Accept One Another

Accept ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
(Romans 15:7-13)

Why does Paul repeat again and again his plea for peace to reign among the people? He knew that Jews and Gentiles were very different and both tended to be opinionated. Are we that way? Or are we tolerant, exercising Christian patience toward one another? Paul said, "Welcome one another" (v. 7). He pleads for harmony. We're brothers and sisters and should conduct ourselves as such.

Verse 12 declares, "In him [the root of Jesse] shall the Gentiles hope." A descendant of David had risen to rule the hearts of even the Gentiles. The old order was fading out; a new order was being ushered in. Hope for all was born. Now, "whosoever will may come."

Lord, help us, to welcome others as you have welcomed us.

Just Use Me!

And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the word of God.
(1 Samuel 9:27)

Most of us resent being "used," but here is something which could change the world, and it is crying out to be used:

Just use me ~ I am the Bible.
I am God's wonderful library.
I am always ~ and above all ~ the Truth.

To the weary pilgrim, I am a good strong staff.
To the one who sits in gloom, I am a glorious light.
To those who stoop beneath heavy burden,
I am sweet rest.
To him who has lost his way, I am a safe guide.
To those who have been hurt by sin,
I am healing balm.
To the discouraged, I whisper glad messages of hope.
To those who are distressed by the storms of life,
I am an anchor.
To those who suffer in lonely solitude,
I am a cool, soft hand resting on a fevered brow.

O, child of man, to best defend me, just use me!
(Author Known to God)

The Bible must always be at the heart of our preaching, teaching, and way of living. If the Scriptures do not guide our lives, we have no guide better than ourselves. No human document can compare in the least with the Word of God.

There is no comparison:
The Bible is the best guide, and the believer's life is the best guided through its use. Don't be deprived of the Bible's rich blessings. Read it daily. Study it often.

And if you have not yet discovered that wonderful Book we call the Bible, it's time you did. In the words of Samuel to Saul, "Stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the word of God."

What's The Crop?

The parable of the wheat and the tares focuses upon a crop that's planted in and harvested from this world. Let's examine that crop more closely. Matt. 13:38 tells us that "... the good seed are the children of the kingdom ...." Contrast this with the earlier parable in which Jesus used seeds as a type of the word of God sown in human hearts. This parable is different. Here the seed is people. In fact there are two distinct kinds of people described, "children of the kingdom" and "children of the wicked one."

Our perspective on God's kingdom is very limited. Many things are unclear, indistinct. Often we're in doubt as to who is really a part of the kingdom and who is not. "We walk by faith and not by sight." II Cor. 5:7. As Paul said, "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face ...." I Cor. 13:12.

The parable of the wheat and the tares gives us just a little glimpse of the kingdom from God's perspective. We see the process from beginning to end set forth in simple terms. I believe that God means for His children to have some understanding in these things to better help us cope with our lives in this world.

Declared Guilty No Longer - Case is Closed!

I was at the courthouse bright and early this morning with a 98-year-old man from our church who had been summonsed to appear there today. I checked over the list of the day's cases and couldn't find his name, so I went to the Clerk and handed her the man's summons. She checked her computer, then handed the paper back to me and said that the officer who investigated the matter never turned in any report or other paper-work relating to it, and therefore the summons was of no authority.

This man has been barely able to sleep for a month because of this matter. He was elated to hear the news, and I could see how relieved he was. This matter that had worried him and kept him up nights turned out to be nothing. The court had no record of it.

Driving home, I thought "isn't that just like us." God has given us victory over sin. He has removed it from him as far as the east is from the west. There is no more any record of it in Heaven. It is just as if it never happened, in God's sight. Yet, day-in and day-out, we carry around with us things that we repented of and sought His forgiveness for years ago. We let the guilt of things that God no longer remembers, prevent us from serving Him the way He wants us to. It keeps us from helping other people, from serving in ministries we know we should be working in, and often even from having the relationship with Him that we ought.

It's Thanksgiving. Let's be THANKFUL that God has put away our sin and given us victory over its power, including the power of its guilt. Let's not dwell in the "shadow" of sin. Let's learn what we can, then move ahead, step out, and serve him joyfully and victoriously.

No Room For Boasting!

Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncir- cumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From hence- forth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
(Galatians 6:11-18)

Paul said, May I never boast in anything but the cross of Jesus Christ. In the center of our beings, we mortals know we're flawed. We each live in fear of someone else finding out what we really think and who we really are. Christ changes the inner being and we begin to live without fear---not because we're less flawed than others, but because we have been forgiven, loved, and accepted. Jesus' love covers the blemishs.

The Mark Of True Christianity

To be a Christian is precisely the same thing as to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ.

A Disciple, to speak in general terms, is one who acknowledges any one as his teacher, and faithfully follows his instructions. Thus, for example, those, who chose Socrates or Plato for their teacher and lived according to their directions, imbibing, owning, and practising their system of philosophy, were called their disciples….And to the same purpose we read the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch [Acts 11:26].

To be a disciple of Jesus Christ two things are necessary: to receive him as an Instructor, and to obey him as a Master.

(1.) To receive Christ as a teacher, to regard him as the instructor of our souls, at whose feet we are ready to sit as humble docile pupils, and receive without question whatever he may communicate respecting God, and his character, and divine purposes. He that is thus eager and willing to learn of Jesus as God’s appointed Teacher, or which is the same thing, to take his religion from the New Testament, is so far a Christian. And he has perfect claim to the title, when (2.) he carries into practical effect those instructions, and faithfully conforms himself to them in heart, disposition, and conduct. This faith and confidence in him as a divine Teacher and obedience to him as a Saviour, constitute a Christian.

Some, however, will step in here, and tell us that this is not sufficient. They will name a certain list of doctrines, which it is necessary to believe that Jesus taught, and declare that no one is a Christian, who does not hold a certain specified form and number of religious articles.—To such I answer, who told you so? Who has given you a right to say, that there is only one sect in all Christendom which contains true disciples? For in fact the assertion amounts to this:—just as if it were not more pleasing to our Lord, that one should come to him and learn of him with right dispositions and faithful endeavors, than that he should simply attain a correct set of abstract opinions. There is not a passage in the New Testament, which requires a completely unerring faith, before one can be numbered with the disciples of Christ. I can point to a multitude of passages which require a life without error; but I do not remember one which requires a faith without error.—On the contrary, I recollect we are told "to receive the weak in faith," and, what is more, to receive them without "doubtful disputations" [Rom. 14:1]. I recollect too, that while the twelve were always acknowledged by their living Master as his disciples, they had many great errors of faith, even in respect to the nature of his kingdom. But then they were humble, sincere, diligent, learners,—they listened to him and followed him, and placed all their confidence in him; and therefore, notwithstanding their errors, they were received by him.—It is plain, therefore, that no man is to be refused the Christian name solely on account of the supposed imperfection of his faith. They that have drawn up their articles, and declare that all who do not conform to them are not Christians, are trying men by a wrong standard,—a standard, which their Master himself, by his conduct to his disciples, has discountenanced.

This point may be made perfectly clear at once, by appealing to every man’s experience and plain common sense. You meet with a man, who, in all the relations of life in which he moves, is marked for his uprightness and integrity, his good dispositions, and general benevolence. He says very little, perhaps seldom says any thing, about his religion; but withal is humble and distrustful of himself, mild and meek in his intercourse with men, punctual in his attendance on the worship and ordinances of God, and apparently diligent in the perusal of the scriptures, which he seems to reverence and love and live by. What do you say of this man? Do you not consider him a Christian? You have never heard him converse for half an hour on religious subjects;—you do not know any thing of his opinions on any one of the great doctrines which have divided the church;—but you do not doubt that he is a Christian.—Perhaps, well as you know him, you do not even know in what temple he worships, or with what church he communes; you have not thought to ask whether he be a Methodist or Quaker or Episcopalian, or Baptist. But you do not doubt that he is a Christian. The evidence is stampt on every feature of his life; and you would as soon think of waiting for the anatomist to examine his body, before you would venture to call him a man, as you would wait to know his private opinions on controverted points, before you admit him to be a Christian. In such a case as this there is no dispute. All agree. All acknowledge, Fenelon, and Lardner, and Dodderidge, and Penn, and Wesley, to be Christians; and yet, on disputed topics, which some tell you is the standard, they all differed from each other as the four winds of heaven.

You meet with another man who presents a different aspect. He talks very often and very long about his religion; it is the favorite topic of his conversation, on which he dwells with earnestness and zeal, and condemns all who seem to be less zealous than himself.—He lays urgent stress upon the peculiar doctrines which he has adopted; he proclaims their excellence, he argues for their truth, he is almost ready to suffer martyrdom in their defence; and they are the very doctrines which are declared to be the essentials to the Christian. But then at the same time you discover that there is something in him of religious ostentation and spiritual pride; he does not govern his passions, he indulges his appetites, is selfish, and exerts himself but little for the benefit of others; and is quite censorious and uncharitable in his judgments. Now what do you say of such a man? Do you think that his merely holding that set of opinions, which is said to constitute a Christian, gives him a fair title to the Christian name? Do you not at once judge, that his feelings, dispositions, and character are more than an offset to these opinions? Does not every one judge so? I have stated these two cases strongly, because it is easiest thus to test the principle. Upon such cases, and they are by no means imaginary, there can be no difference of opinion; and they prove, that it is perfectly absurd to pretend that any certain set of opinions, beyond an acknowledgment of the divine authority of Jesus Christ and his gospel, is essential to a Christian, or constitutes a Christian.

They prove to us further,—that he is a genuine Disciple, who, having patiently and humbly learned of Jesus whatever he teaches, and cast himself on his gospel for salvation, faithfully cultivates his spirit, and forms his character according to that teaching and his example.

This is a definition which cannot be set aside. This will hold good amidst all the opposition of zeal and bigotry. This, in all practical decisions ever has been and ever must be appealed to, by the sober common sense and unanimous judgment of the whole Christian world.

He may be more or less enlightened. He may be more or less an adept in subtleties of doctrine and mysteries of knowledge. He may see reason to hold the five points of one, or stronger reason to abide by the five hundred of another. But if he have, with a good and honest heart, gone to the word of Jesus himself, and imbibed his spirit, and brought forth the fruits of that spirit—"heretic" he may be, but he is still a Christian; and from the living grave of the Inquisition, or the flaming pile of Protestant persecution, his meek and lowly spirit shall ascend to a righteous Judge, and be acknowledged in the presence of angels. Many, many will appear on the right hand at the last day, whom human judgment would not suffer to live, because they were no Christians!

How important, then, is it for us to avoid the error of making our private opinions the standard by which to judge the claims of our fellow men. It is not the right standard by which to try ourselves; much less by which to try others. We cannot go beyond their general characters; and if their characters, under a charitable construction, are agreeable to the upright and devout spirit of the gospel, it is to the last degree arrogant and criminal in us to deny them the Christian name. We may think their opinions erroneous, and say so, if we please; but to denounce them as not Christians, because it is our opinion that their opinions are erroneous—words cannot express the absurdity.

Allegiance Priority

or ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
(Galatians 1:13-14)

In my earlier life I was zealous enough to destroy the church out of my righteousness, Paul explains. This was the righteousness of a man dedicated to the law. In his zeal for the law he was blinded to his own need for a Savior. Paul had tried religion and its traditions. He knew firsthand that religion was powerless to change people's hearts. Still intense, Paul's allegiance was no longer to a religion, but to a person: Jesus Christ. Today, we see how religion can separate Christians, too. To whom is our allegiance?
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Loss of Focus?
[ Selected ]

Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
(Galatians 4:15-20)

LYou've lost something, Paul said. When we choose to live by legalism and the letter of the law rather than by faith, the sense of blessing is diminished. Why do we need God, if we can do it ouselves? Those who were teaching the false doctrine were trying to make followers for themselves and feed their human ego. Of course, following the teachings of people instead of God is not going to bring any peace or sense of blessing. If we've lost the blessing, now's the time to go after it and gain our Christian inheritance again. We're a blessed people.

God Was Silent

For some 400 years from Malachi until John the Baptist, God sent no prophet to Israel. He was silent, allowing religious men to speculate as they would about the coming kingdom. The prophetic utterances upon which the kingdom was to be established and built were complete. A faithful remnant, preserved by God, continued to pray and wait for its arrival. The rest blindly practiced their religion, drifting farther and farther from God.

As the time approached for Jesus to be born God communicated with certain ones among the remnant about it. He sent Gabriel to Zacharias to tell him of the coming birth of a son named John who would carry out a ministry of preparation "in the spirit and power of Elias" -- or Elijah. Luke 1:13-19.

Verse 16 is significant: "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God." The word "turn" tells us that the children of Israel as a whole had not, in spite of their religion, been serving God at all but needed to be "turned" to Him. The word "many" signifies that although some would be affected, many others were beyond the reach of even the mightily anointed ministry that God was granting them through John.

Then Gabriel was sent to Mary to tell her that, though she was a virgin, God would overshadow her and she would bear a child she was to call Jesus who would be the Son of God. Of him, Gabriel said, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

Then there were the prophetic utterances of Elizabeth, the mother of John, and Mary in Luke 1:39-56. Mary, in particular, spoke of the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham and his seed. Remember our earlier discussions concerning Abraham's seed.

Following the birth of John we have the prophecy of Zacharias which gained special attention throughout the hill country of Judaea as they were the first words he had been able to utter since the encounter with Gabriel! The prophecy included such phrases as, "... the Lord God of Israel ... hath visited and redeemed his people ... hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets ... that we should be saved from our enemies ... to perform the mercy promised to our fathers ... to give the knowledge of salvation unto his people ... to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:68-79.

When Jesus was born there was the message of the angels to the shepherds, "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

When Joseph and Mary brought Jesus, still a baby, to Jerusalem "to present him to the Lord" they encountered a man named Simeon. Simeon was one of the faithful remnant and was described as, "just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him." What a contrast with the self-righteous Pharisees! Here was someone whose heart was toward God, with whom God could and did communicate.

He certainly possessed knowledge that the Pharisees did not. They may have been diligent students of the scriptures but Simeon knew the Author! Luke 2:26 says, "And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ."

The Lord enabled him by revelation to come to the temple at just the right time and to take Jesus in his arms and to say, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."

Verses 36-38 introduce us to another of the remnant, a very aged woman named Anna, described as a prophetess, who served God night and day in the temple with fastings and prayers. Following the words of Simeon she arrived on the scene and "spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

Battleground Of Body and Mind

As Paul tracks the path of spiritual death, he doesn't lay all of the blame on the world around us, neither on the corrosive fellowship of unbelievers nor on the might of Satan and all his cohorts. He tells us of the enemy within-our own physical and intellectual nature. We are the battlefield. Sometimes when an emotional flare-up has broken a relationship, we hear, "But that's just the way I am. I can't help being this way."

Of course that's the way they are. Who would dispute it? But it's tragic to remain that way when the spirit of God is available and willing to enter our lives.

Not only do we find some kind of relief from our rationalizations about ourselves, but we also look around us to rationalize the whole world's behavior. We may even be better than the people around us. After all, who wouldn't like to compare his own virtues with another's vices. As they say, "In the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." In Ephesus, as in much of the world today, believers were a minority. It seems always so. The world around us is no excuse for the world within us. In our day of sociological stereotypes, it's easy to say, "Change the environment, and you will change the people." Nature should teach us. A lily blooming in a muddy pool is as white as one in the florist's window.

A fish living in a world of salt water still needs to be salted before becoming tasty. Lionel Arrington once wrote a song that reminded us that all the water in the world wasn't enough to sink us unless the water got inside the boat.

One of the words Paul uses carries more significance than we usually give it: "Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past ." (Eph. 2:3). Rightly understood, the word conversation means "citizenship." ("Life in association with others, in the everyday intercourse of society." Interpreter's Bible, 1953, Vol. 10; p. 641.) Citizenship was a cherished word to Paul. He was a Roman citizen, even when he was far from Rome or any Roman province. As such, he demanded and got the special recognition and privilege of the empire. Now he talks of his former citizenship in the world of iniquity. This has changed. He's now a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Later in this chapter he speaks of being "aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12).

It is impossible to carry two spiritual passports---you must both choose and be chosen.

Fortunately, God has already chosen, so now we must choose. Mark Twain said, "Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to." All other animals can live correctly by obeying their animal instincts. Humans can't.

It's impossible for an animal to change his nature, not that he needs to do so. "Can the leopard (change) his spots?" asks God, in Jer. 13:23. The leopard fulfills his destiny by obeying the desires of his flesh, his physical nature---not so with humans.

If we were merely animals, we could do what comes "naturally," but when we do that, we act worse than animals. Who ever heard of a homosexual chimpanzee? Or a rebellious sheep? But humans? They defy description in the level to which they can descend.

Not only is this true physically, but mentally as well. If we let our appetite run away with itself, we can become terribly overweight or seriously ill. If we let our minds become undisciplined, anxiety and depression are the result.

The law of nature makes the animal kingdom harmonious: the law of nature (according to Paul) decrees that those who follow their basic, undisciplined desires become the "children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3)

Anyone can prove his three-fold nature. If you don't believe that you have a soul, try living as though you are only a body. Or, try living as though you don't have a body, and you will become ill---your ignored nature will cry out for attention. Soul, mind, and body---these three are the three sides of the human triangle---remove one side and the other two collapse. This three-sided pattern shows up in three distinct ways in Paul's letter to the Ephesians: (1) Past---present---future; (2) Body---mind---soul; (3) God---ourselves---others.

At this point in Paul's letter, the secret, the mystery, and the hidden wisdom began to clear up. It is God's eternal purpose to bring all these different (and sometimes warring) elements together to create unity. Ah, yes, to create not only compatibility, but unity.

We might even insert a modern word---synergy. The law of synergy says that three things brought together become more than the sum of the parts---they create something new.

To illustrate: A pile of bricks is not a house; a hundred bags of mortar mix are not a house; a mason is not a house. But a mason takes the bricks and mortar and creates a house. The three elements must be brought together to create something that no one could do by itself.

As Paul contemplates this, he is overwhelmed with the miracle: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 24-6).

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