Are You Tired of all the Gimmicks?

by Frank Himmel
www.cvillechurch.com

People should be insulted by all the gimmicks that churches are offering to draw and to keep them. Most of it is directed toward families, the children in particular. I speak of all the secular, non-religious, non-spiritual gimmicks -- the picnics, luncheons and suppers, the parties, the sports teams, the fun and games, the square dances, the clubs and socials, the diet and exercise classes, and the fund-raising dinners and bazaars offered by churches. Classes and services that used to be purely religious are given new appearances with gimmickry.

Don't the people realize that the churches are saying, in effect, "We know that purely spiritual or religious activities and services, involving worshipping God, teaching and learning His word, edifying and being edified spiritually, are not enough to draw and to keep you. So we are featuring all these other secular activities in which you are probably more interested and adding a little religion to them and calling them 'Christian fellowship.' We are willing to compromise to get our crowd."?

So churches cease to be churches and become more like social, recreational, athletic, health, craft clubs. The Church of Christ is still a church, and we do not resort to gimmickry. We are trying to be like the churches you read about in the New Testament, not the churches around us.

The Work of the Church

Christians have God-given work to do, both individually and collectively. While there is much overlap, passages such as 1 Timothy 5:16 clearly indicate a difference between the two. What does the Bible teach about our collective work?

Spiritual

The Bible teaches that God ordained specific tasks for churches to perform. First-century congregations:

(1) Preached the gospel at home and abroad (1 Th. 1:8). This was done through instruction given in worship assemblies (1 Cor. 14:24-25), by people talking to those with whom they had contact (Acts 8:4), and by sending men out to preach (Ph. 4:15 -16).

(2) Built up the members of the congregation. Everything done in worship was to be unto edification (1 Cor. 14:26). Elders, spiritual shepherds, were charged with feeding the flock (Acts 20:28). Even severing association was an act of seeking to restore the erring (1 Cor. 5).

(3) Provided for needy brethren, either at home (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35) or abroad (1 Cor. 16:1-2; Rom. 15:26). This third area, unlike the others, was not necessarily ongoing, but as needed. Since the church is a spiritual relationship, it is no surprise that its work is in the spiritual realm. So much of what modern churches do is conspicuously absent from the pages of the New Testament. The Bible makes no reference to churches operating schools or day care centers, providing recreational facilities and opportunities, being in the health care business, being a source for counseling and all sorts of social services, or even being a general charity. The fact that something seems like a good thing to us is no justification for altering God's plan. Neither do we have any right to employ carnal means to attract more people. See John 6 for the result.

Equipped

The Bible teaches that Christ equipped the church to accomplish everything He wants it to do. "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph. 3:11-1 2).

God's provisions are simple, yet sufficient. It is only when we try to involve the church in an unauthorized activity that we find our resources or organization inadequate. Make no mistake: any argument that says we must go beyond the New Testament model for churches in order to be effective is a denial of the sufficiency of God's design!

Independent

The Bible teaches that each church governs itself, planning and executing its own work in keeping with Christ's directions. Elders' oversight is limited to the flock among them (1 Pet. 5:2). No New Testament church ever directed the work of another, wholly or in part. None ever planned a work beyond its ability to carry out. Each did what it could.

No New Testament church ever paid a human institution to do its work for it. There were no add-on organizations, no subsidiary "ministries," no missionary boards or societies.

Let us be busy doing God's work in God's way.

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Repentance Before Faith

by W. Curtis Porter
www.cvillechurch.com

The following article of faith appears in many Baptist Church Manuals as a declaration of what Baptists believe concerning these matters:

"We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contribution, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the all sufficient Saviour." (See: Pendleton's Church Manual, p.51; Hiscox's Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, p. 64; and Cobb's New Manual for Baptist Churches, pp. 91-92.)

I would find no fault and offer no criticism concerning the teaching that repentance and faith are necessary conditions of salvation. Certainly, this is abundantly taught in the word of the Lord. But the order in the plan of salvation in which by Baptist Manuals and Baptist preachers is not sustained by reason or the Bible. As you may know, in harmony with the article quoted above, Baptists place repentance before faith in that plan. The following scriptures are offered, by them as proof that they should be so arranged:

"And ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him" (Matthew 21:32). "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). "Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21).

In all these passages repentance is mentioned before faith, and it is concluded by Baptist preachers that repentance must precede faith in the plan of redemption. Let us, therefore, make a little study of these matters In the light of God's word.

The Order of Mention Is Not Always the Order of Occurrence

The contention of Baptist to repentance and faith in this respect is based purely upon as assumption—they assume that the order of mention is the order of occurrence. Without this assumption there is no basis for the theory that repentance precedes faith. But this assumption is absolutely not true. Of course, when God promises a blessing on a certain condition, the condition must always precede the blessing. Salvation is based upon the conditions of faith and repentance. Necessarily, the conditions must precede the salvation. Likewise, baptism is made a condition of salvation (Mark 16:16), and, as such, It must precede salvation. But when salvation is offered on a number of conditions, the order in which the conditions are mentioned may not be the order of occurrence. To prove this just look at Paul's statement in Romans 10:9: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." In this verse salvation is offered on the conditions of faith and confession, but confession is mentioned before faith. Must we say this is the order of occurrence? Can a man "Confess with his mouth" something he has "believed in his heart" before he has believed it? This would be impossible. So the order of mention in this passage cannot be the order of occurrence. Besides, the very next verse reverses it and mentions faith before confession. The order of mention could not be made the order of occurrence in both verses. The mere fact then that repentance is mentioned before faith does not necessarily prove that it comes before faith in the plan of salvation on.

The Significance of the Passages Investigated

Matthew 21:32 and Mark 1:15 are both addressed to the Jews who lived during the personal ministry of Christ on the earth. They were already believers in God. According to Matthew John the Baptist "came In the way of righteousness" but the Jews "believed him not," that is, they did not believe what he preached. "But the publicans and the harlots believed him." But the Jews addressed, after they "had seen it," did not afterward repent that they "might believe him." Since they were already believers in God, they could have repented toward God that they might believe the preaching of John. While this would be "repentance toward God" before "faith in John," It would not be repentance toward God before faith in God. Faith in God had to come first. The same can be said of the statement in Mark 1:15: "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Again the Jews were addressed in this passage. They were already believers in God and could therefore repent toward Him that they might believe the gospel. This would be repentance before they believed the gospel, but it would be repentance toward Him in whom they already believed. Consequently, faith in God came before repentance toward God, and there is no comfort here for Baptist preachers in the proclamation of their doctrine.

While the language of Acts 20:21 is spoken concerning both Jews and Greeks, the principle involved is the same. Paul testified "repentance toward God" and "faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." The repentance and the faith were not directed toward the same person. It was not "repentance toward God" and "faith toward God." Neither was it "repentance toward Christ" and "faith toward Christ." But it was "Repentance toward God" and "faith toward Christ." When the repentance and faith are directed toward the same person, the repentance is never mentioned before faith.

It Is Impossible to Make A Practical Application of the Theory

Some theories are like some men—they won't work. And this is one of them. Men may preach long and loudly that sinners must repent before they can have faith, but getting some one to do the impossible is quite another thing. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7:10 that "Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation." Repentance must follow "godly sorrow" as a result of it. But what produces the "godly sorrow"? Do you think it would be possible to produce godly sorrow in a man who has no sign of faith in God? Without some degree of faith in God no man could ever be led to "godly sorrow" or to "repentance toward God." And unless a man, to some extent, believes in Jesus Christ, he could never be led to "repentance toward Christ." Some degree of faith is absolutely indispensable in leading one to repent of his sins. It is contrary to all reason as welt as to revelation, for a man to insist that it is otherwise.

If It Could Be Worked; It Would Be Displeasing To God

I have had Baptist debaters, while engaged in discussion with me, make the claim that everything that an alien sinner does is displeasing to God and is a sin. They have based such contention on the statement of Paul in Hebrews 11:6. He says: "Without faith it is impossible to please him." All the acts of a man before he is saved, according to Baptist debaters, Is without faith, for just as soon as he has faith they say he is saved. Hence, they conclude that such a sinner cannot do anything that pleases God—everything is without faith and is therefore a sin. But in view of this, either it is Impossible for men to repent before faith, or if they should do so, it would not be pleasing to God, for "repentance before faith" is "repentance without faith." According to their doctrine, as outlined in Article VIII of their creed, it becomes a sin to repent of sin. This is but the absurdity of Baptist teaching.

They Say They Are Inseparable Graces

When faced with the consequences of their doctrine, they will then begin to hedge and say that you cannot say that repentance comes first for they are "inseparable graces." The very instant one occurs the other occurs. This has been illustrated by some of them by referring to a man's firing a bullet through a plank wall. They ask the question: "Which goes through the wall first — the hole or the bullet?" And they reason that there is no difference — they go through at the same time. Well, if this is a correct representation of repentance and faith in the plan of salvation, they should quit preaching that repentance precedes faith and revise their creed accordingly. If they occur at the same instant, one does not precede the other, and their creeds and their doctrines are wrong. They cannot have it both ways—-either repentance comes before faith or it dues not. Let them take their choice and Stick with it.

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A People of Refuge

by Larry Rouse
www.cvillechurch.com

The identifying characteristic of God’s people is their love for and their involvement with one another. These identifying marks of the church of Christ are not merely outward beliefs or outward practices found only in our assemblies, but they are, in fact, shown by our willingness to lift up and care for others whenever their time of need arises. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). It is no surprise that Jesus described the separation of the saved from the lost at the judgment day as being determined by service rendered or in service that was ignored to others in their time of need (Mt 25:44-46).

Make no mistake that every child of God must be determined to do “all things” the Lord has commanded (Mt 28:20). Still it is the human side of God’s commands, the willingness to sacrifice our time, our effort and our money to be intimately involved with others of vastly different backgrounds, that provides the greatest evidence of our faith in God. In order for us to help another, we must first empty ourselves just as our Lord did when He came to earth (Phil 2:1-8).

Everyone who comes to God understands their need of refuge. Our God provides a refuge, not one in a physical place, but in a spiritual place, a place that He describes as His church. When one is baptized in water he is then added by God to a spiritual family described as the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13). Our primary care comes directly from God through His written revelation, His daily provisions and through the lives of those who were also washed in the blood of Christ. We come to God broken in our sin, rejected by the world and completely empty of any good that would obligate God to us (Matt 5:1-8). It is at this point where God begins rebuilding our lives, and a major tool that He uses in that process is the local church.

The Reality of the World

In this world we will find rejection, exploitation and slander. King David once cried out to God for refuge in a world that wanted to see him destroyed. “Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life. (Psalms 31:9-13)”

God responded to David’s call for help by providing such a refuge with Himself and with His people. “Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues. Blessed be the LORD, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You. Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD. (Psalms 31:19-24)”

In the New Testament God describes how His people both receive help and give help to those who are weak and wounded. “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:12-13)” What a comfort to find others willing to selflessly extend their hands to assist in my time of need!

Consider the needs of any man that comes to God for refuge.

The Truth about Sin

Jesus pleaded with men to understand the bad news about sin so that they might receive the good news. Any “comfort” that comes without first dealing with the issue of sin is a shallow and empty comfort. Sadly many churches of men have rejected the Bible as being inspired, and as a result, will never address the subject of sin as our Lord did. “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)”
The Forgiveness of Sin

Peter instructed those who never knew the Lord to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:37-38). Christians were instructed by Peter to repent and pray to God so that “the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. (Acts 8:22)” What a comfort to find the entire, enormous burden of your sin lifted!

A People to Share and to Stand With

The power of a local church is found in our knowledge of our own forgiveness. Those who fail to grow in the Lord were described by Peter: “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. (2 Peter 1:9)” Because of this, Christians above all people, will show mercy and be quick to receive and comfort all who repent and turn to the Lord. It is this forgiveness that we have in common and that makes this relationship so rich! We may be laughed at and ridiculed by the world, for the world does not understand the basis of our lives or of our companionship (Heb 10:32-35).

A People that Help Him to Remember and Renew His Faith

The people of God have assemblies for this very purpose. ”Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25)” In addition to these assemblies, the bulk of this encouragement is found in a day-to-day involvement with Christians in our homes and in our lives (Acts 2:46-47).

Have You Found this Refuge?

This refuge will not be found in the wisdom of men nor in their churches. This refuge will come when you find and claim the written promises of God and stand with others who do the same. God wants to provide, but He will only do so for those who look for Him. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)”

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Obscene movies and TV Programs

by Gary Henry
www.cvillechurch.com

Few things frighten me any more than the passing comments I hear brothers and sisters in the Lord make about movies and TV programs they've permitted themselves to see. Just when I believe there may be a deepening spirituality among the Lord's people in our day, someone who is thought to be a part of the real strength of his or her congregation tells me what they rented at the video store last weekend or what they watched on TV last night -- and I find it difficult to be optimistic at all about where we are headed as a people. When it comes to telltale signs of spiritual shakiness, there are none more disturbing than the problem we have with obscene movies and TV programs.

How Bad Is It? It is an obvious fact that pop entertainment has gone from bad to worse in the matter of obscenity (as well as violence and secular philosophy, which are, of course, no less a problem). In regular broadcast television, not to mention cable TV or the movies, the language has grown increasingly profane and vulgar, producers are daily pushing the limits on nudity and sexual content, homosexuality has come out of the closet and onto the tube, and the "moral" values that are promoted are farther and farther away from anything the serious Christian can identify with. What is being pumped into our living rooms has changed for the worse so noticeably that even one secular writer previewed a recent TV season with an article entitled, "The Family Hour Fades to Black."

But the worsening of movie and TV content itself is not the whole problem. The acceptance of this fare by supposedly strong, faithful Christians is what is truly alarming. We may have an admirable devotion to the Lord in many things, but when it comes to entertainment we are bowing before the altar of television; we are going to the theater to see virtually any movie we believe we will enjoy; we are letting our kids watch nearly anything they want at the movies or on TV; we are paying to get the cable movie channels, which rarely carry anything the Christian can afford to be interested in; and we are renting movies at the video store that not too many years ago would have been classified pornographic. Basically, we've sold our souls for a mess of footage, and it is impossible to contemplate what has happened without being concerned about the future.

The Worrisome Aspect of the Problem. Obviously, none of us can say we have been entirely consistent in our entertainment, least of all this writer. To my discredit, I have been places and seen things no Christian ought to. But the thing about the present situation that seems different to me is that I'm encountering mature saints who not only watch obscene movies and TV programs, but defend their practice as perfectly acceptable conduct for the Christian! It's one thing to give in to temptation and, when confronted, offer excuses about not being as strong as one should be. But if, as is apparent, we have come around to the view that those who question our viewing habits are the ones with the problem, then we have entered a new and worrisome phase in the battle against obscenity.

Increasingly these days I'm hearing responses like the following whenever I express amazement at a movie or TV program a fellow Christian says he has seen:

· Well, it didn't have much profanity in it. I hear it so much at work, it doesn't bother me. I just tune it out.

· If it bothers or offends you, then it's not a movie you should see -- but it didn't bother me.

· If you can't handle it, you shouldn't see it -- but I've been out in the real world enough, I can handle it.

· If it embarrasses you, you shouldn't see it -- but I'm mature enough that things like that don't embarrass me.

· We rented it and watched it at home. There's nothing really wrong when it's just us.
Surely we can't fail to notice the common thread that runs through these remarks: that obscenity is acceptable entertainment for us if we personally have been so "desensitized" that obscenity no longer bothers, offends, or embarrasses us. That we think that way is cause enough for concern. But that we are pleased with ourselves for thinking that way is truly frightening. If we have, in fact, lost our sensitivity to obscenity and are patting ourselves on the back because of it, then we are not far from qualifying for Paul's description of those "whose glory is in their shame" (Phil 3:19).

But on the other hand, whether one is bothered or embarrassed has very little to do with the question of whether one should or should not indulge in certain entertainment. The Lord, if He were on earth today, would be strong enough to "handle" far more than any of us -- but you would not catch Him entertaining Himself with the stuff we watch. What it comes down to is that we've turned decency upside down when we start defining how spiritually mature and strong we are in terms of how little embarrassment we feel in the presence of obscenity.

Whether we realize it or not, we have adopted the basic posture of the Gnostic libertines of the first century. These were brethren who believed themselves to be a select group of Christians who had achieved such a high plane of strength and enlightenment that they could indulge in immorality and not be hurt spiritually. They liked to think the amount of fleshly indulgence they could "handle" was a sign of their advanced knowledge and sophistication. But John, as well as other inspired writers, called this enticing doctrine what it always is: a lie. He wrote, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" (1 Jn. 1:6).

The NT Admonition to Purity. Need it be pointed out that the Scriptures call us to inner sanctity? Have we forgotten that the Lord said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt. 5:8)? Have we forgotten that Paul wrote, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things" (Phil. 4:8)? Whatever any of us individually may or may not be "bothered" by, the passage is still there waiting to be dealt with which says that there are some things not "fitting" for the Christian to dally with, among them "uncleanness" and "filthiness" (Eph. 5:3, 4). Those around us, whose souls we hope to reach with the gospel, deserve to see in us a better example. We owe it to them, as well as to the Lord and ourselves, to demonstrate that the path of purity is better than any other path we may follow.

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