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Vol. XV October, 2000 No. 10
A non-profit ministry of Spread The Word, Inc., 2400 Admire Springs Dr. Dover, PA 17315
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Illness of the Assembly
2. Where is the Enemy?
3. NEW Free BOOK
4. Psyched Parents
5. The Bunker
6. Milk & Honey Information
Illness of the Assembly
by Joe Wilbur, Rochester, NY
The Christian assembly can be viewed as a body much like a human body (I Cor. 12). A human body is made up of individual cells that when put together make the whole. Individual cells die and others divide. Over time, the individual cells that make up a human body may change numerous times, but the body remains the same. So it is with the Church. First, in the greater sense. It was created at Pentecost with just a few individual "cells." The Church was born. And then, in the local sense. Individual expressions of the Body of Christ (local assemblies) are established. These assemblies all have a birth, they all have a life, and they all have "personalities" that affect how they mature. Sadly, many suffer a death. This is the warning given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the assembly at Ephesus (Rev. 2:5).
As with humans, an assembly can experience "infant mortality," where the assembly as a whole, because it was never grounded on the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ (His Gospel and His ways), never grows to maturity, but rather dies. The founding "cells" of the assembly may indeed have been firmly grounded as individuals, but for some reason, they fail to properly convey that foundation to the subsequent generation. The sad result is that that assembly ceases to be. Mature men must step forward to teach the body of believers in that locality all the council of God (2 Tim. 2:2, Acts 20:27).
An assembly can suffer illness as the disease of sin invades it. As with so many diseases of the human body, the infection often originates from the outside. The world's methods and ways can drain the energy of an assembly before the assembly even knows it is ill. While focusing on all that appears wise and necessary to the neglect of the plain revelation of the Scriptures concerning the meetings, man's tradition can take hold like a fever that may never depart. Definite and serious measures must be taken for the health of the assembly if it is ever to fully recover. The traditions of men must be abandoned completely and the "ways of Christ" re-established (I Cor. 4:17). Many chronic diseases begin very subtly, almost undetectable, like so many seemingly "good" ideas in the assembly. In the end, after some generations, those "good" ideas may very well bring about the death of the assembly.
But, disease does not always originate from the outside. Cancer begins and grows from within the body itself and spreads throughout. There is only one sure remedy; the cancer must be removed. Despite the pain of the surgery and despite what a world with its misunderstanding of love might think, any sin must be cut out from the body. If left unchecked it will in time spread and bring about the end of that assembly. The cancer must be cut out without mercy and without hesitation in accordance to the Word of God (I Cor. 5:7,13; 2 Cor. 2:5-8).
As distressful as it is to see a person kept physically alive by man's medical mechanisms, how much worse is it to see an assembly, professing faith in Christ, being held together by nothing but the spiritual equivalent of a lifesupport machine. Unto the church of Sardis, the Lord Jesus said, "Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Rev 3: 1). So many assemblies of all sorts and persuasions are dead, kept alive only through fund raising, attractive contemporary music, etc. Few of these places ever started out that way. How many assemblies are even now relying on man's methods to boost numbers?
Josiah, King of Judah, found the Book which had been lost in the house of God. And it was through strict obedience to God's Word and dependence on Him that Josiah saw a tremendous revival among the people of God (2 Chron 34:15). The solutions to the legitimate problems which face assemblies today do not lie in the world, and they do not lie in man's wisdom or methods. They can be found through practical faith in the person of the Book, the Lord Jesus Christ. And those solutions will be experienced alone through obedience to Him. Ever so slowly, the Book is getting harder and harder to find in the House of God. The body is very ill indeed.
In the end, the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ is sure: "Upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it" (Mat 16:18). The Rock is Christ (I Cor 10:4). He is the foundation (I Cor. 3: 11). He must remain the focus and head in all things to the individual and to the assembly (Eph. 1:22), including His methods (e.g. I Cor. 14:37). As our desire is to bring pleasure to the heart of God, we ought to take great care what we do in relation to Christ's Body, the Church and it's local expression (I Cor. 3:12). It is not good enough to be hearers of the Word (James 1:22). If we love the Lord Jesus Christ, we will obey Him even when it is difficult or even when it seems impossible to us (Jn. 14:15, 24). God's desire is that the Church should not remain an infant, but that it should live and grow to maturity in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph 4:15-16). As God said to Joshua concerning his obedience to the Word, "Be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law ... turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest" (Josh 1:7). *
Spread The Word encourages young men to write short artciles for possible use in Milk & Honey. This is brother Wilbur's first contribution.
These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead (Rev. 3:1).
Where is the Enemy? by Bob Gessner
In the early days of the church it was not difficult to recognize where the enemy was. He was all around them, but he was outside the church. The religious authorities of Judaism did not pretend to be Christians. In fact, they considered Christianity to be their enemy and they sought to stamp it out. Saul of Tarsus, a sworn enemy of the Christians, was described as one who was "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9: 1). When Ananias was asked to put hands on Saul so that his sight might be restored, he responded, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13). The church knew and recognized its enemy.
In our present world we often walk about not knowing where the enemy is. He is within the church and pretends to be one of us. We were warned that this would happen in some of the later books of the New Testament. "There will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines ... (2 Pet. 2: 1). Jude also testified, "For certain men have crept in stealthily (gaining entrance secretly by a side door)" (Jude 4). We were warned this would happen and it certainly has occurred. The greatest enemies of the Christian church today are within the church. This leads to three interesting questions: (1) How did they get there? (2) How do we recognize them? (3) How do we combat them?
1. HOW DID THEY GET THERE? Satan put them there because he knew it would be an effective way to disturb the growth of the church. Since he did not succeed with outward persecution, he would attempt to succeed through inward perversion of the truth. "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers transform themselves into ministers of righteousness (2 Cor. 11: 13-15). Because the Christian church suffers so little persecution today, it is profitable and even attractive for pretenders to advance themselves into positions of authority. For some it is an appealing way to make profits. They "have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit (Jude 11). For others it is an attractive way to gain popularity. "They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them" (I Jn. 4:5).
2. HOW DO WE RECOGNIZE THEM? Generally the false teacher will try to use words that sound acceptable to the believer. They have learned the "evangelical terminology". It is necessary to find out what they truly believe about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the real test. They cannot be right in any other doctrine if they are wrong in their thinking about Christ. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God (he acknowledges and confesses that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, actually has become man), and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God..." (I Jn. 4:1-3).
3. HOW DO WE COMBAT THEM? There are actions that especially need to be taken by the shepherds or overseers of the flock because they are given a special charge through Paul to protect the flock from error. "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore WATCH (Acts 20:28-31). This watchfulness is exercised in three distinct ways.
(1) BY AN ATTITUDE OF AWARENESS. False teachers are deceitful just as Satan is deceitful. We cannot have the attitude, "It will never happen here". It can and it will. We must be alert and catch it at the beginning. "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (the tricks or deceits) of the devil" (Eph. 6: 11). The good soldier is prepared for combat at the beginning of the conflict. He does not wait for the enemy to gain an advantage.
(2) BY USING THE WORD OF GOD AS THE OFFENSIVE WEAPON AGAINST THE FOE. Any other weapon will be ineffective. The Word of God is able to effectively fight false doctrine. "And take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). "He Himself gave pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ... that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doc- trine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ" (Eph. 4:11-15).
(3) BY REMOVING THOSE WHO INSIST ON TEACHING FALSELY EVEN AFTER BEING CORRECTED. "I appeal to you, brethren, to be on your guard concerning those who create dissensions and difficulties and cause divisions, in opposition to the doctrine (the teaching) which you have been taught. I warn you to turn aside from them, to avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple" (Rom. 16:17,18). Any tolerance of this sort of person allows the cancer to grow or the leaven to spread.
This 24 page book is a collection of the twelve articles on this subject which appeared in Milk & Honey over the last year or so. The articles are short, but are excellent for all believers in your fellowship, or for those who may be inquiring about New Testament Church truth. Write for free copies.
Samson's parents did not say it to him (Judges 14). David probably did not say it very often to Absalom. Samuel did not say it enough to his sons. (I Sam. 2) What is it that these parents failed to express to their children? It is the word, "No!"
With all the emphasis placed on children over the past several decades, and much of it was needed, the pendulum has swung too far. The truth is that in many families children are now the focal point and in far too many families they actually run the show. As a result discipline is completely missing, or is often threatened but never administered. In some cases the children actually come before the parents' marriage.
Too many parents are afraid that they might offend the child by saying, "No!". The psychologists have stressed so much that children need to be loved, and parents must devote "quality time" to them, that many parents simply bend over backwards in fear that the child might be deprived his wish. The result is that the family revolves around the children and the children set the direction of the family. Too often time proves this to be a mistake.
Children decide on a regular basis what the meals will be, where the family will go on vacation, or whether they will get a pool, or not. They dictate such things as, the brand of clothes they will wear, their hair style, and the family schedule. Gymnastics, soccer, little league, and other similar activities take center stage, and everyone else's schedule falls in line.
This often carries over into the local assembly where young people are given all they want, and soon the assembly finds its direction set by the younger ones as well.
Having said all this, does this mean we simply ignore our children and the young people in the assembly-not at all! It does, however, mean that we need to keep things in proper perspective, and that children and young people need to learn that the world does not revolve around them. (The natural man is already the center of his world without encouraging it further.) One of the great lessons to be learned in spiritual growth is to "look on the things of others." (Phil. 2:4) To have a concern for the interests of others, and to look away from "self." This is exactly the attitude that is being stressed in the lovely portion that follows which describes the "mind of Christ." He was "others" minded.
To place the children above all else and to give them all that they demand, and to simply allow them to go unchecked is, in fact, an expression of a lack of love and a source of ultimate shame (Prov. 29:15).
The Bunker
by Steve Hulshizer
There it sits, right in the middle of the beach. Sunbathers pay no attention to it. Few ponder why it sits so high above the beach on a number of telephonepole- pilings which are starting to twist under the massive weight of its seven foot thick concrete walls.
The bunker was built on the Cape May beach at southern tip of New Jersey in 1942 when German submarines where menacing the east coast of the United States. When it was built it was nine hundred feet back from the water's edge, and level to the then existing beach. The large piers were driven into the sand to provide stability, but were never meant to support the entire weight of the massive concrete structure.
Over the years the beach has eroded, leaving the massive bunker sitting on the piers well above the current beach. One can imagine the shock its original designers and occupants would suffer if they would visit it today. Only a small sign, which provides a drawing of its original design, explains how it came to be sitting so high above the beach.
As I pondered this strange sight I could not help but think of many local assemblies of the Lord's people. Built on solid spiritual foundations many years ago, and yet today so weak and teetering.
Like the bunker, many assemblies have seen erosion of their foundation. The fundamental truths of the Scriptures concerning the Person and work of Christ, God's "great salvation," the local assembly, the priesthood of all believers, the dispensations, and the heavenly hope of the church have been allowed to go untaught for years. Teaching on sanctification has been replaced by the belief that grace frees us from the "traditions" of the past. This has led to a casual approach to life and to the operation of the assembly. The assembly and the saints no longer endure sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3), but seek the softer sound of psychology and social, rather than spiritual, gatherings As a result the following generations have no understanding of foundational truths and have drifted away from the foundation laid years before. (Heb. 2: 1)
Now the sand of relevant sermons, music, social programs, and psychology has washed away, leaving them with no solid foundation. Just as the beach slowly eroded over nine hundred feet from its 1942 position, no doubt unnoticed on a daily basis, many assemblies have slowly experienced erosion of their foundations.
In light of the fact that the winds of enlightenment and change have eroded the foundation, simply put, we need to build it again. (Isa. 28:16) We need to get back to the Word of God and to regularly teaching the foundational truths. May the Lord give us the strength and courage to do so (Matt.7:24). *
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