People Get Ready!

Posted by Chris on December 12, 2004 under Sermons

O You Had Better Watch Out

This is the time of year when all parents have an ally in establishing their authority. I speak of course of the mysterious and ancient Northman in his red wizard’s cap who descends upon us flying through the skies from his cold and barren keep in the land of eternal night. He arrives swiftly and unseen; no barrier, no bolt or lock can hinder him in his mission to dispense justice. If you are good, you get rewarded, but if you are bad – you will be given a token of your sins – a chuck of black anthracite or a bundle of dry tree limbs! Beware these symbols for "they do convict ye of your sins!"

Don’t doubt it! The ancient texts confirm this. They are ominous and fearful in their apocalyptic warning – "O, you had better watch out! O, you had better not cry! You had better not pout, and I am telling you why! Santa Claus is coming to town. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you are awake, he knows when you are bad or good so be good for goodness sake!"
These are the pleading words of the old prophet Gene Autry pleading with children to correct their ways before the night time approach of the wizened agent of justice. This annual judge who rains down blessings and curses – the first words of the text confirm it – "You had better watch out!"

In March or July warning a child that Santa is watching just doesn’t have much weight. But in December the threat of his arrival can leverage good behavior. I still get chills when I recall my grandmother warning us that if we didn’t improve our behavior very quickly then we could be certain that the long-bearded, red-suited agent of justice would deliver us a bag of switches and cornbread. (I never quite understood the cornbread part.) Perhaps you also recall such warnings?

Isn’t it strange that Santa, good ole Saint Nick, is still such a beloved figure after such a scary prediction of his coming? If you didn’t know anything about Santa and only had the words of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and the countless warnings of parents throughout the ages – wouldn’t Santa seem like a vengeful, fearful being? A powerful figure with an omniscient gaze; you do not want to entice his disfavor. Yet children aren’t that intimidated. They are hopeful and have great expectations of the morning after his arrival.

I find it even stranger and a little disappointing that we are less hopeful and optimistic about the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (And when you compare it to the arrival of jolly St. Nick it is by far the more substantial and important event worthy of anticipation, right?) There’s an irony in the comparison of the general anticipation of Christmas morning versus the general anticipation of Christ’s return. Try as we might it is nearly impossible to make the arrival of Santa something terrifying. Yet, as hopeful and joyous as we ought to be in our anticipation of Christ’s return, it is often a thought that fills the hearts of even the most faithful believers with dread and worry. Consider the words of this popular church song – "Jesus is coming soon! Morning or night or noon! Many will meet their doom! Trumpets will sound!" Certainly the judgment of the Lord is a terrible thing, but too often when we speak of his imminent return it is all doom and little or nothing is said of his mercy and the hope that his return inspires.

Is that really all we can expect of the Day of the Lord? If it is such a fearful and frightening event, if it seems that the best thing to do when Christ returns is to hide, then why did the first century Christians long for his return? Why did they pray, "Come Soon Lord Jesus?" Why is that day hoped for as the day that dawns when "the morning star rises in our hearts?" (2 Peter 1:19) The early Christians anticipated the second coming of Christ in much the same way that the people of Israel anticipated the first coming of the Messiah and the dawn of the Day of the Lord. In the preaching and teaching before Christ’s first coming and the second coming there is a consistent theme of getting ready and being prepared, but the message doesn’t end at "You had better watch out!" The preparation and readiness is a call to hope and something new and amazing.

People, Get Ready

But didn’t Jesus himself preach a scary vision of the return? Didn’t Jesus himself describe the last days as terrifying and ominous? That’s the way we usually hear Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:36-44 … When I read a verse like this I instantly think of the rapture and end-time doom scenarios like you find in Left Behind. But here’s my problem – the setting and style of these Scriptures doesn’t fit with a tribulation view of the world. A theology of the rapture assumes that God’s people have it good, but it’s going to get really bad. But during the first century that was just the opposite. God’s people had it really bad – and they had no hope of things getting better. These images of separation, desolating sacrileges, and the like sound really eerie to us, but to oppressed people it’s just scenes from the "Nightly News."

Jesus isn’t trying to strike fear into the heart of the wicked. He wants the faithful to be ready! Not "You Had Better Watch Out!" but "People, Get Ready!" Jesus wants his people to know that the oppression they see all around them is not the way it is going to turn out. The worst things are never the last things! He wants them to know that when it looks bad and seems like the enemy is going to win, they shouldn’t give up and they shouldn’t lose hope. It is just the darkness before the dawn; it is just the cross before resurrection day. Just as he told Peter to be ready when they were coming to arrest him, Jesus is telling us to be ready because things may seem really bad. The readiness that Jesus calls us to is a hopeful, faithful readiness – not a hand-wringing, nail-biting, get ready to scream and hide beneath a rock readiness. New ways of thinking, living, and talking are called for because God is among us. His son lives with us and nothing can ever be the same again. Why? Because God has a future in store for us that is so grand it changes the way we live even now.

The conventional views of the end of time have missed the balance of hope and urgency that Jesus and the Old Testament prophets preached. With apologies to popular Christian writers in the 20^th century, the greatest prophet of readiness in the 20^th century was R&B singer Curtis Mayfield. He understood the balance between urgency and hope that calls us to do more than Watch Out! It calls us to Get Ready!
His song, "People Get Ready," was released in 1965, at the height of America’s civil rights movement, and was an immediate classic. The song makes clear that redemption is offered to all, except those who clearly don’t want it — but nevertheless asks us to feel for them anyway. The haunting moan that floats throughout balances the seriousness of judgment with the hopeful lyrics – lyrics that express the hopes of people who are urged to start living in anticipation of something better …

PEOPLE GET READY THERE’S A TRAIN A COMIN’
YOU DON’T NEED NO BAGGAGE, JUST GET ON BOARD –
ALL YOU NEED IS FAITH TO HEAR THE DIESELS HUMMIN’ –
YOU DON’T NEED NO TICKET YOU JUST THANK THE LORD.

Hope: Anticipation and Preparation
I am not suggesting that there is no fear or urgency to be associated with the end of time, but our emphasis has been unbalanced. We should realize that there is more than a "You Had Better Watch Out!" event known as the Second Coming. Let’s balance the urgency and awe of Jesus’ return with hope, anticipation, and preparation.

Anticipation of something greater than the current state of affairs is central to the church’s proclamation. How can we share hope and good news if good news means nothing more than avoiding trouble? We believe and proclaim that God’s new heaven and earth is something worth dying for and living for! So we’re going to get ready!

Preparation – Our view of the coming of the Lord should mean more to us than just procuring insurance against the impending wrath of God. It means living today like it is already the Day of the Lord.

The coming of the Lord is not being pulled over by flashing lights, and grace is not simply getting a warning when we should have been fined. New ways of thinking, living, and talking are called for because God is among us. His son lives with us and nothing can ever be the same again. Why? Because God has a future in store for us that is so grand it changes the way we live even now. Hear again the message of Isaiah as he anticipates what it means when the Lord comes to rule … (read Isaiah 2:2-5 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.)

The goal of God’s Messiah is peace. There is a happy ending. Some might be determined to write themselves out of the story, but God’s ultimate vision is to establish His rule so that peace rules. There is an end to war and conflict. People are focused on those things that give life, not the manufacture of death and destruction. People do not have to be dragged before the Lord; they rush to His hilltop throne to receive instruction. Out of that vision, Isaiah encourages us to get ready by walking in the light of the Lord. In other words, let’s live now like it is already that day. "People, get ready!"

Help for the Work of Eugene Elangwe

Posted by David on December 5, 2004 under Sermons

In 1970-1974 Joyce and I did mission work in West Africa in the country of Cameroon. That country is about the size of the state of California, and at that time had a population of around five million people.

For about three of the four years I lived there, part of my work was teaching in a preacher training school. One of the students was Eugene Elangwe. Eugene also worked for Deborah Brown (now Wilson) and Nancy O’Brian. Since none of us had the machines and conveniences of this country, everything was done by “man power.” Eugene helped Deborah and Nancy by supplying some of that “man power” (manual labor).

1. At the time Eugene was in the preacher training school, he was an unmarried teenager.
   1. Now Eugene is almost 50 years old.
      1. He has a wife and seven children.
      2. Years ago he moved to one of the northern regions of that country.
      3. He is just a little over 200 miles from the nearest American missionary–which in that area is a considerable distance.
      4. He has no vehicle, so everything he does is still dependent on “man power” (manual labor).
      5. Let me use the year 2000 as an example:
         1. His income for supporting his family was $400 a month.
         2. He was spending 75% of that income on educating his children.
         3. He had a work fund of $200 a month, which was insufficient to cover the expenses of his work.
         4. He was gardening to provide the basic food needs of his family.
         5. He spent 4 days a week traveling to villages for evangelism, and that included about 50 miles of walking (per month).
         6. There were 6 additional villages asking him to come to them and teach.
   2. Given his circumstances, I find the work incredible.
      1. He has begun 13 congregations in the area, and he has to visit several of them by walking.
      2. He realized the need to train church leaders, so he started a Bible training school.
         1. The school meets twice a year, two months in the spring and two months in the fall.
         2. The primary purpose of the school is to train leaders for the congregations.
         3. There are not enough Bibles to supply everyone in existing congregations with a Bible.
         4. There are no Bible study aids to provide the students in the school.
         5. Yet, with almost no supplies, the school graduated its first 5 students in September of 2003, after the students completed 42 courses of study.
   3. When Eugene completed our course work in his first Bible Training school, he did not stop his education.
      1. He has completed a 50-course curriculum from the International School of Biblical Studies in South Africa (by correspondence).
      2. His hope is to continue with a degree program.

   Eugene is doing things no American missionary could do as he shares the gospel with the people in Wum.

2. Dr. Bob Fisher and Kevin Vaught report on the work of C.U.R.E. (Compassionate Utilization of Resources)

3. One of the things that I most dislike in life is raising money–that was the aspect of mission work I least liked.
   1. The plans to help Eugene in his work have been developing for five years.
      1. I had two objectives in helping him.
         1. I wanted to increase his credibility and opportunity among the people.
         2. I wanted to send him some Bibles and Bible study aids to use in the preacher training school and in the congregations.
      2. C.U.R.E. is an extremely important part of helping me reach those objectives.
         1. It has contributed hundreds of pounds of medical supplies for the clinics in Eugene’s areas.
         2. It has arranged for the shipping of the supplies (hopefully in January 2005) to the area (permission for the shipment to enter Cameroon already has been received).
         3. The hundreds of pounds of medical supplies will be shared by 6 clinics in the area.
            1. The medical supplies are greatly needed.
            2. We hope this will allow Christians to be appreciated and respected as compassionate people.
         4. Enclosed in the shipment, with permission, will be Bibles and Bible study aids for the school and congregations.
            1. We hope this will supply Eugene with some much needed tools in his work.

4. Originally we has hoped to send several requested medicines.
   1. That is not possible–it required much too much money.
      1. Everything we ship is a gift.
      2. Hopefully, we have raised the money for the cost of shipping. (As of 5 December 2004, we now have almost $6500 to ship the Gaylord container; it will take about $10,000).
   2. I cannot begin to describe to you the need for medical supplies in this area.
   3. I do need your help in collecting Bibles and Bible study aids in English.
      1. I ask you to look around your homes and collect Bibles or Bible study books to ship.
      2. The Bibles primarily will be used in the congregations, and the aids primarily in the preacher training school.
      3. The language they use in their studies and school is English.
      4. If you can drop these off at our offices, I will take them to the warehouse to be included in the shipment.

It is so simple to hear about Jesus and become a Christian in our society in America. It is so difficult to hear about Jesus and become Christians in so many other societies.

May we not only know our blessings, but may we respond to our blessings.

Recognizing Spiritual Gifts and Using Them to Glorify God – Part 2

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Paul outlines in Romans 12:1-8 the Christian way of thinking concerning spiritual gifts …read Romans 12:1-8.

Three practical suggestions may help you recognize and use your spiritual gift. Andto help you remember it I want you to think of 3-D. 3D is real and tangible, just as realand tangible as these three “D-suggestions:”

1. Devote yourself to God in worship – (Romans 12:1-3) Offer yourself to God as aliving sacrifice, out of gratitude for His mercies to you. Think of what it means to offer,to devote a sacrifice to God …
   • Focus on Jesus and His Cross – Worship is the constant among us. All of usstand before God the same – broken people loved by our merciful Creator. Eachof us is offered a place in his kingdom, we are extended forgiveness, and we arecalled to participate in God’s spirit. (Scene from Passion of the Christ -Distinctions were faded as they came near the cross – Joseph of Arimethea,Mary, Mary M., centurion and soldiers – women and men, former skeptics andfaithful, Jew and Roman, rich and poor, rulers and ruled)
   • Spiritual Worldview: Transforming of mind – Only a renewed, transformed mindcan think of spiritual gifts as Paul has exhorted here. Our culture would convinceus to do the opposite of what Paul teaches. Paul warns us not to “overthink” andnot to “think of [ourselves] more highly than we ought to think.” The worldtells us we do not have a good enough estimate of our own worth. In the secularway of thinking, we need to think more highly of ourselves. Many tell us there areno limits placed on our abilities except those we impose on ourselves. Thesolution, we are told, is to believe that within us (not apart from ourselves,enabled by the Holy Spirit) there is unlimited potential for success andachievement. We are told that if we but think more positively, more highly ofourselves, then success is guaranteed–the higher our thoughts and goals, thehigher our performance.
   • The world looks inward to what is within man and finds unlimited potential. TheBible instructs us to look Godward, to look to the Holy Spirit and Hisenablement, to live our lives in a way that will sacrificially serve God andmen.
   • Spiritual gifts are not intended to be a mystery. The teaching of spiritual gifts isboth fundamental and elementary. If you do not know your spiritual gift andministry, God is not hiding it from you, if you are seeking to be obedient to Him.Try to see yourself, your abilities, your experience with a biblical worldview – across-eyed perspective on the world (Woolridge’s at Lake Jackson Church of Christ – brought it to God,then to the church – and God made it clear to them – it starts in worshipfuldevotion to God!)

2. Develop Serious Relationships with other Christians (Nurturing &Growing) – Submit to others in friendship and accountability (Romans12:4-5) In verses 4 and 5, Paul calls Christians to think communally. Spiritualgifts must be understood and practiced in the context of the body of Christ. So itmakes sense that they would be discerned and discovered by others too. Thereare some Christians who have this gift of recognizing what others are gifted to do.(Christian Empowerment) Spiritual gifts mean that I am both weak and strong. Iam strong in the area of my gift; I am weak in the areas where others have beengifted. Thus, I must minister to the body of Christ and others out of my strength,and I am dependent upon the ministry of the rest of the body in my areas ofweakness.
   For the proper functioning of spiritual gifts, we must cease thinkingindividualistically and begin to think like a community. We cannot look atourselves as an island, independent of all others. That’s the spirit behind at leasttwo of our goals – (Increase in Love and Godly Behavior – Nurture SpiritualGrowth and Holiness)
   What’s Happening at West-Ark? – Talk to others, talk to minister, ask elders topray for you – try it!
   Who do you spend your time with? Think of the people you gather around you? Who do you pray with? In What’s Happening at West-Ark, you can look at theFAQ that says “How can I grow?” Get involved in these activities to grow and bespiritually nurtured and give it time.

3. Dedicate Time Serving others – (v. 6-8)
   In verses 7 and 8, Paul urges those who have the speaking gifts to likewisedevote themselves to doing that which they have been gifted to do. But why tell ateacher to teach or a servant to serve? Isn’t it just natural? Our natural tendencyis to be self-centered and self-serving. Paul assumes two potential problemswhen it comes to spiritual gifts: 1) The first is not devoting ourselves to doing thatwhich God gifted us to do; 2) The second is using our gifts in a way inconsistentwith the grace of God.
   Using Your Gift to Glorify God – by speaking for God and serving others. Thiscan be mundane, not just miraculous! Look for needs, and seek to meet them.When a gift is used for God and to help others it is no longer mundane. Simplethings become great. What may seem routine medicine to us, is a mighty work inMedical Mission field. We tend to think that miraculous means defiance of thenatural laws, but I tend to think it means defiance of the natural way we humansdo things in this world. When a gift is given in the name of Jesus, it is wondrous- and perhaps in that way miraculous.
   • You might recognize your gifts in this way. It is a sort of spiritual “on the job training.” Look forthose who are weaker than you, and serve them from your strength. Spiritualgifts are given in order to meet the needs of others. Others needs are allabout us. We need but the eyes to see them and the obedience to respond tothem by God’s grace and power. Look in What’s Happening at West-Ark – Getplugged in! Watch the announcements each week.
   • Did you notice the section in What’s Happening at West-Ark the FAQ “How can Iserve others?” Use that! Take a look at our bulletin and notices each week. Who are those in need this week? What needs are going unmet in the church? Isthere a need for …? What gifts do you have to meet an opportunity? What if youhave a gift for which there is no “program”? Make a ministry! Someone will beserved by it. How do you think all of these works in What’s Happening at West-Ark got started? It just takes a person and people willing to do what God wantsthem to do. Talk to people who are serving. How did they get started? In What’sHappening at West-Ark the last FAQ is “Who Do I Contact About?” – One sectionon last page is “Staying Informed.” There is always an opportunity to serve anduse your gift(s).

I am convinced that the matter of spiritual gifts is not as mysterious assome suggest and as it might seem at first. If you have first given yourselfto God, and you are seeking to obey Him in the strength He supplies, youwill know what He has given you to do, and you will have the faith and thegrace necessary to do it.

Jesus said that the one that gives a cup of cold water. “And if you give even acup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”- Matthew 10:42. Maybe it’s just that simple.

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 5 December 2004

Recognizing Spiritual Gifts and Using Them to Glorify God – Part 1

Posted by Chris on November 28, 2004 under Sermons

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Misunderstandings about spiritual gifts – We can become hung up on controversies about spiritual gifts or conscious of abilities and experiences we don’t have …
There have always been two dangers with spiritual abilities (not just in Charismatic and Pentecostal movement):

1. Reduce spiritual gifts and spirituality to a set of particular items (i.e. speaking in tongues =the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or business success and public influence for elders – a certain church had 27 qualifications for elders with the result being a loss of vision for future growth – they just wanted to be absolutely right!);
2. Ranking gifts -Problem is people either get too ambitious or not ambitious at all – the result when we forget that the source of the spiritual gifts and that they are given for the church

There were misunderstandings in Corinth about spiritual gifts. We have our own misunderstanding as well. Paul used the body language of 1 Cor 12 to explain what spiritual gifts are all about …

1. We Are One Body With Many Members
   1. Every member partakes of the same spirit – (not just a fortunate few)
      v. 13-and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
   2. The variety of spiritual abilities (gifts, services, activities) are for the common good
      • This is a new standard for the Corinthians
      • Public display or individual experience are not the highest standard
      • v. 7- To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

2. We Are All Vital
   1. God has arranged us intentionally to make a "body"
      • ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
   2. So no more overconfidence and underconfidence
      • Our view of our abilities is too often self-centered
      • And the greatest temptation among us is not that we will be arrogant or elitist like some at Corinth, rather we will tend to devalue our worthiness.
      • Do not do this! You are underestimating the God, Lord and Spirit that works in every member of the body in some way.
      • Were you baptized? Then God has given you some gift, service or experience for the common good. Do not boast about it, but do not bury it either!
   3. Challenge: What would happen if we honestly believed that each member is gifted and invaluable to the spiritual health of the community?
      • Things like the 80/20 rule would be rejected
      • Comparisons would end – No one would be considered less needed or more needed (v. 24)
      • Anxieties would go away – we wouldn’t be dependent on a select few or worried about who is in charge – we would be focused on using what God has given to glorify him and make disciples!
      • We would understand that our gifts are meant to work together

3. We Need One Another
   1. We are not independent, we are interdependent
      • No one is an island – we are the less when we lose a small part (link to John Donne)
      • This is why disassociation hurts
      • The health of the body depends on every part
4. God has assembled us so we can share the blessing of unity –
   • A unity with diversity but without discord – A mature community that shares in sorrow and joy –
   • In the church, the center is Jesus Christ – not me or you. We cannot separate ourselves because we "get nothing from church." That is a customer/consumer attitude.We’re more loyal to sports teams than church – because we feel a connection!

   But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, ²⁵ that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

5. I challenge you to recognize your gifts so that you can glorify God – Each gift expresses love

   • Illustration about my children and their gifts. And if they love each other and their family, then they will use their gift to express that love (1 Corinthians 13)

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 28 November 2004

How Do We Address Evangelistic Concern?

Posted by David on November 21, 2004 under Sermons

We want to make disciples for Jesus Christ who are eager to do good works. Most of us are disciples of Jesus Christ who are not ashamed to serve him. We want other people to be disciples of Jesus Christ because we want them to have the blessings in Jesus Christ that God has given us. The greatest blessing anyone can receive is the blessing of discipleship in Jesus Christ.

A common concern weighs heavily on most of our hearts. This concern is growing bigger, not smaller, and the concern is getting heavier, not lighter. What is this common concern? It is our concern for the salvation of other people.

Let me acknowledge two focal points of concern from the start. #1–We want our children to be saved (become disciples) very quickly. In fact, we would prefer that our children be saved before they are lost. The route we desire is from safe to saved, not from safe to lost to saved. It is very simple to want our own children to be forgiven before they have ever committed any sin. We feel that way because we love them very deeply.

# 2–We want people that we love and care about to be in a saved relationship with God whether they want to be or not. So it becomes imperative that we convince them to be baptized. Believing is not an urgent matter if they are baptized. Repenting is not an urgent matter if they are baptized. For us the key is to convince them that they needed to be baptized. If we convince them to be baptized, we can assume they believe. If we convince them to be baptized, we can assume they repent [if we are not careful, repentance becomes an attitude of sorrowfulness rather than a redirection of life].

Therefore, the key question to us is not “do you believe?” or, “Have you repented?” The key question is, “Have you been baptized?”

May I make an observation: there are no “faithless” paths to salvation in Jesus Christ. I cannot receive forgiveness from the one who died for me if I do not believe in the result of his death. I cannot receive atonement from the one who was resurrected to assure my resurrection if I do not believe in his resurrection. I cannot receive redemption and be freed from evil by God and Christ’s forgiveness unless I believe in the one who redeemed me. If Jesus Christ is to provide me the blessings of salvation, I must believe in God’s work in Jesus’ death. I must believe in Jesus’ resurrection. If my baptism is not based on faith in the crucified, resurrected Jesus, my baptism has no meaning.

The power is not found in what I do in baptism. The power is found in what God does in my baptism. God can and will act in my baptism because of my faith in Jesus Christ. But for God to act in any person’s baptism, he or she must have faith in Jesus Christ.

That brings us to an important problem. The problem: how are we going to encourage people to be disciples of Jesus Christ? I am going to share a reading with you. You can follow the reading on the overhead screen, and that is fine. But I also would like for you to take a Bible and mark Galatians chapter 5. I want you to see something for yourselves in Galatians chapter 5.

First, the reading from Galatians 5:16-21. Read with me.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1. Let’s begin by admitting the obvious: we are scared.
   1. We are afraid for a lot of reasons.
      1. We are afraid for our children.
         1. Will they have the courage to be a source of godly influence, or will they be influenced by ungodly forces?
         2. Will faith in God be the primary force in their adult lives, or will they as adults abandon faith?
      2. We are afraid for our marriages, and the marriages of our children, and the marriages of our friends.
         1. We seemed surrounded by a sea of failed marriages.
         2. Today people as casually commit adultery, fornication, or have affairs as people a few decades ago had a meal.
         3. It seems increasingly true that people do not know how to be people of integrity, how to be responsible, how to commit.
         4. Couples successfully married have been a minority for a long time.
      3. We are afraid of the future.
         1. We have no idea what yet lies ahead.
         2. We have no idea where the American society is headed.
         3. We have no idea about the kind of society or the kind of world our children and grandchildren will be in as adults.
         4. For a long time we have watched “ways of life” die in this country.
      4. We are afraid because it is becoming increasingly obvious we are not in control of anything.
         1. The world does not seem to like Americans, or Christians, or us.
         2. Too often we as a church are regarded a curse instead of a blessing.
         3. We just do not like the feeling and awareness that we are not in control.
   2. So, what shall we do? How shall we react to all these fears? Is there a solution?
      1. Solution # 1: “Let’s get people to turn to God.”
      2. Reaction # 1: “Let’s make it happen fast!”
         1. It took 25 years for God to give Abraham the son He promised–“that is too slow!”
         2. It took almost 1500 years for God to send Jesus into this world–“that is way too slow!”
         3. It took approximately 30 years for God to offer Jesus for our salvation–“that is much too slow!”
         4. “We want a quick fix!”
      3. Two questions:
         1. How will we produce a quick fix? What route do we need to take?
         2. How will we know when it happens–is getting everyone to “think and do like we think and do” the gauge?

2. Suggestion # 1: we need to scare people to God to fill our church buildings, and make people afraid to do evil things!
   1. I realize I run a considerable risk in being misunderstood.
      1. I know fear often is a constructive, helpful emotion when we repent.
      2. I am not talking about the fearful awakening to the need to redirect life and accepting responsibility for our mistakes.
      3. I am talking about replacing faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with the fear of eternal consequences.
      4. You cannot scare people to a godly existence and a heavenly destination.
   2. May I anticipate a response: “But you just read how that people who practice any of that list of ungodly things will not inherit God’s kingdom!”
      1. “Just look at that list! Paul condemned sexual immorality, all forms of idolatry, all forms of division, ungodly attitudes, and ungodly forms of indulgence in pleasures!”
      2. “He made it quite clear if those things were practiced, the person would not inherit God’s kingdom!”
      3. “Those verses look like an attempt to scare people away from ungodly things!”

3. Earlier I asked you to take a Bible and mark Galatians 5; now I ask you to turn there and let me call some obvious things to your attention.
   1. First, I ask, “To whom did Paul make the statement in verses 19-21?”
      1. Paul made the statement to Christians, specifically to Gentile Christians.
      2. These were not presented as a text for an evangelistic gospel meeting.
      3. It is very important to note and to understand that Paul was talking to Gentiles (like us) who already converted to Jesus Christ.
      4. The problem was that those Christians were not living like people who belong to Jesus Christ.
      5. That is our problem right now in this society–Christians are not behaving like Christians.
   2. Second, I ask, “Why did Paul make this statement to these Christians?”
      1. For a full answer we need to go back to the basic reason Paul wrote the letter of Galatians to the churches in the area of Galatia.
         1. Jewish Christians visited them and convinced them they were not saved unless they adopted Jewish teaching and ways.
         2. Many of these Gentile Christians were convinced and turned to Jewish indoctrination.
         3. Basically Paul said, “I cannot believe you abandoned the gospel that saved you in Jesus Christ for another teaching that is seeking to take advantage of you.”
      2. In keeping with that emphasis, let’s focus on chapter five.
         1. Note verse one: Christ gave you freedom (we don’t discuss that freedom much).
         2. Note verses 2-12: if you Gentile Christians adopt Jewish teachings and ways, you destroy the freedom Christ gave you.
         3. Note verses 13-15: if you Gentile Christians act like Christians, Christian behavior will fulfill God’s emphasis in Jewish law: you will learn to love your neighbor as yourself.
         4. Note verses 16-18: You must understand a basic truth: there is a war going on inside you (Paul was concerned about the war inside these Gentile Christians)
            1. You cannot live like the pagans you once were!
            2. Pagan lifestyle and behavior is not Christian lifestyle and behavior!
            3. If you revert to a pagan lifestyle in the name of Christian freedom, God does not rule you and your abandon God’s inheritance!
      3. Now I please ask you to notice something that should be very obvious.
         1. The war going on inside Christians is the conflict between the physical and the spiritual.
         2. Verses 19-21 focus on the physical lifestyle these people had lived before they became Christians.
         3. Immediately following in verses 22-24 is an emphasis on the fruit of the Spirit which must characterize the lives of people who belong to God through Christ.
   3. It should be obvious that there is a basic contrast.
      1. There was a pagan then and a Christian now.
      2. There was a pagan way to live, and a Christian way to live.
      3. Paul said Christians cannot claim the freedom in Christ to revert to living a pagan lifestyle.
         1. The answer was not the traditions, practices, and lifestyle of the Jews.
         2. The answer was not the traditions, practices, and lifestyle of paganism.
         3. The answer was living like a Christian, guided by God’s Spirit, and behaving like a person who belongs to Christ.
      4. Christians kill their old way of life–deliberately–so they can live by the Spirit.

We will not succeed in scaring people to a godly lifestyle of faith in Jesus Christ. If that approach worked, this society would have become a godly society a long time ago. It does not work with us–never mind the people who are not Christians! I have preached a long time. There has never been a time or a place I have worked in the church that there were not incest, affairs, adultery, failed marriages, pleasurable indulgence, hate, jealousy, division, and ungodly attitudes among Christians.

The problem has not changed! It has just continued to grow and become increasingly open. The greatest single problem in attracting people to Jesus’ cross and Jesus’ resurrection is found in the fact that too many Christians live and behave like people who do not belong to God!

If God is to work through us as His people, we must live and act like His people. If we do not, there is no contrast to see! If there is no contrast to see, there is no power to attract people to godly living!

Nurturing Spiritual Growth and Holiness – Part 2

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Last week we introduced our fourth objective as a church – to nurture spiritual growth to transform everyone into God’s holiness. I wouldn’t blame you at all for thinking that is a mighty lofty goal. Let’s be honest, how does the average person have time to nurture holiness in others much less oneself? How does one make the time to grow spiritually in the midst of the sort of busy-ness of the work week? Not only is there the ever growing demands and stress of the workplace, but we have housework as well. There are bills to be paid, rooms to be cleaned, cars to be serviced, and any number of repairs to the house and our labor-saving devices – which don’t seem to be saving us that much labor. How can all that buzzing and whirring of activity contribute to holiness and spirituality?

I wouldn’t blame you at all if you told me that it is hard to fit in the daily routine of bible study and prayer. I understand, about the only time we can find for spirituality is at church – and even church can seem like a lot of activity that may or may not promote spiritual growth. There are potlucks to cook for, there are projects to work on, there are plans to meet over, but where’s the spiritual growth? Is holiness a realistic goal for the average person? Maybe it is something that will come in retirement? Maybe it is just for the ministers and church leaders? Maybe the only ones who can really be holy are monks and hermits who go off to a mountaintop to contemplate God?

I wouldn’t blame you if you felt a bit intimidated by words like "nurture, spiritual growth, and holiness." What I hope you will not do is cast this goal aside secretly because you fear that your life is just too busy, too ordinary, or too important to experience spiritual growth and holiness. I do believe it is possible for each and every Christian to experience spiritual growth and holiness. And I don’t think it is something only for the elite or exceptional Christians. Why? Because God makes every Christian exceptional and there are no elites in the body of Christ for Christ is the only head of the body. Spiritual growth is an inherent quality of life in the church. You will grow as a Christian because you are connected to the head of the church (Christ) and to every other member of the body. You will grow just as an infant cannot help but grow as long as it is part of a family. You will grow just a garden of wildflowers grows as long as it is connected to the earth. This is Paul’s message in Eph. 4:1-16. Just to preface this reading, let me say that Paul has indicated in chapters 1 – 3 that God has accomplished his work of salvation in Jesus Christ. Not only are we saved through Jesus, but we are given purpose, identity, and belonging. All things in the created order – including us – are to be redeemed and woven together through Jesus. And so Paul utters a praise to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine. He is the source of our growth and holiness. So in chapter 4 Paul describes how God’s power and work enters into our experience … (Read Ephesians 4:1-16)

Organic Growth Cycle – The view of spiritual growth that Paul describes in this Scripture is not mechanical or institutional. It is organic and natural. It is interconnected with Christ and with other disciples who are also growing and becoming holy. I have a diagram that might help us understand how this works. 1) First, notice that the process of growth and maturity flows from Christ. Every stage and experience in this process is linked to Christ. Christ is the blood and oxygen that is essential to the process of spiritual life. 2) Each of us and all of us experience four stages of growth through this process. Our calling, the unity of the church body, spiritual gift given by the Lord, and maturity in Christ. Do not be too linear with these "stages" It would be a mistake to put time frames on each one as if six months of unity prepares one for a spiritual gift. It doesn’t work that way. These are cyclical and we are always experiencing and re-experiencing each stage. [Illus. from Preaching Today] – Spiritual transformation is a long-term endeavor. It involves both God and us. I liken it to crossing an ocean. Some people try, day after day, to be good, to become spiritually mature. That’s like taking a rowboat across the ocean. It’s exhausting and usually unsuccessful. Others have given up trying and throw themselves entirely on “relying on God’s grace.” They’re like drifters on a raft. They do nothing but hang on and hope God gets them there. Neither trying nor drifting is effective in bringing about spiritual transformation. A better image is the sailboat, which if it moves at all, it’s a gift of the wind. We can’t control the wind, but a good sailor discerns where the wind is blowing and adjusts the sails accordingly.

Calling – "Lead a life worthy of your calling" – (4:1) – Have you ever thought of your Christian identity as a calling? This alone could be a major shift in perspective that enables us to grow spiritually. Our life has meaning and purpose. We have all been called by God (4:2) and he has a vision for our lives. Like a Father who has a vision for his children, God has hopes and dreams for us and he is calling all of us to share in the same glorious future (4:4). God is doing something with creation. He has a plan that is headed somewhere definite and you and I – all of us – are called, invited to be a part of it.

Unity – "Keep yourselves unified in the Holy Spirit" – (4:3) – This plan isn’t just for a select few. That’s why spiritual growth in Christ is for everyone and not just a few worthies. This work of God, his vision and plan, involves all of us because his objective is to unite all of us in love and peace. When sin entered the world, it disturbed the peace that God enjoyed with his creation and the peace of God that ran through all creation. The restoration of this peace, or shalom, is the work of Jesus Christ. So, in the body of Christ we ought to be experiencing a foretaste of the peace that is to come.
We ought to love one another and be patient with one another, even though we are imperfect, because the same God is over us, in us, and living through us all (4:6). Paul affirms the unity we have by noting that we share in one "body," one Spirit, one future; we have the same Lord, same faith, and same birth (one baptism) (4:5)
This unity in God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit that results in love and peace facilitates our spiritual growth and transformation into holiness. But this unity also allows for a certain diversity that also facilitates spiritual growth …

Gifts – "However, he has given each of us a special gift" – (4:7) – Even though we have some important things in common, we are not all the same. Unity is different from uniformity. Uniformity is based on conformity, in which everyone must become exactly alike. But unity is actually based on diversity in which unique parts combine to form a unified whole. We see this in marriage in which dissimilar individuals – male and female – unite to become one. In the body of Christ, in which the process of spiritual growth takes place, Christ gives each of us unique gifts. The diversity is nothing to be concerned about because Christ is the source of all the gifts (4:8-11).And the diversity of gifts maintains unity and depends on unity because the purpose of each gift is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church (4:12). All of us have a gift that contributes to the spiritual growth of the whole church. The apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors and teachers within the church are not leaders who are meant to limit the growth of the church. They are there to enhance it. They equip us for service and inspire us and that builds up the church.

The Importance of all gifts (John Maxwell, in The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, wrote): During World War II, when Britain was experiencing its darkest days, the country had a difficult time keeping men in the coal mines. Many wanted to give up their dirty, thankless jobs in the dangerous mines to join the military service, which garnered much public praise and support. Yet their work in the mines was critical to the war. Without coal, the military and the people at home would be in trouble. So Prime Minister Winston Churchill faced thousands of coal miners one day and told them of their importance to the war effort; how their role could make or break the goal of maintaining England’s freedom. Churchill painted a picture of what it would be like when the war ended, the grand parade that would honor the people who fought the war. First would come the sailors of the navy, the people who continued the tradition of Trafalgar and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Next would come the best and brightest of Britain, the pilots of the Royal Air Force, who fended off the German Lutwaffe. Following them would be the soldiers who fought at Dunkirk. Last of all would come the coal-dust-covered men in miners’ caps. Churchill indicated that someone from the crowd might say, “Where were they during the critical days of the struggle?” And the voices of thousands of men would respond, “We were in the earth with our faces to the coal.” It’s said that tears appeared in the eyes of the hardened men. And they returned to their inglorious work with steely resolve, having been reminded of the role they were playing in their country’s noble goal of pursuing freedom for the Western World.

Maturity – "We will be mature and full grown in the Lord " – (4:13) – As we become more like Christ, we develop holiness. The goal of being more holy is not so we can rest easy feeling that we’ve arrived. We are mature so we can help others share in the unity that comes as a result of their calling by God. United with them we help them use their gifts to build up the body so that more of them become mature. Maturity enables spiritual growth become we outgrow spiritual childishness (4:14). Maturity is a desirable condition when a group is confronted by deceitful teachings that sound right, but just are not. We are connected by Christ and do our work to help others grow (4:16).

4:16 sums it all up … "Under Christ’s direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
Mature Christians serve the church with their gifts and this helps the church grow and become healthy and more loving. Maturity in Christ – holiness and spiritual growth – is not something that only elders, ministers and deacons achieve. Every part of the body works to bring out maturity in every other part of the body.
Gifts of the Spirit are not something that only a few in the church have. God’s gives gifts to all the members of the church. But it is a gift that is meant to be used for the sake of the church, which is here for the sake of the world’s salvation.

Here’s the invitation – If you have been baptized, what gift do you have to use for the church? We are inviting you to live out your calling. We are inviting you to use your gifts, to grow as you use them. We are inviting you to use your gift for the glory of God and the building up of the body.

If you haven’t been baptized, don’t miss out on the blessed life that God calls you to. We welcome you to come and be like Christ. Receive a gift from Christ and be added to the church – a healthy, truthful, loving unity where you will belong.

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 21 November 2004

Our Challenge

Posted by David on November 14, 2004 under Sermons

Years ago my family and a good friend of the family took a wilderness trek. It was truly a wilderness area. We were walking the only path in or out of the area. To illustrate how remote the area was, we walked the better part of fifteen miles and saw no one else.

In the course of the walk, my middle son jumped mid-stride and shouted, “Snake!” I looked ahead on the path and saw a copper head snake stretched across the trail. Our friend, who was right behind that son, had little exposure to the country or to a wilderness area. He immediately thought we were teasing him and trying to make him afraid. It took all the pleading we could muster to keep him from moving ahead and stepping on the poisonous snake. He tried hard to see the snake, but he could not. Since he could not see the snake, he was certain there was no danger. We finally convinced him not to move ahead, but he never saw the snake, not even as the snake crawled off.

Spiritual danger is quite often like that snake and my friend. It can be right in front of us with the power to cause us serious hurt. Yet, if we do not see it, we are convinced there is no danger. In that ignorance, we often inflict heavy, unnecessary pain on ourselves.

I want to begin by reading and commenting on a familiar passage. After that reading and those comments, I want to make some applications.

1 Peter 1:13-21 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1. Peter was writing to Gentile Christians (predominantly) who lived in northern Asia Minor who had suffered because of their relationship with Jesus Christ and whose suffering soon would intensify.
   1. Peter said, “You people need to prepare to be even more serious about your devotion to Jesus Christ.”
      1. “Prepare your mind to go to work!” [As we might say, “Put on your work shoes and your work clothes!”]
      2. “Get serious about your spiritual commitment!”
      3. “Make sure that your hope is founded on the correct thing–the grace of Jesus’ resurrection when Jesus Christ comes again.”
         1. Do not make the foundation of your sustaining hope money!
         2. Do not make the foundation of your sustaining hope physical pleasure!
         3. Do not make the foundation of your sustaining hope a desirable life style!
         4. Make the foundation of your hope the grace made available in Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
   2. Peter wrote to Christians who lived in an idolatrous environment that embraced a pagan lifestyle [a lifestyle that often encouraged physical indulgence].
      1. “You are now God’s children, not children of idolatrous gods.”
      2. “You now seek to be obedient to God, not in rebellion to God.”
      3. “Because that is true, you will not allow the motives and attitudes which controlled your lives before coming to Christ to continue to control your lives.”
      4. “Those past things controlled you because you did not know any better–now you know better.”
      5. “Now you have a new reason to exist–the holiness of God.”
      6. “If you belong to the holy God, you WILL partake of His nature–you WILL commit yourselves to holiness.”
      7. “Slaves are freed [redeemed] with money. However, God did not use money to give you your freedom–He used the precious blood of his son!
      8. “It is God’s resurrection of Jesus that gives you your faith and hope.”
   3. Were I to summarize Peter’s challenge to those suffering Christians in this reading, I would do it in this way: “Following God is serious business! You need to be as serious about being God’s holy people as God was about inviting you to be His people! Get serious, and stay committed!”
      1. It did not take a lot of effort to be a person who worshipped the pagan gods–that was pretty much a matter of indulging yourself while you did what was popular in that pagan environment.
      2. However, to embrace God’s holiness takes all the effort of a serious commitment.
      3. The only thing that makes that commitment possible, that makes it work, is God’s grace revealed in Jesus’ resurrection.
      4. Your hope is not in yourself or anything you do!
         1. You cannot merit a relationship with God!
         2. Your hope is God’s grace revealed in Jesus’ resurrection!
         3. Surely you responsibly obey–but your obedience merely declares your appreciation for God’s grace!

2. Allow me to make some applications to us and to our current lives.
   1. We are walking in the wilderness, and we are about to step on poisonous snakes we are untrained to see.
      1. I often think of my past and am astounded at how much visible change this society has experienced in less than 50 years.
         1. No, I have no desire to roll the clock back to 50 years ago.
         2. No, I do not think 50 years ago was the ideal age.
      2. Many of us here lived in some degree of poverty 50 years ago.
         1. Just as a matter of curiosity–and you do have permission to look around–how many of you were not alive in 1954? How many of you were at least 18 in 1954?
         2. These thoughts are addressed to those alive in 1954.
         3. In 1954, where did you live?
         4. What size house did you have as compared to where you live right now?
         5. Think of the things in your house in 1954, and think of the things in your house today. Is there any difference?
         6. How many cars did your family have in 1954? How did that car or those cars compare to what you are driving right now?
         7. What was your income in 1954? What is it today?
         8. What did you wear in 1954? What do you wear today?
         9. How often did you and your family eat out in 1954?
         10. Where was the church building located [the one you attended] in 1954? What was it constructed of? What kind of educational facilities did it have? What kind of family life center did it have? How many ministers did it have? What were its commitments and involvements?
      3. Take a moment to think and reflect–how much have things changed in this society in 50 years?
         1. Are you aware of the first time you realized that our society surely has changed?
         2. Or, has it changed so gradually that you just woke up one day to the fact that virtually everything is different.
            1. Do you realize that many of the common medications used today did not even exist in 1954?
            2. Do you realize how many people died of heart attacks in 1954 caused by conditions we repair today?
         3. It truly is a whole different world today!
      4. For over 50 years we have gradually become more and more prosperous–for most of us that did not happen all at once.
         1. As we got more prosperous, we lived better and better.
         2. Fifty years ago there were many things congregations could not do because we just did not have the money.
         3. Then, gradually, congregations had more money.
         4. We built buildings we could not afford to finance in the 50s.
         5. We involved ourselves in ministries we could not afford in the 50s.
      5. And at the same time, we could improve our life styles and support the church in growing works.
         1. For years we were so prosperous we could give generously out of our surplus and improve our life styles at the same time.
         2. And now, noticeably, that is coming to an end.
         3. Whereas we had decades that we did not have to make a choice, now increasingly we have to make a choice.
         4. For a long time we thought we could do everything, and now we are forced to realize that we cannot do everything.
         5. Increasingly, we will face the choice–personal lifestyle, or personal expression of faith?
   2. I think Peter’s directive we read is very applicable to us.
      1. Peter said, “Folks, it is time to get serious about your commitment to God.”
      2. “Remember who and what you were before you were a Christian, and who and what you are now as a Christian.”
      3. “Your commitment is not to a godless lifestyle of personal indulgence.”
      4. “Your commitment is to the holiness of God, the One who saves you through Jesus Christ.”
      5. “You will exist here as a physical creature for only a short time–so do not allow money or pleasure or lifestyle to determine and define who you are.”
      6. “There is only one thing that defines who you are–that is God’s grace revealed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
      7. “Because of that grace, you are free to allow God to remake you and your life.”

There is coming a moment when God will give all in Christ Jesus a gift. At that moment we will realize as never before that we are totally unworthy of the gift. At that moment we will realize with understanding just how unworthy of God’s consideration we are. At that moment we will know how totally dependent we are on God’s kindness. At that moment will look back at this life with regret as we remember how stupid our priorities were. At that moment we will understand how little faith we had, how selfish we were, and how blind we were to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. At that moment we will realize that the greatest concept was not the freedom of nations, but the freedom to become what God wanted us to be.

Are you what God had in mind when He raised Jesus Christ from the dead?

Nurturing Spiritual Growth and Holiness – Part 1

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

The portrait of a nation in crisis. The people have lost their way. The law and the courts are no longer concerned with justice and righteousness. Rather, everything is settled in terms of money. Its people are consumed with wealth and they will use every means legal and illegal to acquire more. Call it greed or call it stealing, it works the same. Ethics and morals are no longer based on what is right and wrong, but they are defined in terms of financial loss and gain. What is profitable is of greater value than what is true. This is the portrait of a nation in crisis.

Honesty is something rare or laughed at. Most people agree that honesty makes you vulnerable. Military leaders and politicians are using their own people for nothing more than financial profit. Greed and dishonesty are considered necessary in business so much so that no one trusts anyone. This is the portrait of a nation in crisis.

The Situation on First Century Crete
It would be easy to assume that this portrait of a nation is our USA, but I am in fact talking about civilization on the island of Crete over 2000 years ago – in the middle of the first century A.D. But the similarities are stunning! Perhaps this will help us learn how the people of God are supposed to thrive in a nation in crisis.

In the rest of the world regarded Cretans as reprobates, dishonest, and uncultured. In Paul’s letter to Titus (which we will get to in a moment) he quotes one of their own philosopher-prophets, Epimenides (6^th century B.C.) who said "Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons." Paul wasn’t alone in this view. It was a widely held view among first century writers.

1. The courts of law were not interested in justice, but in financial compensation. (Law Code of Gortyn) For instance, a crime as serious as rape did not incur punishment, but a fine. On Crete, mothers could choose to leave their children to die, but only if the father did not want the child. And when a mother killed an infant without the father’s consent, she was charged a hefty fine.
2. Crete’s major industry was piracy. The northern shore of Crete was a haven for pirate bands that terrorized the Mediterranean. “The Cretans both by land and sea are irresistible in ambushes, tricks played on the enemy, night attacks, and all petty operations which require fraud” – Polybius.
3. The Cretans were well known for being greedy and dishonest. "Cretanize" was first century slang for lying. Writers describe their materialism: “So much do the lust for wealth and underhanded gain prevail among them that they are the only people in the world among whom no stigma attached to any sort of gain whatsoever” – Diodorus of Sicily. “Cretans are devoted to riches as bees are to a honeycomb.” – Plutarch. “The Cretans do everything in hope for cash” – Livy. Writers describe their dishonesty – “Cretans even consider highway robbery to be an honorable profession” – Cicero.
   The story is told of a military officer who betrayed his men to the Romans. The Roman general offered the man the honor of Rome to which the Cretan laughed. The Cretan was only interested in cash.
4. Sexual deviancy was held in high esteem. Its impact on families has been noted. In his travelogue, Strabo noted that homosexuality was held in high esteem by the Cretans during 1st century A.D.

How do you bring the gospel into a culture like this? Where do you begin? Is there any hope?
Paul and Titus stopped in Crete on one of their journeys. Paul departed and Titus was left there to complete what remained to be done (1:5). The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. He encounters opposition from a group of charlatans (Cretans who are using the faith and Jewish teaching as an opportunity for profit and power) who capitalize on the immature faith of the new converts. They distract the young missionary from his proper task. Paul is aware of this problem and is writing to give Titus advice on the situation.

Paul’s advice to nurture spiritual growth and holiness is proactive – not reactive! Paul urged Titus to teach sound – that is healthy – doctrine. The best way to overcome sickness is to keep oneself healthy – that’s proactive. Rather than focusing his energy and effort on disproving and discrediting the trouble-makers, Paul urges Titus to focus on proclaiming the grace of God and the hope of Christ’s rule so that people will get in touch with the transforming message and Spirit of the gospel.
Titus needs to spend his time finding the sort of leaders and elders who can model this type of life for the others. If he spends all of his time in stupid controversies, the trouble-makers will always outmaneuver him. But if he nurtures godly leaders then Titus can actually change the environment.

Read Titus 2:1-8 to get a look at the practical application of this approach to nurturing spiritual growth and holiness.

Perhaps in examining Crete we do not look at the past, as much as we see our own possible future as a nation. For instance, we wonder how we will ever influence our society for good with the gospel. Why can’t we follow the same proactive strategy the Paul gives Titus.

We have lost our influence because we have become reactive. We know what we are against, but we don’t know what we are for. Think of how the enemy has outmaneuvered us. How much time have we wasted by getting involved in "foolish controversies, arguments, quarrels, and fights about the law." Paul says that, "These things are useless and worthless." But we still think the goal of nurturing Christ-like people is more information! In fact, the grace of God that has appeared in Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life we have calls us to something more! – We have a much better goal that calls us to devote ourselves to doing good – this is excellent and profitable for all. This is spiritual TRANSFORMATION, not just INFORMATION.

Nurturing Spiritual Growth and Holiness – What can we learn from Paul’s advice to Titus?

1. Leaders that help us live right – Notice that Paul’s vision of leaders has very little to do with managing institutions. Paul doesn’t describe administration. That seems to be Titus’ responsibility more than anyone else’s (straighten out what remains to be done). The work of the leader on Crete is to keep people spiritually healthy. Spiritually healthy people will grow. But what about the work of the church? Who manages that? Spiritually healthy people are eager to do what is good. It doesn’t have to be managed. Why put limits on what is good? Leaders are not enforcers of rules. We are not called to be rule-keepers. We are called “to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this present age.” (2:12) Lists of rules can change from generation to generation. They change with styles and cultures. They are not absolute. Rules and lessons can become outdated or inappropriate in some circumstances – but self-control, righteousness, and godliness are always appropriate!
2. Loving Relationships – Notice that Paul wants Titus to encourage what is good for everyone. In a hostile environment, the people who are being changed by God’s grace will need one another. The teaching that goes on between the generations has to be in the context of a loving relationship. If the older generation assumes a role of arrogance or power – then the transformation and spiritual growth is lost. If the younger generation is resentful for the older generation then the same. Their good deeds are not just for their own sake, but for the sake of others. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have put their faith in God may devote themselves to good works. These things are good and helpful to other people (3:8). When all of us work together to nurture spiritual growth and holiness we become living lessons …
3. Living Curriculum – Paul’s advice to Timothy on Crete: Forget the debates, don’t get anxious and worried. Don’t suppose that you have to have better, snappier curriculum than your opponents. Develop a living curriculum! Older men who model the healthy teaching. Older women who model the healthy teaching and form loving relationships with the generation women. Younger men who hold one another accountable and strive to be like the older men who live out God’s grace and healthy teaching. Why? Why do it like this? Wouldn’t it be better to create a code of behavior? [It’s interesting that one of the earliest extra-biblical documents, the Didache, is not canonized.]
   • Personal Example: Campus Ministry

   • Example: Wild Elephants Why do we find it so difficult to understand the importance of mentoring across generations. It is important in nature – even elephants need mentoring … The park rangers at a South African wildlife preserve were concerned about the slaughter of 39 rare white rhinos in their park. It turned out that the rhinos were killed not by poachers but rather by juvenile delinquents-teen elephants.
     • The story began a decade ago when the park could no longer sustain the increasing population of elephants. They decided to kill many of the adult elephants whose young were old enough to survive without them. And so, the young elephants grew up fatherless. As time went on, many of these young elephants roamed together in gangs and began to do things elephants normally don’t do. They threw sticks and water at rhinos and acted like neighborhood bullies. Without dominant males, the young bulls became sexually active, producing excessive testosterone and exhibiting aggressive behavior. A few young males grew especially violent, knocking down rhinos and stepping or kneeling on them, crushing the life out of them. Mafuto the gang leader eventually had to be killed.
     • The park rangers theorized that these young teen-aged elephants were acting badly because they lacked role models. The solution was to bring in a large male to lead them and to counteract their bully behaviors. Soon the new male established dominance and put the young bulls in their places. The killing stopped. The young males were mentored-and saved.

¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹²It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 14 November 2004

Increasing Love and Godly Behavior – Part 2

Posted by Chris on October 31, 2004 under Sermons

One of the objectives of the West-Ark congregation is to increase in love and godly behavior. Last week we learned from Jesus that love is active. We are to love God with our whole being and we are to love our neighbors. We demonstrate that love by actively serving others and showing mercy and kindness. We do not choose whom we will treat as neighbor, rather we choose to be a neighbor.
Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18 also instructs us that love and mercy are active. They must show up in our every day behavior. He calls us to the sort of behavior that acts in love and grace/mercy and preserves the unity of the church – not unity at all costs, but unity through communication with one another and communion with Jesus himself.

Jesus’ teaching about Church Community (18:1-14)

• The disciples ask "Who’s the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Who’s the boss? Who’s in charge? Who shows the qualities of the best and the one who gets God’s favor?
• The Least: Kingdom virtues are quite different from worldly virtues. In the kingdom, the least are not ignored. The weak and the humble are not abused. The kingdom isn’t a dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest rule. It is a place where even the humblest child is among the most important.
  • Sin destroys community; love and godly behavior preserve it! The Lord of the kingdom is serious about the deadly forces that bring death to the people in this kingdom community. 1) Sin causes the least, the little ones, to suffer most so in love we discipline ourselves – – self-discipline and self-control. When a father or mother in a family refuses to control anger, addictions, lusts, greed then who suffers? Everyone, including the little ones. This is also true of the church community. How many churches have been hurt by members and leaders who will not restrain their own pride, anger, greed, dissatisfaction? It is better to do without that which causes someone to sin and to live maimed or blind than to have all the resources of the world as one goes barreling straight to hell. 2) Love demands we seek out the lost …
• The Lost: In the kingdom, there are no acceptable losses. The Lord is not willing that anyone should be lost. This calls us to the kind of love and concern for community that the Lord has. Not just a passive concern, but an active concern that goes out to find the lost. Usually we describe this as evangelism, but evangelism (proclaiming/speaking the good news) is more than recruiting new members. It involves bringing the lost into the kingdom and bringing them back when they stray. That’s evangelism? Sure, if you understand that evangelism is communication of the truth, then understand that evangelism also involves the on-going communication of gospel love in the church. That’s how Jesus chose to describe it. After mentioning the shepherd that goes to bring back the lost sheep, he teaches us very practically what it means to practice church communication …

Jesus’ Teaching on Church Communication (18:15-17)

• This is not "church discipline" in the sense of a legal outline for organizational control. This is communication in love. Look at this process and consider it in the context of mercy and love rather than institutional church discipline (which is not the context of the chapter):
  1. Go to your brother or sister (note the family language!) who has offended you/sinned against you – just between the two of you – and if he/she listens to you have won him/her back.
     • You do the going and just between the two of you. Sometimes we want to wait around and nurse the wound and we let it fester because the other person doesn’t notice how we’ve been hurt. That is a form of control that tries to punish the other but only hurts you.
     • Sins against you/offends you – sometimes we dilute the meaning by exchanging sin for offense. The term offense in this context goes back to the stumbling mentioned in v. 6. (The one who causes another to sin). We do not use the term offense in our modern usage in that way. We claim offense over things we just do not like or things that make us uncomfortable. We have to let some things go.
     • We need to talk to one another in loving constructive ways that seek to win each other over. And we have to do so humbly because one of two things is possible – either you have misunderstood the other person or the other person needs to overcome sin – and you are there to help them, not condemn them!
  2. If he or she will not listen take one or two others along. Sometimes a sin can be so powerful that we need help. But again the goal is to win the other person over. The goal is reconciliation.
     • This text does not say bring in the authorities. There is no mention of elders or ministers here. Often these are the logical choice as they are those we trust to minister to the wounded or to do the work of reconciliation. But anyone who can preserve the dignity and unity of the few involved and is mature enough to work toward reconciliation in Christ’s name without being entrenched in the conflict is a good choice. But this should not be the starting place. Don’t bring someone in if you haven’t tried the one-on-one approach first!
  3. Tell it to the church. Keep in mind that this is step 3. Everything else has been exhausted. And this is communication – not excommunication. This is an alert for prayer and help. Just as we bring before the congregation the names and needs of those who are ill or injured can’t we also do that with those who are in spiritual crisis? Why would we judge or make that the focus of gossip – we don’t do that with the ill or injured.
  4. If he or she refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him or her like a pagan or tax collector. This is the ultimate step. Now keep in mind that the offender has been given every opportunity to reconcile, but has refused at least three levels of effort to win him back. (And there’s no rule about when to progress to the next level!) Communication has fallen on a harden heart. So, we have here a sad affirmation of what is – this person doesn’t want to live like a citizen of the kingdom. Even at this level however the goal is still reconciliation. Repentance is still a possibility. Maybe the seriousness of this action shows that sin is serious problem.
• We put more weight on the phrase "but if he refuses to listen" than the phrase "you have won your brother back." And because of this we jump to the last step convinced that someone will not listen to us.
• Think of how much we miss out on because we don’t even act on step 1. Because we do not go and talk and listen we allow our imagination and emotions to run wild. And don’t think it would be any better if we were all just reasonable. Reason can be distorted also and we can rationalize inaction with endless justifications or institutional proceedings. The anonymous letter is just such a "so-called" rational approach. We think we have met our obligation to communicate peacefully by sending a message but denying ourselves and the other person the opportunity to agree and gather in Jesus’ name. Once a preacher received one of these anonymous letters in response to a statement he made in a sermon. He opened the envelope and it simply said, "Fool!" The next Sunday he brought the letter with him into the pulpit and said, "Last Sunday I experienced something quite unique. I have received many messages without a signature. Now for the first time someone has given me a signature without a message."

Jesus’ Teaching on Church Communion (18:18-20)

• Binding and loosing: When we are offended we want to go to authorities. Children tell their parents. Neighbors phone the police. Taxpayers write their congressmen. Classes of people summon armies of lawyers to go after faceless corporations. We want authority on our side because we know that someone has to win. Someone has to be right. But Jesus teaches that real authority is the privilege of the church – not the appointed officials. The Lord’s authority resides in the midst of his people where he dwells. They have power to bind and loose not because Jesus transferred power. No, because Jesus lives in his church and we are the agents of binding and loosing authority.
• We are missing out when we make too much of this business that sins are just between God and me. Often that’s a recipe for self-delusion. We don’t have to bear burdens alone. When one comes before the church it isn’t just to answer for a public sin – it is to affirm the power and presence of Jesus Christ to bind and loose. We not only confess sins publicly, we also confess the Lordship of Jesus. We are saying that sin isn’t going to get the last word in the kingdom of heaven. We are not going to let sin destroy the community or communion we have in Jesus Christ. In his name we forgive. We can confess forgiveness in Christ before six or six hundred. One to another or one before all. This is a godly behavior/action that empowers more godly behavior!
• Two or three gathered together in my name: This comment is about worship – but has implication beyond that. And it isn’t merely a comment on the quantity of worship, but of the quality of worship. Think about the effect of unresolved conflict in the church. Think about its effect on worship. What happens when two or three are not in agreement and they gather together. Do they gather in Jesus’ name? Is he there with them? How can the Lord answer our prayers when we have unresolved conflict among us?
• Nevertheless, many of us will continue to fellowship with one another by going through the motions of worship thinking that we are the one justified by God and we have never acted on the process of communication that Jesus just described in vv. 15-17. We have never spoken to the other person privately (whether we are offender or offended) and thus experience Jesus’ power to heal and forgive. We have never relied on the wise counsel of others who love us to reconcile differences and thus experience the presence of Jesus’ spirit. We have never shared our struggles with the church as a whole for fear of judgment, but if we are true to Jesus’ teaching then we do not experience judgment but grace and healing.
• Paul taught this lesson of Jesus to the Philippian church. He urged two women there, Euodia and Syntyche, to agree with one another in the Lord (Phil. 4). He even urged the leaders of that church to help them resolve their dispute. These disputes can become the "elephant in the room" that everyone walks around but no one mentions.

Epilogue: (18:21-35)
Peter’s Practical Question: How often do you forgive? Can’t we just be rid of the trouble at some point? Don’t we have to take a stand? What will people think if they see us weak on sin?
Good question. It is the sort of question that demands a story for an answer. The parable of the unmerciful servant – is he victim or victimized? Is he offended or offender? Is he greatest or least? Powerful or weak? Answer: All of the above. We cannot break our society down into simple classes of guilty and innocent. We cannot break it down into offended and offenders. We are all in debt. We are all in slavery. We are all bound and need to be loosed.

The dilemma for the unmerciful servant is the dilemma we all experience: It all depends on which side of the forgiveness fence we find ourselves. If we are the outcast wanting back in to the fold of grace yet again, then 70 x 7 sounds hopeful and welcome. If we are on the inside of the fence and we have control of the gate latch, then 70 x 7 is a great challenge. What will it cost us to release the latch? How will things change if we welcome the outsider, perhaps the one who has sinned against us?

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 31 October 2004

Expressing Love for God in Godly Behavior

Posted by David on October 24, 2004 under Sermons

A second congregational goal or objective given us by the elders to encourage us as we seek to make disciples of Jesus who are eager to do good works is this:

This evening I want us to focus on a teaching that I understand to be critical to spiritual existence in Christ. I want to focus on it by looking at Romans 6. Begin with me by looking with me at Romans 6:12-14.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

1. When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, he was concerned about a huge problem that plagued the early Christian movement: Jewish Christians did not want Gentiles to become Christians unless they first were converted to Judaism.
   1. Why? What was the problem?
      1. When Christianity first began (Acts 2-9), only Jews or converts to Judaism were Christians.
      2. When Christianity was taught to and was accepted by people who were not Jews, it gravely distressed Jewish Christians (Acts 11, 15).
      3. It took Jewish people several hundred years to learn, but they finally understood God despises idol worship.
      4. Most of the first century Mediterranean world [in which Christianity began and spread] was composed of idol worshippers.
      5. Most Jewish Christians did not believe anyone could go from being a pagan idol worshipper to a follower of Jesus Christ without first converting to Judaism.
         1. First century idol worshippers were too often drunken, self-indulgent people who had few sexual morals, who lied without conscience, and who were totally untrustworthy–many Jews held the way they lived in contempt.
         2. They did not know God’s rules!
         3. They did not know how to keep God’s rules in the proper way!
         4. However, the Jews had been making gentile converts (proselytes) for a long time, and they understood how to get the paganism out of the pagans.
         5. To teach them grace would not correct the problem–if they were to have their paganism taken out of them, they had to learn the rules and the right way to keep the rules.
         6. Teaching the grace would not get their pagan ways out of them, but making good proselytes out of gentiles would get pagan ways out of them, and then they were ready to be Christians.
   2. Allow me to use an illustration.
      1. In the south and southwest most churches define sin in the same way.
         1. In fact, some religious groups are more conservative in their definition of sin than many in the Church of Christ are.
         2. Thus most of our discussions, disagreements, and issues in the south and southwest do not discuss what is and is not sin.
         3. In the south and southwest, most of our disagreements focus on two things:
            1. Conversion matters. (How to become a Christian.)
            2. Theological positions. (What to believe as a Christian.)
      2. Suppose for a moment you have to move to an entirely different region of this country, far removed from the south or southwest region.
         1. You move just assuming “everybody knows ‘X’ is wrong.”
         2. However, you do not live in this new region long before you are acutely aware that your understanding of sin and the understanding of sin of most of those around you is quite different.
         3. For example, for you, it is a sin not to worship and commune on Sunday, but most of the people you meet could care less about worshipping on Sunday.
            1. In fact, they are more likely to invite you to go do something purely for fun on Sunday than you are to invite them to worship.
            2. And that just blows your mind!
            3. If you meet people who attend a church, often their basic concept of church has little in common with your concept–there are truly fundamental differences in your concept of church.
            4. But more likely, you encounter pure apathy when it comes to Christian concerns–you have never seen that kind of apathy before! People don’t have the same conscience, the same definitions of right and wrong, the same views of what is evil that you have.
      3. If the church is to influence people toward a Christian concept of sin and spiritual responsibility in that environment, what needs to be done?
         1. “Well, I am not certain about what needs to be done–it is a confusing situation!”
         2. “But I know this much–we do not need to convert ‘people like that’ or they will have a terrible influence on Christians!”
         3. That was the Jewish Christians’ concern–if you do not get all of the paganism out of these gentiles before they are baptized, they will have a terrible influence on Christianity–they will encourage Christians to do all kinds of ungodly things, and have no conscience against those things!
   3. Too often we, as Christians of today, are the victim of an enormous problem as we use scripture.
      1. We become [in all likelihood legitimately] concerned about a “now” problem that gravely troubles us.
         1. We in our concern go to the Bible with a big box and find a box full of texts that we can apply to our “right now” problem that troubles us.
         2. Our primary concern as we collect our box of texts is this: “does it say what I feel needs to be said; does it say it in the way I want to say it.”
         3. The question is not: “did the inspired writer address this type of concern when he wrote these words?”
         4. If the writer heard me make my statements and points, would he say, “I did not have that concern or emphasis in mind when I wrote those words; I was not even addressing that type of concern.”
      2. In our concern, we do not emphasize what scripture stresses, but we emphasize what we stress.
         1. If we are not extremely careful, we stress what concerns us rather than what concerns God.
         2. We are not trying to ignore or be disrespectful to God.
         3. The problem is this: we are so confident that we know what God’s concerns are that we do not take the time to actually listen to God.

2. Consider Romans 6.
   1. I suspect that the majority of sermons most of us have heard that use any part of Romans 6 as text are sermons that stress the importance and the mode of baptism.
      1. I would suspect that many of us who have heard or read Romans 6 would say that it is about baptism.
      2. However, Romans 6 is not about baptism.
         1. It was written to people who already had been baptized.
         2. Romans 6 is about dying to sin.
         3. Baptism is only an illustration to those who had been baptized that “if you follow Christ you must die to sin.”
   2. Paul said, “Christians, you do not accept God’s grace revealed in Jesus Christ to continue to live (in a knowing, deliberate manner) an ungodly life.”
      1. The person who comes to Jesus Christ comes to make Jesus the master of his or her existence.
         1. There are only two basic life controlling masters: the resurrected Jesus and sin (evil).
         2. In the biblical worldview, either sin rules you, or Jesus rules you.
         3. The whole purpose of baptism is the conscious choice to allow Jesus to rule you.
         4. That is why in the act of baptism we consciously, knowingly, deliberately die to sin–we begin the deliberate process of killing sin in our lives.
         5. Why?
            1. Jesus was resurrected.
            2. Jesus can give us life.
            3. Jesus can give us forgiveness.
            4. In Jesus, a person can truly begin again, start over.
      2. Romans 6 is not about atonement (a biblical concept), but about responsibility.
         1. The person who becomes a Christian declares to himself, to God, and to the world that he will no longer let sin be his/her master.
            1. “I will not let evil control me.”
            2. “I will not let evil use my physical existence to accomplish its purposes.”
            3. “I will not let evil define who I am and what my life is about.”
         2. The person declares to himself, to God, and to the world that he chooses the resurrected Jesus Christ to be the master of his life.
            1. “I consciously will let Jesus Christ control me.”
            2. “I will let my physical existence be used to accomplish righteous purposes.”
            3. “I will let Jesus define who I am and what my life is about.”
      3. In Romans 6 Paul says the person who becomes a Christian knowingly, deliberately chooses to die to sin.
         1. Paul emphasizes this dying is a continuing process, not a one time achievement.
         2. It is not an irresponsible undertaking.
         3. God’s grace is not to be confused with deliberate, irresponsible behavior.
         4. A Christian cannot claim to belong to God and deliberately choose to live his or her in an ungodly lifestyle.
         5. The commitment to die to sin is a serious commitment, one given and followed without reservation, pursued wholeheartedly.
         6. The person knows what he/she was when sin was his/her master, and the person knows what he/she is now that Jesus Christ is his/her master.
         7. He/she is happy, appreciative to have Jesus Christ as master.
         8. All he/she had to look to in the future with sin as master was death, but with Jesus Christ as master he looks forward to eternal life.

Romans 6 points to a terrible problem among Christians that caused destruction from the beginning. The reason Romans 6 focused on the problem is because the problem existed in the first century. It still exists. It destroyed Christians then. It destroys Christians now.

What problem? The problem of people being baptized when they have no intention of dying to sin. Too often people are afraid not to be baptized, but they have no intention of dying to sin. If we do not commit ourselves to dying to sin, there is no blessing or benefit in being baptized. For baptism to yield the blessing of the gift of salvation, the person has to responsibly commit to (1) Jesus Christ being his/her master and (2) dying to sin.

Increasing my love for God is a process. Increasing my godly behavior is a process. Both involve maturing. Both involve understanding. Both involve growth. Both are an every day process and progression, not a one time accomplishment. I can make today’s commitment today. I can face today’s temptations today. I can place today’s trust in God today. I can make tomorrow’s commitment, face tomorrow’s temptations, place tomorrow’s trust in God only when tomorrow becomes today. I take care of today as a godly person to equip myself to take care of tomorrow as a godly person.

What commitment did you make to God when you were baptized?