Author: Warren Berkley

Whatever You Do

Reading Colossians 3:16-17

The point in becoming a Christian is not merely to identify with a local group. The point is not merely to have previous sins forgiven. The point is not to satisfy family and friends who were urging you to become a Christian. While all of this has value – here’s what cannot be omitted: Entering such a close relationship with Christ, His word lives in you. And, not just residing there but activated your life on the richest level.

Therefore, if the Word of Christ doesn’t dwell in you, no matter how large and sound the church is, you are not engaged fully in God’s purpose for your life. The Word of Christ must dwell in you richly.

This point will not have to be argued with those who love Jesus Christ and deeply appreciate the grace of God. Such people will desire that the teaching of Christ dwell in them and govern all their thoughts, words, actions and reactions.

One expression of this is, singing. “Teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…”

Let me ask – when you first read this verse (Col. 3:16), do you immediately think of a stage band with drums in the background, lead singers and back-up singers pumping music through high decibel PA speakers to a swaying and dancing audience? Do you really think that’s what the apostle Paul had in mind (or the first century equivalent of popular music to entertain an audience)?

We must guard against letting modern images drive how we read Scripture. It is an interpretative enterprise that is impulsive, though perhaps comforting. What was Paul talking about?

First, he wasn’t talking about raw, worldly entertainment, where you listen to music you like and acknowledge the musicians. There is nothing in Colossians three or the New Testament to support such an idea.

Second, the very words used by Paul and the context strongly and directly indicate this is worship. It is engaged in by those who are filled with the Word of Christ. It is teaching, admonishing to share wisdom from God and it is “to God.” It is not entertainment to an audience. It is worship to God, shared by people who are filled with the Word of Christ.

Further, the absence of entertaining instruments leaves us with the simple presence of vocal music: SINGING.

Here is how simple this is: God said sing. Those in whom the Word dwells are satisfied with this because it is what God said. We do this “with thankfulness” in our hearts to God.

Please, think WORSHIP, not ENTERTAINMENT.

“And, whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

The simple application of verse 16 – respecting the limits of context – should characterize our understanding and use of all Scripture. So that whatever we do – as individuals, families, local churches – we do as people who belong to the Lord and uphold His name in all we do. May all we do carry the imprint of His authority.

For This I Toil

Colossians. 1:24-29

It is hard for most of us to understand rejoicing while suffering. Typically, we “cope” with suffering by complaining. Paul’s attitude should cause us to pause and re-examine the sturdiness of our faith. Paul said, to his brothers and sisters in Colossae: “Now, I rejoice in my sufferings.” First, he knew his suffering was temporary (see 2 Cor. 4:17). Second, he submitted to suffering without typical complaining for the sake of the needs of Christians!

It is right in verse 24: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…” For their sake – that is, for the sake of their knowledge and edification, Paul kept suffering with unselfish endurance.

Third, the apostle saw his suffering from this high perspective: “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church.”

This cannot mean that anything about Christ’s suffering and death was lacking. While the translation may be awkward, the only way to understand this (compatible with everything else the New Testament says about the perfect sacrifice of Christ) – is that Paul, no matter how much he suffered, would always be “lacking.” He would spend his life “filling up” what was lacking in his suffering; his fellowship with Christ in suffering. This was his perspective of suffering “for the sake of His body, that is, the church.”

Paul’s next statement assures his readers of how he viewed his work. He became a minister “according to the stewardship from God, that was given to” him for this purpose: “…to make the word of God fully known.”

God gave to Paul this task, and held him accountable, “to make the word of God fully known.”

“The mystery hidden for ages and generations” was now being made known to men like Paul, for faithful transmission to others. “To them, God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The gospel is not a message that Christ is just a part of. Christ is at the center of the message, with a generous offer of blessing to all men. As the message is accepted by the activity of faith, Christ is formed in His people with this outcome: “the hope of glory.”

So Paul rejoiced (though he suffered) to announce “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

The repetitious, “everyone” leaves no doubt of the universal scope of the gospel of Christ. God designed and delivered this message of salvation for “everyone” to hear, believe and obey. This was so important to Paul he said: “For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me.”

SIX ENCOURAGING SIGNS IN JOHN’S GOSPEL

Mark White

The gospel of John reveals six different miracles of Jesus, which, carefully examined, would yield encouragement to us on several different fronts.

If disappointments come our way, remember John 2:1-11 where Jesus turned water into wine. He remains the one to whom we can turn when things disappoint us. With Paul, we can say “The Lord stood with me and strengthened me.” ( 2 Tim. 4:17). If we have doubts, we can take encouragement from when Jesus healed a boy from a distance, telling his father to return home. The father did as Jesus said without question (John 4:46-54). Je- sus is still the one Who is “the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). When disabilities come to us, we can find strength from when Jesus healed a man who had been ill for 38 years (John 5:2-9).

By the Lord’s providence, we can still “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10; Phil. 4:13). When our desires are unmet, remember that Jesus once fed 5,000 with a boy’s lunch (John 6:1-14). He still meets the desires of those who say, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). If we are in darkness, remember that Jesus once gave sight to a blind man (John 9:1-11). To those of us still stumbling in blinding darkness, Jesus is still “the light of the world” (John 8:12).

When death threatens us, we can recall when Jesus stood outside his friend Lazarus’s tomb and cried, “Come forth!” (John 11:1-44).

Better yet, the day will come when Jesus will speak and “all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth” (John 5:28-29). Death is not the end for the faithful Christian.

Jesus is a miracle worker. His name literally means “He who saves”. Jesus touches our lives in marvelous ways today, even though miracles have ceased (I Cor. 13:8-10). Like believing Thomas we can happily and confidently exclaim, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

Source: Cy Fair Church of Christ Midweek Messenger, Aug. 12, 2020

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SOBER?

By David Banning

Are you sober?

This is a question we would expect to hear a police officer ask a driver who he believes is driving drunk. The word “sober” has a very narrow meaning for us. We use it almost exclusively to describe a person who is free from the influence of alcohol. However, in Scripture this word has a broader meaning. It can certainly include the idea of being free from intoxication. But to be sober can also mean that you are thinking straight; that you are sensible. It sometimes carries the idea of having your passions and desires under control; that you are self-disciplined (Titus 2:12). It might also describe a person who is careful and cautious (1 Peter 5:8). So, are you sober?

Any serious disciple can quickly see the value of this quality. Think again about Peter’s warning (1 Peter 5:8). Every day we face a terrible enemy who is seeking to destroy us. He employs a vast array of tactics to lure us away from God. He is relentless. This is no trivial matter; it is life’s greatest struggle. Eternity is at stake. For this reason, we must go out every day ready for battle; we need to be sober! We need to be on guard and cautious, keenly aware of the danger we face. We need a sound mind and clear thinking so we can size up the devil’s work and see it for what it is. We need inner strength and self-discipline to control our passions and desires when Satan uses these to pull us into sin. In light of these realities, it is no surprise that Paul tells us to “live sensibly” (soberly) in this present age (Titus 2:12). Do you go out every day ready for battle? Are you sober? Continue reading “Are You Sober?” →

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled,” (Heb. 12:15).

The theme and backdrop for the book of Hebrews is a warning to Jewish Christians against turning back to the old ways of Judaism. The message is, Christ is here now, serve Him.

The bitterness of this text is most likely associated with Deut. 29:18. The Israelites came out of Egypt by God’s power under the leadership of Moses. But as they were taken out of slavery to freedom and ultimately to the promised land – they complained and became bitter against their leaders and God. Forgetting about the good life in Canaan that lay ahead of them, they murmured, rebelled, and therefore, failed to obtain the grace of God (that is, a whole generation missed out of the promised land).

Thus, Heb. 12:15 becomes a warning to us. God, through Christ, has taken us out of the slavery of sin and has promised us the “promised land” of heaven. Complaining, murmuring and rebelling will gradually defeat us. It is like a bad root that eventually emerges and poisons others.

There is another context of bitterness referred to in Eph. 4:31. The bitterness of that verse has more to do with resentment toward people, holding grudges, harboring hostility, or smoldering resentment toward people – that has no spiritual value and helps nobody. Often, this bitterness toward people hurts the one who is bitter more than anyone else.

Additional Note

In his commentary on the Greek text, John Eadie puts it best: “Bitterness is a figurative term denoting that fretted and irritable state of mind that keeps a man in perpetual animosity—that inclines him to harsh and uncharitable opinions of men and things—that makes him sour, crabbed, and repulsive in his general demeanor—that brings a scowl on his face, and infuses venom into the words of his tongue.”

1 Tim. 6:2b-10

Teach & Urge

Warren E. Berkley

Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.- 1 Tim. 6:2b-10

“Teach and urge these things” is one of those key statements, well identifying the work of the gospel preacher. Not only must he deliver the right instruction (from God), he is to urge, challenge, implore his listeners to respond as directed by God.

The person who teaches “a different doctrine” is “puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.” This isn’t about the sincere learner, but rather the deliberate, conceited mindset of the false teacher who suffers from an “unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,” etc. The godly person who seeks to avoid these negatives will simply teach and urge only what God has revealed. The kind of false teacher Paul describes here has in view, the carnal motive: godliness as a means of gain. Sincere devotion to truth is the path away from this wickedness.

Speaking of gain – Paul wants Timothy to know that “there is great gain in godliness, with contentment.” If you are looking for real, lasting gain – it is found with God, not money or false teaching.

The godly person – the person who lives toward God – enjoys the highest and purest gain a human being can have. There is no money that is any better, however great the amount. There is no celebrity status that tops this. There just isn’t anything better, higher or purer than being godly, and being content with that way of life!!

Verse 7 says “for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” You leave with exactly what you had when you came! When you were born, you had nothing; not even pockets! When you leave, your body may be well dressed – but even if there is something in the pockets – you won’t be able to do anything with it. (See also Job 1:21; Eccl. 5:14,15).

“But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” It isn’t wrong to have more than food and clothing, but what you have is not what makes you godly and content. Those with the minimum necessities can enjoy the contentment of godliness.

The spiritual killer is: “..the love of money…”  Paul does not say, THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY – and once you have more than that – you are spiritually dead. Paul doesn’t say – ONCE YOU HAVE MORE THAN OTHER PEOPLE, at that point – you are guilty. There is nothing like that here.

The spiritual killer here is desire and love for money. The point is not that money, in and of itself, causes you to wander away from the faith. The verse doesn’t read that way. It is the desire and love for money; that’s the problem identified.

Three phrases make this clear:  “those who desire to be rich…” and  “the love of money” and  “through this craving.” So – it is conceivable and more than hypothetical, people who live in relative economic poverty – can be guilty of this craving, this love and this desire – that ruins their relationship with God.

___________________________

Sin never walks alone. The desire to become rich causes the man who, in today’s terminology, is “an incarnation of fat dividends” to fall into numerous cravings. One kind of craving easily leads to another. The person who craves riches generally also yearns for honor, popularity, power, ease, the satisfaction of the desires of the flesh, etc. All spring from the same root, selfishness, which, being the worst possible method of really satisfying the “self,” is both senseless and hurtful (cf. Matt. 20:26–28; see N.T.C. on John 12:25, 26).^[1]

^[1] Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 4: Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles. New Testament Commentary (199–200). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

FROM Christianity Magazine: March 1987, Volume 4, Number 3

Thanks, I Needed That!

(The Hope of Heaven)

by Ferrell Jenkins

WHAT WOULD LIFE be without hope? The farmer plants in hope. The worker toils in hope. Parents bring up children in hope. Without hope, the Christian’s life would be bleak indeed. But the Christian’s life is not bleak; it is filled with hope. In Colossians 1:5, Paul speaks of “the hope laid up for you in heaven.” The focus of this article will be on “heaven” and on the “hope” which the Christian can have.

Heaven

The term “heaven” is generally used in three senses in Scripture. (1) The atmospheric heaven, the space immediately above us where the birds fly and from which the rain and the snow comes (Genesis 1:26, 30; Isaiah 55:9–11). (2) The celestial heaven is the location of the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:14). (3) When we talk about “going to heaven” and “the hope of heaven” we are speaking of the abode of God—the dwelling place of God. This must be what Paul had in mind when he spoke of being caught up into the “third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2).

Heaven is the dwelling place of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). When Christ came to earth, He came from heaven (John 3:13; 6:33–51). After He completed His work here, He returned to heaven (Hebrews 9:24; 4:14), and when He comes again to receive His saints He will come from heaven (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:16). The Holy Spirit, likewise, came from heaven (1 Peter 1:12). These references allow us to see that heaven is the abode of all members of the Godhead.

The Christian’s Relationship to Heaven

As Christians, we sustain a unique relationship to heaven. It is the place of our citizenship (Philippians 3:20–21). The word for citizenship came to mean “a colony of foreigners who, in the environment of their present residence outside of their native country, were living according to the laws of the country in which they were living” (Smith, “Heaven,” Zondcrvan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, III:63). Some religious materialists, who do not believe in an afterlife, have asserted that the New Testament does not teach that we will “go to heaven.” While it is true that the exact terminology may not be found, the New Testament does clearly teach that the saved will “go to heaven.” Jesus taught that our reward is in heaven (Matthew 5:10–12), and that we may lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21). Peter says that our inheritance is in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). Paul says our hope is laid up in heaven (Colossians 1:5), and that we should seek the things of heaven (Colossians 3:1).

Hope

The word hope (Greek: elpis) is defined as “favorable and confident expectation” (Vine). Another writer says that hope is “an interest or desire whose fulfillment is cherished” (Monsma, ZPEB, III:198). The simplest definition is that hope equals desire plus expectation. We desire many things we do not expect, and we expect many things we do not desire. Hope does not consist of desire alone or of expectation alone. We certainly desire to go to heaven, and as faithful Christians we have the right to expect to go there. Hope also involves some future realization; we hope for what we do not have (Romans 8:24–25).

The Basis of Our Hope

It is only through Christ that one can have hope (Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 4:4), and prior to His coming the Gentiles were “without hope” (Ephesians 2:12). There can be no more terrible predicament for man. In The Ballad of Reading Gaol, Oscar Wilde described the spirit of the prisoners in a turn-of-the-century British jail: “We did not dare to breathe a prayer / Or to give our anguish scope! / Something was dead in each of us, / And what was dead was Hope.”

We learn of hope in the gospel (Colossians 1:5, 23). In the great commission, Jesus spoke of being saved. There are two aspects of this salvation: we are saved from past sins, and saved with a view toward heaven (Mark 16:15–16).

The Nature of Hope

Hope keeps us looking forward as we anticipate the future salvation (Titus 1:2; Romans 8:24–25), and hope sustains us in dark hours. Perhaps no words are more sad from an earthly view than when the physician has to say, “There is no hope.” But it’s even more sad to think of one having no hope of heaven. When we feel like giving up, hope sees us through. Hope causes vis to put forth effort. Samuel Johnson is credited with the saying, “Where there is no hope there can be no endeavor.” The writer of Hebrews likens hope to an anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:18–20). If we cast our anchor into heaven and hold on tightly, hope keeps us from drifting too far away.

Even in time of trial and persecution the Christian can be sustained by his hope of heaven. In the words of the beautiful song he can say, “Heaven will surely be worth it all.”^[1]

^[1] Jenkins, F. (1987). Thanks, I Needed That!: The Hope of Heaven. In B. Lewis (Ed.), Christianity Magazine: March 1987, Volume 4, Number 3 (B. Lewis, Ed.) (22). Jacksonville, FL: Christianity Magazine.

Getting ready for a Bible class in Philippians three, two things came to mind I’ll share with you:

High orthodox religious pedigree doesn’t give anyone standing with God. You may have, before your birth and time of accountability, a long line of family predecessors who enjoyed religious reputation. Do not deceive yourself into thinking that history gives you standing with God. It may be an advantage if you were taught the truth and saw that truth in the lives of family. If, however, you rest on that “orthodox religious pedigree,” it becomes a disadvantage. High orthodox religious pedigree doesn’t give anyone standing with God. Only Christ gives you standing with God, if you are responsive to Him. Responsive to Him in this way: “…whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ,” (Phil. 3:7).

Paul was not a “conservative” in the sense of hanging on to what he had always done, because he always did it. I know. I’ve used a trigger word. Here’s what I mean. It would have been easy for Paul to resist change, had he not been honest. “This is what I’ve always done. Why change now!” Not so with Paul. When he found the new and living way, he gave up the old and dying way, to gain Christ.

Read Phil. 3:1-11.

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

― Brennan Manning

You Are Not Empty-Handed

It may be a function of low self-esteem, neglecting good self-examination or ill-conceived comparisons, but some people express that they have nothing to offer. When challenged to serve or become better engaged in the Lord’s work, the response is, if not in these exact words: “I can’t do much.”

If you are there or near that point, please let these questions find a place in your self-evaluation:

Has God given you time?

Do you have any money?

Is there a skill or talent you have?

Can you encourage someone?

Can you pray for someone?

Can you say to someone, “thank you?”

Can you give someone a ride to the doctor?

Can you take some food to someone?

Can you hold a Bible class in your home?

Can you call or email someone an invitation to services?

Can you sit with someone who needs comfort?

In the Bible there is this important concept of stewardship: using what God has graced you to have in service to Him and others. It is exhibiting the grace of God to others. You are a receiver of His grace, so you can be a transmitter of His grace. You are not empty handed.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” (1 Pet. 4:10).