The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
December 10, 2006
In
This Issue:
A
Prayer for Unity
by
Steve Klein
Giants
in the Land
by
Tim Johnson
A Prayer for Unity
In the seventeenth chapter of John's Gospel, we have recorded a prayer that Jesus offered while with His disciples on the night He was betrayed. The prayer emphasizes unity - unity between Jesus and the Father, unity among the apostles, and unity among believers.
Jesus prayed that there would be unity among the apostles like the unity that exists between Him and His Father. The Lord had entrusted the apostles with God's word (17:14). The saving power of the gospel message was in these men, and they would need to be united in their effort to share that message with the world. So Jesus prayed, "Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are." (John 17:11)
Jesus went on to pray for the same kind of unity among all believers:
"I do not pray for these (apostles, sk) alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. {22} And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: {23} "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." (John 17:21-23).
We are not left to guess the reason why Jesus wants believers to be united. He states the reason very plainly twice: "That the world may believe that you sent me" and "That the world may know that you sent me."
Is it then our Lord's desire that doctrinal error be ignored for the sake of unity, so that the world can believe in Him? Should we simply forget about doctrinal differences between believers? Is truth to be sacrificed on the altar of unity? Should we reach out across long standing differences on subjects such as the plan of salvation or the work and worship of the church to establish unity and fellowship? Many folks seem to think so. But let's notice what Jesus says more carefully.
1. The apostles had been given God's word. ""I have given them Your word" (John 17:14)
2. God's word is the truth. "Your word is truth." (John 17:17).
3. The believers for whom Jesus is praying would come to believe in Him "through their word" (17:20).
So, the "word" of the apostles is the Word of God, and it is truth. Truth does not contradict itself. Those whose belief is based on that word of truth will not contradict one another either. Far from praying that disciples unite despite their differing views of truth, Jesus is praying that those who have accepted the one truth will be unified on the basis of that truth.
Our problem is that there are many "believers" who have not come to believe in Jesus through the words of the apostles. Some who profess belief have scarcely even heard or read the words of the apostles. They've come to believe on the basis of what their parents and grandparents, preachers and theologians have said the apostles said, rather than by examining the apostles' words for themselves.
Some years ago, I asked a preacher friend if he had read a book by a certain popular religious author. He looked me dead in the eye and only half seriously responded: "Was that book written by an apostle? Because, if an apostle didn't write it, I haven't read it!" Obviously, I'm not advocating that you go to the extreme of only reading things written by the apostles; if that were the case, I couldn't very well expect you to read this article! But the Spirit-inspired words of the apostles and prophets are sufficient to promote the unity for which Jesus prayed. When our belief is based on those words, we will be united.
--Steve Klein
In Numbers 13, the Israelites are about to enter the land of Canaan to fulfill the promise God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would be given the land wherein these faithful patriarchs dwelt. God instructed Moses to send 12 spies to spy out the land and bring back a report. As is well known, the report they brought back was not a good one. The land was as promised, "flowing with milk and honey", but there were giants in the land, inhabitants stronger than the Israelites. The consensus among the 12 spies was that the land could not be taken. Of course, we remember that two of these spies, Joshua and Caleb, urged the Israelites to trust in God. They were confident that with His help the land could be taken. But, alas, the Israelites sided with the 10 spies who gave the evil report and the whole assembly began to murmur and complain against Moses and against God. We know the outcome of this story. God punished the Israelites by not allowing any adults 20 years or older to enter the land of promise, except for Joshua and Caleb. They were not allowed to enter the promised rest because they did not trust God to help them overcome the stronger inhabitants of the land. They were not willing to put forth the effort to overcome.
Christians are also promised a land of rest - a beautiful home in heaven (Revelation 21). But to reach that rest, Christians face a conquest just as the Israelites did. Ours is not a physical conquest, but a spiritual one. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).
There are many spiritual enemies facing Christians. These enemies can, at times, appear invincible, as giants in the land. I John 2:16 tells us what these giants are: (1) lust of the flesh, (2) lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life. These three "morph" into one huge giant called SIN. But they can also "de-morph" into numerous smaller giants such as those described in Galatians 5:19-21 - "&ldots;adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelings&ldots;" These things are all around us, everywhere, everyday. It can be overwhelming at times. We may come to the point to where we feel we just can't be righteous in the face of so much evil. But, let us not be as the Israelites who gave up without even trying.
There are three ways in which we can overcome those evil spiritual giants:
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Trust in God - In Romans 7:18-25, Paul realized that he could not overcome by himself. He understood the war that was waging within himself between the flesh and the spirit. He realized that the flesh would win if he relied only on himself. In verse 24, he seems on the verge of giving up, but then, in verse 25, he turns it over to God who could deliver him "from this body of death." When we fail to trust in God, we will end up as the Israelites who perished in the wilderness instead of enjoying the promised rest in the land of Canaan.
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Stand strong - In I Kings 17, we can read of the champion giant, Goliath, who defied the armies of Israel. No Israelite was willing to stand against him. But when David heard his challenge, he stepped forward, knowing that, with God's help, he would be able to overcome just as God had helped him overcome the lion and the bear that tried to steal his sheep. But David still had to do his part to overcome. In Ephesians 6:13-18, we can read of the spiritual armor God has provided for us to overcome spiritual giants. But this armor will do us no good if we do not equip ourselves with it, learn how to use it to fight against evil, then stand strong.
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Look for help from the brethren - Galatians 6:1-2 exhorts those who are spiritual to restore those who are caught in sin. In Hebrews 3:12-13, we are told to "exhort one another daily" to guard against "departing from the living God." From the inspired words of Paul in I Thessalonians 5:14, we are to "warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all."
With God's help, we can overcome evil spiritual giants and enter that rest He has promised us. But we must have faith (trust in Him), we must be put forth the effort (stand strong), and we must help each other if we are to overcome.
--Tim Johnson