Guess Who’s Watching

It’s funny how you remember things from your childhood. For me it’s a glass figurine that takes me back to my grandparent’s house. It sat on a shelf and I was only allowed to play with it if I was careful.  Or a Bible that my grandma had on a stand in the kitchen that was always open. I always knew she had been reading earlier that morning. My grandfather made her this stand years before he passed away. It sat on the kitchen table next to the window in the little trailer they owned. When he passed away my family moved her into town. Even then that Bible was always there on the kitchen table.

She had cataract surgery earlier in life and her glasses were like coke bottle bottoms. (For those of you who are younger, Coca Cola used to only come in glass bottles, which were very thick on the bottom.) She also had her magnifying glass there as well just in case her eyes were giving her trouble.  It’s the little things that we remember as children that help influence us and make lasting impressions on us today as adults.

We visited a congregation a while back and a man got up to help with the Lord’s Supper. He had his phone in his hand. He was not prepared and desperately tried to find the scripture he wanted to use before he prayed. He never did. It was very uncomfortable and distracting.

Lately I have been a little concerned that we are allowing too much technology to influence the way we worship. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology. I love my phone, my IPad, having power point and the songs on the screen up front.  I also try to stay updated as much as I can. I know my grandchildren love technology as well. Whenever they are at my house, they will ask if they can play games on my iPad.  If we are in a store and they are bored they may ask their mother or me if they can play games on our phones. It seems to me our children and grandchildren know exactly what these devices are used for and how to use them. Many times I’ve heard one of the girls in the back seat playing with an old cell phone and pretending to send a text or having a conversation with a friend from Bible class. So what do they think when they see adults use their phones or iPad’s to read the Bible in church? Do we really think they see it and say to themselves, “He/she is reading the Bible?”

You may say, I don’t have kids at home or grandchildren yet. But what about those who you teach in Bible classes? Maybe they are watching us in services? We need to be the example for all our children to show them that God’s Word is special and important. After all that’s what we teach in our Bible classes, right?  Are we showing them that it’s really important to us when we don’t even bring our Bibles to services or don’t even open it and follow along.

Now I know this is just my opinion, but maybe we need to consider that kids are watching us and need to see us read from a “real” Bible. Some of you may not know that I’ve had a lot of problems with my eyes. Sometimes I don’t see as clearly as I should and reading on an illuminated device would really help me.

When we look in Nehemiah 8:1-6 we can see how Ezra the teacher of the law reads the Book of the Law of Moses. He read it aloud from daybreak until noon (v. 3).  Not only did they hear the Law of Moses but they also saw how important it was for the Law to be read to those who loved the Lord. “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn way from them.”(Proverbs 4:5)

Let’s not allow let technology to change us so much that our kids don’t even know what an actual Bible looks like.

Bev Slack

Strength In Numbers

“And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”  (Exodus 17:11-12)

            Moses’ struggle in Exodus 17 is unique because it does not originate in lack of desire or knowledge of right and wrong.  The issue did not lie in his heart, but in his body.  This is a different scenario than God usually presents.  We are used to seeing men like David or Peter allowing selfishness to blockade their relationship with God, but Moses wants to serve God.  Why does God not allow Moses to serve Him?  The relevance of this story for us is in the ability of God’s people to work in unity to accomplish things which are impossible for a solitary individual.

Moses’ Weakness

            In Exodus 17, it is clear to Moses what he must do.  Keep his hands up and Israel wins, keep his hands down and they lose.  As has been his desire since the time of slavery, Moses’ primary focus is on the success of the people of God.  However, his body does not cooperate.  His hands become like stones, his muscles tighten, and his arms sag.  Desire and zeal did not guarantee success for Moses.

            This is a difficult truth to grasp.  I frequently think that as long as my mind is set right that I can accomplish anything.  With or without the help of others, I will succeed.  This is a fallacy that we too quickly buy into.  You, me, and Moses find ourselves in the same position as the disciples when they were dozing off in Gethsemane.  Jesus warned them to “watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). Some weaknesses are beyond our control.  We want to be perfect.  We strive to be perfect.  Yet we are imperfect beings.

To the Rescue

            As Moses’ body fails him, his friends do not.  Aaron and Hur step in to complete what was lacking in Moses.  They move a stone for Moses to sit on and hold his hands up so the people of God prevail.  Where one man was weak and inadequate, the combination of these three men was capable of fulfilling God’s plan.

            A few things about their actions stand out to me.  First, the text does not record any pleas or petitions by Moses for their service.  Instead, the men recognize the need and then jump to fix the situation.  They did not need incessant cries for help or worse yet a forceful shove (or passive-aggressive guilt trip) into action.  This only occurs when a deep relationship exists instead of the all too frequent church building relationship.  We have to know one another’s strengths and weaknesses in order to know when our services are required.  I fail in this area. How are you doing?

            Secondly, Aaron and Hur are willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve God’s objectives.  Holding up Moses’ arms would be just as physically tortuous for them as it was for Moses.  However, they simply do not care.  Their enjoyment or ease was of little concern.  We like our relaxation time and we like pile hobbies on top of relaxation.  We rarely want to disrupt our precious time off with hard spiritual work, but every little bit helps.  By simply holding up the arms of Moses, Aaron and Hur were a part of a great victory of God.  Surely there is something you and I can do and a need we can fill.

Moses’ Acceptance

            One final point about Moses that makes me respect him more is he does not resist help.  Remember, it was Moses that God spoke to through the bush, lead the charge against Pharoah, and tapped the rock to bring forth water.  Why would such a strong man need their help?  Moses never allows pride to prevent the completion of God’s plan.

            We like to think we can do it ourselves.  We believe help is for the weak, but it is more a sign of strength than weakness.  We must never be ashamed to receive help from our brethren.  It does not matter if it’s a small physical weakness or a colossal spiritual failing.  We gain nothing by maintaining the image of perfection while sinking privately into depression.  Moses was not ashamed to be helped and we must not be either.

            This short excerpt speaks volumes about the relationship that must exist among the saints.  It requires all parties involved to focus primarily on the will of God.  If our focus is the success of the kingdom, then we will view the giving and receiving of help as a joyous event.

Grace, So What’s The Big Deal?

Rom 5:7-8 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Many of us who were “raised in the church” sometimes find it hard to grasp the enormity of the gift that has been given to us.  Even though we’ve had it pounded into our heads from childhood that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life and died a horrible death as a sacrifice for our sins so we can stand before God justified, sinless and without stain and –yet take it for granted?

As odd as that may sound, I believe we are sometimes guilty of taking God’s matchless grace for granted.  Sure, intellectually we understand this gift, the awful price that was paid and what it means to us, but knowing something is not the same as appreciating it and allowing it to impact our lives.

Suppose you had a terminal disease that was sure to end your life unless you received an organ transplant.  A disease you brought upon yourself due to your own poor choices.  As death draws near, someone you don’t even know hears about your predicament and is so moved with compassion that they volunteer to give you an organ that saves your life, but ends theirs.  Now that’s a gift you can really wrap your head around.  Every new day of life is so sweet and you’re overcome with humility, gratitude and amazement at the love of a stranger.   You vow that you will never take it for granted and that you will live each day, trying in vain to be worthy of this great gift that you have received.

This is more than just an illustration designed to tug at the heart strings, it’s reality and it applies to every one of us.  Rom 3:23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and Rom 6:23 says, For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  In these two verses Paul says that due to our sin we’re doomed to die and deservedly so.  Without the grace we have through Christ we are doomed, not just to a physical death that brings relief from pain but a spiritual death and total separation from God for all eternity.   None of us can imagine total separation from God because none of us has experienced it, but the Bible describes it as an unquenchable fire, unimaginable, excruciating punishment that never ends.  Such is the fate that God, through His love, has saved us from.  What a love, what a gift!

Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Profound in its simplicity this one verse contains the entirety of the good news of the Gospel.  “God so loved the world”.  Let’s be grateful.  Let’s get to know the one to whom we owe so much and let’s strive to live worthy of God’s grace every day.

Bruce Petty

The Danger of an Empty Heart

“When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’  And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.  Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” (Luke 11:24-26)

In the public ministry of Jesus, no obstacle was more troublesome than external righteousness. None were more committed to the rigid standards of religion than the Pharisees, but their adherence to a strict code of conduct only bred greater trust in themselves. They ignored their flaws and accentuated their successes, thus cementing in their minds a warped sense of their own “goodness.” When Jesus preached to them about salvation, it was irrelevant; when He rebuked them, He was out of line; when He demonstrated His power over demons, it had to be of Satan.

Such is the context of this short parable. Jesus had cast out a demon, amazing the crowds (Matt. 12:22). However, the Pharisees charged that the source of power was none other than Satan himself (Matt. 12:24; Luke 11:15). Blinded by self-righteousness, they refused to accept the irrefutable evidence presented. As He spoke to the issue of their empty hearts, He tells a story in which He likens them to a demonized man. From this short illustration we glean three valuable lessons.

The removal of some sins should not be confused with a final triumph over all sin. Jesus doesn’t reveal the reason for the demon’s initial exit. What we do know is (at least temporarily) the man is freed from satanic control. But one victory doesn’t win the war. When the evil spirit returns with seven of his friends they find no barrier prohibiting reentry.

Ancient Israel’s idolatry and immorality had brought the harsh punishment of Babylonian captivity. But while their 1^st century descendants had overcome Baal’s grip, they had surrendered to other sins that were equally condemning (Matt. 23:13ff). Never was a group of men more committed to religious practice; never was there a group farther away from God.

Will we remember what the Pharisees forgot? Satan is a determined adversary who seeks to destroy our soul (I Pet. 5:8) and cares little what means are employed to accomplishing that end. We may whip deceit, but fall to pride. We may stand firm against immorality, but be devoured by greed. We may resist the temptations of bitterness, but succumb to gossip. Jesus reminds us that spiritual success in one area does not mean victory in every realm.

We also learn “negative” religion alone cannot keep a man clean. When the spirit returns he finds “his house” swept and put in order. Renovation had occurred and changes made, but the dwelling remained unoccupied by any compelling force.

Any religious system that merely tells a man what he must not do is doomed to fail. Though the Pharisees were “religious”, their hearts were uncommitted to any positive cause. They followed a list of “rules”, but failed to fill their hearts, becoming easy prey for any power seeking to fill the void.

Christianity certainly involves prohibitions and negative elements (Gal. 5:19-21; Col. 3:5-9), but it also includes positive instruction (Col. 3:12-15; Phil 4:4-8). We must hate divorce and promote good marriages. We must abhor immorality and speak unashamedly of the marriage bed. We must condemn deception and vigorously love integrity. We must avoid materialism and appreciate God’s bountiful gifts. We must avoid division and strive for unity. It’s easy to declare what we’re against, but what are you for?

Finally, we see a sober warning about falling into a worse state. When the evil spirit returned, it brought seven spirits even more evil than itself. While the Pharisees may not have been guilty of the same sins as others, the sins they were guilty of left them impervious to the message of Christ. In fact, their depravity ran so deep they not only rejected His claims, but vilified and eventually crucified Him.

Our consideration of this parable demands we evaluate our own house, knowing it’s not enough for it to be clean and orderly—it must also be permanently occupied by a holy resident.

Terry Slack

The Lukewarm Church

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”          Rev. 3:15-18

Written to a church in a city that was quite wealthy, produced high quality clothing, and produced salve to help cure ailing eyes, this letter would really hit a nerve.  They would read this letter and immediately feel the sting of these words.  When we read this letter do we see it as a harsh letter written at a 1^st century church or a warning letter written to you and me?  It is both of these.  We have a tendency to read the letters to the seven churches of Asia and think how great or poor those churches were and that is the extent of it, but we need to see what we can learn from them.

This letter, in particular, shows us the importance of fervor in all we do.  He starts off calling them a lukewarm church.  The word hot here means boiling or fervor.  He isn’t saying he wishes that they were cold over lukewarm, but acknowledging that having known the Word of God and turned your back on it is worse than never knowing His Word.  It shows how disgusting lukewarm Christians and lukewarm churches are to Him.  So disgusting is it to Him that He will vomit those who are lukewarm out of His presence.

What does this mean to us?  Are we like the church in Laodicea?  Are we like the Christians in Laodicea?  The church in Smyrna was in the midst of a great amount of wealth and yet they were poor.  Christ tells them that they aren’t poor, but rich!  Contrast that with the church in Laodicea who Christ says is poor because they are rich!  They placed a priority on the physical wealth while ignoring the spiritual wealth.  Where is our priority?  Do we work long hours to not just provide for our families, but give them all the nice things while depriving them of what is important, quality time together and a focus on God’s Word?  Do we, as a church, focus on how many members we get moving in instead of how many people we try to reach who are outside of Christ?  While it is great to have a church that continues to grow, we need to make a primary focus of trying to bring others to Christ instead of being satisfied with Christians moving into our congregation.  Do we strive to make the most of the blessings that God has given us through our abundance?  The church in Laodicea lived in no different society than we live in today and faces the same pressures that we face.  Now, we do not face the same persecution that they faced under Domitian but they faced the same pressures of wealth, idolatry in many forms, but most importantly, indifference.

Just as with the church in Laodicea, Christ offers us the same encouraging words, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”  No matter how lethargic you have been, no matter how lukewarm a church has been, it can change!  He stands at the door waiting and knocking.  He doesn’t knock and then leave, he doesn’t just stand there.  He continues knocking, and waiting.  It is up to us to open that door and welcome him in.  What kind of Christian are you and are you contributing to the growing of the church or complacent in where you are at?  Are you lukewarm or are you boiling with fervor for Him and your fellow brothers and sisters?

Nothing But The Best

“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” ~ Luke 1:1-4

We are often quick to tell people that the New Testament was originally written in koine (common) Greek – the language of the civilized world in the 1^st century. However, that’s actually not entirely accurate. Luke, in his rendering of the gospel of Jesus Christ, actually begins his narrative with a prologue written in what is instead known as classical Greek. Verses one through four are written in this style, and it is a style that has parallels in the most formal and highbrow writing of the 1^st century.

From simple letters to eloquent literary works, most writing in antiquity followed templates – or forms – of how such writing should look. Everyone from the ancient historians Herodotus and Thucydides to the apostles Paul and John followed these “rules”, and Luke likewise does the same in his writings. But Luke is not ‘content’ with writing some simple letter to Theophilus, rather he is ‘intent’ on providing a text that rubs shoulders with the most lofty and sophisticated writings of the known world at that time.

It’s no secret that Luke’s writings (Luke & Acts) are considered the most elevated Greek in the New Testament. From grammar to vocabulary to syntax, Luke consistently writes as a man of education and exposure, though he uniformly does so in that common Greek of the masses – except for the introduction to his gospel. For in just these four short verses, Luke, by writing in the classical style, lets his reader(s) know that the subject matter to follow is to be taken seriously and that it is to be understood as being just as significant and weighty as the great writings of antiquity – for when it came to the subject of Jesus Christ, Luke was interested in providing nothing but the best.

And so what of us? Do we settle for nothing but the best, or do we often bring God that which is less; that which is perhaps convenient or easy?

The effort that we put into our preparation for Bible class and worship (whether public or private) says something about whether or not we bring God our best. The clothes we wear on Sunday say something about whether or not we bring God our best. (How many of us show more respect for our boss than we do our God in this aspect?) Whether we sing with enthusiasm (whether in tune or out), showing that we understand that singing doesn’t just praise God but also encourages and teaches our brethren, says something about whether or not we bring God our best. Whether or not we make it a priority to not just be on time to worship our God but to be early so that we have time to “slow down” from the hurry of getting to services and center our thoughts on the reasons we are there says something about whether or not we bring God our best.

That list can stretch for pages. And all of us fail in some of these aspects some of the time. The question, though, is do we fail in some of these aspects some of the time… or do we fail in most of these aspects most of the time?

Luke gave the best that he had even when all he was doing was writing about Jesus. Can we not give the best that we have when living for Jesus?

James Miller

Plato’s Cave

Once upon a time… over two thousand years ago a man walked the Mediterranean streets telling stories about truth. He was a troubadour, a minstrel of the soul. He was attacked by authorities, put on trial, and died a martyr’s death for his teaching and life. He personally wrote no books we have copies of today. We know of him from a disciple of his. One of his stories was about man’s self-searching for understanding and meaning in life. It remains to this day one of the most famous parts of his teachings. Let’s visit the story for a minute.
The teacher was not Jesus or Solomon, but Socrates, whose life paralleled Jesus’ own in many ways. Plato’s Cave is a famous metaphor Plato attributes to his mentor, Socrates. It sounds just like something out of the mouth of Jesus. Like with Jesus’ teachings, it is a simple comparison with deep morals. In this cave, sitting facing a wall, are humans who live in self-imposed chains. Across the wall, shadows move from light behind them and this is all of their reality: two-dimensional shifting shapes of black and white. If someone ever leaves their shackles and goes outside into the sun, they are overwhelmed by the reality they experience. Worse, upon returning to the two-dimensional cave’s shadows they are ridiculed by others who view them as mad or liars. Moving from shadows to sun has its consequences. Moving from shadows to the light of Bible revelation likewise has its consequences.
Socrates and Jesus were alike in a number of ways. One was that they both had great power in their story-telling and their lives. In Plato’s cave the sun explodes their two-dimensional reality into a three-dimensional one. Deep truths told in simple stories were part of their personal narratives. Plato’s Cave is a parable of our self-exam toward ultimate issues of life. Have you ever been deceived between appearances and reality? A recent movie trilogy, The Matrix, is a modern remake of the Plato’s Cave motif. But story-telling alone is not enough. We must become an active part of the story.
As famed M. C. Escher’s picture of a hand drawing a hand, we too find ourselves being self-created into His story and into His very own image as knowledge becomes full-knowing.

 The apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Cor 3.17-18:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
Paul observes that this transformation is liberating, bestowing freedom, rather than bondage. Living within the full sun light is liberating once one takes the first steps into this other dimension of reality.

Peter calls our attention to the nature of this ‘knowing’ in 2 Pet 1.2f.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who call us by His own glory and excellence.”
Trusting “divine power” provides all we need for life and godliness. It is not a mere academic knowing or shadowy seeing that carries us onward. It is rather the “true knowledge” of Him. Full, genuine or true knowledge is Plato’s confidence. It is also Paul’s deeply personal and objective knowing of the Son. Of the two narratives we are seeing, one is an analogy; the second is historical. The second is a narrative of one who “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim 1.10).

Terry Green

Keep Learning Or Start Forgetting

One thing that I have learned in my 36 years is that I still have a lot to learn.  Everywhere I turn requires learning something new.  I obtained my Journeyman Electrical license in 1999 and held on to it until I decided to try to obtain my Masters Electrical license a couple years ago.  I succeeded in passing the test and getting my Masters license after being smacked in the face with the reality of what I still had to learn.  Two years later I still am finding things that I did not know.

The same is true with my faith.  Whenever I find myself looking to study a particular topic I always find myself going to the first and foremost source, the Bible.  After reading what the Bible says on the subject I will then look to other sources.  I will read commentary after commentary to see what different people, who are more learned than I, think about the text.  It can be something as simple as John 3:16 or something as complex as the Holy Spirit, I want to know what others have taken away from their readings.  I do this for one main reason.  No matter how confident I am in my understanding of a particular passage or subject, I want to see things from different perspectives.

All too often I feel that those who were raised in the church, or have been in the church for many years are satisfied with their understanding and are happy to not bother themselves with what others have found.   If we talk to someone who believes in evolution we are more interested in telling them why we are right than understanding why they believe how they do.  Just because someone may be a Baptist, Lutheran, insert belief here, they cannot provide us with information we may have missed or glossed over concerning scripture?  I say all that to state that I find myself studying a variety of topics by typing my subject into Google and wading my way through the many… many links provided until I am satisfied with my understanding.  Another way that I find help in my studies is through various local church websites.  I will go to each one and look for different articles that have been written on the subject, read them, and then move on.  It has been a valuable resource for me and I hope that I’m not the only one who benefits from them.

That is why we have set up this blog site.  We will be having a number of men and women writing articles that I hope will be useful to many people in their search for the truth.  Whether it is finding the truth for the first time or reaffirming your understanding of scripture.  There will be a wide variety of people writing the articles from many different vantage points, whether a stay at home mother or a retired grandfather.  Christ’s Word reaches to all, is applicable to all, and is designed so that all may be able to teach it.  If, as you read this, you find things you have questions about, feel free to comment on the article or send an email and we would love to be able to help answer your questions.

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” I Peter 3:15

Welcome to Pursuing The Path Blog Site

This blog site is created to allow the members of Northwest church of Christ to write articles to keep our minds focused on what is important in this world, Living a God-centered life and striving every day to be more Christ-like.

The plan is to have a  new article written every two weeks by a different member.  The articles will be on various topics and we welcome feedback.  If there are articles that you might like to see written, topics covered, please let us know.

We hope that you will bookmark this page and check back often!  If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, we hope you will look us up at www.pursuingthepath.com and stop in and see us some time.