The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
September 29, 2002
In
This Issue:
Why
Should I Care About What the Apostles Said?
by
Steve Klein
The
Feel Good Faith
by
Derrick Richardson
Why Should I Care
About What the Apostles Said?
From among His followers, our Lord handpicked twelve men to serve as His apostles (Matthew 10:2-4). These men, along with two others commis-sioned later (cf. Acts 1:24-25; 9:15-16) were the Lord's ambassadors. Their duty was to deliver to all mankind the good news by which sinful men might be "reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). They were to "go into all the world" and preach the message Jesus entrusted to them (Mark 16:15; John 16:13-14).
The first Christians certainly owed their souls' salvation to the gospel message they received from the apostles. Without the apostles, they would have known virtually nothing of the significance of Christ's death on the cross. They would have heard little convincing evidence of the wondrous resurrection of Christ. And, they would not have known what to do to be saved.
Soon after Jesus ascended back to heaven, Jews in Jerusalem heard the compelling testimony of the apostles concerning the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. They were "cut to the heart" and asked "Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'" (Acts 2:37). They learned they needed to "repent and be baptized...in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission" of their sins. Three thousand souls gladly received the apostles' message and were baptized (Acts 2:38-41). Being saved in this way, they were "added to the church" (Acts 2:41, 47).
Those who were saved and added to that church in Jerusalem "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2:42). What else would you expect? Their entire faith rested upon the words of the apostles, confirmed by miracles (2:43; cf. Hebrews 2:3-4). Without continued teaching from the apostles, these people would have had no clue about how to live for Jesus.
Unbelievers can scarcely be expected to appreciate the importance of the position the apostles occupy in human history. Paul the apostle wrote, "I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men...We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now " (1 Corinthians 4:9, 13). For many, the apostles are no more than the greasy blackened mess you scrape off the bottom of a frying pan.
To say the least, the world has taken a dim view of the apostles' work. Sadly, many so-called believers now seem to be doing the same. More and more frequently the words and examples of the apostles are being rejected as the constitutional basis of a Christian's faith. This, despite the fact that we owe our knowledge of the gospel to the apostles, just like those believers in Jeru-salem did.
As members of the household of God, Christians have "been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20). Paul was thankful that the Thessalonians had become "followers of us (the apostles, SK) and of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 1:6a; 2:4-6). As an apostle, Paul urged the Corinthians to "imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinth-ians 11:1). He told the Philippians, "You have us for a pattern" (Philippians 3:17).
It is utter nonsense for pseudo-intellectuals to sit in ivory towers in 21st century America and declare "the examples of the apostles are not binding on us today" or "their words carry no more weight than the words of other men." If this is true now it was true in the first century. If the apostles' words and examples do not form a basis for faith and practice today, they never did!
The truth is that the very foundations of the heavenly city are inscribed with "the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Revelation 21:14). We surely cannot walk those streets of gold unless we are standing on the foundation of the apostles. We must learn what the apostles said, believe it and obey it if we expect to go to heaven, for the apostles spoke on behalf of Christ Himself.
by Steve Klein
In the religious world around us today we hear so much about how good people say they feel when they go to church. Most of us have seen the group's sign, not far from here, promoting their "Saturday Night Worship: Alive, Exciting, Encouraging." And we hear folks talk of all the "fun activities" their church has to offer: ball playing, youth trips, their own kitchen, what they call their "fellowship hall", etc. All of this is supported out of the church treasury, of course, and of which there is no authority from God's word. "But all of these things just make people feel so good. Just look at what a big crowd we attract," they say. As if all this doesn't go far beyond God's boundaries, there is something even more disturbing. Almost everywhere, and even among some "churches of Christ," there is a different type of preaching and teaching. In most places now, you won't hear a sermon that steps on your toes too much. I mean think about it, does it make you feel good for someone to point out what you are doing wrong? Think of what a larger crowd we might draw if we just make people feel good about whatever kind of life they live. (More on that thought in just a bit.) I believe that is the idea that most churches are caught up in: let's just make everyone feel good, whatever it takes.
Certainly I disagree with this far-fetched idea, but I also believe there are several phrases that we have let the denominational world take away from us. For instance, when was the last time you talked about someone getting saved in reference to his baptism? Quite often we hear, especially from Baptists, of who "got saved" at the revival or whatever. And so, over the years, we have related the phrase of "getting saved" with the doctrine of simply repeating a prayer with the preacher, sometimes not leaving the pew, or even your house. Thus, we have shied away from this term, yet it is very much a Biblical term. According to my concordance, the word "save" or a form of it, is found over sixty times in the New Testament alone. Surely we need to refute this false doctrine, but not the idea of being saved. I was speaking with a lady not long ago, a member of a Baptist church, who had actually heard that the church of Christ did not believe in salvation. I was astounded that such an idea could exist, but after some thought I could see how a misunderstanding could occur. As I said, we need to refute this idea of "getting saved," but we must not hesitate to teach salvation.
In the same way, we need to affirm to fellow Christians, as well as those in the denominational world, that we have a "feel good faith." Surely, since we have the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of a home in heaven with God, we cannot help but to be overwhelmed with joy. Look at Romans 14:17. In sharp contrast to the world's idea of joy, Paul says the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but true joy comes with righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Although he speaks in regard to eating things that might offend a brother, I believe it carries the same message. Philippians 1:25 speaks of their "joy of faith." A Christian's joy is through their faith. James 1:2-3 says to count it joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. It is easy to feel joyous when everything goes well, but we also need to see the good that can come from our unpleasant experiences. Without such, it would be difficult to grow and appreciate the good. 1 John 1:4 says that John wrote this letter that our "joy may be full." It is interesting, however, that although there are many uplifting words in this letter, John also points out many faults and sins we need to rid ourselves of. If we claim to be Christians, we must walk in the light, not in darkness (1:6-7). We must confess our sins to have forgiveness (1:9). We must not hate our brother (2:11). We cannot love the world or the things in the world (2:15). We are to share worldly possessions with our brethren (3:17). And there are several others. If John sets out to create joy in people, why does he point out their errors? While speaking only pleasant words seems to make people feel good, it does not cause the spiritual growth that a Christian needs.
Remember, I mentioned earlier that we might draw a larger crowd if we just said what makes people feel good. Well, we need these pleasant words from time to time, but when we are living in error, we should thank the person who brings it to our attention. Though being corrected is not joyous at the moment, there is no replacement for the joy that comes after we repent and set our life straight. When we come to realize our sin, are overcome with godly sorrow, turn around and resolve to abstain from committing it again, and sincerely ask God for forgiveness, then we understand what it is to have true joy in the spirit.
--By Derrick Richardson