The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
June 12, 2005
In
This Issue:
Following
a Submissive Savior
by
Steve Klein
Et
Tu, Christian?
by
Rusty Miller
Following a Submissive Savior
The words submission, submit and subject found in our English Bibles are usually translated from a Greek word (hupotasso) which was "primarily a military term" and meant "to rank under" (Vine's Expository Dictionary). "Rank" refers to one's relative standing or position in a chain of command.
Jesus indicated that the greatest faith He had ever found in a human being was the faith of a Roman soldier who understood the nature of military rank (Matthew 8:5-10). The soldier understood that those ranked under him had a duty to go, come and do as he instructed them. This is what submission is all about! The soldier's faith was great because he understood this principle and recognized how it applied to the rank and authority of the Lord Jesus.
The apostle Peter has much to say about submission in his first epistle. He instructs Christians to "submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (1 Peter 2:13). "Servants be submissive to your masters..." (1 Peter 2:18). "Likewise, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands..." (1 Peter 3:1). "Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility." (1 Peter 5:5). The REASON given for being submissive [specifically for servants] is found in 1 Peter 2:21 which says, "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." Followers of Christ are submissive because He was submissive! Christians submit to the laws of the land, servants submit to masters, wives submit to husbands, and young people submit to their elders because they are following the footsteps of Jesus.
Jesus only said what His Father wanted Him to say (cf. John 7:16). He only did what His Father wanted Him to do. He did not seek to do His own will, but the will of the Father Who sent Him (John 5:30). Even in the face of a horrible death he prayed, "Not my will, but Thine be done." (Luke 22:42). He relinquished control of His life to the One ranked above Him. He submitted.
We are not followers of Christ until and unless we give up control of our lives to those God has ranked above us, especially Christ Himself. He must be placed on the throne of our hearts, as the songs says...
"My Jesus, as Thou Wilt! O may Thy will be mine;
Into Thy hand of love I would my all resign.
Through sorrow and through joy, conduct me as Thine own,
And help me still to say, 'My Lord, Thy will be done."
God help us to live the words of this Hymn each and every day.
-- Steve Klein
In all of recorded history, there are few more poignant words than those of Julius Caesar as he faced death from assassins. Looking around to see those who deemed him worthy of death, he was shocked to see the face of Brutus, whom he considered his friend. According to tradition, he looked him in the eye and said, "Et tu, Brute?", which is to say, "You too, Brutus?"
The theme of betrayal, which runs through the story of Caesar's assassination, is what draws us to it, even though the event occurred over 2,000 years ago. It is also one of the things which make the story of Judas Iscariot so devastating. Betrayal is an event which stirs in us some of the strongest, most pained emotions we possess. No one, not even evil people, can countenance betrayal (witness what happens to mafioso who betray the "family").
Imagine then, what it will be like for some at the final judgment. They will be lost, and they will wonder why some of their friends, who had the truth all along, never bothered to tell them they were in such peril. They saw some of us everyday, and we never told them about the beauty of accepting Christ. We often sing a song which says, "You met me day by day, and knew I was astray, but never mentioned Him to me." What a sense of betrayal those people will feel!
One of the most prominent themes of the New Testament history books (the gospels and Acts) is that when people found out about Jesus, they wanted to tell others. Andrew, the apostle of Jesus, made it his first duty after meeting Jesus: "He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah'" (Jn. 1:41). Where would the New Testament story be if not for Andrew's desire to share the message with the man Jesus named Peter, who played such a prominent role in building the early church?
When Jesus met with the woman at the well in Samaria, her first step after talking with Him was to go into the city and tell them, "Come see a man . . ." (Jn. 4:29). In the book of Acts, the pages are filled with stories about those willing to share the message of the gospel. When the church faces its greatest challenge, when the much admired Stephen has been murdered, when Saul is persecuting the church without mercy, when they are scattered from their homes into new cities where they face the discouragement, not only of persecution, but also of being separated from one another, what happens? "Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word" (Acts 8:4).
Paul, as he faced charges which would eventually bring about his death, found it less necessary to proclaim his innocence than to preach Jesus even to those with power to set him free (Felix, Festus, Agrippa). He closes his great defense before Agrippa with these most beautiful words, after Agrippa has commented somewhat favorably on Paul's attempt to convert him, "I would to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains" (Acts 26:28).
What does all this have to do with our neighbors and co-workers on the Day of Judgment? Only that our goals should be the same. That is, we should be so excited about the salvation we have that we are not only willing, but also eager to tell others about it. Why should our zeal be less than that of the early church, who certainly faced more challenges than we do?
It is not enough to "win people by example," though that is certainly a noble idea. Some people will not respond unless they see what the gospel has done in our own lives. But the fact is our example will only win people if they already know we are Christians. We cannot simply expect them to assume we are Christians. How sad if someone on judgment day looks at us and says, "Et tu, Christian?"
Rusty Miller
Via Cahaba Heights church of Christ Bulletin