LEARNING FROM THE DENOMINATIONS"

Moses wrote, “Yahweh your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.’ You must not worship Yahweh your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things Yahweh hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.” (Deut. 12:29-32
). Those words constitute a powerful principle that emerges through both Old and New Testaments!

Do not do as the false religions do; obey God. “You must not worship Yahweh your God in their way.”

Yet, many of God’s people become so enamored with denominations and their gimmicks that they feel compelled to “learn from the sects!”

A multitude of erroneous practices have been picked from the denominational world. Things that seem to be good, practical, and beneficial, but they have no authorization from God’s word. Things such as choirs to sing for the assembly, seeking to draw large crowds with gimmicks, appealing to the physical man by the social gospel and carnal appeals, mixing politics and religion by providing a forum for politicians, mechanical instruments of music in worship, mid-week congregational collections to finance the work of the congregation, building expensive facilities for worship while neglecting opportunities to support men to preach the saving gospel of Christ, and snatching the power of the pure word by preaching a pleasant, soft message that does not honor God have all been learned from the denominations. It’s time to “unlearn” those things and get back to the book!

Ironically, there are some things that we can learn from the denominations.

We learn that we cannot follow God’s word and human tradition! The Jews could not do it, and neither can we. Jesus said, “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matt. 15:6). Whenever God’s word is set aside, in order to satisfy the human will and man-made practice, the result is disaster. Substituting sprinkling and pouring for immersion is a human tradition. (Col. 2:12). Giving and receiving religious titles of distinction is a human tradition. (Matt. 23:7-11).

We learn from denominations that you cannot save souls by preaching a social gospel. For generations, they have used carnal enticements such as bar-b-que dinners, fish fries, ball teams, and the like to draw large crowds. The crowds became thin when the bar-b-que ran out, the fish got cold, and the ball teams lost!

The one thing that never runs out, never becomes cold, and never loses is the gospel. Draw souls by the preaching of the gospel and let it do its work. (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:17-18, 21; 2 Tim. 4:1-2).

“BLAMELESS: SINLESS, or OBEDIENT?”

Does God command that which is impossible? Can we be sinless? Can we be obedient? Notice from Gen. 17:1-2, what God COMMANDED of Abraham: “…I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  And I will make my covenant between me and thee...”.

Notice that the command to “be blameless” was the CONDITION upon which the covenant rested. It was the 'foundation' upon which the blessings would come. The condition of “be blameless” has characterized EVERY covenant offered to man by God. Was obedience possible from Abraham? Whatever definition is put forth for ‘blameless’, one thing ought not change....IT WAS A COMMAND given to Abraham. Being a command......IT WAS “DO-ABLE”!

The significance of being a command provides us with the evidence as to what ‘blameless’ both cannot mean, as well as what it MUST mean. ‘Blameless’ cannot mean 'sinless' (remember Rom. 3:23); it must therefore mean 'obedient'. Obedience is possible because of God’s grace/mercy, but still, obedience is commanded! However, grace/mercy are not commands, but promises from God. A promise cannot be obeyed; a command, however, can be. In connection with obedience, there is a command to repent, and it is this that God commands of ALL (Acts 17:30-31).

By this, we understand another aspect of God's grace/mercy; the long-suffering of God (cf. 2 Peter 3:9). God'
s long-suffering demonstrates His desire for man to repent (turn from) his sins and become obedient (submit to) His Son. In turning from sinful living to a submissive life of obedience, each does as God commanded of Abraham: “walk before me AND BE BLAMELESS”. 

This was what God purposed for man. In this, we understand the teaching of the apostle Paul in Eph. 2:8-10: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

“COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS”

  

“The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught.” (Isa. 50:4)

The words of Isaiah above, are certainly applicable to every Christian. What a blessing! Yet, as is true of all blessings, with them comes a great responsibility. To have such a gift to speak with encouragement, but fail to do so, is more than a waste; it is an injustice to both God who gave the blessing, and those who were not encouraged by your speech.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11).

The Hebrew writer declared, “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today’, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13).

In these two texts, we see encouragement being practiced by the church of Christ at Thessalonica and the reason for which encouragement is so needed by brethren in Christ is to prevent hearts from becoming hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Brethren, let us be reminded of the deceitfulness of sin – it destroys our peace, unity, and love for each other. Let us give diligence to be encouragers: within our families, among our neighbors, but more so, among each other as brethren.

Sin can overtake any of us; don’t self-deceive that you are immune to Satan’s deceptions. Discouragement is all that it takes to open the door to self-deceit. Never allow this in our homes nor in our congregation. Read daily the words of Isaiah above and commit them to your life.   

“And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.” (1 Thess. 5:23-24).

DOCTRINE MATTERS ~ 2 Corinthians 11:12

"Those who desire an opportunity 

to be regarded just as we are”

~ 2 Cor. 11:12 ~

The statement above was made by the apostle Paul. The context shows that he was speaking of evil men who sought to be “regarded” as Paul and other apostles of the Lord. Paul, however, has severe scorn and rebuke for these ambitious men. In vss 13-15, he states, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”

Why would Paul dare to be so harsh and pass such judgment? It was because of their teachings. They taught DIFFERENTLY from what the Lord’s apostles taught by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As such, they were giving people a false hope in regard to their salvation. Earlier in this chapter (vss. 3-4), Paul said of these false teachers, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” (Paul wrote similar words in his other epistles:

(cf. Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 1:6-9; Eph. 5:6; Phil. 3:2; Col. 2:4, 8, 18; 1 Thess. 2:14-16; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; 2:2-4, 9-11; 1 Tim. 1;19-20; 4:1-2, 16; 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; Titus 1:9-11)

Those who preach “other gospels”, i.e., messages that the apostles did not preach, are FALSE TEACHERS! Their doctrine is FALSE DOCTRINE!

False doctrine results in the damnation of both the teacher and his hearer. (Note especially the “hearer” in 1 Tim. 4:16 – “…both save thyself, AND THEM THAT HEAR THEE.” [Preaching ACCURATELY saves, both the preacher and the hearers.] and,

2 Tim. 4:3-4 – “…THEY (i.e., the hearers) WILL NOT ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE, but after their own lusts…heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…turn away…from the truth…unto fables.)

A most relevant question for everyone…DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE REALITY OF FALSE DOCTRINE?

A related question will perhaps drive the point home. DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE REALITY OF HELL?

If there was no such thing as false teaching, why would there be a need for HELL?

Beware of those who come in sheep’s clothing…false apostles disguised as apostles of Christ…those WHO DESIRE TO BE REGARDED AS AN APOSTLE IN WHAT THEY TEACH!

TEST THEM! As the apostle John warned in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

They are false if their preaching does not match the preaching of the Lord’s apostles!

Now, what did the Lord’s apostles tell people to do to be saved???

What did the preacher who preached to you, tell you to do to be saved???

Did their messages match???

This is why doctrine is so important in religion.

Jesus taught:

"Take heed WHAT ye hear" ~ Mark 4:24

"Take heed HOW ye hear" ~ Luke 8:18

“ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE”

Over 2,200 years ago, a man measured the Earth… using shadows and a stick. In the 3^rd century BCE, in the great Egyptian city of Alexandria, lived a man named Eratosthenes. Some mocked him by calling him Beta — the second letter of the Greek alphabet — implying he was second-best at everything. But in truth, he was an Alpha in knowledge. Astronomer, geographer, philosopher, poet, historian, mathematician, and director of the Great Library of Alexandria — he was a true Renaissance man… centuries before the Renaissance.

One day, he read in a scroll that in the city of Syene (modern-day Aswan), on June 21st, the summer solstice, a vertical stick cast no shadow at noon. The sun stood directly overhead. But in Alexandria, on the same day and same hour, a stick did cast a shadow. Where most would overlook such a detail, Eratosthenes saw a cosmic clue.

He reasoned: If the Earth were flat, the sun’s rays would hit both sticks equally — the shadows would match. But they didn’t. So, what could explain the difference? Only a curved Earth. He measured the angle of the shadow in Alexandria. It was about 7 degrees — roughly 1/50^th of a full circle. He hired someone to measure the distance between Syene and Alexandria: about 800 kilometers. Then he did the math: 800 km × 50 = 40,000 km — the circumference of the Earth.

That’s astonishingly accurate. No satellites. No telescopes. No calculators. Just observation, curiosity, and a mind that dared to ask why. Eratosthenes became the first person to calculate the size of a planet — and he did it by watching how a stick cast its shadow.

“It is he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in…”. (Isa. 40:22).  

“When he established the heavens, I was there: when he set a circle upon the face of the deep…” (Prov. 8:27). 

by: Carl Sagan

“THE PLACE OF UNDERSTANDING”

 Job 28:1-11 - The wealth that is hidden in the earth cannot be obtained but with a great deal of difficulty. So is it true of spiritual wealth (TRUTH). It’s situated purposefully by God and can only be uncovered with great effort. Only those who pursue with all their heart will find it and benefit therefrom. Job observes in the remainder of this chapter:

“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The deep saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the heavens. Destruction and Death say, we have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.  

God understandeth the way thereof, And he knoweth the place thereof for he looketh to the ends of the earth,  and seeth under the whole heaven; to make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder; then did he see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

God’s wisdom is as the pearl of great value and the hidden treasure (Matt. 13:44-45). Once discovered, nothing should prevent us from possessing it. 

“Honoring the Father”

 Honoring someone is one of the highest forms of respect that can be performed,  especially when given with understanding. This is especially true in honoring God. God is a heavenly Father and He deserves honor from his children. God’s love for His children is the basis for which they give honor. God’s love for His children is stated in the following passages:

“My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art reproved of him; For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Heb. 12:5-7). Moses said: “as a man chasteneth his son, so Jehovah thy God chasteneth thee” (Deut. 8:5). God told David: “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind” (2 Sam. 7:14).

Solomon wrote of a father’s love: “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” (Prov. 13:24). “Discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death.” (Prov. 19:18). “Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine: Yea, my heart will rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long: For surely there is a reward; and thy hope shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.” (Prov. 23:13-19).

Honoring God has great reward: “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him. Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bare thee rejoice. My son, give me thy heart; and let thine eyes delight in my ways.” (Prov. 23:24-26).