The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
January 21, 2007
In
This Issue:
Living
in the Volunteer State
by
Steve Klein
The
Spirit of Error
by
Carrol R. Sutton
Living in the Volunteer State
Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State" because of its proud tradition of sending brave volunteers to military service, dating back to the War of 1812. But this article isn't about living in Tennessee. It's about the need for Christians to live in a state of mind that keeps them willing and ready to do what they can for the Lord's cause.
In the prophecy of Psalm 110:3, the Messiah is promised that "Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power." The Lord's army is an all-volunteer army. He wants His people to serve voluntarily, not because they have had their arms twisted.
The New Testament emphasizes the need for this volunteer spirit in a number of different areas as follows:
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Giving. "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7).
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Doing good deeds. Even though Paul knew that Philemon would gladly have let him keep Onesimus as an assistant, Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon. Paul writes to Philemon about this and says, "I wished to keep (Onesimus) with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary" (Philemon 13-14).
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Serving as leaders in the church. Peter tells elders to "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly" (1 Peter 5:2). Obviously, these men were not to serve because they had been compelled to do so, but because they wanted to do so.
Despite the fact that Christians should be volunteers, the reality is that sometimes churches do not have the funds to do needed work, or the workers to do the work, or the leaders to lead the workers to do the needed work. I submit that the problem is not due to a shortage of money, or of members, or of potential leaders, but to a failure on the part of individual Christians to live in a volunteer state of mind. We assume that the giving, the working and the leading will be taken care of by others, so we don't put what we could in the collection plate, sign up to teach a class, host a visiting preacher or take food to the shut-in. Each one of us needs to develop the mindset of Isaiah, who, when the Lord asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" replied, "Here am I! Send me."
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--Steve Klein
John, an inspired apostle said: "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." (1 Jno. 4:6). There is a vast difference in truth and error; in the spirit of truth and "the spirit of error." Truth is of God but error is not. Those who know God will hear the truth as was made known by inspired men such as John. Those who do not hear the truth are not of God, but are of the devil. They do not have the Spirit of truth, but the "spirit of error." Some who claim to have the Spirit of truth obviously have "the spirit of error." John tells us in 1 Jno. 4:6 how we can tell the difference, as we have already noted.
SOME TRAITS OF THOSE WHO HAVE THE SPIRIT OF ERROR:
Those who have "the spirit of error" will not hear ALL of what has been taught by inspired men as recorded in the Scripture. Paul declared the whole counsel of God to the Ephesian bishops. (See Acts 20:27). The devil used some Scripture in his attempt to get Jesus to sin, but he misused it. Many do likewise today. Although they appeal to the Scripture for some point or points, they are not willing to accept the whole counsel of God. For example, "faith only" advocates will use verses that condition salvation on faith and then they will ignore verses that condition salvation on repentance, confession, and baptism and will assert that the Scripture teaches salvation by "faith only." Such is the "spirit of error." Some will accept what Jas. 1:27 says about a MAN "visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction," but they will not accept what 1 Tim. 5:16 teaches relative to the CHURCH relieving widows indeed. They say the church cannot relieve, but can only supply the money for such and then another institution must do the work of relieving. Such evidences unbelief! It is "the spirit of error.
"Many who have the "spirit of error" are inconsistent religious hypocrites. Read Matt. 23 for a vivid description of such people. They were inconsistent in their teaching and practice as well as hypocritical in their actions. Jesus denounced them in very plain terms.
The proud, self-righteous person has "the spirit of error." Jesus spoke a parable in Lk. 18:10-14 in which He shows that "every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Humility of mind, meekness of spirit and contriteness of heart should characterize all of us.
Often times, those who have "the spirit of error" lie in wait to deceive (See Eph. 4: 14). They use cunning craftiness to accomplish their goal. They employ carnal weapons. They resort to treachery, misrepresentation, mockery, blasphemy, and lying in an effort to crush the proponents of truth. They love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. (See Jno. 3:19). Those who propagate error often use pressure or force to stop the mouths of the advocates of truth. They do not want people to examine candidly their teaching in the light of God's eternal truth. They would, if they could, erect an "iron curtain" around their followers because they fear the results of an honest investigation of their doctrines in light of the Scriptures.
Truth and its propagation are not dependent upon the employment of carnal weapons. Truth can and will be propagated by those who are pure in heart and upright in life, whose primary purpose is to "fear God and keep His commandments." Do you have the spirit of truth or "the spirit of error?" Remember, dear reader, your soul can be purified by your obedience to the truth, but error will cause you to lose your soul eternally! If you are sincerely interested in going to heaven, you will have a genuine love for the truth and a hatred for error.
Carrol R. Sutton
Via The Instructor, Vol. 4, No. 9, Sept. 1967