Little by Little

Little by Little

Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste, and see that the LORD is good.”  I Peter 2:2,4 echoes this sentiment, teaching that we should, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if you indeed have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

When a young child is starting to eat solid foods, the responsible adult doesn’t just try to ram a hamburger down his or her throat.  When feeding a young child, any food of considerable size is usually broken down into smaller pieces.  Even as we grow up and develop bigger appetites for larger portions, we learn that the digestive system is not designed to take in large quantities of food all at once.  We take bites, sometimes cut our food up into smaller pieces, and don’t try to throw down a plate of ribs in one big bite. 

We can apply this principle of taking small portions at a time to many areas of our spiritual lives.

In personal study, don’t try to become a biblical scholar overnight.  The Bible contains the outpouring of God’s eternal knowledge to supply mankind with knowledge in every aspect of life.  It contains the great history of God’s people.  It has over 40 different authors and was written over several thousand years of ancient history.  It contains sometimes literal and sometimes figurative language.  Many of its teachings are densely layered and interconnected.Now, the basic teachings and themes of the Bible are simple, but there is a LOT of teaching in there!  Don’t try to take it all in at once.  Choose one topic, or one passage, one character, once verse even, and focus just on that single study for a while.  Even in our Bible classes, we choose only one topic at a time to study, sometimes weeks or months are spent on covering one subject or book.  “Search the scriptures daily with readiness of mind” (Acts 17:11), and watch your knowledge of God grow over time.

In service, don’t try to go from 0 to 100 in doing good works.  Many Christians have the sudden realization that they are not doing enough in service to the brethren and the Lord, and try to do a lot all at once as if to make up for lost time.  But just like an out-of-shape person who rushes into an extremely rigorous exercise routine, taking on too much responsibility at once can become burdensome and even discouraging.  If you know there is more you ought to do in the area of service, start small.  Start with just a phone call or two to check up on the brethren.  Or, start with one visitation a week.  Or, men can start with volunteering to do just one extra task during the worship.

Titus 3:8 says we should be “careful to maintain good works.”  If we start small, and are consistent in doing work for the Lord and for the brethren, then our zeal will grow and gradually we will find more opportunities to do more (Titus 2:14)

In personal evangelism, don’t become discouraged if you have not converted your whole neighborhood, office, or school.  The reality is that only a small number will be saved (Matt. 7:13,14).  We can expect the gospel we present to be frequently ridiculed and rejected.  But the goal is not to gain a lot all at once; the goal is to spread the seed that, as Paul said, we “might gain some.” (I Cor. 9:32)

Consider just one person.  Who is that person in your life who is always initiating spiritual or religious conversations?  Who is that person who frequently mentions “their” church, or “their” pastor or preacher?  Who is that person who seems open enough to talk to you about spiritual matters?  Who is the person who has invited you to some church event or gathering?  We all know someone, at least one person who might be open to an invitation or biblical discussion; it’s just a matter of being aware of and taking advantage of opportunities presented.  This is what our evangelism is all about: that ONE that might be gained.

In prayer, we often find ourselves praying when difficult times come.  Generally, people pray more when they are suffering some terrible physical illness, are going through some professional crisis, or are facing some monumental decision that would affect the rest of their lives.  Many of us become praying machines when bad things happen.

But where is the steady, consistent prayer when we are not beset by troubles?  We may not pray as heavily during difficult times, but the consistent prayer, the steady dialogue with the Lord ought to be there.  And, if our regular prayer lives are not where they ought to be, we can start with a little.  Purposefully set aside a small amount of time each day to pray to the Lord.  With time, perhaps we can work our way up to speaking to the Lord, “Morning, noon, and at evening” as David proclaims in Psalm 55:17.

Little by little.  Word by word.  Day by day.  We “live by faith”, and “from faith to faith” we grow in wisdom, ability, and love.

Jeremy Koontz

The Blame Game…

The Blame Game…

…started way back in the garden of Eden, and we have been playing it ever since.  Both the first man and woman were independently guilty of disobeying God.  Following their transgression, in Genesis 3:8, when they heard God walking in the garden, both the man and woman hid themselves: neither one of them could stand boldly out in the open, without guilt, ready to confidently proclaim that the other was the sole bearer of guilt.  And when the Lord asked them about eating the forbidden fruit, consider their responses:

“The woman, whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”  Said the man.  God asked him a simple question, why not the simple admission of guilt, “I ate from the tree from which you said not to eat”?  Why mention the woman at all in the response about what HE had done?  And what about the woman?  The LORD asked her what she had done.  Her response: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  Again, why mention the serpent?  The Lord asked what SHE had done.  Why not the simple admission of guilt, “I ate from the tree which you forbade and gave it to my husband.” 

Neither the man or the woman was willing to confess their own guilt and the role they played in transgressing the law of God, but both were punished for their own sin.  Several thousand years have passed, and the blame game is still being played out in the affairs of mankind.  Generally, people do not want to take responsibility for their own mistakes, and when one person starts pointing the fingerwhen mistakes are made, it often triggers a chain reaction of finger pointing.

In I Samuel 15, King Saul disobeys God’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites, and the prophet Samuel confronts him about his disobedience.  What was Saul’s response?  It was the people who had spared some of the Amalekites and the people who had spared some of the livestock.  Saul opted to play the blame game instead of confessing the error of his own actions.

Now, sometimes, it is the other persons fault.  Sometimes.  But many people have an attitude of thinking that it is always someone else’s fault.  Regardless of the circumstances, many people are not willing to accept any, even partial responsibility for problems and mistakes.  This is the attitude the child of God must diligently avoid.  The danger in this attitude is that, while in the habit of blaming others for worldly mistakes and mishaps, we start to blame others or outside circumstances for our sins.  Erring children of God have often been heard saying things like, “I would not have gotten drunk if he hadn’t let me go to the party”, or “I would not have gotten so angry if she would not have been there to provoke me”, or “I would have gone to the church assembly but she kept me up all night”, or just the plain, pathetic, “the Devil made me do it.” (James 1:14)

The word of God is clear: when it comes to sin, every individual will be held accountable for ANY transgression, even if someone else played albeit a minor role in mistakes made.  Romans 2:1,2 say that we have “no excuse” when we try to judge and blame others, and that “the judgment of God is according to truth.”  A person may build an attitude in their mind that they can do no wrong, and every problem is everyone else’s fault, but the bottom line is that God knows who has done justly and who has done injustice (i.e., He knows who has done injustice but is trying to cover that injustice by blaming the faults of others!)

Matthew chapter 7 begins with a lesson on hypocritical fault finding.  Verse 3 asks, “Why do you consider the speck in your brother’s eye,but cannot see the plank that is in your own eye?”  When problems arise and wrongs have been committed, the honest child of God steps back, takes a good long look at self, and asks, “what wrongs have I committed in this situation?  What sinful action, word, or attitude on my part has led to this problem?”  And, once they have assessed their own error, have dealt with the plank in their own eye, then can begin trying to assess the speck in their brother’s eye.

The problem with the blame game is that there are no winners.  When husbands and wives begin playing the blame game, it turns into an ugly battle of pride and selfishness.  Brothers and sisters in the church who start blaming each other for problematic situations can ultimately decide to go their separate ways instead of reaching a mutual understanding of what the word of God teaches.  And, sadly, love for the Lord, for our families, and for our brothers and sisters in Christ is usually pulled off the field and benched when the blame game begins.

As children of God, let us humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and be submissive to one another (I Peter 5:5,6).  Let’s do our best to esteem others before ourselves (Phil. 2:3), and not be so quick to throw someone else “under the bus” for even the smallest of our own transgressions and mistakes.

Jeremy Koontz

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 2:3-5 

Join us Sunday 9/16/2018 to hear God's Word.

Crispy Rice

Crispy Rice

That’s right, Crispy Rice.  If you take a stroll down the cereal aisle at the local grocery store, you’re likely to come across this option right next to the Rice Krispies.  You may also find Crisp Rice, Krispy Rice Treats, and Ricey Krisps.  A little confusing, right?  Well, Kellogg, the company behind the famous brand name Rice Krispies, may not be so happy about all the imitators, but the confusion works out pretty well for those selling the imitation brands!  Why pay $4 for the box of Rice Krispies when the box of Crisp Rice only cost $3?

Every budget-conscious shopper has had the experience of reaching for the popular name brand product, then noticing a similar product with almost the same ingredients, appearance, and/or taste.  The keyword is almost.  And this sneaky, yet effective strategy of selling off-brand products is effective not just in selling cereal, but clothing, footwear, toys, etc.  Why by a pair of $100 Nike shoes when you can get the Sikes that look almost the same with a similar logo for $50?  So what if the heel falls off after a month of wear?

Now, there is nothing wrong with saving a little cash and not reaching for the popular name brand product every time, but what about when searching for a local church with which to worship and labor?  If we know what the Lord has authorized for the worship and work of the local congregation, is it okay to settle for anything short of that, even if it saves us a little effort, a little time, even a little bit of self? Here is one church that we know is striving to do everything the Lord has authorized. It’s the real deal, the “name brand” where the NAME or authority is Christ (Colossians 3:17).  They are diligent in speaking and adhering to those “things which become sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).  But, one may have to travel a little further to worship and labor with this church.  One may be called on a little more often to serve in different capacities.  One may have to stand with the local congregation in truth on challenging or controversial issues (I Timothy 3:12).  The cost, what is required from the individual, is greater.

However, on the way to worship with this sound congregation, not far from home, one notices another local church that at least has the name of Christ on the sign.  This church has most of the same practices as the sound church, except they tolerate homosexual relationships among the members.  This similar church preaches mostly the doctrine of Christ, except they do not adhere to what Christ taught regarding water baptism (Mark 16:16).  They are a larger church, so one can slip in and out of services unnoticed without having to get too involved with the work or the members (maybe one won’t even have to make a regular contribution!).  It is almost a church that strives to please the Lord in every possible way.  Almost, like the Ricey Krisps.

The imitators of name brand products know that people will see the cheaper option and, at least, give some thought to giving up the premium goods because the imitation costs them less.  Those who offer gospels and doctrines that are perversions of what the Bible teaches may not be doing so maliciously. They may not be intentionally trying to trick people into thinking they are getting a better deal by not strictly adhering to Truth, but people can be confused nonetheless.  The world is full of watered-down versions of the Lord’s church, that teach a cheap, watered-down gospel of Christ that is tastier and easier to swallow, that have a watered-down service, in the end, all of whom the Lord will reject.  To these, the Lord might be heard to say, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I could wish that you were cold or hot.  Therefore, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you from my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)

As advocates of the Truth, we must teach and remind the world that the Lord only accepts complete submission (Deuteronomy 10:12).  Yes, in order to do all that the Lord requires, it is likely going to cost us quite a bit more…but what we have to pay is a guaranteed sound investment in the security of our souls.

Jeremy Koontz

TEST YOUR BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!

TEST YOUR BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!

Identify the following Bible character:

1. He was visited by the messenger Gabriel.

2. In Babylonian captivity, he was given the name Belteshazzar.

3. He interprets the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar.

4. He is a government official under four Babylonian kings.

5. His enemies contrived to have him cast into a den of lions.

Who is this great prophet? _______________________

Cliques: Danger!

                                     Cliques: Danger!

In Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, “clique” is defined as “a narrow circle of persons associated by common interests or for the accomplishment of a common purpose; a small and exclusive set or coterie; generally used in a bad sense.” (page 418)

In many local churches there are cliques; small groups of people who associate with one another regularly. It would be unrealistic for me to suggest that we shouldn't have our special friends; people we may be a little closer to than others. But cliques can be very dangerous. Please consider these points:

1. Cliques Often Reflect Poor Values. They are sometimes formed among those who fall into a particular social or economic category. Or they are formed among those persons who consider themselves to be a little more “cultured” or “refined” than the others. In some cases, cliques are made up of certain members who may think that they are just a little better spiritually or more pious than the others. But money, “refinement” and self‑righteous snobbery are all poor values. (See Obadiah 3:3,4; Philippians 2:21; James 2:9 & Revelation 3:19).2. Cliques May Foster A Sinful Exclusiveness. If, for instance, all the “wealthy” people in a congregation attract each other and evolve into a clique, what kind of attitude do you think they will develop toward those who are not “wealthy?” (See James 2:1‑13).

3. Cliques Are Detrimental To Unity. God has decreed that there be unity in local churches. (1 Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 2:1,2; Ephesians 4:1‑6) But if there is this little group over here and that little bunch over there and this other clique over here, YOU DON'T HAVE UNITY! You may have some sort of peaceful co‑existence, but no real, brotherly, Biblical unity. Consider this: If it's all right to have one little clique in a congregation, then it's all right for all the members to DIVIDE into cliques. And that isn't unity, by anyone's definition.

4. Cliques Limit Influence. If our character is such that we exert a good, positive influence on those with whom we associate, we should endeavor to associate with all our brethren in the local church, not just a few of them. Likewise, there are brethren who may have a good influence to exert on us, but it never happens because we are hid in some little group. The influence Christians in a local church can and should have on one another is hindered by the presence of cliques. (See 1 Corinthians 10:24; Hebrews 3:13 & 10: 24, 25).

So, let me make this suggestion. Go ahead and have your “special” friends; it's only natural to develop closer friendships with some people. But be very careful about the development of cliques. Put forth an effort to get acquainted with all the members; try to associate or socialize with more than just a little select group. And in forming friendships Christians (and others), forget about such narrow values as money, educational attainment, refinement, social status, etc.

Remember, the members of the local church should “have the same care one for another.” We should not look only to our own things, “but each of you also to the things of others.” Paul said: “In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another” (1 Corinthians 12:25; Philippians 2:4 & Romans 12:10).

Warren Berkley, 1982 with 

TEST YOUR BIBLE KNOWLEDGE

TEST YOUR BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!

Put the following biblical events in chronological order:

___ Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den

___ The walls of Jericho fall

___ David reigns as king of God’s people

___ Samson is deceived by Delilah

___ King Saul consults a medium

___ Ehud delivers Israel

___ Moses leads Israel out of Egyptian captivitiy

___ Solomon builds the temple of God

___ Isaiah prophesies about the coming Messiah

___ Noah builds the ark

___ The Lord stirs up the spirit of the Persian king Cyrus

___ The tower of Babel is built

___ God creates the heavens and the earth

THE REST OF THE STORY

THE REST OF THE STORY 

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”; “our God is a consuming fire”; “I am in anguish in this flame” (Hebrews 10:31; 12:29; Luke 16:24).  Passages such as these, and others like them, are alarming.  And, they are intended to alarm.  The “wages of sin is death”; and “all have sinned” (Romans 6:23; 3:23).  The truth is, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (II Corinthians 5:10).

We must continually remember that it “is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”.  There is, thankfully, another side to that coin; the “rest of the story”, as Paul Harvey put it.  There are passages of scripture which tell us of the love and provision of God for us.  In this study we will examine a few of them for the confidence and hope they offer.

I hope for heaven, because of

               The Grace Of God      Any study seeking to promote hope must begin with grace, the favor of God which man cannot earn.  The favor of God cannot be bought; Simon offered money for power and was rebuked sharply by the apostle Peter, “May your silver and gold perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:22). 

The grace of God and man’s entrance into it by faith is chronicled throughout Scripture.  It is the essence of salvation: Titus 2:11, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people”.  So Paul could write, “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).   Grace enables us to hope.

I hope for heaven, because my God is

               “Not Wishing That Any Should Perish”     Another passage offering hope is  written by Peter in his second epistle:  “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (3:9).  Our God, the “consuming fire”, patiently waits; not hovering around to snatch and cast into torment, He is rather wishing that all should reach repentance.

            There is motivation for repentance.  Romans 2:4, “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance”; and again, II Corinthians 7:10, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret.”  The motivation is provided by God.

            I hope for heaven, because God will not let me be

            “Tempted Beyond Your Ability”     The devil is the tempter (Matthew 4:1-3) and every sin is  preceded by temptation (James 1:14, 15).  The devil is not irresistible; we are charged to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7; and confer I Peter 5:8, 9).  When we are tempted and sin, therefore, we have no excuse: we have yielded to one we could have, and should have, defeated.

            There is, however, hope beyond our failures; “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13).

            I hope for heaven, because I

            “Walk In The Light”        We try not to sin; but, we stumble.  If sinless perfection were needed to get to heaven, we sinners would be without hope.  We are heartened by the promise of I John 1:7,  “… if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”   We stumble into sin; and we must admit it.  When we admit it, complying with all the instruction of God of belief and repentance,  the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin.

            I hope for heaven.                                                                                       Pat