JURONG OUTREACH - SEP 03

YOU ARE KIDDING YOURSELF (Adapted)
7 Sep 03

There are many ways people fool themselves into believing something is true when it is not.  We may see ourselves as charming, beautiful people, or as uncouth, ugly people, when in fact, in either case, it may simply not be that way.  We may kid ourselves into thinking we are knowledgeable, spiritual people, when in fact we may be ignorant, dull of hearing people.  It is the standard by which we judge these things that determines whether we accurately see ourselves as we are, or whether we simply are kidding ourselves.

(James 1:23-25) “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

We can make the same mistake in our thinking regarding the things which are taking place around us, or involving us.  We can either face what sometimes is harsh reality, or we can kid ourselves that what we see and hear is really not what it appears.  None of these approaches, however, changes what the truth is; but they do have everything to do with our relationship to truth, and thus, our spiritual welfare.

I do believe that multiplied thousands of members of the Lord’s church today have kidded themselves into spiritual disaster because they simply do not wish to face the realities of our time.

YOU ARE KIDDING YOURSELF, IF:

1. You think that any unrest within the church is going to pass away quietly without any effort on your part.

(Jude 3,4) “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. You think you can join hands with those who continue to propagate error, and still be in fellowship with God.

(Eph 5:11) “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

3. You can ignore God’s command to keep the church pure and to withdraw from the ungodly, and still be the faithful bride.

(1 Cor 5:7,13b) “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”

4. You believe you can play church, remain ignorant, and be overcome in inertia and still go to heaven.

(1 Thess 5:6) “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”

5. You have decided you can work in the midst of worldliness and error without it affecting you.

(1 Cor 15:33) “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

6. You believe that numbers alone shows the strength of the church and that it doesn’t matter how we get people to come for services , as long as we get them here.

(Romans 1: 16) “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

7. You can avoid trial and persecution while still standing fast for the truth.

(2 Tim 3:12) “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

8. You cannot see that major division is not just on the horizon, but that if it is not recognized and admitted soon, the vast portion of the church is going to be swept into apostasy.

(2 Tim 4:3,4)  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

I am telling you, friend, the time for opening our eyes is now, the time for making a choice is now.  Whom shall we serve, God or ourselves?

Parents, Our Best Teachers (Adapted)
14 Sep 03

Education is a wonderful thing, but the responsibility it presents is also frightening.  Children stand before us, as it were, waiting to be molded by our teaching into whatever we choose to make of them.  We can give them such basic tools as reading, writing, and arithmetic which will serve them well throughout their lives.  One or more of these areas can be neglected, and we will shut countless doors of opportunity to them.  We can encourage them to develop their natural talents, and equip them with special skills by which they will far surpass the average person and may even become outstanding in their chosen fields.

Suppose that, however, in the process of becoming educated, our young get so filled with the wisdom of this world that they no longer have any meaningful faith in God; suppose they become hostile to God and His Word.  As far as worldly knowledge is concerned they may be intellectually superior, but spiritually, they will be pygmies or worse.  Would this distress you?

This very thing is happening to the children of many Christian parents.  They are allowing their children to be spiritually assaulted by the world’s wisdom throughout their school years while making little or no effort to teach them about God.  Perhaps we have not considered all the many ways Satan tries to induce our children to embrace worldly wisdom and morals which contradict sharply with God’s Word. 

The only places where no attempt is made to destroy your children’s faith are the home and the church, but if we are not careful, they will not find a refuge even there.  Parents and others are doing Satan’s work for him when they ridicule or harshly criticize the work or worship of the church—and those who are trying to do the will of the Lord.  If the truth were known, it is highly likely that their scorn and slander are only smokescreens to cover their own lethargy and unfaithfulness.  Those benighted parents who, by teaching and example, put the world—its attitudes and activities—before their responsibilities to the Lord are sowing to the wind, and their children will reap the whirlwind.

To be sure, faithful, dedicated parents who are deeply concerned about their children will bring them to worship and Bible study regularly.  But truthfully, can four hours a week effectively counteract the 165 hours the world has them each week?

The minions of Satan teach them on a daily basis in the classroom, on television, in books, magazines, audio tapes, by worldly friends and relatives, and  by parents or others in the home or church who put the world and its ways before the demands of Christ.  Bible school teachers do the best they can, but it is unrealistic to expect them to undo—in two hours—the highly sophisticated indoctrination in worldliness your children get the rest of the time.

This is why we are losing so many of our precious children.  We have left their teaching in someone else’s hands—people we thought would teach them about Christ, but who have not been faithful to their charge.  Those we trusted have let us down, but whoever said that Satan fights fairly?  How much would our children and our brethren benefit if we refused to use the blighted media of false teachers?  Of course, we would have to work much harder if we prepared and taught them ourselves, but isn’t their eternal well-being worth the effort?

Truthfully, though, have false teachers been any more derelict than we have?  How much Bible study went on in your home last week—by your children, your spouse, or yourself?

(Eph 6:1-4). We drag our lethargic minds and bodies to Bible study—to what purpose?  What reaction would you have if the teacher of your Bible class informed you he actually expected you to take notes on what was said in the class and that you would be tested later to see if you had really learned the material?  Would you welcome such an opportunity to learn the unsearchable riches of Christ?

Will we ever learn that there is no shortcut to quality education for our children, new converts, ourselves, or anyone else?  We must learn the Word.  We must demand sound doctrine in the pulpit and in the Bible class.  If a teacher refuses to spend the necessary hours to prepare properly, he (she) should be replaced; but what do you do with a parent who is remiss in his charge?

(Ep 6:4) And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Certainly, his family will pay a terrible price for his apathy and indifference, but what lies in store for him?

How much richer would our lives be if we became serious about being “filled with the knowledge of his will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”

(Col 1:9)For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

In what ways would our homes and the church be enriched if we really began to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”

(2 Pet 3:18)But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Beyond the Fog
21 Sep 03

The California Coast was shrouded in fog that fourth of July morning in 1952. Twenty-one miles to the west on Catalina Island a 34-year-old woman waded into the water and began swimming toward California, determined to be the first woman to do so. Her name was Florence Chadwick and she had already become the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.

The water was numbing cold that July morning and the fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her own party.

Millions were watching on national television. Several times sharks, which had gotten too close, had to be driven away with rifles to protect the lone figure in the water. As the hours ticked off she swam on. Fatigue had never been her big problem in these swims – it was the bone-chilling cold of the water.

More than fifteen hours later, numbed with the cold, she asked to be taken out. She couldn’t go on! Her mother and her trainer alongside in a boat told her they were near land. They urged her not to quit. But when she looked toward the California Coast, ALL she could see was the dense fog. A few minutes later – at fifteen hours and fifty-five minutes – she was taken out of the water. It was not until hours later, when her body began to thaw, that she felt the shock of failure. To a reporter she blurted out, ‘Look, I’m not excusing myself. But if I could have just seen land, I might have made it.”

She had been pulled out only a half mile from the California Coast! Later she was to reflect that she had been licked not by fatigue or even the cold – the fog alone had defeated her because it obscured her goal. It had blinded her reason, her eyes, and her heart. It was the only time Florence Chadwick ever quit. Two months later she swam that same channel, and again fog obscured her view, but THIS time she swam with her FAITH intact – somewhere just beyond the fog was land!, I encourage all of us to look beyond the smoke and the “fog” to a loving God Who longs for us to look to Him for direction and comfort. He has told us through His Word that “in the world we WILL have tribulation” (John 16:33). However, He wants everyone to know that there is a place – a better place that is being prepared for THOSE who will submit their lives to Him. This is a place where there shall be “no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

Heaven holds a prepared place for a prepared people! It is reserved for THOSE who place their trust in God (Hebrews 11:6), repent of their sins (2 Corinthians 7:10), confess that Jesus is God’s Son (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38), AND live out their lives in trusting obedience to His will.

We must NOT allow the "fog" to obscure our goal, nor the "cold" around us to numb our sensitivity, rather with OUR FAITH intact, let us look THROUGH the fog in trusting obedience to the One who promises better things to come!

“As it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for THOSE who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Through the day with God

“O Lord, in the morning thou dost hear my voice;

In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for Thee, and watch.”

 Psalms 5:3

 Meet God in the morning

And go with Him through the day

And thank Him for His guidance

Each evening when you pray. 

~Helen Steiner Rice~

May One "Judge" Other Churches? by Wayne Jackson
28 Sep 03

If a Christian teacher says that “false teaching” is occurring in a congregation of which he is not a member, would this be considered “judging?”  Would it violate a church’s “autonomy?”

There are actually two elements of this question that require consideration.

JUDGING

Somehow, many folks assume that all judging is wrong (yet they are not reticent to judge those whom they feel are judging).  But all judging is not wrong.  Hypocritical judging is wrong, i.e., condemning someone of the very thing that you are practicing.

(Matt 7:1-5) "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”

(Rom 2:1) “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.”

Superficial judging, i,e. judging on the basis of mere appearance, is evil as well.

(John 7:24) “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

On the other hand, Jesus commanded us to judge righteous judgment, which is a judgment (pronouncement) consistent with Scriptural teaching.  Paul rebuked the Corinthian Christians because they were flaunting their differences before unbelieving authorities, rather than “judging” these matters within the confines of the congregational environment.

(1 Cor 6:1) “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?”

And so, a certain type of judging is not only not wrong; it is positively required.

CHURCH AUTONOMY

The second aspect of the question deals with what one may or may not criticize relative to the affairs of a neighbouring congregation.  If the subject under consideration has to do with an issue of mere expediency, it is not appropriate for the members of one congregation to be harshly negative toward the activities of another congregation.  Expediencies are matters of personal judgment, and ought not to be targets for hostile barbs.

Having said that, the notion has some involved in the thinking of many that a congregation may practice virtually anything it pleases—no matter how much of a departure from the truth—and no one, who is not a member of the congregation, is at liberty to offer any censure.  Such view is far from the truth.

When Paul wrote First Corinthians to the church in Corinth, he was living in Ephesus, (1 Cor 16:8) “But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.” where he laboured for approximately three years.

(Acts 20:31) “Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”

While in Ephesus, the apostle received reports of various happenings in Corinth.  Accordingly, he wrote First Corinthians to address problems within that congregation.  That congregation was divisive in spirit,

(1 Cor 1:11) For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

The Corinthian saints retained a fornicating brother within their fellowship

(1 Cor 5:1) “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.”

Some were litigating their differences before heathen judges; others were abusing spiritual gifts, (1 Cor 12-14).  Some of them even denied the future resurrection of the body,

(1 Cor 15:12) “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?”

It apparently never occurred to Paul that he was “meddling” in the affairs of a congregation of which he was not a member.  A Christian has the right to oppose error—wherever it may be.  We would respectfully suggest, however, that it is not a reflection of maturity and balance to virtually consume one’s time in monitoring the problems of other congregations.  When one virtually makes a career of “policing” the brotherhood, he reveals that he does not have a responsible view of what Christianity is about.