Tuesday, July 31, 2018

"YOU SHALL NOT WORSHIP...IN THAT WAY...!"

THOUGHTS ON OUR WORSHIP

Moses told the children of Israel these words regarding their worship when they would live in the land of Canaan:
“These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. YOU SHALL NOT WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD IN THAT WAY. [Deut. 12:1-4]

Yes, friends, it DOES matter HOW you worship. Worship can be wrong! God has given instructions in the N. T. as to HOW He is to be worshiped, specifically, what acts of worship to render, and HOW to render those acts.
This helps us to understand:
WHY the Lord's death is to be observed as well as how often the Lord's supper is to be observed;
- it helps us to understand why we don't assemble on Saturday, but rather on Sunday;
- it helps us to understand why animal sacrifices are NOT to be continued, although they were commanded under the Law of Moses, as well as other changes in worship today that differs from the worship under the Law of Moses, such as the use of instruments and the place of worship.

Remember the warning of Moses, "YOU SHALL NOT WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD IN THAT WAY."

Jesus also said that worship can be wrong; the reason?
"...in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." - Matt. 15:8-9

God hasn't left worship up to us, to decide and do as WE please; He has told us WHAT do, and WHAT NOT to do in worship.

Let us respect HIS will in the matter of worship, and the spiritual blessings in Christ are ours to be enjoyed, chief of which is the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 1:3, 7)

7/31/2018
rdb

Monday, July 30, 2018

"What my God says..."

2 Chronicles 18:12-13 ~ "Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, 'Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably'. But Micaiah said, 'As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak'.”

Read the full story in 2 Chronicles 18 to see what God told the prophet Micaiah to say...

Then remember and recall this incident the next time you hear someone ask, "Why can't we all just agree to disagree"?

The word which Micaiah spoke was NOT in agreement with the word from other prophets. Micaiah was NOT in unity with them, however Micaiah WAS in unity with God. WHY?
Because he spoke what God wanted...although it was not well-received. Because the king did NOT like what God spoke through Micaiah, the king called Micaiah's word "EVIL".

When God's word reproves your lifestyle, there is a reason...it is God's way of pointing out to you what is wrong in your life, and what changes are needed.

At this point, in your life, you have a choice to make - - - change, or do as this king did...call God's word "evil", and NOT change. You may consult with other people who would tell you a "word" that is "favorable" like these other prophets did to the king. But, in your heart, God's word will continue to disturb you, because it revealed the truth about your life to you.

You can't escape truth; you may try to "mask" it, or as is said in Romans 1, "suppress truth", but this decision will not save. Only by doing "what my God says" will you be saved and ready for the day of Judgment, looking forward to that day to come.

No, Micaiah was not united with the other prophets in the "word" they gave to the king. So today, "what my God says" is that "word" that Jesus taught. This "word" will bring true UNITY. God desires THIS type of unity from us. It can exist, but it comes with a price...just as it did with Micaiah. You will NOT be united with most others in your beliefs and practices.
God's "WORD" is the STANDARD, for which true unity can exist. This is what Jesus wanted of ALL believers. It can't happen when differing messages are proclaimed. The message must be uniform.

Read
John 17:20-21 - Simply being in agreement does not necessarily mean that God approves of our unity. "Two or three" being gathered does not mean He is in our midst (Matt. 18:20). The phrase "IN MY NAME" dictates whether the assembling is pleasing to God.
Jesus prayed for all who believe on Him to believe on Him THROUGH THEIR WORD...whose word? The apostles word!

Their "word" was as Micaiah's..."what my God says, that I will speak".
God gave Jesus His WORD - "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." ~ John 12:49
Jesus said in John 17:8, "...I have given unto THEM [the apostles] the words which thou gavest me...".
The apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 14:37, "...the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."

Likewise, the unity that is "OF THE SPIRIT" is to be united as the Holy Spirit declared through the pen of those who preached the gospel ~ Eph. 4:1-6

Joshua pointed out the two choices that we have when we encounter "what my God says" Joshua 24:15 - "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
The apostle John was given this "word" of "what my God says" from the Holy Spirit. He wrote:
"Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it, does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and don’t say, “Welcome,” to him; for the one who says, “Welcome,” to him shares in his evil works.
~ 2 John 1:9-11

"Abide", or "go beyond" 'what my God says'; "remain in" 'what my God says', or "not receive" 'what my God says'...what choice will you and I make?

copyright 2018
rdb

Saturday, July 28, 2018

“MAKING OUR FAMILIES WORK”

I want to share with you a typical situation found in many homes.  It describes the life of a grandfather, a father, and his son.  It tells of a problem faced by many.  The purpose is to show from the scriptures how to deal with such problems in our life.

The story is a phone conversation between a man and a preacher.  The man on the phone was a Christian.  It seems he had attended services and Bible classes as a youth.  His parents had taught him the Truth and made sure he was present whenever the church assembled.  As a youth his tender heart was touched by the gospel and he obeyed it.  He was eager to serve the Lord and grow closer to him. But, sadly, soon that enthusiasm waned.  As he grew older as a teen and then a young adult, the pleasures of this world enticed him and, as Demas, he forsook the Lord because he developed a love for this present world (2 Tim. 4:10).
While in apostasy, he married and started a family. A son came along. A son whom he loved and who was his pride and joy. A son upon whom he rained blessings and gifts. There was nothing he would not give or do for him. Nothing, that is, except what his parents had done for him -- "bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).
The voice on the phone was breaking with emotion. The man paused, collected himself, and then continued with his story.
After his son had finished college and went out on his own, he said his mother, the son's grandmother, became ill and needed special care. She moved in with her son so he could attend to her needs. She, in spite of her infirmities, was determined to remain faithful to the Lord. She asked her son to take her to the services of the local church. He did. Worried about her well-being while there, he decided that instead of just taking her, he would go with her to make sure she would be all right. Surely, he thought, he could endure it for her sake.
He felt uncomfortable sitting there. Yes he had sat in pews many times but that had been long ago. He had not frequented a church building since before he was married. Yet, in a strange way, there was a familiarity and a feeling of belonging. At each service he grew more interested in what was going on, more comfortable with his surroundings but more uncomfortable with himself. He finally realized he needed to come back to the Lord. He, to the surprise and joy of his elderly mother, answered the invitation and, with tears, penitently told the preacher how sorry he was for his years of neglect. Prayer was offered and he was restored to his Lord and Savior.
How wonderful he felt. "How great to get my life back on track," he thought. He sensed a peace that he had not experienced in years.
He now attended services with glee. He avariciously read his Bible daily. He started telling everyone about what he had done, how it had made him feel and how they could have that same joy and peace that he was experiencing. He told his son what had happened and invited him to come to services.
But the son would have nothing to do with it. He had his own life now. He had the responsibilities of job and family and he had neither time for nor interest in such things. His father was heartbroken. He repeatedly tried to get his son interested in his spirituality all to no avail. Finally his son let him know very plainly that he did not want to discuss the matter again.
So that is why his father called me. His son lives in our city and he thought maybe, just maybe, I might be able to do what he could not -- get his son to listen to his need for the gospel and Christ.
I am always happy for opportunities to relate the gospel to people but sometimes I know, even before I talk to them, my efforts will be, if not futile, at least difficult. I had patiently listened to this man relate his story and pour out his heart to me. I took his son's name and address and told him I would contact him and invite him to services. I took the man's phone number so that I could call him back and tell him what had transpired with his son. But, sadly, I already knew what would happen.
The father was already so low I did not want to add to his sadness. Also, it seemed that I was, at least in his mind, his last hope and I did not want to dash what little hope he had. But I knew that the years when his son could have been easily touched by the gospel were past. They were the formative years when he was under his father's control when his father neglected to teach him the ways of the Lord and set a proper example before him. Yes, the gospel still has its power to convert but not in a heart that is hardened to it or in a person who sees no need for it.
The father still loves his son very much. He continually prays that his son will see the need to obey Christ but every day he faces the reality that the chances of that happening grow slimmer. And, in anguish, he realizes he must share the blame because of his neglect. Yes, the Lord has forgiven his sins but he lives daily with the consequences of those sins. And he agonizes over the lost opportunities he had to teach his son as his godly parents had taught him.

LESSONS:
Parents, remember that when you sin and when you neglect your service as Christians, you are impacting the lives of your children. Do not let your neglect contribute to your children being lost. Live up to your God-given duty and properly train your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Do not let this sad story be repeated in the story of your life.

The Psalmist spoke in Psalm 78:3-8 of the benefits of spiritual training–

3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,

7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but  keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God
God will bless you, if you desire to be blessed of Him. [Psalm 115:13]

copyright 2018
rdb

CHALLENGING NATURE

Why do people challenge ‘nature’? Today’s society consists of dysfunctional families, single-parent homes, and same-sex marriages. Divorce percentages are down only because of co-habitations. Also our society is also one wherein alternative lifestyles are becoming more common, not only demanding recognition, but civil rights.
I believe the scriptures point to a direct relationship between “going against nature” and the breakdown in the marriage relationship.
Why do people challenge ‘nature’? Rom. 1:24-32 provides us the answer. Notice the "progression"...
v. 18 truth is suppressed by unrighteousness of men...
[unrighteousness is sin – 1 John 5:17]
Consequently...

v. 22 – Man, who once knew God, ceases to honor Him or give thanks to Him...
v. 23 – the glory of God is exchanged for images resembling man & animals.


Today’s society is no different than past societies. The problems faced by Christians who live in an ungodly society were faced by past generations of godly people. There is a progression toward further ungodliness until a point of no return is reached. [cf. 2 Chron. 36:15-16]

This progression is seen in Romans 1:
No honor or thankfulness – v. 21
God’s glory is exchanged – v. 23
God gave them up to the lusts of their hearts to impurity to the dishonoring of their bodies among them selves
Exchanged the truth about God for a lie
Worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator
God gave them up to dishonorable passions – vv 26-27
Did not see fit to acknowledge God
God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness – vv 29-32

As this behavior is practiced in a marriage relationship, the effects are upon the children.

PHASES:
When children have been reared in a home where they were exposed to “regular exposure” to anger, strife, bitterness, backbiting, and resentment of each other between parents, it does not go w/o negatively affecting the children!
That 2nd generation grows up w/an unhealthy attitude toward marriage.
Then by the 3rd generation, there is abuse, both verbal and physical toward.
Then by the 4th generation, there is the problem of gender/orientation being questioned.

History has shown that sexual attachments are among the determining factors of human character, life and the basis of society.

~ Heb. 13:4, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
~ 1 Cor. 6:9-11– “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of god. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

There has been many people from the past, with the behaviors such as those described in Romans 1 ~
- Sodom & Gomorrah – Gen. 13:13; 18:20; Jude 1:7
- The Canaanites – Lev. 18:22-27
- Rahab the harlot – Josh 2:1, 8-13; Heb. 11:31
- The people of Nineveh – Book of Jonah
- The man sick of the palsy – Matt. 9:1-8
- The publicans & sinners – Matt. 9:10-13
- The woman who washed Jesus’ feet – Luke 7:36-50
- Zacchaeus, the tax collector – Luke 19:1-10
- The thief on the cross – Luke 23:32-43
- The woman taken in adultery – John 8:1-11


In the N T: (who had been under the O T law)
The Corinthians in 1 Cor. 6:9-11; [cf. Gal. 5:19; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5-7 (uncleanness)]
Yet, many of these “changed”; i.e. they repented of their wicked ways didn't they?
HOW...WHY..."?

Herein we see the power of the good news. Let us have faith that what it accomplished in the past, it will accomplish in the present.
Our "NATURE" can be 'challenged', not only for the worse, but for the better. Our "NATURE" can be changed because of the gospel message, for the hope that it brings through Jesus. 
Faith in this hope, that is exercised by submission to Jesus' teachings [Heb. 5:9], will enable any and all to overcome their past, and be forgiven, as were the Corinthians ~ "...And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
 
Faith that begins as small as a mustard seed can produce an unimaginable change in one's life, when that person's life is a life lived in worship of, and in service to God as Jesus taught and lived. Such a fruitful life was foretold and prophesied (Ezek. 17:23). 
From a life of misery, negative feelings about self, turmoil, guilt, hopelessness, and regret, to living with peace, joy, happiness and blessed assurance, that cannot be lost, is what will be yours, when you choose to change how you live; change "MASTERS"; and live an honest life, following Jesus! 

Do you have such a faith? Are you willing to begin living a life of obedience to Jesus, and cease serving Satan? Jesus promised this if you "CHANGE":

“Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life." ~ Mark 10:29-30



copyright 2018
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Monday, July 23, 2018

The Freedom of Truth

How many times do we see our leaders try to cover an error in speech or judgment by saying something untrue? The expression, “the cover-up is worse than the crime” fits the description of such actions. There have been men convicted of the crime of obstruction of justice because they were trying to cover up some unseemly or even illegal deed and the punishment was greater than it would have been if they had confessed and apologized. All because they chose something other than the truth to accept and follow.

How often did the Kings of Israel reject the spoken word of prophets of God because they chose to pursue selfish interests in lieu of the truth of God? The Kings of Israel who followed in the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, started their rule in opposition to the truth of God. They were idolaters as a result of the division of the Kingdom and the golden calves at Dan and Bethel designed to prevent them from returning to Jerusalem to worship.

In the New Testament, the men in power referred to as the rulers of the Jews were guilty of the same thing. John tells us in 12:42 of his gospel account that many of the rulers of the people believed in Jesus but because they feared recrimination from the Pharisees they would not confess Him.

There is a principle we are driving at in these comments and it simply is this as spoken by the Lord, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32. Now, of course, Jesus was speaking of freedom from the burden of sin. The freedom He promised when He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

When Jesus promised to relieve the burden of sin from all who would come to Him, it is understood by any and all who intend to please Him that we recognize these two things about Him. First, that He and He alone is the One we must follow to please the God of heaven. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. Second we must accept His authority and obey Him. Heb. 5:8-9 – “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.”

Jesus is the One Who said, “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned (Mark 16:16). Baptism for the remission of sins is not something conjured in the mind of man, it is a command of the Lord, Himself. Jesus is the One who authorized the message revealed by the Holy Spirit to the apostles (John 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:10-13). In the message of Christ, revealed by the Holy Spirit is the clear teaching that Jesus would establish His church (Mat. 16:18). His word then demands that we strive to find and become a part of His church. 

Choosing a church based on family history or social relationships is not seeking His church and the message He gave the Holy Spirit which He identifies as the truth. We have gone onward and are no longer abiding in the doctrine of Christ of which the apostle John spoke (2 John 9-11). The apostle Paul spoke concerning the one body, one spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all specified in Eph. 4:1-6.

The point is we each have a responsibility to the salvation of our own souls to be searching for and insisting on our obedience to the truth. Jesus said, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:37).

You see, the truth of the message of the gospel will set us free. Free from the burden of sin. Free from the influence of Satan disguising himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14-15).

Have you chosen truth or social comfort?

via Jim Stauffer

Generational Degeneration

The Desperate Need of This Generation

I’m in real trouble. I need immediate help. You see, my grandparents and parents trusted in Jesus, and now I do too. My condition may not seem tragic to you, but history tells me I’m in danger. A disturbing pattern emerges from the chronicles of faith. The conviction that blazes brightly in one generation becomes a torch, then an ember, and then cold ash in following generations. This generational degeneration happens so repetitively in Biblical history you can set your clock by it. It is called “the third and fourth generation problem.” It is written in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:5). It lived out in the dark days of the Judges (Judges 2:10). It led to the violent and immoral history of the Kings (1 Kings 11-12; Neh. 8-9). It triggered the failure of the Hebrew church (Heb. 2:1-4).
Our personal history reveals the presence of generational degeneration today. The sacrificial and passionate faith of the first generation is accepted as an important set of doctrines by the second. The third generation continues the traditions of the faith, but they have little inner conviction or practical expression of it. The fourth generation brings the charade of faith to an end. In four generations faith goes from passionate, to important, to cold, to dead. Now, do you see my dilemma? Are you in the same boat? What will happen to our generation? Or the next!? Many local churches are made up of third and fourth generation believers. Some are spiritually cold and growing restless. The bold repentance and sacrificial faith of their predecessors, is carefully replaced by spiritual convenience to accommodate a worldly lifestyle. 
If history holds true, the result won’t be pretty. Yes, “the third and fourth generation problem” is a pattern, but it need not be a prophecy! The fire doesn’t have to die, it can be rekindled. Every new generation can make a fresh and authentic commitment to worship the Lord their God and serve only Him (Luke 4:8). But how? Surprising lessons are learned from a generation who failed. Their spiritual failure led to the horrific period of the Judges. Their generation was blessed with more land, power and wealth than any previous generation, and they used them to create a hell on earth. Oh, they didn’t plan to destroy their society and ruin their children’s future. They just failed to see the desperate need of their generation (and ours!).

Know the Lord Personally - 
First, they had an urgent need to know the Lord personally. The opening words of Judges diagnose the reason for Israel’s collapse. “7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. ... After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:7, 10) Israel had a generational problem. It took three generations to go from courageously faithful to practically forgetful. How could this happen? Certainly, the parents shoulder some of the responsibility. After all, Moses warned parents that their children didn’t see the miracles they saw, or hear the thundering voice of God they heard (Deut. 11:1-9). So, it was crucial that they model a wholehearted love and service to God (Deut. 11:13), and it was necessary that they personally share the story of God with their children (Deut. 11:18-21). 
The spiritual silence of one generation becomes the spiritual indifference of the next. However, the children bear some of the blame as well! When Judges 2:10 says, “they did not know the Lord” it does not mean they didn’t know who God was. Throughout Judges they call out to Him. It means the Lord didn’t matter to them. He had no major influence in their lives. They liked the ways of Canaanites! They loved the idols of the land! They found their security and pleasure from their possessions. Every generation needs to rediscover a passion to know the Lord, personally and practically in every area of our lives. But, wherever the social eclipses the spiritual and the superficial is preferred to the transformational, you will find a generation of spiritual failures.

Be Different from Your World - 
This generation has a pressing need to live differently from the world. “Third and fourth generation” Christians know the world is a spiritual graveyard, and yet they want to dress and act like a corpse! In the same way, Israel knew the Canaanites were under the judgement of God, yet they joined in their lifestyle and admired their idols. God said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?” (Judges 2:1-2) God asks our generation the same question! We are rescued from the terrifying destiny of this world. How then can we derive our pleasures from its values? How can we align ourselves with its activities? Are the delights of the Lord and the work of His kingdom not enough? The way to spiritual life for this generation is not by accommodating our faith to our lifestyles, but by conforming our lifestyles to the faith (Rom. 12:1-2)! A generation that whines about how their religion is an intrusion to their happiness, is a generation headed for spiritual failure. But, a generation that revels in the beauty of distinction will know the joy of spiritual life.

Serve the Lord’s Purposes -   
This generation doesn’t just need to know something, or refrain from something, it urgently needs to do something! It needs to serve the Lord’s purposes, not its own. The divine journalist of Judges identifies this as a defining characteristic of a faithful generation. “7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. 8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten” (Judges 2:7-8) “They served the Lord” is sung at the beginning of Judges, and it is answered by an opposite refrain at the end of Judges, “everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges. 17:6; 21:25). We have a choice. Serve the Lord, or serve ourselves. The pressing need of our generation is to make that choice. At the end of the day are we more concerned with our glory or God’s; our kingdom or His, our work or His mission? One path leads to the tragic return to the days of the Judges. The other path leads to the useful life and hopeful death of Joshua. With one breath God could sweep the Canaanites out of the land. Why did God allow them to remain? God tells us, “I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did.” (Judges 2:22; 3:4) 

Each generation must make the choice, “Will I live for my God, or for this world?” What choice are you making?

via Tim Jennings

Sunday, July 22, 2018

"...the increase of the vineyard will become defiled."

Moses instructed the physical descendants of Abraham in Deuteronomy 22:9, "You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed..."

The reason?
"...or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled."

Abraham's spiritual descendants (Romans 9:7-8), are those who have been born anew (John 3:3, 5); they make up Christ's church (Gal. 3:26-27).
Spiritual Israel was given the same advice as physical Israel in regard to sowing two kinds of seed.
There is truth and there is error. If both are sown (mixed together), the increase of the vineyard will become defiled.
The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11).
If it is mixed with "doctrines and commandments of men" (Matt. 15:8-9), the increase of the vineyard will become defiled.

This points to teaching. There is truth from God (scripture); and then there is "interpretations" of what God "meant" by what HE said in HIS word (scripture).

If ONLY God's word had been taught as declared by Jesus to His apostles, there would be only the church that Jesus built, in existence (Matthew 16:18).
All of us would be members of THAT church; we would all be preached the same thing on the subject of "WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED";

We would all be called by the same name ~ Christians, for only the church that is OF Christ would exist.

Our worship would be alike; we would (and could) support one another in evangelistic efforts; in benevolence, and in edification, for we would all be walking "by the same rule" (Phil. 3:16).

This is the unity for which Jesus prayed among all who believe in Him. (please read John 27:20-21)

Is this possible, you ask?
Well it DID exist initially...for early Christians "continued stedfastly" in the same doctrine...the doctrine taught by the apostles (Acts 2:42)

What happened?
Please read the warning from the apostle Paul in Acts 20:28-30.

If you read this text, you will understand why there are the divisions in the religious realm today.
So sad.........Christ did NOT die for us to be segregated into separate bodies. He died to UNITE us into ONE body...HIS church (Eph. 4:4 - speaks of ONE BODY, just as there is ONE GOD, ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE SPIRIT...

ONE!
UNITY!
LOVING AS BRETHREN!
A FAMILY!

Never forget the warning from the apostle Paul to the pastors of the church of Christ in Ephesus:

"Be on guard for yourselves and for 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. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them." ~ Acts 20:28-30

Christ's church has been severed by corrupt seed (false doctrine). The result is, "the increase of the vineyard" HAS "become defiled."

Is there a cure; a remedy to religious division?
Certainly, go back and teach (speak) the same things as did the apostles. That was what they urged:
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all SPEAK THE SAME THING, and that there BE NO DIVISIONS AMONG YOU; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." ~ 1 Cor. 1:10

"Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing." ~ Philippians 3:16

Jesus prayed for this; shall we pursue His prayer?

copyright 2018
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