Consider random thoughts about preaching.
First, and the only one for today, it seems obvious in many churches of our brotherhood—the Independent Christian Church—that preaching is conditioned more by a conservative ecumenical than a Restoration Movement perspective. We need a return to our spiritual heritage, particularly in regard to the purpose of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. While much—we can almost say MOST—of the evangelical world’s music, literature and church-growth assemblies are dominated by faith-only brethren, this writer will discuss with anyone, at any time, why baptism is by immersion for the forgiveness of sin. This is powerfully the case when we see it from a vantage point of New Testament chronology. My wife’s husband wrote a book on Miracles of Jesus. He gave me permission to lift page 23 of that book. It offers a clinching proof of baptism’s purpose. Read it and see. In the Fall of AD 57 Paul appeared before a Jewish audience in Jerusalem, an event revealed in Acts 22:6-16. In relating the purpose of baptism, however, he referred to an event in Damascus about AD 35, some 22 years earlier. A Jewish Christian named Ananias came to the blind Saul of Tarsus and told him, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Seeing the events chronologically clarifies baptism’s purpose. * in AD 35 Ananias administered it to forgive the sins of a repentant Saul. * in AD 57 Paul understood it had been administered 22 years before to forgive his sins, even though he believed in Jesus and had repented of his sins. Which clarifies the meaning of Romans 10:5-11, a passage often used to prove baptism’s irrelevance. Paul wrote Romans in the Spring of AD 57. In the Fall of AD 57 he referred to AD 35, 22 years previous, to explain why he needed to be baptized after having faith in Jesus, after repenting of his sins, after confessing Jesus as God’s Son. While faith, repentance and confession led him to forgiveness, only baptism finalized forgiveness. If Paul remembered baptism’s purpose from 22 years before, it wouldn’t have changed between Spring and Fall AD 57! Since Ananias and Paul both considered him a sinner before being baptized, how can people now claim they’re forgiven before being immersed? If Paul joined faith, repentance and confession with baptism, how dare we separate them? End Part I
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II Corinthians 4:6 declares that God “made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Christ’s command of creation, “let there be light” became God’s light that shone in Christ’s life (face) throughout his ministry. That coincides with passages where Jesus is declared to be the light of the world, among them John 1:4-5, 9, 8:12, 9:5, 12:35-56, 14:7, 9. That mouthful of scripture follows Paul’s exposition of Christ’s light—glory as it differed from Moses’ own light—glory II Corinthians 3:7-18.
Wanting only to write a blog, not preach a sermon, please note 3:18. For, as Christ IS the Face of God, he insists that Christians ARE the face of Christ and must allow him to SHINE in and through us to influence the unsaved. If we claim the privileges of faith in Christ—note Part IV—we cannot escape the responsibility the privileges impose. (The following material appeared in earlier blogs, but since it applies here, I didn’t want to re-invent the wheel.) How do we relate the Glory of Jesus Christ, the Very Face of God, to our unsaved friends, associates and acquaintances? By being as Christ-like as possible in as many ways as possible. The only reason we would hide Christ’s Face from unbelievers is that he isn’t equal to the challenge of educating, convicting, converting and edifying them. But he is! The only reason to hide his message would be it’s just one of many such efforts to find our way to God. But he isn’t. By his own statement in John 14:6, he’s the only way to God. Therefore, let us with transparent lives express the illumination and beauty of Jesus. Let us be like Robert Schuller’s former Chrystal Cathedral...open to everyone’s sight, with an invitation to come in and see. Jesus is the only proof needed to motivate the lost to trust him, love him, obey him. If we peel away from Jesus his miracles, teachings, example, personality, death, resurrection...what’s left? The Person of God, the Image of God, the Fullness of God, the Glory of God, the FACE of God! A glory to be seen, not hidden; revealed, not covered; declared, not silenced. THAT’s the-still unmet challenge confronting Christians. While it’s easier to mask Christ’s Face from unbelievers than to reveal his FACE in our lives, we don’t have the alternative. Our worship services may be the public face of the church, but only Christians are the public FACE l Shine, Christians, shine. Glow, Christians, glow. Let Jesus illuminate us as the means of enlightening the unsaved. Amen. Fini. NOTE: No blogs for the next few days. Back Monday, November 30. In this part, we propose a fact, a principle, a perspective that, because it’s absolutely true, causes liberals in every field, world religionists of every stripe and all the diversity-devoted in an increasingly secular America, to gnash their teeth in anguish. It leads them to denounce us as racist, intolerant, religious bigots. (That isn’t the worst language used, but I save my better words for best things.) Besides, every vowel and consonant of the charge is a satanic lie.
The fact is this: as I Corinthians 2:6-16 says, only Christ-honoring, Bible-believing disciples possess the ability to judge all human behavior without being judged by anyone; and to foresee future events in present historical trends without being prophets. In short, to have exclusive, God-given, Christ-inspired, Holy Spirit-led insights into life denied those bereft of benefits the living Christ provides. For as he alone KNOWS all things, he empowers his people with wisdom to know much more about life than others deprived of his presence. Consider only one of other truths. Our secular culture has no better idea of a resurrected body than ancient Greeks and Romans. Paul’s question to Festus and Agrippa resounds in academic, political and business halls today: “Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?” Acts 26:8. The philosophers on Mars Hill stopped listening when Paul declared the judgment of all humanity by the Person of Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead! But Paul retracted nothing he said. Indeed, as the only person in history with an indestructible NATURE, and by the Power within himself to defeat death, it was “impossible for death to keep its hold on him” Acts 2:24. That means...it’s wrong to say that Mary was the mother of God. She was the mother of the human Jesus, but not of God. For God the Son has only a Father Psalm 2:7, Hebrews 1:5. Therefore, Jesus judges the unsaved for refusing to believe he rose bodily; honors believers in his bodily resurrection; and reveals to them of what eternal life consists. The ancient Egyptians expressed their view of a future life: a bodily resurrection consisting of more of the same featured in this one. With a rigid caste system that kept everyone in his place then as now. With everyone continuing doing then what he did here. Totally false, but the best they could imagine. And at least an awareness of a future life our spiritually-illiterate culture lacks! Christians wouldn’t be any better informed if we had only our spiritually untutored selves as instructors. Or if we listened to the views of spiritually deprived friends and neighbors. Or to the persuasions of false religions. But...since Christ has educated us, we will not feign ignorance to please those without our advantage. HEAVEN is the only REAL, LASTING world, totally unlike this one, and not to be compared to what this one is. If others want to remain in their limited or false view, they’re free to exercise that right. But God will have in his Presence only HIS VIEW. End Part IV Distinguishing the rebellious, still-in-the-covenant Hagar from the exiled-from-home-and-from-the-covenant Hagar established the essential difference between God’s beneficence and sovereign will. As a few examples, in reference to all his creatures, he ordered Pharaoh to secure his animals from the imminent hailstorm Exodus 9:19-21. He berated Jonah for regretting the mercy shown to animal life in Nineveh Jonah 4:10-11.
As examples of his greater concern for humans, he provided a well of water for a desiccating Hagar and Ishmael Genesis 21:19. He used animal blood, not human sacrifice, to remit sin until Christ’s Perfect Sacrifice could remove it Genesis 3:21. Paul and Barnabas frantically reminded the Lystrans of God’s goodness to them in meeting their daily needs Acts 14:16-17. And the Master reminded his believers that God provides sustaining physical needs for all people, whatever their response to him Matthew 5:43-48. Such social consciousness is found throughout both Testaments: God is GOOD to ALL. To this point everyone agrees. And if Christian teaching stopped there it would be the delight of religious and political liberals, Hindus and Moslems. For Christ’s humanitarian concern elicits cheers from all points of the compass. Gandhi welcomed missionaries in India so long as they focused on improving daily life for those doomed under the Caste system to poverty and illiteracy. However, while the Christian MISSION raises cheers, its MESSAGE meets jeers. The former hurrahs and the latter hisses. Unbelievers can never understand that Christ’s MESSAGE prompts the MISSION of his benevolence. The Son of God, who loved and saved us because GOD is Love, ordered his disciples to preach his singularity as Lord and his forgiveness as Savior, buttressed by compassion for everyone in need. The spiritual insight energizing Christians prompts the compassion that cannot look on misfortune without wanting to help. The tandem cannot be divorced without destroying the genius of the Christian Faith. Its MESSAGE inspires its MISSON, empowering its disciples to translate their faith in the ALL-CONQUERING Lord’s forgiveness into acts of compassion for others. However, the dominating COIN of spiritual enlightenment from the Master’s MINT is hotly devalued by world religionists. Christ as one of the great religious leaders can be tolerated, but not Christ the ONLY ONE of his KIND in history. Just so we’ll know, Jewish listeners in Pisidian Antioch had no more use for Christ’s singular powers over the spiritual world than today’s religionists Acts 13:38-39. Moses and Jesus together they could understand. But never...never Jesus alone, with no help from Moses. Just so, should Jesus be satisfied with religious parity—he and Buddha, or Moses, or Mohammed, or Zeus, or the polytheism of Hinduism, etc.—he would be welcome in a world pantheon of great men. But at the very hint of him claiming such superiority they amount to nothing, they take offense, umbrage and arm themselves for battle. Too bad for them. God cares only for what he has revealed in Christ, and nothing at all for what others have speculated. And Christians had better arm themselves with God’s spiritual powers so they can stand with Jesus, whoever contests him and the spiritual pleasure Christians inherit. End Part III God appeared to Hagar twice. One, when she proved a rebellious subject of then-Sarai, the other as an outcast from Abraham’s encampment. Genesis 16 records the first and Genesis 21 the second time. Both Keil-Delitzsch and Henry Morris stressed the change in Hagar’s destiny in the two contacts. In the first she remained under Abraham’s covenant—an angel of Jehovah appeared to her 16:7. In the second she lost her spiritual destiny—the angel of God spoke to her from heaven 21:17.
The change must be appreciated. Had Hagar remained in Abraham’s camp, her son would have remained under his father’s covenant, making him an equal partner with Isaac and, by extension, Islam with Christianity. God exercised his sovereignty in eliminating parity by banishing the threat to Isaac’s singularity as God’s Chosen messenger to the ages Galatians 3:16-18. Some may question if the angel of Jehovah was Jesus Christ in Pre-Incarnate appearance. First of all, Jesus could appear in any form he pleased, at any time he desired. An angel is an angel, is an angel, is an angel, and nothing more. Secondly, as Creator of Adam and Eve, Jesus appeared in a visible form—as the face of God—in Eden Genesis 3:8. He repeated his visible manifestations at critical times: when Abram first arrived at Shechem in Canaan 12:7. When establishing his covenant of circumcision with Abram through Sarai, when Abram would have been content to have the slave girl’s son assume God’s blessing 17:18-19. When he announced Sarah’s motherhood within a year 18:10. Leaping beyond other appearances for this part, when he stood before Joshua preceding the first battle for Canaan Joshua 5:13-15. Jesus Christ has always represented God when revealing himself to his covenant people, whether in a Pre-existent body or through his appointed prophets. God’s promise to Abram regarding Ishmael’s future to Hagar followed his message to Hagar: Genesis 16:9-10 to Genesis 17:20. He would increase Ishmael’s descendants, multiplying nations under him, but never without conflict among themselves Genesis 16:11-12. But he wouldn’t allow Ishmael to infringe on Isaac’s destiny. Thus, God allowed the rise of a national group that would bitterly oppose Israel and Christians, while protecting Isaac as God’s SEED in Jesus Christ, the Person who IS “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” Hebrews 1:3. Through Isaac God continued Abraham’s descendants as Hebrews. Through Jacob God built 12 conglomerate Hebrews into the nation of Israel. Then through David built a lasting dynasty that, through his descendant Jesus Christ, established God’s everlasting dynasty Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45, Luke 1:31-33, Acts 13:22-23, 38-39. The accumulation of appearances by a Majestic Someone to chosen people at critical times in history persuasively convinces us that the SOMEONE is none other than GOD the SON! Whose face as God becomes more sharply defined as each passing generation of prophets and psalmists served God’s purpose. End Part II Note: Part I of this series assumes that God’s promise to Abraham of a son to carry on God’s kingdom emphasized God’s miraculous intervention to fulfill the promise.
Therefore, Sarah wrongly took Kingdom matters into her own hands by giving a maidservant to Abraham to “build a family through her,” Genesis 16:1-2. Therefore, Abraham neglected God’s word that his personal steward wouldn’t be heir of his possessions Genesis 15:1, 4. And if not a trusted servant, certainly not a boy born by natural means of a foreign woman! The fracture between Sarah and Hagar foretold the ongoing hostility between Esau and Isaac through Moslems and Israelis. Sarah built enmity, not a family. Which, by the way, she understood at the celebration of Isaac’s weaning ceremony Genesis 21:8-14. It’s doubtful that Sarah had any spiritual foresight when she demanded removal of Hagar and Ishmael from the settlement. She revealed mostly a mother’s rage. She did understand that Ishmael’s mockery of Isaac meant that the Egyptian and her son must be banished Genesis 21:9. The apostle Paul affirmed the rectitude of Sarah’s demand Galatians 4:21-31. Indeed, had Hagar and Ishmael remained in Abraham’s encampment, Moslems today could claim parity with Christianity. God dismissed any possibility of that by ordering Abraham to evict the offending pair. Which is also why Moslems hate Christians. They know we are spiritual heirs of Isaac and they only fleshly heirs of Ishmael. No parity exists between Christianity and Islam. The former is Superior, the latter inferior! We criticize both Abraham and Sarah for intruding their will into God’s will by what they thought best at the time, when God seemed SLOW or UNABLE to fulfill his promise. We also acknowledge that Sarah acted wisely when the threat to Isaac’s future became clear: get rid of the slave woman and her son Genesis 21:10. And Abraham, despite his love for Ishmael—notice that nothing is said of his affection for Hagar—reacted swiftly—the next morning in fact—when he sent both away Genesis 21:14. End Part I As the Revolutionary War continued, British manpower increased from the 4,000 Gage had in June 1775 to 55,000 soldiers, not counting American sympathizers and Indians. While 200,000 Patriots enlisted, Washington fought with less than 8,000 Continentals in any battle.
While short-term militia fought well at Bunker Hill, Massachusetts and Bennington, Vermont, others at Kip’s Bay and White Plains, New York, fled in disarray. However, Alexander Hamilton understood the American strength even in defeat and the British vulnerability even in victory. The very many who fled one battle had plenty of safe room to run from capture, and hung around to fight again. British troops straying from their safe cantonments could find themselves snatched by American guerrilla units. Life History U.S., Vol. 2, 18. Three spiritual lessons emerge from these accounts. One, Christ often finds himself like Prescott and other militia commanders: he has many followers but never enough workers. Many people who attend services but never enough to staff lay ministries. Many who put their last dollar in an offering but few who pay the first ten percent of their income. Or many who attend sessions to be taught, but NEVER ENOUGH to shoulder the load of TEACHING the lessons. Etc., Etc. Two, many of us in Christian service mourn our incompetence/insufficiency to the cause—no power to carry the load. Which generally means that 85 percent of church work is funded and staffed by 15 percent of the membership, and sometimes those bearing the load know others could carry it more successfully.. (But do those non-involved 85 percent expect Jesus to WELCOME, not CONDEMN, them?) Three, those with leadership qualities must be Christ’s front-end servants: first to serve, last to quit. When serving pro-actively, they need a “come on, folks” activism, not a “go on, folks” passivity. And when failing, despite their best effort, a willingness to try another way, never to think no other to success exists. Here is the rest of the story. Those who serve Jesus, including Ministers, and fail in some way to be competent and adequate—who lack power to carry their load—can still, by being there, trying, upset Satan’s plans. While we may flee some encounters with him, we never go far. And we’re always challenged by Jesus to stop the retreat, return to the front and TRY AGAIN. Satan has no answer to the disciple who keeps trying to be like Jesus, while Jesus always has power to make us ever-more like him than we used to be. Keep trying Christians. God wills us to succeed! And out of failing can forge success in another way. Fini Sent in June 1775 to defend Bunker Hill against British attack, Colonel William Prescott instead chose to defend adjacent Breeds Hill with his 1200 man militia. Nevertheless, Bunker Hill remains fixed in the American conscience.
On June 17, 1775 General Gage flung two waves of veteran soldiers at the entrenched rebels, both failures, with numerous casualties. Then, because Prescott received neither reinforcements nor ammunition, the third British wave washed over the Hill, sweeping the Minutemen away. Ordering his men to leave the redoubt, he followed their retreat. When a British officer had earlier asked a friend of Prescott how he would fight, the friend presciently said, “To the last man.” As one of the last to leave, Prescott continued fighting, thrusting his bayonet into enemy soldiers who dared approach him. He died in 1795, an honored patriot. Obviously William Prescott’s genes passed to his progeny. His grandson, William Hickling Prescott, despite near-blindness that should have prevented a writing career, nevertheless successfully compiled admirable histories, including his 3-volume History of the Conquest of Mexico. Life History U.S., Vol. 2, 18 End Part I Reaction to Shingles shot has kept me from Blogs last week. Hope this is the first of several this week!
In February, 1902, President Teddy Roosevelt departed from his predecessor’s mild-mannered “get-along” policy. In the first of 40 anti-trust suits filed against colossal economic Corporations, the President sued J.P. Morgan’s Northern Securities Company for violating an earlier Sherman Anti-trust Act. Accustomed to finding common ground in contentious issues, the alarmed Morgan secured a personal meeting with Roosevelt. Wanting to reach a compromise benefitting everyone, he offered his usual procedure: “Your man meets with my man and they fix it.” That had always worked with Morgan. Meeting with the President would surely follow. Life History U.S., Vol. 9, 3-4 The President’s reply nonplused the Industrialist. He didn’t intend to “fix it” with Morgan’s empire, but to “break it”. While he didn’t declare war on Trusts in general—the politician’s usual persiflage—the President warned that any position Trusts took that hazarded free enterprise would be attacked. T.R.’s response to J.P’s offer has spiritual implication. Through Adam—our man—humanity had a sin problem with God. God sent his MAN Jesus to resolve the problem. However, when he came from God with ALL AUTHORITY to confront the issue on God’s terms, he offered himself ALONE as God’s Sole solution. To this day, God removes sin from us in the same way he did in the first century: ONE PERSON offering ONE DEAL. Jesus Christ: believe in; accept his sacrifice; be baptized for the forgiveness of your sin; accept Christ’s Lordship of your post-baptismal life; persevere in Christian discipleship daily. All of the above leaves nothing to negotiate; to reach an arrangement leaving both God and us satisfied, a “square deal” for both, a “give-and-take” relationship we can both accept. God doesn’t aim to fix us. He aims to transform us. We don’t need a few adjustments to our life. We need total conversion from the ego-centered self to Christ-centered inspiration and behavior. In the end Roosevelt did re-make America’s economy by making it more competitive. God will have his WAY with us or we will have NO WAY to be saved. Christ’s unblinking STARE stating his help will either shatter our confidence in self or we will die in our sins. No mercy will be shown to those who disregard the MERCY he’s given Hebrews 10:26-31. |
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