At some point in our lives, conflicts with others inevitably arise. It does not matter how kind, gentle, and patient we are, because even these traits can embitter some based on how they interpret our motives. It also does not matter if our convictions are rooted in what is right, for some will firmly disagree and become our enemies. These circumstances should not surprise us. Even without consulting the Scriptures we understand that conflict is part of what it means to live life. Yet our society has steadily trended toward the mistaken idea that conflict can be totally avoided. In fact, it not only can be totally avoided, but conflict in and of itself is viewed as bad. This leaves no room for discussions over disagreements, requests for forgiveness, or mutual understanding. What this produces is more conflict. Just because a problem is swept under the rug does not mean the problem ceases to exist! The question then becomes whether we strive for peace with those who oppose us or if we are simply passive with the thought that, maybe, just maybe, they will leave us alone. What would Scripture encourage us to pursue?
We should first understand that God is a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper. The distinction is that the former puts forth effort to produce peace while the latter maintains the peace that exists. God’s character shows us why this distinction matters. Both Old and New Testament teach us that because of sin, we are God’s enemies. We were subject to His divine wrath as a result (Ephesians 2:1-3). Rather than remain idle in this circumstance, God chose to pursue peace through His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7). It is why Paul declares Jesus is Himself our peace (Ephesians 2:14-16). Only through Christ was peace possible, and only because of God’s desire to make peace was Christ’s coming possible. Were it not for God being a peacemaker, we would remain lost in sin and subject to His wrath. This thought alone should alert us to the importance of peacemaking rather than peacekeeping. In addition to God’s actions, we must consider Jesus’ teachings on peace. In His Sermon on the Mount, He pronounced a blessing on those who are peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). He did not bless the peacekeepers, nor did He encourage His hearers to be passive and wish for the best. Later in this sermon, Jesus speaks of a circumstance where you recall that your brother has something against you as you come to worship. In this situation, the Savior says it is you—not your brother—who should seek reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24). Carefully consider what Jesus says. It is your brother, not you, who is offended. In our thinking, it is his obligation to come and tell us about our offense. That is not what Jesus says. Whether you are right, wrong, or anywhere in-between, Jesus teaches us to make peace with others to the best of our ability. That reality grates against a culture which encourages senseless outrage and constant offense, for it tells us that we have an obligation to resolve conflict no matter the circumstance. It demands courage and the willingness to confront problems head-on. Anything less will be a failure to make peace. Through Paul, Jesus teaches us more about what it means to be peacemakers. An understudied and easily overlooked text says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). It is easy to assume that the peace of which Paul speaks is what we feel within because of God’s providential work. The word “rule,” however, changes the impact of the text. In the Greek language that term refers to what controls a person’s decisions. Put simply, then, if the peace of God rules our lives, then our every decision will revolve around what makes peace. That takes the matter beyond a mere feeling and places it in the realm of everyday living. Whenever we interact with others, we always choose words and actions that make peace, not conflict. That means we cannot bite back at others when they speak ill of us. That means we cannot reward evil deeds committed against us with more evil deeds. That means we cannot be passive in how we live our lives if we would have peace in it. We must be people who pursue peace. We cannot be passive in our efforts to have peace with others. While we understand that enemies will arise who care nothing for peace, it does not change the fact that we will do all that we can to make it a reality (Romans 12:18). It is time for us to grow up and realize that it is not about what others say and do but about what we say and do. No one can force us to think or react in evil ways. The only way that will happen is if we fall into temptation. Let us then seek to be peacemakers who resolve conflict rather than pacifists who ignore it.
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The following article is from the desk of David Bobbitt, one of the men of the Madisonville church of Christ.
Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, and other ladies’ magazines all purport to offer the secret to gracious living. Just the right colors, fabrics, and finishes can make your home a place where family and friends can rest and recharge. Historically, hospitality and gracious living have been synonymous with what it means to be a Southerner. Those characteristics also describe how we should live as Christians. (I Peter 4:9-10) Yet gracious living is not always as easy as it might sound. Every day, the trials of life test the limits of our patience and have the potential to deplete our personal reservoir of grace. The Bible encourages us to be people of grace. Gracious living means that we overlook wrongs we have suffered. We don’t walk around with a chip on our shoulder because of the color of our skin, a criticism uttered by a spouse, or a wrong suffered at the hands of a harsh boss. We endure all and forgive all without keeping a record of wrongs done to us. (I Cor. 13:5) So why is it so hard to live graciously? The answer is simple: we selfishly demand justice. Perhaps it is because of the nation in which we live, a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal and deserve to be treated justly. Yet the Bible has never promised us justice in this life. Justice is the purview of God alone and we are commanded only to do the best we can in whatever situation we find ourselves. (I Cor. 7:17-24) God is God and we are not. And because of our sins he owes us nothing, neither are we entitled to an explanation for whatever bad things may happen to us. (Lamentations 3:39) Besides, how many of us really want justice? Do we really want to stand before God Almighty on Judgment Day and receive what we are due for the sins we have committed? We also fail to live graciously because we fail to understand the true nature of sin as well as the true purpose of the church. We like to categorize and quantify sins causing us to see some sins as heinous while others are fairly benevolent. Surely the darkest recesses of Hell are reserved for the Jeffery Dahmers and Ted Bundys of the world, and not for the person who might tell a “little white lie” or occasionally break the speed limit. Yet to God, a sin is a sin, and the person who tells the “little white lie” is just as guilty in God’s eyes as a murderer. Some of us have a difficult time wrapping our minds around that Biblical truth. All sin separates us from God, thus we all stand in need of God’s grace to put us back into a right relationship with him. (Rom. 3:23-24) Because we stand in need of God’s grace, believers repent, confess the name of Christ, submit to baptism, and are added to his church. And the church we are added to is not a place for the good. Jesus himself said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) Again, this is a tough concept for many of us to grasp, but until we do, we will probably not look forward to being in heaven with our brother Jeffery Dahmer, and we may end up missing out on God’s grace altogether. Fact is, none of us is “good enough” to go to heaven and without God’s grace, purchased by the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, none of us will ever get there. Thus, it is incumbent upon us to learn what it means to live as persons of grace. Gracious living means treating people better than they deserve to be treated. We do this because that is what God did for us when he sent his Son to earth, so that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) We also do this because we know that “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt. 7:2) Like Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind, we should always try to see the best in those around us. We should answer kindly when insulted or challenged, and not always feel a need to “get in the last word.” Rather than leaving a wound to fester, we should reconcile quickly whenever we find that relations between us and a brother or sister are strained. (Matt. 18:15-35) We should humble ourselves and take a genuine interest in what those around us are doing. The world doesn’t revolve around us and we should come to see others as better than ourselves and worthy of our attention. (Phil. 2:2-5) Above all else, we should be gracious by praying for those with whom we may have differences. (Matt. 5:44-46) Adopting a servant heart, praying for others, thinking of others as more important than ourselves, and accepting the opinions and ideas of others as worthy of our consideration, will ultimately help us realize how little we really know and how much we need Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Christ. In time, we will find our greatest satisfaction and deepest joy in service to others, and truly come to understand what it means to enjoy gracious living. The following article is from the desk of Hardie Logan, one of the men of the Madisonville church of Christ.
In most cars and trucks that are not electric, there is a fuel gauge. Some people think it is one of the most, if not the most, important gauge in the vehicle. Drivers of the vehicle use it all the time to tell how much fuel they have and how far they can go. Even in electric vehicles, there is a gauge to tell how much charge you have in the vehicle. We know some things cause the fuel gauge to drop faster, like hot rodding or driving 90 miles an hour. Gauges can be very important. What if God gave every Christian a “Righteous gauge” (R gauge) when they were baptized. After one is baptized their “R gauge” would read “full”. Basically, that is the point in which the gauge should be the “fullest” simply because Jesus’ blood has removed all sin and the Holy Spirit has made His presence in the temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). So, now your “R gauge” is full. But then, the next day, you get back into the world. You meet some old friends; they tell some vulgar jokes and you laugh at the jokes with your friends. Does your “R gauge” drop from full? What would cause your “R gauge” to start going down? Do some things cause it to drop faster than others? Then you miss worshipping with the saints. How many times can you miss before your “R gauge” starts to drop? One, two, ten? Is missing worship a greater drain on your “R gauge” than laughing at vulgar jokes? What about discouraging a brother? Or maybe watching pornographic movies or not partaking of communion or not giving as one has prospered? Then there is the question of how low are you willing to let your “R gauge” go? Is it acceptable to God if you run on “half a tank” or “one fourth of a tank”? Or maybe just enough to get by? How full do you think God wants your “R gauge” to be when Jesus comes back? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). The real issue in all this is God didn’t give us a gauge. We are ones that act like we have a “R gauge” by the way we live. Some laugh at vulgar jokes, some don’t attend church services, and some watch pornographic movies. But God does tell us no matter what, we should seek after righteousness. Paul told Timothy to pursue righteousness, but Paul did not tell Timothy when to stop (1 Timothy 6:11). Do you think Paul meant for Timothy to pursue righteousness all the time? Every day? The only real example we have is Jesus. Jesus sought to be righteous every minute of every day. Whatever God wanted Jesus to do, Jesus did it. No questions asked. And Jesus was found righteous in God’s eyes. Is Jesus your example? “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1). Without a doubt every person who reads this article has made an excuse. Indeed, excuses are as natural as breathing for most people. We take refuge in the cute and clever excuses we forge to avoid what we ought to do. In fact, we spend more time inventing excuses to skirt our God-given responsibilities than we do carrying them out. How foolish! Yet, we continue to waste our time with rationales that irritate God. Let us be direct and address the common excuses we often use to evade the Lord’s work.
Foremost among the excuses we make is a lack of knowledge. We have all heard a fellow Christian say, “I don’t know enough to work for the Lord.” Though it may sound unkind, ignorance is usually not the issue. Dedication, however, is. Christianity is simple (2 Cor. 11:3). It does not take a man with a fancy degree or decades of experience to understand the message of Jesus. If it did, then Peter, a fisherman from the backwoods of Galilee, would not have been privileged to preach the first sermon recorded in Acts (Matt. 4:18; Acts 2:14-40). Knowledge, then, is not the issue; it is our lack of dedication. Another common excuse concerns reception. It seems that some brethren assume that no one will listen to the gospel, so they never preach it in the first place. Yet, the Bible emphasis is on proclamation, not reception. Jesus expects His people to preach Him and allow their hearers to decide what to do (Luke 10:16). We do not pout in the corner simply because no one liked what we had to say. Every Christian must understand that Jesus, the only perfect man who ever lived, was rejected (Jn. 12:37-43). Reception is not the point! Both former excuses pale in comparison to the final one: “I have other obligations.” No other excuse reveals a greater misunderstanding of Christ and His work than this. Somewhere down the line we were convinced that our families and jobs supersede the kingdom of God. Yet Jesus taught the exact opposite. The kingdom always comes first (Matt. 6:33; Luke 14:26-27, 33). Nothing compares to the cause of Christ. Several early disciples forsook all that they had to follow Jesus (Luke 5:11, 28). The same ought to be said about us. All that we have stated leads us to this: no excuse rationalizes our lack of work. We might convince others with our excuses, but God knows better. There is work to be done, and no room exists for excuse makers in the mission set before us. A wise man once stated, “he that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Which would you rather be? A craftsman of excuses or a worker for God? The decision is yours. The following article is from the desk of Hardie Logan, one of the brothers at the Madisonville church of Christ.
Ever since Eve partook of the ‘forbidden tree’ in the Garden of Eden, man has tried to work around things that God meant and justify his sin. When God asked Adam, “Who told you that you were naked?”, Genesis 3:11, Adam immediately tried to justify himself replying, “The woman You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” Later, in Genesis 4:8-9, when Cain killed his brother and God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”, Cain tried to justify himself by asking, “…am I my brother’s keeper?” All through the Old Testament, and even in the New Testament, we see examples of people trying to work around answering God and justifying sins they commit. And that has not changed, even to this very day. Take the issue of what is called ‘cybersex’ or ‘phone sex’. Many people participate in such things, and if truth be known, many of those people think that if they do it online, and no one knows, then what’s the hurt? Two people communicating together, doing their own thing. They would even argue that it is no one else’s business. And there is little doubt that it must be billions of dollars business. Sex sells no matter how you band-aid it. But it’s still immoral. Cybersex and phone sex cannot in any way be labeled as being righteous or noble or right or pure or lovely or admirable or excellent or praiseworthy in the eyes of man or God. No matter how you spin it, cybersex and phone sex are nothing short of “virtual adultery.” As James would say, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”- James 4:3-4. But some people would argue, “It’s not real sex, so it isn’t sex.” But it actually is called ‘cybersex’ and ‘phone sex’ right? It is an act of luring another person into an ungodly affair. And when people do it, what are they fantasying about? Surely, they are not fantasying about Godly things, but about their own desires and lusts. A person that is immoral in their mind and with their desires will eventually become immoral in their actions. As Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as a he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Jesus taught it in Matthew 5:27, “You shall not commit adultery…” and while there was no such thing as “cybersex” or “phone sex” back then, I would put forth that both terms are included as they are “virtual adultery” or “cyber adultery”. Among Christians this should never be. Let us be a people that strive after righteousness, godliness and purity. The following article is from the desk of David Bobbitt, one of the men at the Madisonville church of Christ. We invite you to give his words some thought.
Most baby boomers grew up watching television shows which featured talented animal "actors" achieving remarkable feats of intelligence, agility, or heroism. In the 1950's and 60's, we followed the adventures of Lassie, marveled at the acrobatics of Flipper, and cried during the closing scenes of Old Yellar. Mr. Ed, a horse, had even talked! By the 1980's, Disney had discovered that the American public more readily warmed up to our furry friends who talked, hence the beginning of the era of the talking pet. Disney championed the humanization of animals, and perhaps not coincidentally, it was also the era during which the animal rights movement began to gain momentum. And Americans swallowed it hook line and sinker! There are now pet saunas, pet salons, pet motels, exotic pet foods, clothing for pets, and even cemeteries for pets. Banks give doggie biscuits to customers with pets who use the drive-thru window (cats are out of luck), and many ice cream shops offer a "pup cup!" In a nation where poverty, homelessness, and hunger are still major issues, how can we as Americans justify spending more than $60,000,000,000 a year on our pets? Animals are part of God's creation and have played an important role in the emergence and growth of human civilization. They made large-scale agricultural production possible, carried our warriors to victory, served as sources of companionship and entertainment, and in many other ways made the trials of human existence easier to bear. Yet God never places animals on a par with humankind. The world pushes its liberal agenda because it denies mankind its God-given right to "rule over and subdue" the earth. (Genesis 1:28) Though it may be hard for some to believe, mankind is the crowning achievement of God's creative act. We are made in the image of God and specially gifted intellectually, morally, and spiritually like no other creature under the heavens. While God may love all his creatures, he has clearly differentiated between the value of human beings and the value of animals. In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus said: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." In Genesis 9:1-3, God gave the animals to Noah and his descendants as food. Interestingly, at that time there were no restrictions placed on man as to which animals he could and could not eat. All of that would come with the Mosaic Covenant. These Scriptures raise some important questions. If mankind is of more value than the animals, and the animals have been given to us as food, then what rights do animals really have? Some Christians believe that their pets will be with them in heaven! Do animals have souls? If so, how are they redeemed? Should we baptize our pets? If we speak of the "humane" treatment of animals, are we humanizing them? Certainly, we should never abuse or needlessly harm one of God creatures, but make no mistake about it, they have been put here by God for our benefit. Why does any of this matter? Because those who would rationalize God's word in small matters will eventually do so with larger, more important ones. A lack of respect for God's word breeds error. Hear what the apostle Paul says to Timothy in chapter four of his first letter: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." (I Timothy 4:1-5) Many people embrace the Scriptures only to the extent that they justify whatever lifestyle they subscribe to. But whether we are like Thomas Jefferson and literally cut those Scriptures which are not to our liking from our Bibles, or we rationalize God's word to suit our own purposes, the result is the same – we generally do as we please. So go ahead and enjoy your pets. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Abstain from eating meat if you so choose. We have a responsibility to keep our bodies fit for God's service and for some, a vegan or vegetarian diet is the only way they can do so. Yet beware of radical, anti-God messages which have no place in the church and don't forget where animals rank in the overall scheme of things. Animals don't possess the same rights as mankind, they don't have souls. In spite of what Disney says, no dogs go to heaven. Not long ago, few questioned the reality of truth in our world. To deny established facts and well-known principles was viewed as foolish and unhelpful. Even among groups with bitter disagreements, they could still acknowledge a universal standard of truth that governed their purpose even while debating how it applied to their situation. Today, 58% of our countrymen in the United States deny moral absolutes.1 They instead affirm that morality is up to each person to decide for themselves. When that statistic is further investigated, the results become even more shocking. It reveals a nation full of people who refuse to accept reality for what it is. No, for they have found a better path: their own version of truth. Indeed, it is far easier to invent your own truth so that you do not have to conform to that which is universal for all people. After all, every person faces unique circumstances that exempt them from the norm, right?
That is just the problem: it is not right. Truth is not a matter of circumstance or occasion. It is a bedrock foundation on which all that we are is built. To deny truth is not just a denial of facts and principles but a denial of what the Bible teaches. One cannot read the Scriptures and come away with the conclusion that truth does not exist or is irrelevant. When Jesus spoke of truth, He referred to it as a life-altering reality. He powerfully taught that truth sets us free from the bondage of sin (John 8:31-32). Denial of truth, then, is denial of liberty. When you deny the truth, you deny yourself liberation from the trap of sin. What you end up doing is submitting to Satan, who despises truth (John 8:44). Conversely, when you accept truth, no matter how challenging it is, you will find genuine freedom. That freedom will call you to abandon the paths of sin and live a life of righteousness for the Christ who purchased that freedom for you. Why then would we deny the truth? Later in John’s gospel, Jesus stated that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). One cannot follow Jesus without accepting the reality of truth, for Jesus Himself is truth. That refers to His existence, nature, and teachings. All that we read about Jesus in the Scriptures helps us see truth more clearly. Denial of the truth, then, becomes a denial of Jesus. That is perhaps one of the most disturbing parts of the thinking we find among the people of our land. The same people who deny truth will claim to accept Jesus and follow His ways. Such is an impossibility. We cannot reject the truth while simultaneously accepting the Savior who said He is the truth! If we refuse to accept the truth, then we will in effect refuse Jesus. Why then would we deny the truth? In His final recorded prayer, Jesus requested that the Father set His disciples apart by the truth (John 17:17). That truth of which He spoke was found in the word the Father revealed. To Jesus, God’s revealed word—which we have available today in the form of the Bible—is truth. It is not a half-truth or a partial truth, but the truth. It is no wonder that denial of truth tends to produce denial of what the Scriptures teach. All throughout the United States there are people who see the Bible as a book of fairytales and clever fables designed to deceive the minds of the simple. According to what Jesus taught, denial of the truth becomes a denial of the Scriptures. When we see the truth as subject to each person’s whims, no amount of evidence will change our minds. One person can take the Bible as the standard for all people while another can take it as a book of fiction and that will be alright to us. That perspective flies in the face of reality, fact, and principle. Archaeology, textual criticism, and other fields have proven the Scriptures to be true, but we must accept that truth exists and can be learned. It is through the Scriptures we learn truth and how it applies to our lives. When we learn it, we can then practice it and be pleasing in God’s sight. Why then would we deny the truth? Friends, the truth has not become a matter of interpretation. There remains a universal standard to which all people must conform. When they do, they will find liberty, Jesus, and the power of the Scriptures. While your own version of truth may bring you comfort and affirmation, it will not last. Eventually reality will come and demand your attention. Accepting truth may bring hardship and denial, but, in the end, it will bring lasting satisfaction that is not based on circumstance but on the bedrock of what is right. Let us all give the truth some thought. Sources Within our fleshly families, we count our brothers and sisters either as some of our closest confidants or some of our most bitter enemies. One anonymous author quipped, “Siblings: your only enemy you can’t live without.” That may define the relationship some have with their brothers and sisters in the flesh. Sadly, it most often defines the relationship we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Siblings in Jesus have been afflicted with interpersonal conflicts and divisions from the first century to the present day. Wherever such an affliction is found, we quickly find a host of other ailments that, if left untreated, will produce more disease and, inevitably, spiritual death. How we view our brothers and sisters in the faith makes a great difference in our own spiritual health and the health of our congregations.
Consider how some are quick to dismiss the conscience of their weaker brethren. Rather than treat them with kindness and deference, the “stronger” brothers and sisters treat the weaker like punching bags. They actively mock the weak and hold them in contempt for their perspective. The opposite is also true: the weak view the strong as immoral and false. The weak then treat the strong in accordance with their viewpoint. Friends, neither the strong nor the weak have the right to trample on the other one’s conscience. The Holy Spirit is clear that liberty in Christ should not become a stumbling block, nor should we allow a weak brother to perish over some indifferent matter (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). Furthermore, we cannot allow our personal scruples to become a doctrinal issue that divides us. It is fine to have personal convictions that are not in Scripture, but it is wrong to bind such on others (Romans 14:22-23). Whether we are strong, weak, or somewhere in between, let us not be dismissive toward each other. That is a sure way to treat our brothers as bothers. Evil suspicion is another way to treat our brothers like bothers. Oh, how often we have heard a brother or sister gripe about another and speak ill of their motives! They have said, “Surely brother so-and-so just wants to take control of the church for his own benefit.” Or they have stated, “Sister so-and-so does not care about anyone, but they sure like to make it seem like they do.” Do either of these statements sound like those who would say them are seeing the best in their brethren? We need to take heed to ourselves lest we dare speak evil of the motives of our brethren. It could be that we say more about who we are when we make such statements. Scripture clearly teaches us that genuine love does not think evil of others but instead looks to what is best (1 Corinthians 13:5). As a united family in Jesus, we should be willing to show such love toward one another. High-mindedness will also lead us to treat each other like bothers instead of brothers. At the heart of evil suspicion and enforcing matters of conscience is someone who elevates themselves above others. When someone views himself as better than those around him, he will naturally see anyone who disagrees as an opponent. If they do not fall into line, then he will seek to destroy them. Yet Scripture admonishes us to not think more highly of ourselves than is appropriate (Romans 12:3). Some are so busy seeing themselves as God’s gift to the brethren that they do not see the discord they are sowing through their attitude. Let us not walk with arrogance but instead adopt the same mind toward each other, realizing our opinions and ideas are not on a higher level than others (Romans 12:16). Brothers and sisters in Jesus must never forget that we all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross. It could be that such a reminder would help us avoid conflicts with our spiritual family. There yet remains one thought to consider: do you view your brothers as bothers? If you dismiss their conscience, view them with suspicion, and think yourself better than them, then you are eaten up with spiritual disease. You may think these perspectives are harmless, but inevitably, they will spread like cancer that devours the people of God. Friends, let us be quick to repent of these perspectives that lead us to view our brethren as lesser. We have all been bought by the blood of our Savior Jesus and should rejoice together in Him. Jesus’ desire is for His people to be united, not divided up over personalities and attitudes (John 17:20-24). We must then strive to abandon conflict and work to have strong relationships with each other that glorify God. Then, and only then, will we show a divided, chaotic world the Lord we serve. Shame, guilt, and sorrow often define our past. When we consider our former deeds and how we handled our lives, it causes significant regret. We wish we could be a time-traveler and return to those critical moments so we could have another opportunity to make things right, yet we know that is impossible. Perhaps it was an angry word spoken that could not be unspoken or neglect we wish we could change into action. Whether we like it or not, our past is part of what makes us who we are, but we cannot allow it to define us in the present, nor can its impact be so great that it hinders our future. However, that is precisely what many people are doing. They have no prospects for the present or the future because they are so busy looking behind them. Even Christians become weighed down with these thoughts. Is it God’s will for His people to think this way?
Throughout the Bible, God uses the term “remember” in a positive sense. Memory should not always be that which we view poorly. Consider how God wanted Israel to remember Him and His commandments (Deuteronomy 8:1-20). Through their remembrance of the Lord, they would call to mind His mighty deeds on their behalf. In addition, they would recall His commandments and seek to carry them out. The apostle Peter understood that remembrances had a place in the lives of God’s people, for when he wrote his second letter, it was to remind them of what they already knew (2 Peter 1:12-15). Our view of the past—whether our own or from the history the Lord has taught us in His word—should bring us gladness when we consider who the Lord is, what He has done for us, and what He has taught us. Without calling the past to mind, how will we know the path to travel in the future? We are not imprisoned in the past when we use it the way the Lord intends through remembrance of Him and His ways. The past becomes that from which we grow and learn rather than something we regret. We all know that this positive perspective on memory is often not the way the past is seen. One troubling problem we have with the past is paralysis. Put simply, we are overwhelmed with shame and guilt to the point we believe we can never do what is right. Let us be honest with ourselves, friends: this is often an excuse to refuse change. Even if it is not an excuse, it is a self-imposed obstacle. Scripture repeatedly affirms that we can change our ways to align with God (Ephesians 4:20-24). To deny this in our lives is a denial of what God has taught, which we cannot abide. We do not have to allow the past to imprison us to the point that we never grow, mature, or abound in what is good. There remain opportunities to carry out God’s will so long as we draw breath. The challenge is whether we will seize upon them. Another common problem we find with the past is nostalgia. In an era where responsibility and obligation are routinely avoided, it is not surprising that people both young and old would see the past through rose-colored glasses. That is, to them, what came before is better than what exists now. They feel this way because the past brings them more comfort than the present. The past did not challenge them to improve, nor did it call them to do better. This is not to suggest that all nostalgia is problematic but that some of its motivations are. Solomon wrote that those who see the old days as better are unwise (Ecclesiastes 7:10). Friends, we cannot be imprisoned in the past to the point that we always think it was so much better. When we look to the past with such delusions, we miss out on what is available to us in the here and now. We also neglect to press forward into the future. The apostle Paul reminds us that we need to neglect what is behind and focus on what is ahead in God’s service (Philippians 3:13-14). When we focus on the past at the expense of the present and the future, then we have made it into a prison. We have enabled ourselves to suffer at our own hands rather than press forward to what God has in store for us. The Lord Jesus Christ holds the key to that prison door we have created, and the key is remembering Him and His commandments. Surely, we can all appreciate a Savior who, though He knows all that we have done, still offers a path forward in His service. Will you accept the key He provides through His word? The following article is from the desk of David Bobbitt, one of the brothers at the Madisonville church of Christ.
When someone says “You need Jesus, I need Jesus, we all need Jesus,” what ideas do these phrases evoke in the minds of most people? Certainly, they convey the notion that the need for Jesus is universal, but in a practical sense, what does the idea of “needing Jesus” mean? How does it manifest itself in the lives of people? Does “getting Jesus” mean just being right with God, or is there something more? According to the Bible, when we emerge from the waters of baptism, we are new creations. (II Cor. 5:17, Col. 2:12, Rom. 6:1-5) We are new creations because our sins have been forgiven and our slate wiped clean, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t still have the same struggles that we did before. Temptation doesn’t just vanish, neither does our way of thinking change overnight. Yet if we have truly surrendered to the will of God, we will commit ourselves to doing our best to live as we should. That in and of itself is a major concession, but many people, when they first put on Christ in baptism, have no idea how to live better lives. This is where our “need for Jesus” comes into play. The Bible clearly states that not only is Jesus the head of the church, but also that he is the church! In 1 Corinthians 12:27 Paul writes, “Now you [the church] are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” To tell someone that they “need Jesus” is not some hollow, meaningless phrase. To “need Jesus” is to need the church and all the benefits that come with being a part of it. Those who believe that they can be “Christians are large” without being in fellowship with Christ’s body are greatly, and sadly mistaken. Someone might ask, “Besides being forgiven of our sins, what other benefits come with being a part of the church?” To answer that question, let us first consider the situation that a typical new convert might face. If, for example, a homeless person puts on Christ, he is a “new creation” because his sins have been forgiven, but how does he move forward to live a productive life for God? He may have a drug or alcohol problem and he may not be employed. It may seem that his prospects for improvement are small, but in fact, being a part of the church provides him with everything he needs to turn his life around. If he has truly surrendered his will to God, then he will be thinking about ways that he can become a good citizen and a productive servant of God. He may genuinely not know how to do that, but his brothers and sisters in Christ can help him. To become a good citizen, he needs to get a job, earn is wages, pay taxes, and learn to be responsible for his own care. Addressing a drug or alcohol problem likely will be one of the first things he needs to do. If he “turns these problems over to God” a solution can be found through the help of fellow Christians. Once sobriety is achieved, he can begin to look for a job and affordable housing. Again, fellow Christians can help because they can point him in the direction he needs to go. Resources are available to help him and Christians can be conduits through which he can find and embrace those resources. Christians can help by providing transportation to job interviews. Christians can also provide food and clothing temporarily until the new convert “gets on his feet.” Belonging to the church also conveys spiritual benefits. Christians can pray for, and with, the new convert to help him find the strength to move forward. They can teach him God’s word, provided that he continues to attend faithfully. Eventually, the new convert will start to develop a sense of “belonging” to the family of God. He will begin to cultivate hope and develop a vision for what he can become. He will be firmly planted in an environment where he can flourish physically, mentally, and spiritually. For those who have determined in their minds to “surrender to God,” all of these things are possible. There will be difficulties along the way, but the church can help even a homeless convert have a productive and meaningful life. To tell someone that they “need Jesus” is not just a phrase composed of happy thoughts and wishful thinking, but it is an invitation to become everything God wants them to become through his church. |
AuthorStephen Null is the preacher for the Madisonville church of Christ. He has served in that capacity since October of 2021. Archives
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