Why Assemble with a Local Church?

Where in Scripture can I find proofs that the attendance of and participation in a local church is a necessity; i e why do we “need to assemble and work with a local congregation”? Jewish Christians in the first century were abandoning the Lord’s church in large numbers and returning to Judaism, for which cause their failure to assemble was especially noted. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Assembling with the church in the first century was when biblical instruction and edification were obtained (1 Corinthians 14:12ff; Acts 20:7), public prayers were prayed to God and praises were sung to God (1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), the Lord’s Supper was observed weekly (Acts 20:7) and the contribution was given weekly (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). There is a biblical emphasis on assembling for worship with a local congregation. “If therefore the whole church be come together into one place…” (1 Corinthians 14:23). The Greek word for “church” has to do with the idea of “assembly,” and the Greek word from which we derive “be come together” means to convene an assembly. Hence, we have reference to “the whole church be come together into one place” — the assembly of a local congregation with all its members who can attend. The same emphasis on assembling with a local congregation appears in 1 Corinthians 11:18, “…when ye come together …

Division in the Church

A lengthy letter regarding division in the church was received recently, without going into all the details, nevertheless, which I would like to generally address here. I have seen my share of division in the church and division continues to divide congregations from time to time. Almost every congregation experiences these type of pains (irrespective of whether it actually divides) at some time in its history. Brethren have a number of theories regarding the solution to division and unrest in any given congregation, including: (1) “Things will never get any better around here until there are some funerals.” (2) “Anyone who disagrees with me is wrong and I’ll make our disagreement a test of fellowship, irrespective of whether the conflict is a matter of opinion or a violation of biblical doctrine.” Polarization of congregations, schools and programs throughout the brotherhood is commonplace, sometimes because of doctrine and sometimes without consideration of biblical doctrine. Polarization within congregations over opinions as well as biblical doctrine is common, too. Division seldom results in any good when it occurs between congregations or within congregations. However, division is not catastrophic in every case. Sharp contention between the apostle Paul and Barnabas caused them to part from each other (Acts 15:36-41). These two stellar servants of God divided over opinion. In that instance, two good works occurred as they each selected a missionary partner and went on separate missionary journeys. The contention and division was not permanent or considered even in the heat of passion as a test of fellowship; …

Having Faithful Children

… how old do they have to be, can you hold a 2 or 4 year olds accountable for being (riotous and unruly) and considered faithful, and are they still considered when they are 30 and their state is either unknown or they have become unfaithful, and finally how are step children figured into the equation when deciding about an elder? ~ Richard Morse, Wewahitchka, Fl The King James Version of the Bible in Titus 1:6 reads, “If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly” (emphasis added). However, several other English translations indicate that the children are to be believers or Christians: “having children that believe” (American Standard Version), “whose children believe” (New International Version), “having children who believe” (New American Standard Version) and “his children are believers” (Revised Standard Version). While personally, I do not generally recommend the latter three versions of the Bible because of their weaknesses, in this case, they accurately represent the message for today’s readers more clearly than perhaps the King James Version. Two and four-year-olds (and much older children) are incapable of believing, repenting, confessing Christ and consenting to immersion for the remission of sins. Therefore, children who are not yet Christians do not correspond to the Titus 1:6 qualification for membership in the eldership (though one or more other children in one’s family may). Whether grown, accountable children continue to affect the qualification of an elder by their righteous or unrighteous conduct is a matter of dispute among …

The Lion and the Lamb

From the island of Patmos, the apostle John, “in the Spirit,” ascended into heaven, and saw in God’s right hand a scroll “sealed tightly with seven seals” (Revelation 1:9; 4:1-2; 5:1). When no one “could open the scroll,” John “wept much” (Revelation 5:3-4). One of the 24 elders said to him, “Do not weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the descendant of David, has conquered! He can break the seals and open the scroll” (Revelation 5:5). However, the one who took the scroll from God’s hand was not a Lion, but a Lamb (Revelation 5:6-10). What is the explanation? All 66 Bible books are interlocked. The history of the Lion and Lamb pattern begins in Genesis. About 1706 B.C. the patriarch Jacob prophesied about one of his sons: “Judah will stoop and crouch as a lion, and as a lion, who will arouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until the Peacemaker comes, and him the peoples will obey” (Genesis 49:9-10). Apparently because the lion is the king of the jungle, God planned that a descendant of Judah would be given a king’s scepter of “all authority in heaven and on the earth,” and as a lawgiver the King would issue “the law of the Spirit of life,” the words of which will “judge” all people “in the last day” (cf. Matthew 28:18; Romans 8:2; John 12:48). Isaiah added to Jacob’s prophecy that the coming lion-like King would …

Be Not Anxious

If we are to develop the mind of Christ, we must learn to overcome anxiety. Most of us would like to, but do not know how to start. Perhaps this article will help you learn how and then to practice developing the mind of Christ. Back during the depression, my father walked 10 miles and cracked rocks all day for about $1 per day — when he was able to get work. During the spring, I would plant peas in the corn field for five cents a day, and worked my way through elementary school as janitor — sweeping the floors and building the fires each day for $1 per month. For supper some days, if we had a piece of corn bread and a glass of milk we were thankful, and I remember once when we ate all week on a washtub full of hominy. However, when I was about eight years old, I read Matthew 6:25-34, and when I heard my mother express concern that we might starve, I said, “Mama, what about these verses? Did God mean what he said or not?” She said, “Honey, you just don’t understand.” I replied, “Then explain it to me, for it seems to me that God is saying for us not to worry.” She was not able to explain it away very well, so I just trusted that God would provide at least as well for me as he did for the birds. Some 60 years later, I weigh about …

The First Time I Ever Said, “I Love You.”

“I love you” were three words that were never spoken in the house when I was growing up. We all knew that we were loved and loved each other, but it was never said; it was simply “understood.” There were nine of us in our family. We lost a sister when she was a toddler. I am the eldest of six siblings, three girls and three boys. When I left home over 30 years ago, I had never said, “I love you” to my mother, father, brothers or sisters. I decided when I married and had a family, things would be different in my home. The words “I love you” would be heard on a somewhat regular basis. I wanted my children to hear as well as feel and know they were loved. I wanted them to feel comfortable saying “I love you” and hearing “I love you.” I wanted them to respond to hearing those three words as naturally as they responded to hearing their own name. I have two sons and I am proud that they can say “I love you” with ease. I had been away from home for years before I ever said to my mother “I love you,” and to my surprise, she very easily said she loved us too referring to my husband and children. My father was very sick one time and I told him that I loved him. He was so astounded that he could not say anything. Both of my parents …

Prepare to Hear

God will answer Job’s questions with a humbling interrogation, prefaced (twice) by the blunt warning, “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me” (Job 38:3; 40:7). Confrontation with God requires preparation. God’s revealed truth impacts its auditors with a challenge. With God’s Word, it always is. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). The Word of God will never leave a person in the same spiritual position. It will have some effect, depending upon the choice of the hearer. The listener could reject and rebel, as Stephen’s suddenly self-appointed executioners did (Acts 7:54-60). The listener could repent and obey, as did the Jews on Pentecost (Acts 2:37-47). The listener could even procrastinate (Acts 24:25), but he will not be left unchanged. The Word of God pierces to the guilt of the soul, like a sword through sensitive flesh. It would behoove everyone to behold the power of the message to be proclaimed during the Gospel. One wonders, then, if God’s message to Job might have modern application. Even though God does not speak person-to-person …

Money Problems

Someone has suggested that there are two basic causes for trouble in marriage: “not finding in marriage what one expected to find, and not expecting what one actually finds.” The fact is, no marriage is trouble-free. In the best of marriages, there are ups and downs. Couples generally expect to find three things in marriage — stability, security and predictability. There are times in every marriage when one or more of these expectations will not be realized. What is often the cause of marital problems? One might think it is sexual incompatibility, infidelity or in-law trouble, but financial worries are the root cause of the greatest number of marital disagreements. Family conflict, interpersonal strife, anger and frustration are all related directly or indirectly to the pursuit and management of money. Money is not the problem, but rather our attitude toward money, and our inefficiency in handling it wisely. Learning how to set up and stick to a budget can go a long way in building a meaningful and lasting marriage. It is not money, but the love of money that the Bible says is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Money should be seen as a gift from God to be used wisely and managed carefully. What we have is not ours, but belongs to God. It has been loaned to us that it might be used, not hoarded. The Bible offers many warnings regarding our attitude toward money and the things money can buy (Matthew 6:19-21; 16:26; …

The Last Days

Question: “Are we living in the last days?” Answer: Yes. Carefully study the following thoughts and passages: The Old Testament prophets said, “the mountain of the Lord’s house” [i.e., the church] would be “established” [i.e., built] in the LAST DAYS. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2). “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it” (Micah 4:1). The church Jesus promised (cf. Matthew 16:18-19) was established on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection of the Lord (cf. Acts 2:47), thus, the LAST DAYS [i.e., the Christian age] began in Acts 2, in fulfillment of Jesus’ promise. In fact, Peter told his audience that what was happening on that very occasion in Acts 2 was in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that was to come to pass in the LAST DAYS. Compare Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:16-17. Hence, the LAST DAYS began on Pentecost. Thus, we are now living in the LAST DAYS and we have been living in them for nearly 2,000 years. The New Testament says, “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the father by …

I Am a Debtor

The apostle Paul said that “I am a debtor both to the Greeks and foreigners, both to the wise and the unwise” (Romans 1:14). Hugo is a debtor to Paul and to countless others, living and dead. I have found, along with Jeremiah, “that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (10:23). Consequently, I am in debt to the Author of the one book of directions in this world that came from heaven. And I rejoice with David in saying, The law of Yahweh is complete, refreshing the soul. The testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of Yahweh are upright, rejoicing the heart. The commandments of Yahweh are clean, enlightening the eyes (Psalm 19:7-8). The ordinances of Yahweh are truth, and are altogether righteous. More to be desired are they than gold, even much refined gold; sweeter than honey, even the drippings of honeycombs. Moreover, by them is your servant admonished, and by observing them is a great reward (Psalm 19:9-11). And I rejoice that Paul could say, Every Scripture is God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that God’s man may be equipped and completely ready for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). John Wycliffe (1324-1384) But for over 1200 years, after the apostle John wrote the last book of the New Testament about 96 A.D., there was no English translation. I am a debtor …

A Cake Not Turned

“Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned” (Hosea 7:8). Or, as the Geneva Bible has this verse, “Baked on one side and raw on the other, he is neither through hot nor through cold, but partly a Jew and partly a Gentile.” Ephraim (or Israel) was mixing with the uncircumcised and unclean Gentile nations and was the worse for such social intercourse. Hosea illustrated such a condition by depicting a scene wherein a person was cooking a circular pancake over the scorching heart of red-hot stones. The cake had to be quickly turned or else the cake would be burnt on one side while still moist and raw on the other side. The bread would be neither fully cooked nor raw. It would be unfit to eat in such a condition. Israel seemed to be plagued with the perpetual problem of a divided allegiance. Joshua exclaimed in the long ago, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). In the days of King Ahab, Elijah the prophet asked the children of Israel on Mount Carmel, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if …

What Christ Can Do for a Man

About sixty years ago, some said I was small for my age. Others thought I was young for my size. Maybe I was both. I remember seeing some pictures of Charles Atlas on the back of some magazine that pictured him as a 98-pound weakling. After he used the barbells, or whatever it was they were advertising, he had muscles all over and was attracting all the girls on the beach. Probably this “before and after” image has been used to sell cereal, shampoo and a variety of other things. It even impressed me so much that, although I could not afford barbells, I did use an old buggy axle, and eventually reached the point where I could chin myself with one arm. So, when I looked at men before and after Christ had touched them, I was impressed with what Christ can do for a man. When I see Peter in Matthew 14:30, he had a great fear of sinking. Jesus had said, “Come,” and Peter started, “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying ‘Save me, Lord.’” Many times in home Bible studies, when I invite a person to come to Christ, he replies, “I would like to be a Christian, but I am not strong enough.” That is sad, but true. We are all in danger of sinking. The waves are really there, and the wind is really boisterous. And we cannot walk on water! Neither could Peter, …

Preach the Word with Boldness

“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion…They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them”  (Proverbs 28:1, 4). It is obvious that the first century church of Christ was successful in completing its mission to take the Gospel to the world. Jesus commanded to go into all the world and to “…preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). About thirty years later, Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, stating that the Gospel had been “…preached to every creature which is under heaven…” (Colossians 1:23). I believe this happened. Some will say that this is a reference only to the “known world.” To this I simply reply, “That’s right, for God knew them all!” It was God who verbally inspired Paul to write Colossians 1:23, you see, and God surly knows what “…every creature which is under heaven…” means. As we read the record in the book called “Acts of the Apostles,” we see that just fifty days after they crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, some of the very ones who had been there asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” They were commanded to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. That day about three thousand souls were added to the Lord. (Acts 2:37-41). In fact, the record goes on to say that “…the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” …

Woman Work Outside the Home?

[Gospel Minutes. 51.12 (2002): 4.] An elder here has said that, according to 1 Tim. 5:14, the Christian woman is not to work outside the home. This bothers me greatly, for I work at a job and bring in a pay check, and we really need that to live. I want to do what is right. So, is there Bible authority for a woman to leave the home and work at a secular job? The passage in question reads: “I desire therefore that the younger widows marry, bear children, rule the household, give no occasion to the adversary for reviling” (1 Timothy 5:14). This correlates with Titus 2:3-5, “That the aged women … train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sober-minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” These passages surely show that the primary work of the wife is to be a “homemaker.” But does this mean that it is wrong for her to work outside the home? “After these things he [Paul] departed from Athens, and came to Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome: and he came unto them; and because he was of the same trade, he abode with them, and they wrought, for by their trade they were …

Samuel Crossword Puzzle

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Idol Powder

In Exodus Chapter Thirty-Two, we are told about the Israelites turning from God. Moses has been on Mount Sinai speaking with God for a long period of time. The Israelites begin to think he is not coming down. So, they go to Aaron and ask him to make them some gods to worship. Aaron takes gold earrings from the Israelites and makes a golden calf. The Israelites cry out that this is the god that brought them out of Egypt. The next morning, they have a great celebration and offer sacrifices to the golden calf. God tells Moses that the Israelites have done a terrible thing. He sends Moses back down the mountain. When Moses sees what the Israelites are doing, he gets very angry. He throws the tables of stone containing the 10 Commandments down and breaks them. Moses takes the golden calf and burns it. He then grinds it down into a fine powder and throws this powder on the water coming from the Rock (Deuteronomy 9:21). This action may have been a special symbol of condemnation to the Israelites and the Egyptian gods that they were worshipping. It was a practice in Egypt to throw statues of gods into the Nile River at certain times of the year. This was so that the gods would give them good harvests, good health and prosperity. Moses was demonstrating that these false gods were nothing. In fact, he makes the Israelites drink the water with gold in it. Some commentators …

Break Their Teeth

Have you ever had the chance to see a snake charmer? More than likely if you did see one, you saw it on television. The snake charmer is a person who is able to do some amazing things with poisonous snakes. One of the most famous tricks is when the charmer plays a musical instrument and the snake slowly comes up out of his container. If the snake is a cobra, he will spread wide the skin on the sides of his head. Sometimes the charmer will slowly lean forward and actually kiss the snake on the lips. Sometimes he will hold the snake around his head. In ancient times, one of their tricks was to press on the side of the snake’s head and make the snake become stiff like a rod. One of ways that the snake charmer trained the new snake was to break off the teeth of the snake. This way, if the snake decided to strike and try to bite the charmer, no harm could be done.  The teeth would grow back but it gave the charmer time to train the snake. Sometimes the charmer would also have to break the teeth of a trained snake that quit doing his tricks. In Psalm 58, David asks God to break the teeth of the wicked. David says that these wicked men are just like the poisonous snakes that refuse to listen to the charmer. David wants God to take their bite away from them. David realizes …

The Mind/Spirit of Christ and Forgiveness

The expression “the mind of Christ” appears in Philippians 2:5. Herein, it is my task to deal with some of the characteristics of the “mind of Christ” that are certainly worthy of our daily emulation. In this lesson, I wish to show that the mind of Christ is both kind and forgiving. The twin virtues of kindness and forgiveness are easily seen in the two passages that I have selected for my texts (Acts 10:38 and Matthew 18:21-35). This topic will carry our spirits into seasons of refreshing as we are transported, if only momentarily, out of the worldly surge of hostility and belligerence into the more saintly spheres of kindness and forgiveness. The Spirit of Kindness (Acts 10:38) We speak of a “kind” person, and we speak of “mankind,” and perhaps if we think about it at all, we may think that we are using quite different words or the same words in different senses. In reality they are connected by the closest of bonds; a “kind” person is a “kinned” person, one having kindship with other men. In truth, mankind is mankinned. Cain showed how unkind he was in his retort to God’s inquiry, “Where is Able thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). It is interesting to note that in Cruden’s Concordance “kindness,” is next to “kindred.” The truly blessed enjoy a dual kinship in this world: one in Adam and one in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, the two heads …

Physical Evidence for the Flood

The worldwide flood of Noah’s time changed the appearance of the world forever! Second Peter 3:5 says that “…the world that then was PERISHED…” (EMP. mine). The world that Noah and his family stepped off on after their time on the ark looked nothing like the one they lived on prior to the deluge. What physical evidence can we look at today to see that the world was covered by water? Let’s look at some of the evidence that would appear to have been left by the flood, but since no one alive today saw the pre-flood world, it is all speculation. First, ninety percent of the earth’s surface is covered by sedimentary rock. This is the type of rock that is formed by water. Sandstone, limestone, conglomerates, etc. are all present in very large quantities on the surface. When we build a new road through the mountains, cut clefts, and expose rock layers, most often they are sedimentary. This type of rock is so common that it is very likely that most people have never seen any other type of rock. Now the skeptics say that some of these rocks could not be formed in a flood, but they still say that water was necessary, and during the flood, we had plenty of water! Second, the abundance of fossils is another strong evidence for a worldwide flood. This has been one of my favorite hobbies over the past 15 years, and my basement shows it. I have lugged rocks …

Modern Medical Mayhem

It was one of the most gut wrenching things I have ever had to witness. During my undergraduate years, I worked part-time at a facility that cared for Alzheimer’s disease patients. Day after day, I would watch family members come to care for their loved ones. And day after day, they would leave in tears having not been recognized by their own spouses or children. Ailments of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s tear at the very roots of many families across this nation. As such, millions of research dollars have been spent looking for a cure. In fact, one can barely watch the evening news without hearing about the latest scientific discovery. Without fail, most of these research reports discuss the “potential” benefits of fetal tissue or embryonic stem cells. The media has inundated us with the idea that unless we use tissue from aborted babies or embryos, we will never be able to conquer these dreaded diseases. But is this the truth? Do aborted fetuses and leftovers from in vitro fertilization offer a cure? The truth is, we have been fed a lie that the media continues to use to justify the 1.2 million infants killed by abortion each year (see https://www.apologeticspress.org/rr/rr2002/r&r0207a.htm) and the 400,000 embryos that have been plunged into the icy depths of liquid nitrogen (see https://www.apologeticspress.org/inthenews/2003/itn-03-17.htm). We are continually told about the “potential” benefits of these embryonic tissues. But science has shown otherwise, not once, but twice! In a telling article titled “Strike Two …

Using Scripture in Context

The proper use of Scripture requires that it only be used to teach the truth to which it applies. Romans 14:23 is the classic example of Scripture often taken out of context; “faith,” here refers to one’s conscience — not the system of faith, the Gospel. It may be that Scripture is frequently used “out-of-context” proportionately to our preference for and experience in topical preaching over expository preaching. Perhaps the most often overlooked context which troubles denominational people and brethren is the backdrop to the first century church of miracles and intervention in the affairs of men by the Godhead (i.e., chiefly the Holy Spirit) and angels (e.g., mustard-seed-mountain-moving faith, Matthew 17:20; 1 Corinthians 13:2; elders anointing the sick with oil, James 5:14; Mark 6:13; 16:18). 1 Thessalonians 5:22 First Thessalonians 5:22 reads, “Abstain from all appearance of evil” KJV or “…every form of evil” ASV. I have often heard the KJV rendering of this verse used to teach avoidance of conduct or activities that perhaps harmless themselves may be perceived as evil by someone observing such (e.g., turning around in the parking lot of an unsavory and sinful establishment). The word “appearance” (KJV) and “form” (ASV) come from the Greek eidous — from eidos, which means: “kind” or “species.” The same word (eidous) occurs in 2 Corinthians 5:7 and means “sight” or “perception.” A derivative (eidei) occurs in Luke 3:22 and means “form” or “external appearance.” The contexts of 2 Corinthians 5:7 and Luke 3:22 demand that our word refer to what is seen. …