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Mt. Baker Beacon 2024
Vol. 03, No. 25 Jun 23, 2024
Your word is a lamp to my feet Mount Volume 03, Number 25 Published by Location: Sunday: Web site: Mt. Baker church
| In this issue: THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH AND ITS WORK Christ said he would build His church (Matthew 16:18). That he built it is evidenced by the fact that Luke says He added people to it day by day as they were being saved, (Acts 2:47). This church is the body of Christ, and He is the head of it, (Ephesians. 1:22-23). The church which Jesus built is essentially the "New Testament Church." This New Testament church was the "pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). It had fellowship in the gospel (Philippians 1: 5) and sent to have the word proclaimed (Philippians 4:15). Thus, the church fulfilled one of its main obligations by sounding out the word so sinners could be saved by the gospel, the power of God (Romans 1:16). This New Testament church also engaged in the work of edifying the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). The members of the church were "fed" and led by the elders as the borders of the kingdom were spread (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5: 13). Thus, the church fulfilled another of its main features or obligations by teaching and admonishing the members (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). This New Testament church engaged in benevolent work among its needy members as circumstances arose which made it necessary for them to have some assistance (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-35; 6:1-7; 11: 27-30). And so, the church fulfilled its obligations in this field. Aside from the work of evangelism and the work of edification and the work of benevolence, the New Testament church did nothing (Ephesians 4:12). To be a New Testament church, a congregation today must engage in these three works to the extent of its ability and must not go on and do other things that might seem to be "good works." All of the work of the New Testament church was done under the oversight and supervision of the elders of the local congregations (Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:1-3). At no time did a group of elders in a local church attempt to do a work for all the churches. And at no time did any group of local elders take possession or charge of any of the work, resources, or oversight of any work except the work they did as a local congregation. There was no pooling of resources to pay for any work in evangelism, edification, or benevolence. No church planned work it could not pay for. No church solicited money to carry on a work it had planned or undertaken. At no time and under no circumstances in evangelism and edification did any congregation send any aid to another congregation. Only in the field of benevolence (and that when a local church had more indigent saints than it could, care for) did one congregation send help to another congregation. This help always ceased as soon as the need was met. The idea of permanent works by congregations requiring continuing assistance from another congregation is not found in God's word. GOD TEACHES FAITHFULNESS THROUGH HIS OWN CHARACTER Faithfulness is not defined in a single moment. It is shown over time as consistency and reliability to do what one has committed to do. The Bible is full of exhortations to be faithful and warnings about our fate if we turn back. But God does more than just tell us to be faithful—He shows us how to do so through His own example. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). 1) Man is fickle. It doesn’t take any special insight to know that people are inconsistent. We experience it every day in ourselves and others around us. Sometimes the fickleness comes from malice while at other times it is simply neglect. Either way, we know that people cannot always be counted on. 2) We sometimes expect God to be like us. In Numbers 22-24, King Balak of Moab feared the Israelites who camped nearby in a great horde. Balak recruited Balaam to invoke a curse upon them with the promise of a great reward if he is successful. Balaam attempted to do so, but God tells him that He will continue to bless Israel as He promised. Balaam tried three times to ask God to change His mind, but he did not understand that God had covenant loyalty toward His people. It initially seems like Balaam understood, especially when we see his responses to Balak. In the first attempt, he said, “Must I not take care to speak what the L These seem like declarations of faith, but we have to ask why Balaam even kept trying. This is not a case of making supplication to God for providential help. He was asking God to break His covenant with His people. A man might be persuaded by repeated requests and offerings. Indeed, that is a factor for Balaam. Balak continually offered him riches and honor, and so Balaam looked for a way to change the outcome. Eventually when it was clear that God would not cooperate with Balak’s desires, Balaam found another way to bring a curse upon Israel. He counseled Balak to use idolatry and sexual immorality to draw the Israelites away from God (Num. 31:16; cf. chapter 25). That’s not anything that a faithful servant of God would do. Balaam was able to be persuaded, and so he assumed that God was as well. God is faithful in a way that astonishes man! 3) The unchangeable God. Because man is faithless, we use oaths and vows to get people to believe us. Jesus warned against this behavior especially when it gave license to deceive when there was a lesser oath or no oath at all (Matt. 5:33-37; 23:16-22). When God guarantees His words with an oath, He does it in a different way. He doesn’t need to appeal to anything higher—He simply swears by Himself. This should remind us that God’s words are always trustworthy because He by nature is faithful. “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Heb. 6:17-19). God is steady, sure, and consistent. We can anchor our very lives on His promises without hesitation or doubt. Everywhere in Scripture He has shown Himself to be a perfect model of faithfulness. 4) Learning to be faithful like God. The passage we started with in Hebrews 10:23 admonished us hold on to our confession without wavering—to be faithful like God is faithful. Is that possible for us to do? I know that I am not wholly like God, but the Christian walk is all about becoming more like Him. Don’t give up because you are only human. Dedicate yourself, rededicate yourself, and maintain your faith one day at a time. Created by John Bass, last updated. 06/17/2024 The Mount Baker Beacon is a weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA. |
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