THE TRENTON BULLETIN

THE TRENTON BULLETIN

Trenton Church of Christ, Trenton, Florida

Our lives have a great impact on those we come in contact with. When our example is positive, good things are seen. If we falter in our steps, the impact is lasting. It is difficult to maintain a proper example at all times and when we know that people are watching us closely, it becomes even more treacherous. Not being filled with pride but confidence in the example he strove to place before men, Paul exhorted his brethren on numerous occasions to imitate him (1 Corinthians 4:6; 10:33; Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:9). He did not seek for men to see Paul but rather Christ living in Paul. “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Writing to the saints in Philippi, Paul laid out a four-point plan to follow his example. “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). The example of Paul was not reserved but active. He had taught these brethren the good news of salvation (Acts 16) and wanted them to continue in the model he set before them as a teacher, apostle, guide and example. It was a bold charge but governed by the pattern of Jesus Christ.

As a teacher, he had instructed Lydia and her household on the banks of the river. A great conversion was found in the jailor of Philippi and his household. This teaching continued as Paul enjoyed the spiritual feast of new converts teaching them daily. His exhortation in the letter of Philippians was to continue to “grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). The continued efforts of teaching would help them to be “rooted and built up in [Christ] and established in the faith, as [they] had been taught” (Colossians 2:7). Continual learning is necessary for every Christian to seek.

The things they had received were words of God. As an apostle, Paul brought the pure word of the gospel. He wanted the brethren to be like those at Thessalonica who received the word of God; “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Their faith must rest upon the truths of God’s divine will. They must accept the things received of Paul as the mind of God revealed to man. Establishing their faith on the teachings of God will bring them the peace of God.

Hearing is personal. Paul had given his heart and soul to teach the good news of salvation and he wanted their ears to still ring with the joy of salvation. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The apostle wanted them to do the things which they heard. James explains the need of hearing and doing in James 1:21,22. “Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers.”

The final exhortation was the most difficult – practice the things they had seen in Paul. The apostle knew the challenge but felt confident in the exhortation. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The challenge for us is to live in such a way that we can exhort others to practice what they see in our lives. Can they follow our teaching, example and faith as we have in Christ?

“If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body” (1 Corinthians 12:15,16).

Despite our tendency to want someone else's role, we each need to accept the assignments in life that we ourselves have been given. We cannot excuse ourselves from our obligations simply because we lack someone else's abilities. This is especially important to remember if we are members of the body of Christ. If we are a "foot," for example, we must not say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body." In Christ, it is God who has apportioned the various abilities: "God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased" (1 Corinthians 12:18). It is not good to question God's organization of the body.

The "body" is an apt metaphor for Christ's followers because a human body is an organism where each member is needed. Some parts of the body seem to get more publicity, but no part is without an important use. And it is when all of the parts work together healthily that the body functions as it was intended to function. Christ, of course, is the head, "from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:16).

Humility means that we try to see ourselves just as God sees us. When we do this, we will not think too highly of ourselves (Romans 12:3), but neither will we think too lowly of ourselves. It is just as wrong to deny our abilities and dodge our duties as it is to be poisoned with pride. God is not pleased when we complain about the assignments that He has given us. And it is not humility but false humility that causes us to "badmouth" ourselves and the tools that are in our toolbox. In truth, God has given to each of us the abilities that He has because those are the resources we need to do the work that belongs to us -- right where we are! It's tempting to think that we could do a better job if we occupied someone else's place, but that is probably not true. If we won't serve Christ where we are, then we wouldn't serve Him anywhere else.

The word "church" can refer to the church universal: "I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18) “Christ also is the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23) - the whole body of baptized believers, or to a local body of Christians: “All the churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16) “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2).

When you were baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3-4), He added you to His church (Acts 2:41, 47). This refers to the church universal, the body of all the saved who belong to Christ (Ephesians 2:16; 4:4; 1:22-23). On the other hand, such expressions in Scripture as "the church of God which is at Corinth" (1 Corinthians 1:2) refer to a local church, a congregation of those who belong to the Lord in a particular locality who have banded together to work and worship collectively in those things God would have them to do. The Christian, while added to the universal church by the Lord, joins himself to the local church like the apostle Paul did with the church in Jerusalem in Acts 9:26: “When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.”

Every Christian needs to be identified with a local church. When a child of God moves from one locality to another, he should seek out a faithful group of the Lord's people and identify with them in order to fulfill his share of the collective responsibilities the Lord has given him. For, you see, the local church is the only collective functioning unit revealed in the New Testament. The church universal has no organization with which it can function. Nor are there any structural ties between local churches. Each local congregation is an independent, autonomous, i.e., self-governing, group.

God has designated that when there are qualified men to serve, each local church should be organized with elders, deacons and members (Philippians 1:1). The qualifications for elders are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. The deacons' qualifications are found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Elders are to tend the church (1 Peter 5:2) and rule over it (Hebrews 13:17) by exercising oversight (1 Peter 5:2), to watch out for the souls placed in their charge (Hebrews 13:17), to admonish the unruly (1 Peter 5:1-2) and be an example to all (1 Peter 5:2). Deacons are special servants who attend to those things the church needs and the elders direct them to accomplish. If there are no qualified men in a congregation who can serve in these offices, a local church may exist and function by using such an expedient as a business meeting - a meeting of the men of the congregation which determines the course of action the church will follow in accomplishing the work of the Lord.

As a member of the church the Christian is a part of the family of God (1 Timothy 3:15). Being a family member carries responsibilities. As a part of the universal church one has responsibilities to all Christians worldwide. Being a member of a local church, though, he sustains peculiar responsibilities to those who are his fellow-members in that local body. It is like being a part of the physical family. When one is born he becomes a part of a large family with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., to whom he has responsibilities. But he also is part of a nuclear family of mother, father, sisters and brothers to whom he has special moral and spiritual obligations over and above those he has to the rest of his relatives.

§ Love – “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

§ Edify - “From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16).

§ Encourage – “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).

§ Teach and Admonish – “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

§ Bear Burdens – “Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

§ Comfort - Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

§ Forgive – “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

§ Work Together - Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).

“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales? Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?” (Isaiah 40:8-18).

I believe in God. I believe in Jehovah God who is revealed to us in Scripture. I believe He is loving, compassionate, kind and is working all things together for good to those who love Him. I believe that God is an awesome God. That He is alive. That His grace is amazing. That He is great. I am convinced that God the expanse of the universe is less than a b-b in the palm of His hand. I am persuaded that He dwells in eternity and a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day to Him.

I believe that God knows all that there is to know and all that can be known. And I am sure that what I know added to what all men know plus what all men have ever known and ever will know in this world is nothing by comparison. My point is this – God tolerates me when I question what He is doing. He patiently endures when I state my case before Him, "What You are doing here is not right! I should not have to suffer this indignity. I should not have to endure this difficulty. The world has gone out of control. Etc. Etc. Etc."

There are many examples in Scripture of great men and women who wrestled with God in this manner. But not one complaint against God had merit. It becomes clear that God uses the process itself to test and try and mold and make us. When I read a section of Scripture like the one above it reminds me of my smallness before Him. It reminds me of how desperately I need to trust in Him. It reminds me that I am in no position to be critical of Him. And it reminds me that only little gods need approval from men. My God does not!

Today's Prayer: "Father, as I read the words of Isaiah I am dumbfounded. Here is my God! I am awestruck. I am overwhelmed. I am ashamed and brought low. I am encouraged and lifted up. I am silenced except to praise Your name."