My Daily Pause

Would others in the congregation notice if your pew was empty?

Do you like knowing there is someone you can call when you have need?

Or…

Do you feel like there is no one you can call when you have a need?

In my article Why We Stick to a Plan, I mentioned the church as part of the framework that can provide for the kinds of support we need. Acts 2:42-47 is an excellent demonstration of what I was talking about.

The group of new Christians found themselves at a place where they wanted to stay and keep learning but weren’t financially prepared. As far as we can tell, no one even blinked when asked to help provide for everyone.

Our situation today is probably not that dire, but there are still needs among Christians that the church membership could easily help with. Two things have to happen for that to work:

1. The members need to know about it
2. The individuals need to be known by the group

Too many members fail to connect with the church. Often, even when they do connect, they never really let others know what they need.

Too many congregations fail to connect with the individuals. Often, when there is someone in need, it fails to notice because it keeps moving forward like a machine.

No matter where our congregations are on the spectrum of possibilities, we can call look to the first church group in Acts 2 as an example of what extremes we should be willing to go to for each other.

Question: What is something you need to contribute to help your group be that kind of church?

“… and you will be my witnesses…” – Acts 1:8

Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles – ~1310 – Duccio (1260–1318)

Acts 1:8 is one of the verses that have been turned into something more than was intended. Even among those that misuse it, they are inconsistent with what it means.

“Witnessing” in the worldly sense is an act of telling others what Christ has done for the “witness.” Through this testimonial, one is supposed to hear it and come to believe in Christ. Stories of single mothers surviving poverty or an alcoholic overcoming the drink move others emotionally. Who doesn’t love a good story?

This is not building faith. This is attracting followers with a carrot.

“If you just believe, good things will happen like they did for me!” – Witness

The problem is the Scriptures do not teach this!

Faith comes from hearing the word of God – Romans 10:17

Those who are out “witnessing” presume to put themselves in place of God’s word. Why would we be told to go “witness” when the Spirit says that faith comes from His word?

A properly grounded Christian is one that comes to believe in Christ through God’s word. This is also the only way he can know what to do next!

We are sent to teach the Gospel

Our responsibility is to teach the Gospel to others. (Mark 16:15, 2 Timothy 2:2 etc.) Nowhere does it tell us to go out witnessing.

The noise level and emotional pitch of the “witnessing” approach covers up the Gospel as it was taught by the Apostles. It is dishonest to build people up with emotional responses and then fail to teach them what the Bible says.

It is not about us

Okay, well it is a little bit, but the Gospel is about how we get to participate in the salvation of Christ. It is not about our physical fortunes.

While God does offer blessings and strength to get through our earthly lives, these things are not the focus of the Gospel. When those witnesses have people “coming to Christ” to cure their ills, they have set them up with false hope and not a properly sustaining faith in Christ.

They have set them up to believe something other than what the Scriptures teach.

They have become false teachers

Search the Scriptures

Acts 1:8 is the recorded instructions to the Apostles. They were the actual witnesses of Christ. We should read that as “they saw his life, death, burial, and resurrection.” They were now to take their eye-witness accounts and the things Christ taught them directly to the world.

Just like the Bereans, (Acts 17:11) our task is to find out what the Scriptures say on a matter. False ideas leak into the church when we forget to do that. When we hear a “new” idea, we should apply due diligence to test it (1 Thessalonians 5:21) before we accept it…

…and most importantly before we teach it!

Good Structures, successful projects and profitable business all have solid plans behind them. Why shouldn’t the Lord’s Kingdom?

May was a month of special circumstances for me.

Our daughter was married, we changed churches and we took a mini vacation. The toll these things took on the daily routine I follow was more than I expected. Of all the things it has affected, my Bible study and writing flow is what concerns me most.

I really enjoy starting my day with my daily Bible reading. I consider writing this blog to be a part of that daily devotional and it has become important to the organizing and understanding what I read each day. So why is it so difficult to maintain the routine after it gets interrupted?

I’m sure there is some “sciency” explanation for it, but it helps me see the wisdom of God for some of the things he put in place for us. He made sure we have the framework in place to be successful in our salvation. What’s more, he did it so we are not mindless followers, but his loving children.

He gave us the church

Imagine how difficult it would be to remain devoted without a group of like-minded brethren! The emotional and physical support it provides us is key to a godly lifestyle.

He gave us regular opportunities to worship

The accountability a regular worship service provides us should not be undervalued. Yes, we grow to love the worship service and the edification it gives us. Let’s face it, we need the elders and members looking after each other to help us stay consistent, don’t we?

He gave us his word

We know from the Gospel of John that Jesus was the word in the flesh. We know the word of God reveals to us everything we need to know about him. We know the word fills us with hope for what we have in store for tomorrow. The more we read the word, the more we grow from it.

Give in to the routine

So many are concerned when things get too routine. The world has made being “in a rut” out to be something bad. Not only is that wrong thinking, there are no examples of anything successful that occurred because of random actions.

No businesses, no people, no projects are successful without a plan that follows a proven formula.

When the formula changes, you get something different.

Think about that the next time you complain about “the same ol’ same ol’!”

Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles – ~1310 – Duccio (1260–1318)

Knowing God is eternal life. (John 17:3)

God made an offer of eternal life to all of us through his son. It is there for the taking!

The opening of the Lord’s prayer (John 17) must have really had an impact on John. He went on to write more for us on what it means to know God so that we can claim that gift.

1. 1 John 2:4 – We have to be obedient. To ignore his commandments at the same time as saying we know God makes us a liar.
2. 1 John 4:8 – We have to be a loving people. If God is love, how can we know him without developing love?
3. 1 John 5:11 – We have to be in Christ. That’s where the life is! Obeying the Gospel through baptism is the way we get into Christ.
4. 1 John 4:12-16 – We have to have his Spirit. (Also Romans 8:9) When we do, our lives bear the kind of fruit God expects to see from his children. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Jesus wanted nothing more than for everyone to understand why he was here and accept the gift of eternal life. (John 17:1-4)

Spend some considering where you stand in knowing God. Your life depends on it!

Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees – between 1886 and 1894 – James Tissot (1836–1902)

“Faith Only” is doctrine that is easy to accept. What’s not to like? It is safe and there is no work to do.

But it is wrong.

There are many verses in the Bible that contradict “Faith Only” as the way to salvation. John 12:42-43 is a great single passage example. I love it because it makes the point in so few words:

Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Here is why this verse shows us there is more to salvation than faith:

• They would not confess Jesus – Jesus told us how he feels about that (Matthew 10:32-33)
• They failed due to social pressures – They were more interested in what other men thought than what God wants
• They did not want to repent – They wanted things to stay like they were.

Is there any way to argue that these people were in a saved state?

Faith simply cannot exist alone. Love and obedience are functionally synonymous with faith and give it life (John 14:15, James 2:17-19)

Complete and total faith is a requirement to be sure, but it is not the end of the road.

Here is a list of other posts I have written to dispute the faith only plan.

Here is the Gospel Plan of Salvation the way my Bible lays it out.