"And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection." - Luke 8:14
This familiar passage in the Parable of the Sower describes far more "Christians" that we would like to admit. All of us are subjected to various cares. Everyone has to deal with the abundance, adequacy, or shortage of riches. The enjoyment of sundry pleasures is common to all men. There is nothing inherently wrong with cares, riches and pleasures of this life. The tragedy comes when we allow them to choke out our love, devotion and zeal in service to God.
Consider those of us who have "fingers in so many pies" of activity, that there is little or no time left to assemble with the saints, study privately, or visit the needy. The cares of this world are choking the spiritual life out of us.
Notice those of us whose whole existence is built around the making of money. We can always "find the time" for overtime or an extra job for more money. But for some reason, such things as mid-week services, attending an area gospel meeting, or a home Bible class is just "impossible" to work into our schedule. Could it be that the riches of this world are choking the spiritual life out of us?
Look at ourselves as we become wrapped up in a hobby or avocation. We can always so rearrange our time as to frequently enjoy ourselves in that pleasurable pastime. However, prayer and Bible study with our family or getting involved in the work of the local congregation have no appeal to us. Pleasures are thus choking the spiritual life out of us.
Common to all "thorny-hearted" Christians is our utter inability to find time for the work of the Lord. We consistently avow that we "don't have time" for such things. We become the chronic complainers in congregations. We resist and are offended by the calls and words of encouragement of our concerned brethren. We are the same year after year. We never seem to learn. We never seem to change. In the Lord's words, we are bringing no fruit to perfection.
Dear Reader, let us examine our lives. Are we letting the cares, riches and pleasures of life choke out our effective service and growth in the Lord? -- Bob West, The Milpitas Messenger, March, 1996
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It is always tempting for a preacher to pull out his Greek lexicons and linguistic authorities and just read the definition of the original word translated "baptism" in the Bible. But I have never been quite comfortable doing this. For, it seems to me, that going first to the original language intimidates and discourages the English-only Bible student. The impression might well be left that one cannot come to any certain conclusion about this or any other Bible subject by merely appealing to an English translation. We do not believe this is true. We believe our translations are accurate enough to enable us to understand clearly what Jesus was commanding when He said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). Let's stick to our English Bible and see if we can't list some of the characteristics of baptism.
John 3:23 -- And John also was baptizing in Enon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
#1 - Baptism involved water; much water.
Mark 1:9-10 - And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him:
#2 - Baptism took place in the water.
Acts 8:38-39 - And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
#3 - Baptism involved going down into the water and coming up out of it.
Romans 6:4 - We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
Colossians 2:12 - having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
#4 - Baptism involves a burial and a raising.
All we ask is that you combine these characteristics of baptism and then draw your own conclusion as to what it is. And if you can get "sprinkling" or "pouring" out of those passages, please explain to me how. Let us always attempt to "speak as the oracles of God" (1 Peter 4:11). -- Bob West, The Milpitas Messenger, March, 1996
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Man is by nature a credulous being. Our mental faculties are so arranged that we can be easily deceived. This is especially true in things of a spiritual nature. Thus, we find frequent warnings in the Bible to "be not deceived."
One such passages if found in Galatians 6:7-8: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting."
So many of us seem to feel that we can live our lives in complete disregard of God's word and not be punished for it. We fall into this deception almost daily. The voice of the Devil whispers constantly, "It doesn't matter." "It's not important." "Go ahead and sin. It's a minor matter." "Everyone needs to sow a few wild oats."
But as Christians we must ever be mindful of the fact that there will be no "crop failure" after those wild oats are sown! God will not be mocked! His Divine Justice will be satisfied. Therefore, through the grace of our Lord, we must always be sowing to the spirit in order that we may reap life everlasting. -- Bob West, The Milpitas Messenger, March, 1996
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Every year at about this time, we begin to receive calls to inquire about our "special Easter services." And every year we find it necessary to quietly explain that we do not observe Easter. This explanation is often met with stunned silence. But in spite of how shocking it might seem to some, the observance of Easter originated centuries after the completion of the New Testament and is therefore not authorized in this Divine source of authority.
It is true that in the King James Version in Acts 12:4, the word "Easter" does appear. Herod the king had imprisoned Peter, and intended to kill him after "Easter." It is notable that this word never appears in any of the other major translations (ASV, RSV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, etc.). The Greek word there is "PASCHA" and is translated by the word "Passover" everywhere else that it occurs in the King James Version and in all other translations.
The great Presbyterian commentator, Albert Barnes, made the following interesting comment on this passage in the KJV:
"There never was a more absurd or unhappy translation than this. The original is simply after the Passover. The word 'Easter' now denotes the festival observed by many Christian churches in honour of the resurrection of the Saviour. But the original has no reference to that, nor is there the slightest evidence that any such festival was observed at the time when this book was written. The translation is not only unhappy, as it does not convey at all the meaning of the original, but because it may contribute to foster an opinion that such a festival was observed in the time of the apostles. The word Easter is of Saxon origin, and is supposed to be derived from Eostre, the goddess of love, or Venus of the North, in honour of whom a festival was celebrated by our pagan ancestors in the month of April. As this festival coincided with the Passover of the Jews, and with the feast observed by Christians in honour of the resurrection of Christ, the name came to be used to denote the latter." - Barnes Notes On Acts, in loco
As a congregation of God's people, we have bound ourselves to do only those things which are authorized in the New Testament. Setting aside a special day, once a year, to honor the resurrection, originated many centuries after the completion of the New Testament. We cannot and do not look to the traditions of men as our marching orders (see Matthew 15:9; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 2:8, etc.)
As I explained in the December, 95 Messenger regarding "Christmas" (See "The Christmas Season"), I am glad that the world, from whatever source or from whatever motives, is reminded that Jesus was raised from the dead. The fact of the empty tomb and the testimony of the eye-witnesses to His resurrection, is the validating essence of the Gospel. But we celebrate the atoning death of Jesus and the reality of His triumph over death every first day of the week, not once a year. So, yes, we have special services all year round, every Lord's Day! -- Bob West, The Milpitas Messenger, March, 1996
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The above statement is made so frequently by people in general, and even by some members of the Lord's church. Is there any justification for such a statement? We believe not - at least not on any permanent basis.
This is not to say that there are not difficult things about the Bible. One would naturally expect to encounter some complex things in a book which concerns itself with such profound subjects as the Creation, the fall of man, the atonement of Christ, and the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose. But we emphatically deny that the Bible is primarily a book shrouded in mystery. Remember that the Bible claims to be God's word, designed as a guide or standard of authority for mankind. How unreasonable it is to think that God would give us a book which cannot be understood! Actually, when one claims that he cannot understand the Bible, I have found that what is usually meant is there are only certain parts of the Bible which they cannot understand. For it is a demonstrable fact that a small child can understand most of the historical parts of the Bible, and a substantial part of the "doctrinal" aspects as well. We would like to make a few suggestions which, if followed consistently, will help us to understand the Bible.
Study It - It has been my experience that many of those who claim they can't understand the Bible have made little or no good-faith effort. They may pick it up occasionally, read a passage at random, find a word or phrase that they don't immediately grasp, then lay it aside and go about proclaiming how difficult the Bible is to understand. Any non-fiction book on virtually any subject requires some effort to understand. Unfortunately, the reading "diet" of some must consist of half-digested baby food before they will attempt to partake of it! Study the Bible! Look up the meaning of the words you don't understand. You will find that these efforts will pay off with increased knowledge and interest in the Divine book.
Study It Systematically - We would suggest that you start by reading the historical books of Genesis and Exodus and then take up the New Testament. Set a realistic goal you wish to accomplish each week; viz., one chapter, five chapters, etc. But not such a large goal that you set yourself up to failure. Stick to your goal with as little variation as possible. Keep a notebook in which you jot down passages that you wish to go back and study at greater length. Note down questions which come to mind as you study, and seek the answers later.
Meditate Upon It - The Hebrew word for "meditate," I am told, means "to murmur with oneself." In other words, we need to talk to ourselves about the significance of what we read. Try to visualize the application of a particular passage in your life. The Bible is designed to improve us. Therefore, make every effort to apply what we read to our real life situations. Meditation upon the word not only increases our understanding, but it helps us to remember what it teaches.
Seek Help - As we study the Bible, we should not hesitate to ask for help on some difficult passage. Others who have studied longer than we have may be able to clarify some point. This is not to say, of course, that we should accept everything somebody says, for they might be wrong! (See Acts 17:11.) But because they have been over the same road many times before, they may be able to make a suggestion which will get us out of a temporary rut. There are also available good commentaries and other reference works which, if used cautiously, can help one in understanding. Too few Christians seem interested in buying good religious reference works. The private Bible student can also find much help by attending Bible classes regularly. If he will study his lesson in advance, participate in the class discussion, much knowledge can be gained.
The sum of what we are trying to say is merely this: If folks truly wish to understand the Bible, they must make a sincere and diligent effort in that direction. There is absolutely no justification for one to continue to say, "I just can't understand the Bible." -- Bob West, The Milpitas Messenger, March, 1996
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