40 Days with the Resurrected Lord

Acts chapter 1, verse 3 says that Jesus “showed himself to be alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, appearing unto [the disciples] by forty days and speaking things concerning the kingdom of God.”  Can you imagine the joy and wonder of the disciples, who had so much difficultly understanding the teaching of Jesus about His resurrection, suddenly talking and eating with a man whose death had been witnessed?  We might wonder what Jesus was doing during that 40 days, but the verse clearly tells us: He was showing Himself to be ALIVE!

Sometimes the eyes and the mind can play tricks on us.  We can imagine the distress of the disciples following the twisted trials and terrible crucifixion of their Master.  We can easily see them second guessing their own senses when they first saw Jesus returned from the grave in the flesh!  Some of them stood face to face with their risen Lord and still did not entirely believe.  Some of them walked side by side with the resurrected Lord and didn’t recognize Him.  But, John 20:31 says Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written, demonstrating to the disciples that He was alive “by many infallible proofs.” (Acts 1:3) They had to be convinced to become His followers, and they had to be convinced that He was truly resurrected.

The verse also refers to the passion or suffering of Christ during His crucifixion.  We can imagine the difficulty the disciples might have had in making a connection with a man who had been hanging on a cross in anguish, his flesh torn and bloody, stripped of his garments and utterly put to shame by voracious mobs, with a man standing before them renewed in freedom, health, and vigor.  But when they would finallyrealize that the resurrected man before them WAS the same as He who, three days prior, had suffered the worst humiliation and painful death they could imagine, what rapture and amazement they must have felt.  Jesus Christ had triumphed over death and now here He was as living proof that all men could do the same! (I Cor. 15:54-57)

And, what about that 40 days?  Jesus was with the disciples for over a month following His resurrection.  We don’t have to wonder what He was doing during that time.  Again, He was alive!  Read John chapters 20 and 21.  He had meals with the disciples.  He went fishing with them.  He had conversations with them.  He continued teaching about the kingdom of God.  He did everything a living person (and not an apparition) does to show that He was alive again.  Compared to the account we are given of His childhood, which is practically absent, we are told quite a bit about what He did after the resurrection.

We are also told in Acts 1:3 that Jesus continued speaking about things concerning the kingdom of God.  When Jesus breathed His last, and the temple veil was torn asunder, the new kingdom of the spirit was established and the old kingdom of the flesh was done away with (Mark 15:38, Heb. 10:20).  What a privilege and a challenge it must have been for those at that time who had been living under the Old Covenant of their fathers for many generations to suddenly find themselves no longer bound to that Covenant.  Jesus had to continue teaching about the kingdom, that those disciples might see the correlation between His resurrection and the New Covenant (I Pet. 1:3).

And, what happened after these men and women saw the resurrected Christ for over a month’s time, after He provided many infallible proofs that He was alive, after continuing His teaching about the kingdom of God, and after watching Him ascend into heaven?  The Gospel of Jesus Christ spread like wildfire!  Truly, people can be a little slow sometimes.  Sometimes our senses can be dulled or our sense of reasoning might backfire on us.  The 40 days of proofs and teaching were a critical component of Christ’s mission.  During that time, He thoroughly burst the bubble of any doubt that He truly had returned from the dead, and people were so convinced that they couldn’t help but spread the message around the world Consider the message that Jesus brought.  What were the most prominent points of His doctrine?  He preached that He came to establish a kingdom (Matt. 4:17, John 18:36) He preached that His disciples would be characterized by love for the Lord and for one another (Matt. 22:37-40).  He preached that those who were truly His disciples would follow His commandments (John 14:15).  He taught that He would be delivered into the hands of men and be crucified, then be raised back to life after three days (Matt. 16:21).  One might ask why there wasn’t more of a record following the resurrection…what more was there to say?

Jeremy Koontz. 

Reflections on the Psalms

Psalm 2

If it wasn’t so pathetic, the first three verses of Psalm 2 would be very funny. “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!’" The picture that comes to mind is like a very small dog challenging a full-grown lion. The small dog runs around busily barking and barring its’ fangs, while the lion lays in the shade ignoring the antics of the foolish dog. The lion can end the entire situation with a simple snap of its jaws, but the dog seems to be completely unaware of the peril.

The same holds true for any nation, any movement, any power base that pretends that it can challenge the power and authority of God. Verses 4-5 clearly shown the futility of resistance, “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying…” People, even Christians, need to be reminded that the opposition to God is not a civil war where the outcome is in doubt. God is, and has always been, the Victor. Those opposed to God have already lost!

The god of this world is the Devil, and the power of the Devil and his forces can seem to be so unstoppable. And yes, there are times when the forces of the Devil seem to be winning, but those times are never permanent. The Devil is already defeated, but he is completely evil, and his goal is to try to pull down as many with him as possible. Note four descriptive words in verses 5-4: laughs, scoffs, anger, and fury. The image vividly shows God’s patience coming to an end, and the final result is judgment and destruction for those opposed to the Will of God.

The assurance of God’s victory is not simply an abstraction. In His great Plan, God provided a focus, a person, for people to see and understand. God provided a means for sinful men and women to gain forgiveness and eternal life. The focus of God’s Plan is, or course, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. When did Jesus Christ come into the world? When did the Gospel spread quickly? It was not during a utopia-like peace and benevolence.

The events described in the New Testament occurred in a world that was held in the tight grip of a highly effective military empire. The birth of Jesus literally took place at a time of great danger, and in a world that was dominated by paganism and immorality. The plans of the Devil seemed to be supreme, but what happened? The world was changed! The final stage of God’s Plan of Redemption was enacted, and the mystery of the ages was revealed through the Good News - the Gospel.

The Psalmist wrote in verses 5-9, “Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, but as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, you shall shatter them like earthenware.'" Different writers have tried to dissect this passage to prove who the writer was describing, but there is no question that the ultimate figure was to be “the Anointed One”, “the Messiah”, “the Christ; the Son of the Living God”.

The kingdom has been established, and the King sits on His throne at the right hand of the Father. Now is a time for the church to mobilize and rescue those that are lost. The hymn, “Rescue the Perishing,” describes the work of Christians today, and there is no better time.

Can this work be successful in a hostile nation or a hostile social and political environment? Of course it can. Will the Devil attempt to distract Christians from their roles by inner dissention? Yes, of course he will. Divide and conqueror has always been an effective tactic in war. Will he use complacency or discouragement to get Christians to quit serving the Lord? Again, the answer is yes. What better way to drain the energy out of commitment and focus than the attitude that “everything’s going fine, let’s not ‘rock the boat’”. If that doesn’t work, then “We can’t do that” can always be used to defuse a threat to the Devil’s plans.

So, what are Christians to do? The New Testament is very clear. Paul wrote to put on the whole armor of God. Christians are warned to stay on the alert, because the Devil is like a ‘prowling lion’. Christians are to grow in knowledge in order to grow in spirit, and to better understand how everything in the Bible fits together. Mature Christians have a purifying impact upon society. Their quiet service, faith and knowledge will make Christians fishers of men!

The final words of the Psalm are both a promise and warning, “Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled, how blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

Jim Shelburn, Reflections on the Psalms

                     Reflections on the Psalms

Psalm 1 describes the two destinies of mankind. One destiny is to follow the way of wickedness, and the other is to follow the way of God. Life often seems to be so complicated with day-to-day activities, decisions, and experiences. But life really boils down to two, and only two, possible paths - life or death.

In verse 1, the Psalm begins with the word "blessed", and it describes the person that follows the path of righteousness. “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” For a person that strives to follow God’s will, and lives a life that is God-centered, Psalm 1, in fact the entire Bible, is a message of hope.

Many people, even professing Christians, often question the practicality of the Bible when dealing with issues of modern day life. Obviously, people tend to focus on the problems they are facing, but how many problems are never experienced because a person followed the teachings of the Bible? The alcohol induced wreck that never happened, the drug addiction that never occurred, and the marriage that was never destroyed due to an affair because people focused their lives on God given principles. So many pit-falls avoided!

In verse 3, the psalmist described such a person as a tree, “He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” The image is of a tree that is so deeply rooted that storms,drought, and flood do not affect it. This describes a person, whose life is directed by the Word of God. The storms of life will happen, and there are definitely times where the only thing a Christian will have is faith that God will find a solution. And it works! A strong Christians can face, and overcome, terrible trials that would destroy just about anyone else.

Although Psalm 1 was written long before the coming of Jesus Christ, the same principle is repeated time and again in the New Testament. James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Jas 1:2-4 NASV) Faith must be exercised to become strong. Every person that has participated in a sport has had to train, exercise, and practice. The first few days of training always lead to sore muscles, but each day finds the person stronger. Likewise, the person that “follows the path of righteousness” will develop a faith that is anchored deep in the soil and rock of the Lord.

The fate of the wicked cannot be more different. “The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.” The source of evil is, of course, Satan. He controls any person that is in rebellion to God’s Will. Many people actually seem to embrace a life of wickedness, but allegiance to Satan will result in a life that becomes increasingly dark and miserable. A sinful life will literally suck the spirit, youth and vitality out of a person. It’s no coincidence that people will look at someone and say, “Boy he looks like he’s lived a hard life.” The final result will be the loss of everything and then death. Satan shows no loyalty to his “tools”.

The psalmist wrote, “They are like chaff which the wind drives away". Too often, the wicked and their activities loom very large in this world. Strength and power seem to rest with those that will not follow the Lord. Yet, how permanent are they? They are "like chaff" - They are like little pieces of trash that are blown about. What is strong or important in the world is not necessarily strong and important to the Lord. By it’s very nature, wickedness is rotten at the core. The title “Caesar” no longer brings fear. Nazi Germany and the USSR are subjects for history tests.Verse 6 concludes with the final scene, “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Notice how people, who have lived completely worldly lives, try to avoid any sign of aging. As death approaches, they become increasingly desperate to delay the inevitable. The thought of dying and being forgotten is frightening.

But “the LORD knows the way of the righteous”. God remembers His children!  The service, the faithfulness, the love, the prayers, and the tears are all remembered.  In Christ, a person’s life has meaning, and it is not forgotten! But the wicked will perish, and it will be as if they never existed.  So which destiny will it be?

Will it be eternal life or will it be oblivion?

Jim Shelburn, Reflections on the Psalms

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                               “Harden not your Hearts”

Q: Why did people not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, even after he gave them proof that He was the Christ?

Not everyone who heard the teachings of Jesus and saw the miracles rejected Him.  John 2:11 says when Jesus began to perform miracles and manifest His glory, his disciples believed on Him.  We would not have the Book of Acts and exhaustive documentation of biblical conversions had faith not been born in the twelve apostles.  Many Samaritans believed on Him as a result of the testimony of the woman by the well (John 4:39).  “Many more believed on Him because of His own word” (John 4:41).  In John 8:31, there were Jews who believed on Jesus and he taught them, “if you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed.”

But, there were many who did not believe in Jesus.  Many of the Pharisees rejected Jesus, even after witnessing the power and authority He demonstrated (Luke 6:7-11).  Many of His close followers began to hear some of the more challenging teachings of Jesus and, lacking spiritual discernment, chose to walk away from Him (John 6:66).

So, some chose to believe on Jesus, and some chose to reject Him.  These circumstances have never changed.  Since Jesus began to preach repentance and the kingdom of Heaven, performing miracles that confirmed His divine authority, these two simple groups of people have always been the result.  So, why do some believe Him and some reject Him?  Are some people genetically predisposed to skepticism?  Are others just more gullible, more susceptible to a “sheep” mentality?  Is it mainly the poor who are looking for something beyond this material world whobelieve, and the rich and powerful who don’t need anything outside of this world who reject Him?  Why do some believe and some don’t?

First of all, it is the teachings of Christ that cause people to accept or reject Him as the Son of God.  When the disciples learned that Jesus had risen from the dead, John 2:22 says that they believed His word and the teachings from scripture about Him.  The Pharisees saw the miracles Jesus performed, but they rejected Him because of His words, primarily those regarding His divine nature.

 It is no different today.  If people saw a miracle performed in the world today, it wouldn’t mean anything unless he who performed the miracle said something about who he was and why he had such power: based on his words, people would begin to believe who he claimed to be and where he got his power.  Today, people have the word and testimonies from those who saw the miracles.  But it is the teachings we choose to accept or reject, not the miracles themselves.

In Matthew, chapter 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower in which the word of God is represented as seed.  Jesus says that some of the seed fell on hearts that were hardened by sin and worldliness, by the wayside, making it easy for Satan to come along and snatch the truth from their hearts; these individuals love the world so much that they are not willing to exchange material things and worldly honor for spiritual truth (consider the Pharisees).  Some of the seed also fell on stony ground.  In the case of these individuals, the truth had an initial effect, but failed to take root because “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” choked out the truth: they at first believed, but then got distracted (consider those who walked away from Jesus in John 6:66).  But the good ground, hearts of those who would have enduring belief, are those who accept the testimonies and evidences, and those who are diligent in building their faith, that is, those who “bear fruit”. The parable focuses on a single determining factor in whether or not one believes in Jesus: the condition of the heart.  God has given every soul who has ever lived the ability to “seek the Lord, if haply they might seek after him and find him” (Acts 17:27).  From the moment we are able to think about the fact that there may be more to life than what we see, hear, and feel, we make choices that either make the heart more receptive to truth or more hardened against it.  Yes, there are circumstances in every individual’s life that cause each of us to have a different perspective on life, but that does not affect our God-given ability to choose eternal truth from error.  Believers are not born believers, and non-believers are not born non-believers: throughout the course of our lives, we either open to receive or harden our hearts against truth. Hebrews 3:7,8 says, “Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” and in verse 12, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.”  Sadly, many people choose to harden their hearts against anything that might bring truth into their lives, and when they are finally exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (THE truth), they’ve already conditioned themselves to reject Him.  This is not to say that they will never accept Christ, but it certain makes the work of sharing the Gospel much more challenging!

Jeremy Koontz

2018

[This is a letter written to a young man , who was struggling with his faith.  Read it thoughtfully]

Dear brother.

Time has passed, two Lord’s Days in fact, since we talked, and I have seen neither hide nor hair of you since then.  So, I want to approach you this way, and urge you to calmly consider what I say.  That is the advantage of a letter: it does not require an immediate response, allowing for unpressured reflection.

All our days are important, but some of them moreso because they reach beyond themselves to influence our lives, critically, for perhaps years to come.  It seems to me that this is just such a crucial time in your life.  I guess you’ve been living away from home now for several years, what with college and so forth.    Now, you are making your own living, having your own place. The last vestiges of habit from the eighteen or nineteen years you lived in your Mother’s and Dad’s house are dimming – and this is not bad, it is a normal part of the process of growing up.

                The potential for “bad” of course, is in what you replace those childhood and youthful habits with.  Nobody, now, to stand over you and say “go to church”. “Study your Bible now”, pray now”, etc.  So, if you do any or all of these good things, it must be because YOU decide to.

                The problem is, you can decide NOT to.  That is the wrong decision, but it is one you can make (and, you seem to be favoring it), because you are now on your own.  No, not quite.   You ae responsible also and MAINLY to God; and as His steward you will one day give account of the decisions you make (I Corinthians 4:2).

                I am not trying to cause you to repent and return by scaring you about the uncertainty of life and the absence of any promise of tomorrow even for the young.  What I am trying to do is to cause you to view every day of your life as precious –TOO PRECIOUS to be lived out of service to God – which is where you are now living it.

                I know you have all kinds of distractions and things that pull you away from doing what you know you ought to do.  I know that to turn around and begin again to do right will not be easy, I know, most of all, that you CAN DO IT, and I hope to see you make that new beginning.                               

                Brother, I write because I care about you, and because I am concerned.  You be concerned, too.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Your brother,

            Pat                                                                                                                                                                                               https://www.facebook.com/Plruncoc - Facebook
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Can I get a Big Mac Here?

Where is the verse in the Bible that says true Christians must have the words church of Christ on the sign outside the building where they worship?  Is it Romans 16:16, “the churches of Christ salute you”?  No, nothing there about a building sign.  Maybe Acts 20:28, or I Corinthians 1:2?  No, those verses make reference to the “church of God.”  Disciples of Christ are called Christians, children of God, disciples of Jesus, the elect of God, and a host of other identifying titles, but does the sign on the building mean anything at all?

First of all, just because a building has the words church of Christ or church of Jesus Christ, or church of God doesn’t mean the people who meet there necessarily are followers of Christ.  Similarly, just because the phrase church of Christ isn’t written on the sign doesn’t necessarily mean the people are not true followers of Christ.  True disciples of Christ are distinguished by their adherence to the teachings of Jesus (I John 1:6,7, Matt. 7:17-20).  Anyone can compare what a local church is doing to the teachings of God’s word and can make a sincere judgment if that church belongs to Christ or not.

So, do the words on the sign outside the building mean anything?  Of course!  For the same reason you look for the high-flying golden arches when you want a Big Mac, or why you might choose to shop at a department store that has Walmart on the sign instead of Target.  The sign tells you something about the products and services being offered inside the building.  In regards to a local church, the sign outside the building tells you something about the work and beliefs of the people who meet there.  Here is something else the sign tells you: who or what those people claim as their authority.In recent years, many buildings that once had the words church of Christ displayed somewhere outside, have been the apparent victims of theft.  Left and right, the words “of Christ” have been vanishing from church signs and buildings, so that signs simply read, “Green Hills Church”, “Destiny Church”, or “The Church in Richardson”.  Why would a group of people who once associated themselves primarily with the work and teachings of Jesus Christ decide to remove His name from the building sign?

Consider a local example.  This particular congregation formerly identified itself as a church of Christ, but at some point, decided to remove the “Christ” from their signage and website.  This particular congregation offers a traditional worship (acapella singing, weekly observation of the Lord’s supper, reverent prayer, etc.) and a contemporary worship (instrumental music, light show, dancing, spirit-led messages and activity), meaning you can choose to make worship what you want, not what the Lord commanded (John 4:24).  This particular church boasts a café and bookstore.  They also have a preschool academy and daycare.

When one goes to the word of God, it is impossible to find authority for instrumental music in worship.  It is also impossible to find authority for the church getting involved with secular institutions such as bookstores, cafes, daycares, or schools.  All of those kinds of services are provided by men in the secular world.  You don’t have to go to a church to purchase a book or a cup of coffee.  You don’t have to go to a church to find a daycare or school.  The church that the Lord established offers the truth of Jesus Christ and nothing else (I Tim. 3:15).  If a group of people desire to deviate from or add to this truth, or if they believe this truth offends too many people, then it may become necessary for them disassociate themselves from Christ…away goes the name of Christ from the sign.

Now, when Christ is no longer the single authority presiding over a local church, who’s to say what is right or wrong in worship, teachings, practices, or the beliefs of the members?  Instead of serving grape juice and unleavened bread for the Lord’s Supper, why not Coke and French Fries?  Instead of reading from the Bible, why not read from The Book of Mormon or The Handbook of Zen Buddhism?  Instead of a revert assembly for worship, why not go down to the lake and fish and have a little party?The sign in front of any building can be misleading, but if a McDonalds sign was ever replaced by Burger King, you’d know something had changed about the food inside.  When a local congregation decides to take Christ off of the signage outside, it says something about what those people believe about the authority of Christ and His word. 

Many churches claim they simply do not want to offend or alienate anyone by claiming submission to Christ.  Paul asks the question in Galatians 4:16, “Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”  If truth is being proclaimed, some will be offended.  There is no getting around it.  Jesus Christ IS THE TRUTH (John 4:16)!  If we believe that, we need to boldly proclaim it to the world.

Jeremy Koontz

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