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Mt. Baker Beacon 2024
Vol. 03, No. 27 Jul 07, 2024
Your word is a lamp to my feet Mount Volume 03, Number 27 Published by Location: Sunday: Web site: Mt. Baker church
| In this issue: CAN THE LORD TRUST YOU? Trust in this short study means to have confidence in one's sincerity of intent; to have confidence in one as truthful and reliable; to believe that one will always act in your best interest and never turn on you. We are thinking in light of how Satan (Job 1:9-11) questioned the sincerity and integrity of Job's faith in God. Satan insinuated that Job served God for what he could get out of God, and that if the blessings from God ceased, then Job would cease praising God and would turn against God. The issue was, could God trust man's sincerity when everything was good? But, on the other hand, would man turn against God if the good blessings were taken away. God permitted Satan to take away all of the blessings of Job. This included his children, his flocks and herds, and his health. Even his wife appeared to turn against him. His friends falsely accused him of being a terrible sinner. The people who used to respect him and seek his advice, now mocked and reviled him. Job gave up on life and wished that he had never been born. He prayed for answers, but the heavens were silent to his pleas. Just about everything in Job's life was mangled and made miserable. What else could go wrong? Job did complain and fume about the unfairness of his circumstances. He did not understand why (it seemed to him) that God had turned against him. But in all of his horrible and deplorable misery, he never renounced his steadfast faith in God. He knew that his Creator lived and that one day he would depart and stand before Him. Job would not and could not deny his Maker. Now, it is doubtful if very many of us would ever suffer like Job. But there have been any number of believers, who have renounced the Lord when things went horribly wrong in their lives. Loss of a loved one, loss of health with some painful disease, unfortunate accident, or some other tragedy, has caused some to give up their faith in the Lord and “quit the church”. No one should doubt the deep pain and hurt of these folks. We certainly do not make light of their difficulties. But we do need to remember that this life is not all that there is to our existence (Rom. 8:18). There is an eternity that is to come and a Creator that we all will face one day. We can no more deny our Heavenly Father above than we can deny that we came into the world by a father and mother. We may not always understand life and the painful changes that occur in life, but that is no sufficient reason to deny that we are to remain faithful servants of God. “Further along we'll all understand it, further along we'll understand why” so the hymn goes. We have to continue daily to walk by faith (Hab. 2:4; 2 Cor. 5:7). God has something better for us ahead. It is easy to march in the parade and have everything going along in a good way in our lives. But when the parade is interrupted by the need to go into battle, i.e., having painful changes come along in our lives, what then? Can the Lord trust us? Can He count on our true faith and full commitment to Him no matter what may happen in our lives? Job was severely tested and tried, but he kept his faith in the Lord. Let this be the same with us. Actually, Job was, in the end, drawn closer to the Lord (Job 42:5). Suffering can bring us closer to the Lord (Jas. 1:2-4; 2 Cor. 12:7-10). This is only possible if we have sincere, committed faith in God. Fully trust in the Lord, so that His can fully trust in you. HE TORE HIS CLOTHES "And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent (tore) his clothes" (2 Kings 22:11) Did you know tearing one's clothes was once a customary practice in Bible times? The tearing of clothes was often accompanied by putting sackcloth on the body and throwing dust on the head as a sign of deep grief and heartfelt sorrow. Sometimes one would tear their clothes because they heard shocking or sad news (2 Kings 19:1). There are occasions when men tore their clothes after learning God's truth and realizing they had not been obeying God's will (2 Kings 22:11; Ezra 9:3). We should express great remorse and grief when we learn that we have been sinning against the LORD. About 2650 years ago, Josiah became King of Judah at the age of eight years. Under the guidance of Hilkiah the high priest, Josiah begins seeking God around age 15. When a copy of the law of Moses was found in the temple, it was read in the hearing of Josiah. "And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent (tore) his clothes" (2 Kings 22:11). Josiah tore his clothes expressing both grief and humility about sin because he had a tender heart (2 Kings 22:19). The king soon started religious restorations in Judah commanding the idols to be removed from the land (2 Kings 23:4). Josiah also destroyed the old idol altars located in Bethel burning them and stamping them to powder (2 Kings 23:15). Josiah also learned from the book of God that a Passover was to be observed yearly. So, Josiah commanded the people to observe the Passover as ordered by God in the law of Moses. There had not been as great a Passover observed since the days of the judges, about 400 years (2 Kings 23:21-22). What if you learned from the Bible that you had been neglecting to do something for God? Would you have an attitude like Josiah? Did you know Jesus wants Christians to observe certain practices? Jesus told his apostles to teach baptized believers to observe all things He had commanded them (Matthew 28:18-20). One of the things Jesus commanded the apostles is to remember is His death by eating of the unleavened bread and drinking the fruit of the vine, which represent his body and blood shed for forgiveness of our sins (Matthew 26:26-29). The apostles began teaching the gospel of the Great Commission in Acts Chapter Two. When about 3,000 souls were baptized being added to the Church by the Lord, they observed the Lord's Supper that very Sunday (See Acts 2:41-42, 47). Later, Paul the apostle would write in detail about the proper order and spirit to have in observing the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34). The church at Corinth met on the first day of the week (Sunday) (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Keep in mind that the apostles taught the same things in every church or congregation (1 Corinthians 4:16-17). Consider also, the teachings of the apostles are the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 14:37). No, the instructions of the apostles are not merely good advice. So, just how often did the early congregations observe the Lord's Supper? Acts 20:7 clearly says upon the first day of the week. Paul and his companions waited seven days to meet with the church at Troas (Acts 20:6). The primary reason they were meeting was to break the bread, an expression often used for observing the Lord's Supper. Paul knew the church would meet on the Lord's Day. So, when did the early disciples break the bread? "Upon the first day of the week." (Acts 20:7). By inference, every week has a first day; so, the church at Troas would observe the Lord's Supper every Sunday. Consider the following: If you took a regular job and were told you would be paid on Friday, which Friday would you expect to get paid? You would expect to be paid every Friday because every week has a Friday. When the Hebrews were told to keep the Sabbath Day holy, they understood that every week had a Sabbath Day, that was on Saturday. It should not be difficult for the reader to understand that if we are going to follow the will of Christ as revealed in His word and follow the instructions of the apostles and example of the early church, we must observe the Lord's Supper every Sunday. Most churches do not do this today. Is it not enough to make you want to tear your clothes? The Holy Spirit has revealed to us in His word that Jesus wants us to remember what He did on the cross for us every first day of the week. The practice of observing the Lord's Supper once or twice a year, which is common today, is not found in the New Testament. This is clearly a doctrine of men (Mark 7:7). I hope the reader will indeed think on these things and look up the Bible verses cited in this article. May we imitate the good attitude of king Josiah who grieved after learning he and Judah had neglected God's will. There are many who need to "tear their clothes" and humble themselves before God with a tender heart and make some changes. Created by John Bass, last updated. 07/02/2024 The Mount Baker Beacon is a weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA. |
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