SEEKING THINGS ABOVE
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. “(Col. 3:1)
Volume I Number 2
May 2020
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Table of Contents
Failure to Get Back to Basics ————— Connie W. Adams
Now Is the Time to Obey God—————- Author Unknown
Don’t Treat Prayer Like a Spare Tire———- Mike Johnson
A Goose Story ———————————– Author Unknown
The Church at Corinth (Audio)————————- Irvin Lee
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Failure to Get Back to Basics
Connie W. Adams
When fundamentals are neglected, it is impossible to “go on to perfection” (Heb. 6:1), and it becomes necessary to teach again “the first principles of the oracles of God” (Heb. 5:12). There can be no “work of faith” (1 Thess. 1:3), unless faith is first established. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6). It is from the body of truth (“the faith,” Jude 3) that personal faith is derived. That is the gist of Paul’s statement in the signature passage of Romans when he said, “For therein (in the gospel of vs. 16) is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith” (vs. 17). When basic truths of the gospel are being neglected, then the faith of Christians is weak, and congregations made up of such weak people become weak as well.
Ignorance of the Scriptures
Through Hosea, God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). When we do not know the will of God on the very basic truths of the gospel, we are exposed to all forms of error and danger. Many congregations are filled with people who do not know the basic difference between the law of Moses and the gospel of Christ. They cannot “rightly divide the word of truth.” Lack of knowledge on the purpose of baptism has caused some to fail to distinguish between denominational error and practice on the subject and what the Bible teaches. There are many who could not tell a friend or neighbor why instrumental music in worship is wrong. They really do not know.
It was ignorance of the truth on the nature, work, and organization of the church that laid the groundwork for the institutional division. Some preachers thought they could just “preach the principles” without making specific application and all would be well. They were wrong. One older preacher told me several years ago, “Some of us preached the principles and lost the churches where we worked.” Ignorance of the Scriptures is equally deadly when it comes to the nature of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit and His role in the Godhead, the function and duration of miracles, and a host of other issues. Indeed, ignorance is the seed-bed out of which the weeds of error grow. The remedy? “Preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2).
Toleration of Weak Teaching and Preaching
It would severely shock some congregations to hear plain, old-fashioned gospel preaching with full exposition of text and context, backed up by other passages which relate to the same subject. We used to call that “book, chapter and verse” preaching. What some are hearing is entertaining speakers who can move an audience from laughter to tears with their stories. They have learned the techniques of Lucado, Shelly, McArthur, Swindoll and others of like ilk. But the writings of Cogdill, Wallace, Whiteside, Brents, and McGarvey are anathema to them, not to mention their lack of familiarity with what Paul, Peter, James, John, and even our Lord said. They have been drawing from the wrong wells. The result? Congregations fed on such a diet come to like the taste of the new wine and do not want to hear basic and fundamental teaching of the pure Word of God. They develop “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:4,5) and seek trained “scratchers” to satisfy their itch. Some elders, with more concern for not rocking the boat than for “sound speech that can- not be condemned” (Titus 2:1,7,8), have sought out men to fill the pulpit who can present a positive message in an entertaining manner. Never mind how much worldliness is in the church, how many adulterous marriages are being tolerated, how many young people are drinking, dancing and being promiscuous, how many members visit gambling boats, casinos or buy lottery tickets, or how much immodesty is being allowed.
The Spiritual State of Such Churches
Churches fed on the kind of diet we have just described become not only weak in teaching, but in practice as well. Subtle shifts are made in the work being done and even in the worship being offered. The worship must be well manicured, short, and to-the-point. Sermons must fit this format. If the sermon runs a little longer than usual, or there is a baptism which delays getting to Sunday afternoon plans, then that becomes a matter of complaint. It never seems to occur to some that some subjects and some circumstances warrant a longer time. Some churches have so limited the time for Bible classes that there is inadequate opportunity for fair treatment of passages and for any productive time for discussion and class participation. May I ask, what is the hurry?
Weak, untaught congregations attract worldly-minded and weak people who want to salve their consciences with the veneer of religious interest, while not being challenged to change attitudes and practices in their lives. Moral weakness follows in the wake of doctrinal softness. If the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, then what it says on whatever subject is the final word on that subject. Paul said, “let us walk by the same rule” (Phil. 3:16). But, where basics are neglected, you can expect to find materialism, a desire to find a respectable niche among the denominations, a tolerant spirit toward moral looseness, and an absolute, unbending aversion to anything controversial. Calling error by its name, or identifying by name those who are in the forefront of promoting error, must never be allowed. Never mind the fact that the prophets of old, Jesus, and the apostles did exactly that, when the occasion required it.
Evangelism is Hindered
When the basics of the gospel are neglected, then there is a corresponding hindrance to the saving of souls. Jesus said those who come to Him must first be “taught of God” and must “learn” of Him (Jno. 6:44,45). People need to learn that the gospel plan of salvation requires hearing the Word, believing in the Son of God, repentance from sin, confession of faith in Christ, and baptism for the remission of sins. They need to know the difference in Bible baptism and denominational baptism and that Scriptural baptism puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:27).
They need to know that Scriptural worship consists of singing (not playing), prayer, teaching, and, on the Lord’s day, the observance of the Lord’s supper and giving (Acts 2:42; Col. 3:16; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). They need to be well grounded as to the difference between the church Jesus built and those founded by men (Matt. 16:18). As they have time to grow, they need to learn of the work God gave the church: Preaching the gospel to the lost (1 Tim. 3: 15), edifying the saints (Eph. 4:12), and relieving saints in need (1 Tim. 5:16). They need to learn about faithfulness, devotion, relationships in the church and family, corrective church discipline, and moral conduct. There needs to be developed a genuine appreciation for the beauty of truth and the hideousness of error.
When a sinner is well taught the will of God concerning the salvation of his soul, he needs to be invited to obey that truth. He needs to clearly understand what he is being asked to do and why, whether that teaching has been done in a private or public setting! “The Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).
We must not, we dare not, fail to get back to basics. Souls are at stake.
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Now is the Time to Obey the Gospel
“Not yet,” said the youth. “I don’t want anything to interfere with my pleasure. When I grow older, I’ll think about my soul.”
“Not yet,” said the young married man. “I am just beginning to do well in life. When I see my business prospering, then I shall have more time.”
“Not yet,” said the middle-aged businessman. “I’ve worked so hard to place my business where it is today. I want to take it easy awhile and devote more time to recreation.”
“Not yet,” said the gray-haired man. “Somewhere along the line, I have picked up some bad habits I’ll have to conquer first. Then too, it would involve several changes, and when you get my age, these changes are difficult, and you don’t want to make many.”
And so he lived without God and died without hope. How sad! His big sin was procrastination. Is that yours today? “Today if ye shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” “Now is the acceptable time: now is the day of salvation.”
—–via Gospel Digest.
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Don’t Treat Prayer Like a Spare Tire
Mike Johnson
Do you spend a lot of time thinking about the spare tire in your automobile? Many people do not. Many do not even check to see if they have a spare tire in their trunk. However, there is a time when all attention is on the spare tire, and that is when one of the other tires goes flat. Suddenly, in this emergency, the spare tire gets much attention.
Many people treat prayer in the same way that they treat their spare tire. They neglect prayer most of the time and only turn to it in cases of an emergency. Prayer is not a part of their lives, but it is just something that they occasionally turn to when there is some great need.
Prayer should be an essential part of the life of a child of God. It should not be an occasional endeavor. Jesus prayed a great deal, and we are to be followers of Jesus. A good question is, “How can a prayerless person be a follower of Him who prayed so much?”
I Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” This verse does not mean we are to be involved in constant prayer. Instead, “without ceasing” means that we are to be regularly engaged in prayer. We are never to abandon it; it is to be a part of our lives.
Another critical passage is Romans 12:12. This passage says that we are to “continue steadfastly” in prayer. The NASB says, “devoted to prayer.”
We need to make sure that we do not treat prayer like people generally handle their spare tires. Prayer should not merely be something to which we turn in an emergency. Instead, it should be an essential part of our lives.
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A GOOSE STORY
Next fall, when you see geese flying in “V” formation, you might consider what science has discovered about why they fly this way. Each bird flaps its wings to create an updraft for the bird following. By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than each bird flying on it own. People who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going more quickly because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go at it alone and quickly gets back into formation and takes advantage of the lifting power from the bird in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we would stay in formation with those who are heading the same direction we are.
When the head goose gets tired, he rotates back into the wing, and another goose takes point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs with people or with geese. Geese honk from behind to encourage those ahead to keep up their speed. What do we say when we HONK?
Finally, this is the most important point: When one of the geese is wounded or sick and falls from formation, two other geese will follow the goose down to lend help and protection. They will stay with the goose until it can fly or until it dies. Only then will they launch in formation and catch back up with their group. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.
Via The Pound Proclaimer
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Audio Sermon
The Church at Corinth – Irvin Lee
This sermon was preached by Irvin Lee in 1975 or 1976 at the North Parkway congregation in Arab, Alabama. The congregation had recently formed. Brother Lee played a very important role in helping to get that congregation started. He was also instrumental in helping start a number of other congregations.
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Editor: Mike Johnson
www.seekingthingsabove.org