THE TRENTON BULLETIN

THE TRENTON BULLETIN

Trenton Church of Christ, Trenton, Florida

Fundamentals are a vital concern for whatever the project or enterprise. Without a firm foundation, any endeavor is eventually doomed to failure. Fundamentals are the things that undergird something, the foundation on which that thing rests. The Christian system has certain fundamental things that underlie it. These are necessary fundamentals. Here are some suggestions concerning those essential parts.

Conversion. Conversion indicates a change. Change is what the “new birth” is all about (John 3:3). Jesus said, “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” That conversion is a change of the whole man–a change of his intellect, brought about by faith; a change of his will, brought about by repentance; and a change of his relationship, brought about by baptism. This fundamental change brings one “into” Christ, or into a new relationship with Him. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). “Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” Jesus said (Matthew 18:3). Conversion is fundamental to Christianity; it’s what makes one a Christian in the first place.

Conviction. Conviction issues in two different directions: it may be the equivalent of faith, or it may be what is produced by the knowledge of being found guilty. First of all, it’s being convinced, fully persuaded. That’s faith. Conviction is faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him,” we are told in Hebrews 11:6. We must be fully convinced that God is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek after Him. Faith is an essential part of Christianity; it is the bedrock foundation on which the entire system rests.

But conviction can turn in another direction as well. It may mean one who is convicted by the law, one who is guilty of a crime, as charged by a judge or jury. Man has to realize his lost condition before he will turn to God. The people on Pentecost were “pricked in their hearts” (Acts 2:37) before they said, “men and brethren, what shall we do?” One of the purposes of the word of God is to identify sin for what it is, and cause men to repent. “Godly sorrow worketh repentance (2 Corinthians 6:10). Sorrow for sin comes as a result of a realization that one is not approved of God because of that sin. In either case–whether it is understood as faith, or being found guilty– conviction is a fundamental part of Christianity.

Consecration. To consecrate something is to set it apart, to make it sacred. In the case of Christianity, consecration is an indispensable part of service to God. As we have seen already, the Christian must be a new creature, one who has been born again. Once that is accomplished, he then must consecrate himself to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed,” we are told, “by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:1-2). Notice that one must renew his mind in order to be consecrated to God. He must have a new focus, new desires, a new attitude toward the world, all of which has to do with his being set apart or consecrated to God. “Set your affection on things above, not on things of the world” (Colossians 3:2), is another way of saying, “be consecrated to God rather than the world.”

Consummation. Consummation is bringing one’s life to a suitable end or conclusion. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” says Paul (Philippians 2:12). You have to work it out yourself; and you have to work it all the way out to the end, or as Peter says,” Give diligence to make your calling and elections sure (2 Peter 1:10). Consummation, for our purposes, means to bring your sanctified life to a good conclusion. “Gird up the loins of your mind, and be sober,” says Peter (1 Peter 1:13), “and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Live your life here in such a way that when it is concluded you will hear the commendation, “well done good and faithful servant...” Life is a miserable failure if it doesn’t, by the grace of God, culminate in a heavenly abode.

Fundamentals. They’re necessary to who and what we are. Let us not become so enamored with where we are that we forget where we’re going.

The beginning of Samuel’s work as a prophet had a terrible beginning. It was during this early time of Samuel’s ministry Israel went out to battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 4). In the first battle Israel lost “four thousand men of the army in the field” (v2). The elders of Israel were dismayed over the loss and decided to bring the “ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to save us from the hand of our enemies” (v3). The ark was taken into the next battle and Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers; the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli (the prophet of God before Samuel) were killed.

When the news of Israel’s defeat came to the ears of Eli and the messenger told of the capture of the ark of God, “Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel for forty years. Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.’ But she did not answer or pay attention. And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, ‘The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.’ She said, ‘The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken’" (1 Samuel 4:18-22).

The glory of the Lord had departed from Israel because of their disobedience. Ichabod represented the failure of the people to see the true power of God. The children of Israel thought that by taking the ark into battle that would guarantee victory. They trusted in a misplaced allegiance to a thing and not to the Lord. The ark was very special and was instructed by the Lord to be built (Exodus 25). The value of the ark was not in the acacia wood overlaid with gold but the presence of the Lord. Having the ark of Testimony in battle did not defeat the enemy but the power of the Lord gained the victory.

Paul warned the Athenians that God is “Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything” (Acts 17:24-25). Men desire to build monuments to serve and worship believing their creations bring glory to God. The Lord is not interested in the ornate buildings that proudly hail the glory of men. The Lord looks at the heart. When David was anointed king, the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Worship must be according to the will of the Lord. Jesus told the woman at the well that "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). When we worship according to Icahbod we will be defeated in our worship. True worship is from the heart. External creations of man make worship vain (Matthew 15:8,9). True victory comes from lives that are turned to the Lord in knowing the real power of obedience to the Lord.

Today when we think of love, we usually have the western culture idea. We think love is kissing and hugging. We say we are in love because he or she looks attractive. Or we have this giddy feeling inside and we think this is love. Some have even said, “I have fallen in love.”

In spite of our western idea, God expresses true love and teaches us what love is and how to love. Love is caring and giving of something that is precious and dear to us: our life! This is what God did when He gave His Son, Jesus.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The key words of this passage are “gave and begotten.” God gave something or someone to express His love for the world. He gave His Son, the only one of His kind. There was no else like Him, but God gave Him to save a lost and dying world.

Jesus possessing the same Spirit as His Father said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s live for his friends” (John 15:13). There is no greater than love than to give up one’s life for another. When this is done, your love is not greater, but equal to what love is. The consistency of love is expressed in the marriage relationship. Marriage is the closest relationship that two human beings can have. This relationship depicts the relationship that God has with His people. Paul, guided by the Spirit, instructed the Christian men to love their wives. The standard of their love is the love that Christ has for His church. His love was expressed by giving Himself up for it (Ephesians 5:25). Therefore, for husbands to love their wives, they must give up self. Let this also be a lesson to the young ladies. If a man is unwilling to marry you or give up self for you, he does not love you. Do not give of yourself until he gives up himself for you.

The love of God brings obligations. The apostle John, guided by the Spirit, wrote to a group of Christian to help them understand this important idea about the love of God. He says that we know love by the action of Christ who laid His life for us. By this action, it obligates those who are of God to lay down their lives for one another (1 John 3:16,17). The task of God’s people is to emulate their Lord.

Just as our earthly family brings on responsibilities, so does our spiritual family. If a brother lacks anything and we see his needs, we are to meet those needs. We are to do good to all men especially the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). This is an obligation for all Christians.

The love of God prompts one to obey Him. Jesus told His disciples that if they love Him they would keep His commandments (John 14:23). By their actions they would show that they have the love of God. How can this be love you may ask? What, no hugging and kissing? When we have the love of God, it could mean the love that God has or the love we have for God. When it comes to our obedience to Him, it is the love we have for Him. Seeing the love of God in action for sinful man should prompt us to trust and love Him. We know that. He has our best interest in mind.

Our standard of love should be that of God. It is to be our drive shaft. Using faith to put this drive shaft in gear, we will achieve the goal, heaven. In other words, we will be actively obeying the Lord. Understanding the love God will motivate us to do all that we can for Him because He loves us. Paul was motivated to the point of being poured as a drink offering on the altar (2 Timothy 4:6).

Do you know what is the love of God? Are you motivated to give your all for the sake of Christ? If you are not compelled to serve God with all your might, you lack the drive shaft of God’s love. You are implored to study your Bible and renew your fervor for the Lord.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).

Although God's gifts are given for our own benefit, they are also given for the benefit of others. There is an important sense in which the good things of God have been given to us as a stewardship or a trust. We've been entrusted with these things on the assumption that they're to be used to accomplish His purposes. It is a serious misappropriation of God's grace to spend it all on endeavors that are simply self-centered.

Even when we see the importance of seeking God, we often don't see the importance of our motives in seeking Him. Yet this is a matter that must be carefully considered. When we seek God, why do we do so? Is it, first and foremost, in order to be rightly related to Him, so that we can make the contribution He wants us to make within the web of relationships we're a part of? Or is it simply to get what we want for ourselves, so that we can have the kind of life we prefer? No matter how diligently we seek God, the outcome will always hinge on our motives. God's blessings must be seen as furthering His purposes, not our own agenda.

One of the most impressive things about the apostle Paul was the purity of his motives in helping others. Toward the end of his life he wrote to one church, "For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you" (Philippians 1:23,24). And to another church, he simply said, "I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls" (2 Corinthians 12:15). It's no coincidence that a man with this kind of motivation found himself endowed with great resources from God.

Concerning Himself, Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). As He carried out His mission, there were times when He needed support and sustenance. We read of a time when "angels came and ministered to Him" (Matthew 4:11). He never failed to be helped when He needed help, because He never failed to use His Father's gifts for their proper purpose.

‘God comforts us not to make us comfortable but to make us comforters’ (John Henry Jowett).