful congregation, and then place membership with and serve with a congregation known for “what it will tolerate,” and that child of God will change also. The individual will accept and blend in with the congregation. It depends on the congregation’s “stance.”

Be sure, a congregation will have a name, a reputation, based on its work and its “stance.” Rome was known for having a faith spoken of throughout the world (Romans 1:8). Thessalonica was known for its sounding out the word into far distant areas (1 Thessalonians 1:8). The churches of Macedonia were known for their liberal giving (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). Sardis, once having a good name, and with some of that still lingering in the minds of men, nevertheless was told by the Lord that “thou are dead” (Revelation 3:1). We recall hearing of one person saying, “This congregation is known for its love and that congregation is known for its doctrine!” That, brethren, is tragedy? Love and doctrine are combined within the system of the Lord. Jesus combined them in his statement in John 14:15.

What, by the way, wherever this is received, is the “stance” of the congregation where you are? Is the doctrine of God sounded forth powerfully and plainly, and without modification, addition, subtraction or dilution? Is the congregation a “disciplinary” one, in that sin is rebuked, and the wayward and disobedient are seen to with dispatch? Are the Bible classes known for their emphasis on the word of God, or are the classes given to playtime and waste-time? Have the elders led the congregation in taking a stand against worldliness, sectarianism and every other form of error that will weaken and finally kill the church? Is the emphasis of the congregation’s work that of preaching and teaching rather than entertainment and social work? Are those in the congregation content to abide in God’s will, rather than always having a desire for something new and appealing that they can borrow from sectarianism? Are those who stand up to preach and teach grounded in the faith, with no disposition to traipse off into liberalism, anti-ism, Crossroadism or any other “ism”? Oh yes, a congregation has a “stance”―a name―a reputation.         

Preachers can help it be known for what it is, good or bad. Elders can do the same. So can Bible class teachers. So can the members. What is entered into the eternal record books, under our names, will be those things we did/failed to do while members of the congregations where we lived. We will partake of, support, condone, and further whatever “stance” the congregation has taken. Now, the question again: How is it where you are? Are you ready to face God concerning it?

Bill Jackson

Work of the Church

The Lord's church is His spiritual body (Ephesians 1:22–23). It would seem to be unarguable that Jesus wants His spiritual body to engage in the same work He came to do in His physical body. Most would not argue otherwise verbally, but many strongly so argue practically.

Some years ago a few “promoter-type” brethren began spreading a spiritual “virus” in the church that has infected many congregations. Its practical effect is to “provide all things for all men” (not to be confused with our personally “becoming all things to all men” in optional matters [I Corinthians 9:22]). Some call this approach “ministering to the whole man” or “meeting felt needs.” It spawned a troupe of church growth “experts” who began compassing sea and land with their weekend How to Grow a Church “seminars.”

My first preaching work out of college (1959) was as one of the preachers with a large church in Wichita Falls, Texas. A Methodist Church building a few blocks away had a gymnasium in its basement. You could have tortured our elders and they would not have built such a building. They knew there was no authority for such use of the Lord's money. Twenty years later, with a new set of elders, that congregation had its own gymnasium. Oh, they call it their “Family Life Center” (but when I see an expansive room with basketball goals, net poles for volleyball and lines on the floor for boundaries, pardon me for calling it a “gymnasium”).

When one starts down the minister-to-the-whole-man road it is difficult to find a stopping place. Accordingly, another symptom of this viral disease is the pleasure jaunts of senior citizen and teenage groups in the church (pity the “middle-aged” folk—almost always left out). I enjoy travel, fellowship, and pretty scenery as much as the next person. However, I have never figured out why the Lord's church should pay for it or employ someone who spends much of his time planning such activities and excursions, often on a bus or van owned, operated, and fueled out of the church’s bank account.

Can you imagine apostolic consent for a three-day sightseeing trip to Tyre and Sidon for the Jerusalem church’s “39ers” or the “Autumn Leaves” group? Try to picture Timothy's planning a ski retreat on Mt. Olympus for the “keen teens” of Ephesus. I somehow doubt that Paul ever considered taking a contribution from the Gentile churches to build a “Family Life Center” for the church in Jerusalem.

Such suggestions are ludicrous, bordering on blasphemy. But only liberals among us have jumped on this meeting-the-felt-needs bandwagon, right? The September 2013 “Polishing the Pulpit” extravaganza, planned, overseen by, and participated in by brethren who consider themselves (as we once considered them) to be “men of the Book, included classes in conflict management, weight loss, the risk of dating, sibling rivalry, budget shopping for clothes, nutrition, preparing for SAT, and such like. Somehow they overlooked small engine repair and basic auto maintenance.

Such activities and emphases are no more the work of the blood-bought church of Christ in the twenty-first century than they were in the first. The kingdom is a spiritual entity by definition (John 18:36). Its work and mission are tied innately to its nature. Its work, as was that of its Builder/Head, is spiritual—to bring the saving Gospel to lost humanity (Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15–16; Romans 1:16). All else we do as His church is peripheral to this one grand task.

Faithful saints desire congregational growth as much as any of the “church growth experts” do, but that end will never justify the sacrifice of Scripturally authorized means. “We must work the works of him that sent me…” (John 9:4a).

Dub McClish

A Spiritual Self-Examination as Suggested by Paul

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (II Corinthians 13:5)

There are times when a spirit of discontent, unrest, unhappiness, disinterest, even boredom, may overtake the heart of some Christians. In such times, we may be wise to follow the above injunction of the apostle to see just who has changed or moved—us or God. In view of these considerations, let each one do some honest personal soul-searching and self-evaluation. There are many other areas of thought than those below.

 TRUE OR FALSE?

• I see to it that the Lord always comes first in my life and in my family’s life—always (Matthew 6:33).
• I and my family are faithful in assembling to worship God at all worship services, including Sunday night and Wednesday night worship (Hebrews 10:25; 13:17).
• I am very involved every week in some aspect of the mission/evangelism work of the church (Mark 16:15).
• Whenever I learn of a need for some kind of work or help needed in the church, I always volunteer to cooperate according to my ability (Matthew 25:14-30).
• I see to it that I and my family are fed a full and steady diet of God’s Word that we may grow thereby as we worship faithfully in the public gatherings and take time at home to study His Word (I Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12-14; II Timothy 2:15).
• I spend time visiting those who are mentioned at church as being in the hospitals (Matthew 25:31-46).
• I can honestly say that I am doing more now for the cause of Christ than I was a year ago. I am more involved than ever in the Lord’s work and in bringing glory to God (I Corinthians 15:57; II Corinthians 11:23; Revelation 3:1, 16).
• The example that I am now setting is a source of encouragement to others to serve God, and if others followed my example of Christianity, they would assuredly go to heaven (Matthew 5:14-16; Philippians 1:27; 2:14-16; I Timothy 4:12).
• When I become unhappy with something or someone in the church, rather than run away, I find that my unhappiness disappears when I start doing something for others, speaking positively for the Lord, and devoting more time to prayer (Ephesians 6:18).
• When I disagree with a brother or sister, or when one has sinned against me, rather than tell everyone else about it, I go first, in a humble manner, to the other party in order to solve the problem, disagreement, or misunderstanding (Matthew 18:16-18; 5:21-26).

Author Unknown

For Faithful Christians

Too much of our writing, preaching and visiting is directed to the weak and unfaithful. We want to reverse that order here. This article is not addressed to you who have to be begged, petted and pampered before you will attend the services of the church, and still are absent as much as you are present.

This isn’t for those who grumble the most while doing the least! Those in that category can stop reading now, for this is not written to you. This is written to the faithful.

Our vocabulary is not large enough to tell YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE how much you are appreciated. It does not matter how many meetings we have each week, you will be present. Neither the weather nor company of any kind is able to keep you from your responsibilities.

Whatever attractions or detractions the world may offer, you will not forsake the Lord. You make whatever sacrifices are necessary. You have no more time than the unfaithful members do, but somehow you manage to find time to serve our Master with the finest and best of your time and talents.

Whatever good programs are put before the church, no one wonders what your response will be. You always support fully every good work. You will accept an assignment and when you do it, it is a foregone conclusion that you will successfully complete it.

You don’t flirt with sin and see how worldly you can become without completely apostatizing. You are appreciated and even more because you demand no special attention or praise for your service, and you do not consider regular and faithful attendance of each class and worship period in service to God as a grievous burden or a great feat of valor.

You are a good example to the youngest member and an inspiration to all. You make the work of each of us much lighter. Thank you for being what the Bible describes as a simple New Testament Christian.

Author unknown

Someday

So you’re “GONNA start working for the Lord SOMEDAY”?

• “GONNA” is not in the dictionary.
• “SOMEDAY” is not on the calendar.
• “NOW is the time for you to roll up your sleeves and start WORKING in the Lord’s vineyard (the church).           

Seven days without prayer make one WEAK!

Author Unknown

What Kind of Member Are You?

There are all kinds of members referred to in the New Testament. Some had lost their first love (Revelation 2:4-5). Others had become only lukewarm (3:14-19). Some had forsaken the assembling of themselves together (Hebrews 10:25). Others had gone all the way back and had fallen from grace (Galatians 5:1-4). Some never did return to the right way (John 6:66; I Peter 2). There are many other classifications of members in the New Testament. Then there are some modern groups each of which has quite a following. What kind of a member are you?

Are you a “oncer”—one who attends church services only once per week—on the Lord’s day morning? Such members enjoy good health, but they never come at night. Had they been at Troas, they would not have heard Paul preach until midnight, and would have missed the fine fellowship of the occasion, plus the witnessing of the miracle of raising a man from the dead there that night (Acts 20:7-14).

Some are church “tramps”—they go tramping from one congregation to another, worshiping here and there, so as to dodge any responsibility for doing anything in the church and having any part in any real program of work. They are often called“Church Drifters.” They never settle down so as to work and grow in the church (I Corinthians 16:13).

Others are simply “leaners”—they “lean” on the church in every time of illness, misfortune, and the like, but they never contribute to its work. They are out to “get” and not to “give.” They are like the Dead Sea which has no outlet. They have no life. They are like sponges—they take in all they can hold but you have to squeeze them to get anything out of them!

Some others are “specials”—they work for the church on some special occasions which happen to appeal to them. But the regular work of the Lord has no appeal unto them. The every-day matter of being Christians is to them a drab affair. When they are tuned up they work enthusiastically, but no one ever knows when they are going to get rubbed the wrong way about something. They are “supporters” of that part of the work of the church that they like, but they oppose the other good works being done by others.

But some are “pillars”—they are always dependable. Without them the church would be a laughingstock in the community. They stand ready at all times to do what they can for the glory of God. They are happy that they have been saved, and feel that if they had a thousand lives to live, they could not do all they would like to do for the wonderful Saviour who came, bled, and died, that they might be children of God and have the happiness which they enjoy in the Lord, every day, along the way.

What kind of member are you?—You need not try to deceive anyone by your answer, for the way you are living proclaims daily the kind of member you are! Maybe you need to change your ways, and move up in the church—up to higher ground ofChristian living. Many have changed who found themselves in a failing group, doing little or nothing for the church.

Gus Nichols

The Mission of the Church

Everything which God has made in creation and redemption has a mission. Nothing walks with aimless feet in the economy of God. The church is a divine institution—it is of divine origin. It, therefore, has a mission.

The building of the church was an expensive undertaking. The Lord could create the heavens and the earth without the shedding of a single drop of blood, but without shedding of His own blood He could not establish the church. “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it” (Ephesians 5:25). He purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). Even before His death, Jesus sacrificed for the church. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich” (II Corinthians 8:9). He was rich in terms of heavenly and eternal values, yet He became poor, “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross”(Philippians 2:7-8). Surely Christ would not have made such sacrifices for the church unless it was to have a mission in some measure worthy of its cost. What, then, is the mission of the church?

The question can be answered both negatively and positively. It is not the mission of the church to furnish amusement for the world or even for its own members. Innocent amusement in proper proportion has its place in the life of all normal persons, but it is not the business of the church to furnish it. The church would come off a poor second if it undertook to compete with institutions established for the express purpose of entertaining people. It would make itself ridiculous if it entered into such competition. Again, it is not the responsibility of the church as such to furnish recreation for its members. A certain amount of recreation is necessary to the health and happiness of the individual. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, it is said, and rightly said; but it is not the function of the church to furnish the play. The church was not established to feature athletics. Rather, it emphasizes the principle that “bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come” (I Timothy 4:8). Sometimes one would conclude, from the emphasis given to recreation, that godliness is profitable for a little, and that bodily exercise is profitable for all things.

For the church to turn aside from its divine work to furnish amusement and recreation is to pervert its mission. It is to degrade its mission. Amusement and recreation should stem from the home rather than the church. The church, like Nehemiah, has a great work to do; and it should not come down on the plains of Ono to amuse and entertain. As the church turns its attention to amusement and recreation, it will be shorn of its power as Samson was when his hair was cut. Only as the church becomes worldly, as it pillows its head on the lap of Delilah, will it want to turn from its wonted course to relatively unimportant matters. Imagine Paul selecting and training a group of brethren to compete in the Isthmian games! Of his work at Corinth, he said: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2). What then, is the work of the church?

On the day of Pentecost, the birthday of the church, we find it preaching the Gospel. It is reasonable to expect the church, under the leadership of the apostles, to be engaged in its divinely assigned work. Christ, before His ascension, had laid upon His disciples, His church, the grave and momentous responsibility of preaching the Gospel to every creature in every age of the world (Mark 16:15-16). During the lifetime of the apostles the church was busily engaged in preaching the Gospel to the remote ends of the earth. In his first epistle to Timothy, Paul said, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (3:14-15). The church is the “pillar and ground of the truth”—not truth in general, but rather truth in particular. The church must support and preach the Gospel always as a part of its divine mission.

Further, the church in Jerusalem “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ teaching.” In addition to preaching the Gospel to alien sinners, the church taught and built up its own members that they might “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18). The Lord has made ample provisions for the edification of His people, the church.

And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error (Ephesians 4:11-14).

It is, therefore, the work of the church to promote the growth and development of its members.

Finally, the church in Jerusalem ministered to the material needs of its worthy poor (Acts 4:32-37; 6:1-6). The Gentile churches sent help to the brethren in Judea (Acts 11:29-30; Romans 15:25-26). Paul said that he was always ready to help those in need (Galatians 2:10). It is a part of the work of the church to help those who are in need, but the church is under no obligation to help those who will not help themselves.

“If any will not work,” said Paul, “neither let him eat” (II Thessalonians 3:10). If the church will discharge its duty in preaching the Gospel, in edifying its members, and in helping the worthy poor, it will not have desire or time merely to amuse and entertain.  

B. C. Goodpasture