New Testament Church

More than a hundred and thirty years ago, the above building was contracted and paid for by my husband’s great-grandfather, millennia after Christ established His church.

Readers who have joined me for a while know that I belong to a ‘fundamental’ church, one striving to be as one described in the New Testament church.  Most churches today have achieved that distinction simply because people fail.  Beginning in Revelation 2, a few of these churches are described.  These are also interpreted as church ages, but the problems existed in the church then, and today.

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:2-4 KJV)

That’s Ephesus. We can read Paul’s letter to that church and see where their hearts were, and where their problem lay, too. Smyrna, however, had no such problems:

I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.  (Revelation 2:9 KJV)

Pergamos, on the other hand, had plenty of problems:

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. (Revelation 2:14 KJV)

I could continue with the remaining churches, but you get the idea that the problems, the hypocrisies, the types of people in the New Testament churches are seen today.  We are a work in progress, incomplete, striving for the perfection Jesus prayed for His disciples:

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23 KJV)

Those who come to the church expecting instant perfection will be disappointed.  Jesus is that perfection, our example, but we still fall short.  What to look for is the spirit within the congregation that speaks to all comers that although imperfect, there is a goal:

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14 KJV)

Not perfect, but continuing to read and apply the instructions from His word.

Seeds and Colors

Sunday morning our Youth Minister covered the parable of the sower (Mark 4:3-8) and Christ’s explanation to his disciples (Mark 4:14-20).  It is his habit to have visual representations, and the colors above were used.  He selected people from the congregation that were wearing a shirt that matched one of the colors, then tied the colors to our Christian life, and the verses.

The colors were part of a series of lessons he presented to our Youth during Wednesday night services over the past weeks, the ground on which the seed fell tied to each of the colors.  I regret I do not have the name of the book, nor the author, that was used.

Way Side – the cold blue of indifference – the word is rejected by the hearer, there is no growth at all.  Jesus told us:

And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. (Mark 4:15 KJV)

Stony Ground – the new growth of green – the word is taken in, love of God begins, the person may actually accept Christ as being God’s son, but the feeling is short lived.  Jesus explained:

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. (Mark 4:16-17 KJV)

Thorns – the white is about nothing.  There may have been the new green growth, but something has taken over that growth and removed the love of God from it.  Jesus tells us:

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19 KJV)

Good Ground – this gets two different colors, yellow and red.  These are fruitful Christians, the difference being the amount of fruit, as Jesus said:

And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. (Mark 4:20 KJV)

Some of that fruitful difference we can influence within ourselves through prayer, Bible study and service.  The first two are fairly simple, but many of us stumble at service.  Oh, we’ll attend them at the church, but we don’t look for the opportunity to be of service in a church. 

The first question for ourselves is:  What is your color?  As was given to us yesterday, not where do we want to be, nor what are we working toward, but what is our color right now?  An honest answer is necessary.

Then the question becomes:  How do we increase our fruitfulness?

Immerse ourselves in prayer, Bible study and service.

How Hungry Are You?

This is Micah.  As you can see, he’s been well fed.  Such a chubby baby, it was obvious his Mommy provided very good milk for his food, and she’s done as well with baby food since then.

She didn’t start him on meat, vegetables and grain right off, even though humans eat that food and grow quite well.  His digestive system required the right sustenance to grow and thrive.  It’s the same for spiritual growth.

Christians begin with the pure milk of the gospel:


As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:  (1 Peter 2:2 KJV)

Growth is expected, but sometimes it is slow:


And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Corinthians 3:1-2 KJV)

Sometimes there is no growth:


For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (Hebrews 5:12 KJV)

Did you notice that never is there a hint of stopping that milk? Just suggestions that returning to the sincere milk of the word that would be fed to a new born Christian would be good.  Think of those first songs we teach children:

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!

And the very first verse we memorize:


For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)

Yep, those are words to grow on, aren’t they?  They are what we should be desiring when we hunger and thirst after righteousness.


Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6 KJV)

Come, and be filled.


And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35 KJV)

Celebration Day

There we were, fifty years ago, with new wedding bands.  His disappeared not too many years later.  In heavy highway construction, it’s not a good idea to wear them.  Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, his was lost.  Mine wore on the sides from the engagement ring.  I still have them but wear another that fits enlarged arthritic knuckles.  Neither one of us could photograph our hands now and pretend to be that young couple. 

The Bible is open to the book of Ruth.

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: (Ruth 1:16 KJV)

That verse is so often used for newlyweds – but it was said by one widow to another, daughter-in-law to mother-in-law.  The spiritual love that ties people together beyond physical desires.  Meaningful in any relationship.

Fifty years – and it’s not really a select group.  Pastor mentioned our Saturday celebration last Sunday night.  He then asked those in our church who had been married 50 years or more to raise their hands. Yes, we have a large number of such couples. 

This isn’t as rare as it seems.  There will be a video Second Daughter prepared showing her asking us questions.  “How have you stayed married so long?” was one of them.  First answer would be, we wanted to.  There are others who want to, but don’t make it, so that’s not a sufficient answer.

Best answer is, the family that has God in the middle, with both spouses seeking His will, has the best plan for success.  Each drawing themselves toward God brings them closer to each other, too. It is often illustrated as a triangle:

See what we mean?  It takes both the husband and the wife working within God’s will, moving spiritually toward Him, and it will not only keep them together, it will bring them closer to each other.

We didn’t do that all of our lives.  I think back to missed opportunities, some times when we felt far apart.  Those can never be revisited, never changed and there are consequences.  There came a time, however, when this illustration depicted our lives and we moved forward from there.  There were wonderful changes!

Today, Saturday, June 4, 2011, we’ll gather with family and friends in the afternoon to celebrate.  There are many reasons people do not achieve this anniversary, but there are no reasons why the triangle isn’t a good plan in working toward that achievement.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  (Genesis 1:27 KJV)

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Matthew 19:4-6 KJV)

Diminished Truth?

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32 KJV)


Let me give you an example of adding.  Let’s go back to the Garden of Eden where our Lord is speaking to Adam:


And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17 KJV)

Rather explicit, isn’t it?  Don’t eat it or you’ll die.  Skip ahead a chapter and Satan is misquoting, suggesting the command is wider than given. The woman corrects him, adding a bit:


Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Genesis 3:1-3 KJV)


Did Adam add that “Don’t touch it!” to Eve and she was really repeating what she heard?  Or did she add that herself?  Either way, the focus was changed from certain death to the fruit itself.

In Matthew 4, Satan’s temptations of the Messiah in the wilderness used scriptures, too.  Jesus, however, returning appropriate scripture, neither adding nor subtracting.  Why can’t we do as well?  Perhaps we do not know the scriptures as well:


Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29 KJV)

There is not power in God’s word – God is the power and we neglect using that power available to us.  We place limits on what He is capable of doing, thinking in physical terms instead of spiritual.  Oh, we hear what the scriptures tell us – we don’t apply what we hear.

Why not?  Each one of us has a different reason for not applying God’s word to our own life.  Maybe we think we’re too small in the scheme of His plans.  Maybe we think we’re too sinful to be in His presence.  He’s told us different, throughout His word.

I like what John has to say about our knowing the truth and that God does not lie:


I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. (1 John 2:21 KJV)

Yep, we know.  May the Lord give us guidance, courage and strength to apply the truth to our own lives.

That gives us freedom.

Why We Pray

A recent In Touch devotional, which I found to be a very good explanation for why believers pray, gave me good food for thought, and an application for today.

Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul. (Psalms 103:21-22 KJV)

“Recognizing that God is sovereign prompts some questions about the nature of prayer. Specifically, many people have asked me, ‘If the Lord is in control, why does He expect us to pray?’

“Prayer brings us into cooperation with what God has purposed to accomplish. He desires to involve believers in the work that He is doing in the world and in their lives. We aren’t to sit around when there is kingdom building going on—there isn’t a single scripture to support the idea that we relax while the Lord works all things to His good pleasure. In fact, the opposite is true.”

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11 KJV)

“Jesus asked God to protect the disciples by the power of His name. Did He think they might lose their salvation or drift from their commitment? Absolutely not. Jesus was God in human flesh. He knew exactly what was going to happen—how these men would spread the gospel and remain faithful even unto death. Jesus was taking part in the Father’s plan for His followers by interceding for them.

“God certainly can build His kingdom without believers’ input or help. But a relationship develops depth and intimacy when the Lover and His beloved share an interest. Praying and working alongside our Lord grows our faith and strengthens our trust in His power.

“Talking with almighty God is a privilege. The Lord created you to love Him and be loved by Him. Prayer is how that connection gets nurtured and developed. Our Father calls us to communicate with Him so He can draw us close to His heart and involve us in building the kingdom.”

Today I stood with family members around a hospital bed holding hands with a dear friend of ours.  Doctors are still running tests trying to find out what is physically wrong with her.  We prayed for her healing, knowing that God is sovereign and not every prayer is answered in what we consider to be a positive manner.  But we know, as the devotional states, “Talking with almighty God is a privilege.”

What a blessed privilege it is.  I am eternally grateful that He provided the propitiation for us to freely speak directly to Him.  We understand that the true Lord’s prayer includes the words of Matthew 6:10; 26:42; Luke 11:2:

Thy will be done.

Tobiah

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem’s Walls

Mentioned once in Ezra, we hear much more of Tobiah, the Ammonite, descendant of Abraham’s nephew Lot.  Tobiah had found himself a comfortable home in the temple the Jews had come to restore.  Nehemiah put a stop to that:

And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. (Nehemiah 13:7-8 KJV)
Much earlier Nehemiah mentioned Tobiah:

When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. (Nehemiah 2:10 KJV)

Such men exist today – grieved that anyone would seek the welfare of God’s children.  It is doubly sad when these men are found in God’s house.  Christ found some in the guise of Pharisees, leaders of Israel’s synagogues.  It was of these men He spoke  in Matthew:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matthew 7:15 KJV)

Or, perhaps they are the ones Luke wrote of from yesterday’s verse:

And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. (Acts 11:2-3 KJV)

Peter explained his actions, telling the full story of Cornelius’ request and Peter’s visit.  A conclusion was reached:

When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (Acts 11:18 KJV)

Nehemiah was not as fortunate.  Tobiah rankled him from that first mention in chapter 2 where he was ‘grieved’ and ‘laughed’, to chapter 6 when he was ‘wroth’, through chapter 13 when he was ejected from the temple. There was no peace, and Tobiah had no thought of glorifying God.

Had Tobiah had God in his heart and God’s work as his goal, his differences with Nehemiah would have just been a difference of opinion instead of his working as a stumbling block.

Both Nehemiah and Peter headed God’s words to them and completed the task laid before them.  He expects us to do the same, even though we might have Tobiah’s in our communities.

Oh, my – surely we aren’t Tobiahs!!!