Eastside Church Blog

"Focus on God" Bul 45

Publish Date: Thu Nov 13 12:32:45 MST 2008
Author: Abe Miller, Senior Minister

Last Sunday morning we had a refreshing experience in our worship service that our teens brought to us. In their drama they reminded us to “focus on God” in worship and our daily lives. Each item that was brought during the drama such as, focus on money, music, family, friends, etc., was overcome by the constant repetitive “focus on God.” Obviously, the only way that we can keep our priorities straight in real life is by constantly focusing on God.

I want to thank our teens and Sheri Reed for their effort in bringing a vivid reminder to us that God has to be central in our lives. When one hears and sees things like this in such a dramatic fashion, it tends to stay with us. Hope all of us can encourage the teens for their involvement.

God places much value on youth. The following is the heart of David concerning youth. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word, I seek you with all of my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” (Psalm 119:9-16)

In addition, (Eccl. 12:1) states, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, I find no pleasure in them.” Being grounded in God from your youth is the key to facing the difficulties that come along in life as we age.

The energy of youth can change the face of the church. No doubt their involvement is going to be much different than ours has been in the past. That’s all right as ling as they are focused on God. That doesn’t make them wrong and us right. It all has to do with the way in which we experience Christianity. What I am talking about is the way in which we do things. It has nothing to do with the message itself but the way in which we communicate the message. No one has the right to change the message of the gospel regardless of what age group they are in.

Let us find ways and means through which people of all ages can participate in the worship and work of the church. Teens, we appreciate you and encourage you to do more.

The Church as Community Bul 44

Publish Date: Thu Nov 13 12:27:18 MST 2008
Author: Abe Miller, Senior Minister

God’s design for His church was that it be a community. Community is the ingredient that is most lacking in the modern day church. By community I do not mean living in a commune where we live together and eat our meals together on an on-going basis. I do mean that we are to be a dependent group that is knitted together by the blood of Jesus. We need one another to encourage one another to live the life God has called us to. This means that we are ready to help each other spiritually as well as physically. In short, we should be depending on each other as a God community.

John Wesley is quoted as saying, “the Bible knows nothing of solitary religion,” not referring to the post-modern tendency towards pluralism, but instead speaking of the importance of community as a church.

The following is taken from Phil Travis, a brother from the Elwood church in Lafayette, Indiana, as he writes on community. “The American protestant tradition emphasized the personal relationship between God and the believer, which is not necessarily bad, but carried to extreme, can be detrimental to the community aspect of Christianity. In every letter that Paul writes he addressed the community, its strengths and weaknesses, its victories and its failures. Even in the letters, or sections of the letters, in which he addresses specific people, he applies the principles to the whole community of believers.

When addressing Philemon about his runaway slave Onesimus, the letter, read to the entire congregation, shows clear examples of how to live in relation to one another in light of the new life.

While we do all have a relationship to God as individuals, we live out our relationship with God within community. It is within community that we learn about God, both theologically and experientially, through the actions of others. In serving others we learn the heart of God, and in being served, we learn a proper response to the grace we have received from God. It is within our difficult relationships that we are given the opportunity to grow in patience and love.

Without community, we wander aimlessly without direction. Adrift from relationships within the church, we are unable too grow closer to God. We are blessed to be a part of our wonderful community.

Let each and everyone of us so live, love, and attend to assembly regularly so that we can all experience community as God would have it.

Jesus the Christ--the Heart of the New Testament

Publish Date: Thu Nov 13 12:23:18 MST 2008
Author: Unknown Bul 44

¨ In Matthew He is the King of the Jews (2:2)

¨ In Mark He is the Servant of God (10:44-45)

¨ In Luke He is the Perfect Son of Man (9.56)

¨ In John He is the Exalted Son of God (20:30-31)

¨ In Acts He is the Ascended Lord (1:9-11)

¨ In Romans He is our Righteousness (3:21-25

)¨ In 1 Corinthians He is the First Fruits From the Dead (15:20)

¨ In 2 Corinthians He is our Sin Offering (5:21)

¨ In Galatians He is the One Who Set Us Free (2:20-21)

¨ In Ephesians He is the One Who Blesses (1:3)

¨ In Philippians He is the Joy Bringer (3:1, 3; 4:4)

¨ In Colossians He is the Pre-Eminent One (1:18)

¨ In 1 Thessalonians He is the Returning Lord (4:13-18)

¨ In 2 Thessalonians He is the World’s Judge (1:7-9)

¨ In 1 Timothy He is our Mediator (2:5)

¨ In 2 Timothy He is the Bestowal of Crowns (4:8)

¨ In Titus He is the Great God and Savior (1:3-4)

¨ In Philemon He is the Equalizer (16)

¨ In Hebrews He is the Eternal Rest (4:8-11)

¨ In James He is the Lord of Hosts (5:4)

¨ In 1 Peter He is the Theme of Old Testament Prophecy (1:19-21)

¨ In 2 Peter He is the Longsuffering One (3:9)

¨ In 1 John He is the Word of Life (1:10

¨ In 2 John He is the Target of the anti-Christ (7)

¨ In 3 John He is the Personification of Truth (1-4)

¨ In Jude He is the Believer’s Hope (24)

¨ In Revelation He is the Victorious Lamb (5:6)

God Wants His People to Be Successful Bul 42

Publish Date: Thu Nov 13 11:50:36 MST 2008
Author: Abe Miller, Senior Minister
The real problem when we talk about success is that God has a different idea as to what constitutes success than what man understands success to be. So how do you define success? In general, man would define success with the attainment of one of the following:

¨ Power— having authority over a number of people.

¨ Prestige—being famous and well known.

¨ Position—achieving the executive level.

¨ Popularity—being well liked by the majority

.¨ Possessions—having everything money can buy.

¨ Pleasure— having that which brings immediate pleasure to body and mind.

Are these true indicators of success? How long do these things last? Is there any eternal value in these things? The fact is, in many cases, the ones who possess one or more of the things listed above are often the most miserable.

The 19th century Bible scholar G. S. Bowes pointed out the ultimate futility of ambition that isn’t accompanied by dedication to God. Citing four powerful world rulers of the past, he wrote:

¨ Alexander the Great was not satisfied, even when he had completely subdued the nations. He wept because there were no more worlds to conquer, and he died at an early age in a state of debauchery.

¨ Hannibal, who filled three bushels with the gold rings taken from the knights he had slaughtered, committed suicide by swallowing poison. Few noted his passing, and he left the earth completely un-mourned.

¨ Julius Caesar, staining his garments in the blood of one million of his foes, conquered 800 cities, only to be stabbed by his best friends at the scene of his great triumph.

¨ Napoleon, the feared conqueror, after being the scourge of Europe, spent his last years, in banishment.

¨ Lee Iacocca, stated this human malady well in his book, Straight Talk: “Here I am in the twilight years of my life, still wondering what it’s all about. I can tell you this, fame and fortune is for the birds.”

God revealed the true definition of success to His servant Joshua: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

Joshua saw his material success through the lens of his relationship with God. When we see success as Joshua saw it, we too can have true success.

Synagogue ->Church ->Faithful Bul 41

Publish Date: Thu Nov 13 11:46:12 MST 2008
Author: G. Crowe, Lafayette, IN

The Old Testament closes with the temple in Jerusalem as the center of Jewish worship. It’s not that the Jewish people always treated their temple right, or that they always bothered to offer the right kind of worship when they went there, or sometimes that they even paid that much attention to it, but when the topic of worship came up, or when they were driven to draw closer to God, it was to the temple that they returned.

Walk out of the Old Testament, walk into the New Testament, and step into a different Jewish world. The temple is still there, and it’s important if one happens to be in Jerusalem. But elsewhere suddenly there are structures called synagogues. Search the Old Testament diligently, line upon line, and one will never find even a trace of the word synagogue. It is not there didn’t exist. Yet Jesus was entirely comfortable with the synagogue.

That’s interesting on at least two levels. For one . . . Jesus never said or even intimated that He came to restore Old Testament worship. He came to do His Father’s will, and it apparently concerned Him not in the least that (during what we call the “intertestamental period”. . . the years between the close of Malachi and the opening of Matthew) His ancestors had “added” an entire institution within the framework of Jewish religion and piety.

Jesus’ attention to the synagogue is interesting on a second level. He gave great allegiance to the synagogue. He never missed an opportunity to be there. He did much of his teaching in and near synagogues. He assumed his followers would frequent their local synagogues. Fast forward to the present, Brian Simmons, in his book, Falling Away, says that one of the ways to ensure that our children will remain faithful to Jesus throughout their lives is, in effect, to provide opportunities for them to hang around their local synagogue (read “church”). Go there often for worship and classes, socialize with people who are also a part of that church, become involved in the ministries of the church—and those children’s chances of remaining faithful unto death increase exponentially. Jesus put a high value on participation in the synagogue. We can do no less for the church.

A Dearth of Respect Bul 40

Publish Date: Thu Nov 13 11:40:52 MST 2008
Author: A. J. Cox

A few weeks ago as I sat getting my hair cut at the local barber shop, a remarkable drama played out before my very eyes. A young mother had entered with two children in tow. Her son, who looked to be about six or seven years old, was in desperate need of a haircut. It soon became clear, however, that he did not want one. As they sat waiting for the other barber’s chair to open up, the boy’s tantrum increased. He did not want to get his hair cut, he declared, he wanted a toy! The mother sought to bribe the unruly child by promising to buy him a toy if he would get his hair cut. Finally, after a couple of minutes of watching this back and forth, the barber’s chair was vacated and the moment of truth had arrived. Who would back down? Who would blink first? The mother told her son to get in the barber’s chair. The boy stubbornly crossed his arms and shook his head in the negative. “Fine,” the mother declared in defeat, “we’re leaving.” As they left, it was clear to me who was really in charge. The two gray headed barbers just shook their heads, and one commented, with a slight grin, that he could have corrected the child’s attitude in no time at all. These gentlemen had come from a generation that did not tolerate youths disrespecting parents, elders, or authority. Now, they said, such spectacles as we had just witnessed were very common.

Most people, especially school teachers, could share many similar anecdotes, which testify to the dearth of respect among young people today. What may account for the lack of respect among many of today’s children and young people? And, how might this tragic trend be corrected? The answer to these questions is essentially the same. It begins in the home. The Bible teaches that certain people and institutions deserve the utmost respect. For example, God commanded that the elderly be respected, when Moses wrote, “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:32). Government, with its rulers and representatives, and authority figures in society, such as teachers, deserve respect (Rom.13:1-7; I Peter 2:17). And, most importantly, God deserves our respect (Ps. 89:7; Heb 12:28). The place where children are to learn to respect these people and institutions is in the home. It is for this reason that such emphasis is placed upon children respecting and honoring their parents. Paul wrote, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:1-4). If children are not taught to respect their parents, who are the first authority figures in their lives, what are the chances that when they are older they will respect the elderly, school teachers, governing authorities, elders in the church, or God? This is the reason that such stiff penalties were levied against disrespectful children under the Law of Moses (Lev. 20-9; Deut. 21:18-21). Children who did not learn respect in the home would threaten to undermine the very foundation upon which society is built. This is precisely what we are seeing in our world today. Parents, if you want your children to live happy, productive lives, and if you want to help build a better world, demand respect from your children, and teach them to respect God, their elders, and those in authority.

Theological Basis for Opposing Abortion

Publish Date: Thu Nov 13 09:42:49 MST 2008
Author: Dr. Mark S. Krause, Westwood Hills Christian Church

Gary Wills, Professor of History at Northwestern University and author on historical religious topics, has recently claimed that since Scripture is silent on the issue of abortion, its validity must be decided by science and reason. Is this valid?

Wills correctly understands that in the USA, the Christians who oppose abortion are largely either Evangelicals or Roman Catholics. I can only speak from the evangelical camp. Evangelicals believe that the Bible is the final authority for human behavior and the ultimate source for theological understanding. While Thomas Aquinas and the writings of the popes may offer various insights into this issue, they do not trump Scripture for Evangelicals in this or any other discussion.

I have software that allows me to do very quick word searches for all or part of the Bible in many different translations and in the original languages. It is true that if I do a search for the word “abortion,” I will get no results. But Wills engages in logical fallacy if he claims that this type of silence means that the theological principles of the Bible have no bearing on the abortion debate. This fallacy is pushed to the extreme with implication that perceived silence implies permission.

The Bible teaches throughout that human beings are essentially different from all other life forms because they alone bear the Imago Dei, the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Murder is not forbidden simply because it destroys life. Murder is taboo because “in his own image God made humankind” (Genesis 9:6). This is why Christians view human life as sacred. This is why Christians seek to defend the weak and preserve the dignity of the helpless, because every human life has value.

The Bible also teaches that God knows each person whether that person acknowledges God or not. The psalmist wrote that God recognized him while still in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-13). The Prophet Jeremiah understood that God knew him and consecrated him as a prophet before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5). The bottom line for this is that our personhood is defined by our relationship with God, and this relationship begins before birth. God knows and loves us throughout our lives and in spite of our rebellion against God’s will.

From a theological standpoint, abortion, then, is deliberate and calculated destruction of the image of God. It is taking away that which we have no right to take. It is more than disposal of unwanted tissue. It is stealing life that is precious to God.

It may be of interest to challenge Wills on a non biblical basis, too. Scientists have told us that evolution is driven by the survival of the species. Survival depends upon reproduction. Therefore, females instinctively protect their young, their children. For a mother willingly to assent to the death of a child, even an unborn, goes against everything that species survival seems to teach. Nature itself cries out against abortion. The only possible way this could happen is through the existence of human free will, which has no logical explanation or purpose in the natural order.

The human capacity for free will is also a door into some of the philosophical underpinnings of the abortion debate. Our current postmodern variety of understandings is the progeny of the experiential horse that philosophy rode in the last half of the twentieth century.

Existentialism and its cousins posited that our personhood was defined by our experiences and our choices. We were the sum total of choices we had made, and life was never more authentic than when we were able to choose our destiny. The greatest evil, we were taught in the 1960s, was no longer disobedience, but denial of choice. This later morphed into the current version of intolerance as heinous evil, for intolerance is always an attempt to control the choices of other people. It is no accident, then, that the pro-abortion movement styles itself as “pro-choice.” Choice itself becomes more precious than life.In the end, Evangelicals understand abortion to be a deeply theological issue, no matter what Dr. Wills might claim. One’s view of God will influence what one believes in this debate. If you are a non-theist, you must ask what God thinks about abortion. The options available to you are that God doesn’t care about abortion, or that God does care. Evangelicals believe that God does care.

~ Dr. Mark S. Krause, Westwood Hills Christian Church

Note: This is a slightly modified version of a letter I sent to the Los Angeles Times in response to the column by Gary Wills entitled “Battling abortion isn’t a holy war,” printed November 4, 2007. The Times declined to print my letter. Wills’ original essay may be found at: www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-willls4nov04.07799993.story?coll+la-opinion-center.

Abe Announces Retirement From the Pulpit

Publish Date: Fri Sep 19 17:44:52 MST 2008
Author: Eastside Elders

Abe Miller has advised the Elders and the congregation of his plans to retire from full time work as Pulpit Minister. The effective date will be the first of the year — January 2009. Abe has emphasized to the Elders and to the Eastside congregation that there are no problems leading to this decision but that he just needs to get away from the full schedule he is working.

Abe has been offered an opportunity by the Elders to remain on, working part time as minister to the Senior Seekers, and we are pleased to announce that Abe has accepted the leadership for the Seniors work. The Senior Seekers have become such a vital part of our congregation that we did not want that ministry to suffer losses without a minister to devote time to the Seniors.

The Elders have begun a search for a replacement for the Pulpit Minister position. We will be interviewing both internal and external candidates. We are asking your input as to ministers you know who are looking to make a move or that you feel would be good for our congregation. Deacons and their wives will assist the Elders and their wives in the interviewing process with the candidates and their wives.

Please take the time to thank Abe and Shirley and tell them how much they have meant to you and thank them for their willingness to continue to serve. Feel free to ask any of the Elders if you have questions.

Eastside Elders

Capture

Publish Date: Thu Sep 04 10:51:00 MST 2008
Author: Wesley Cornwell

Capture 2008!

On Wednesday August 13, the youth group “captured” the incoming 6th graders. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the capture, let me give you a brief summary. The youth group went to each of the incoming 6th graders’ houses (or where they were spending the evening) and “kidnapped” them. Once all of the 6th graders had been captured, everyone went back to the church where we played games, ate, and spent the night. The youth group does this as a fun way to initiate the 6th graders.

Capture this year was incredible fun, I think, for everybody. The first person we captured was Hannah Reed. When we got to her friend’s house, where she was “staying” the night, we found her face covered in what looked like tribal war paint, but was actually lipstick. Also especially memorable was when we captured Eleanor Carre. We ran into her living room to find her in a pink bathrobe and pajamas. The other 6th graders we kidnapped, William Edwards, Carly Rind and Gabby Govert, were equally surprised to see us. Hopefully each of them feels welcomed and accepted into the youth group and will enjoy being a part of it.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:7

Saved By the Bible

Publish Date: Thu Sep 04 10:38:36 MST 2008
Author: Abe Miller, Senior Minister

This story came across my desk a week ago that is worthy of sharing in order to illustrate a point:

“Ten days ago, Pfc. Brendon Schweigart, age 22, was on a mission to recover a tank that had broken down in Bagdad, Iraq. Upon reaching the tank, he was struck in the chest by a sniper’s bullet. Fortunately for Schweigart, the bullet embedded itself into a Bible he carried in his shirt pocket. The Word of God had quite literally saved his life!”

Mr. Schweigart’s experience reminds me of a passage in the Bible. “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (James 1:21).

Pfc. Brendon Schweigart learned that keeping a Bible near your heart can literally save your life, but more important than that, keeping The Word in your heart will also be able to stop the attacks of the Devil and will save your soul.

No, the Bible cannot save your soul. The message contained in the Bible can save your soul providing you believe it and allow it to create faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. A saving faith recognizes our need for salvation from sin. Salvation is a word that expresses deliverance. For example God used Moses to lead His people out of Egypt after 430 years of cruel treatment. After there observance of the Passover Moses lead them to the Red Sea where God again miraculously opened up the Sea so Moses and Israel cold walk through the waters on dry ground. After which Pharaoh and army followed them into the sea and the waters destroyed them.

So Israel had a physical salvation from Pharaoh and his army. This was God’s deliverance. In the same way the Apostle Paul uses this historical event to illustrate for us spiritual salvation. In (I Corinthians 10:1-2) “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”

With faith in Jesus Christ as our Passover and Deliverer we to can have confidence that God will do the same for us. As the Red Sea was the demarcation for Israel so our baptism is our demarcation from Satan’s territory. Just as the Passover fore shadowed the crucifixion of Jesus as our Passover, so the crossing of the Red Seas fore shadows our baptism. That is salvation by faith through the blood and the water. That is life in Christ!

Yes, the Bible can benefit us physically, and above all spiritually and save us eternally.

The Distinctive Nature of the Church of Jesus Christ Bulletin 33

Publish Date: Thu Aug 21 10:11:26 MST 2008
Author: Abe Miller, Senior Minister

We live in a world of pluralism where one is as good as another. Therefore, whoever steps out and says no to this philosophy is a bigot. I for one declare that “Pluralism” is contrary to the distinctive teaching of Scripture. The Scriptures do not blend all religious belief systems together and form one big union as this teaching tries to proclaim. Pluralism is popular in both the secular and the religious communities. Much of our legislation that is enacted these days is based on this doctrine. Consequently, there are laws enacted that discriminate against Christian beliefs. An example is in the way the secular mind tries to interpret “Separation of church and state.” In the same way, there are those in the religious community who take the position that just because it is called a church we must all work together because we are all working toward the same goal.

Well, before I go any further, let me make clear, I am not a bigot. I don’t want to sound as though I believe that there is one church that has it all together; therefore, that one church would be the only true church. On the other hand, I do not believe that because a group calls itself a church we must automatically accept them as a part of the Church of Jesus Christ.

What is the “distinctive nature” of the church of Christ Jesus? It is clear that Jesus built the church (Mt. 16:18). Therefore, it is distinctive from anyone else who would make a claim otherwise. It is distinctive from any atheistic belief system. Atheism denies the divine origin of the Bible. To the atheists, there was no God who existed prior to the Bible, God who produced the Bible and protected it from its avowed and persistent enemies. The church is distinctive from atheism in that it accepts creation as outlined in Genesis 1 and in scores of other biblical references. Atheists reject both the Creator and His creation.

The church of Jesus Christ is also distinctive from Idolatry. Over and over, the Bible declares in no uncertain terms the doctrine of monotheism. The Bible recognizes the existence of idol gods without giving any credence to their validity. The Bible refers to the God of the Scriptures as “the true and living God,” as opposed to the idol gods that are referred to as “dead gods,” because they are inanimate objects.

The church is distinctive from Judaism. While the church was born out of Judaism, it has no spiritual fellowship with present day Judaism. Of course, there are various branches of Judaism today. There are at least three in number: 1) Reformed Jews who for all practical purposes see the Torah as just a history book. 2) The Orthodox Jews who cling to the Torah in a very legal way and do not give credence to the New Testament. 3) There are the Messianic Jews who believes Jesus has come, and they have a deep regard for Jesus as Savior. However, they have one foot in each covenant. Of course, Christians see the Old Testament as fulfilled by the New Testament.

The church must always be seen as a distinctive entity as we have pointed out. Next week we will notice other distinctions. The church as an entity is totally unique.

Many Ways to Heaven Bulletin 32

Publish Date: Thu Aug 21 08:56:09 MST 2008
Author: Abe Miller, Senior Minister

We have all heard that there are different ways to heaven. There are times I wonder if there are people among us, in our fellowship, that might believe it. When people live uncommitted lives, could that be an implication that they may believe that God will take their uncommitted self and allow them into His heaven? Or if people float from one religion to another, are they not declaring by their action that they believe there are many ways to heaven?

Is Jesus the only way to heaven? Do we really believe that? Or are we afraid that people will see us as too narrow minded? Was Jesus narrow minded when He declared that He is the way, the truth, and the life? That’s quite narrow, wouldn’t you say? It is not only narrow, it is also exclusive. But it is not bigoted! Nor is it egotistical! It is the truth because Jesus is the very essence of truth.

The Associated Press reported the following: “We remain a nation of believers, but most don’t feel their religion is the only way to eternal life.” Fifty-seven percent of evangelical church attendees polled said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, which is in conflict with the biblical teaching, as well as the church of the past. “The survey shows religion in America is 3,000 miles wide and only three inches deep,” said D. Michael Lindsay, a Rice University sociologist of religion.

Without going into a long sermon with verses, charts, diagrams and a poem, Jesus Christ is Creator, Sustainer, Messiah, Savior of man’s soul, and ruler of the universe. It is impossible to study the Bible honestly and impartially without coming to that conclusion.

As New Testament Christians (is there any other?), we must believe, without hesitation that Jesus is the only way to attain salvation. I proclaim this with great humility and respect for Jesus and the Holy Scriptures. Earlier I quoted Jesus in (John 14:6) He is not saying, “I am a way, I am a truth, I am a life, “as the pluralist would say. Because He is “The Way,” there is no going without Him. Because He is “The Truth,” there is no knowing without Him. Because He is “The Life,” there is no living without Him. So then, all others who might claim that “there are many ways to heaven” must be false ways.

The Humility of Jesus, Bulletin 31

Publish Date: Tue Aug 05 11:38:02 MST 2008
Author: Jacobs W. Byers

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name.” (Philippians 2:5-9)

Jesus was a perfect pattern in every phase of humanity. His example of humility is the standard for us. We see His example to us corresponds with God’s requirement of us. The Father could not have fulfilled His design in the Son, had He not kept under His mighty hand every moment. Jesus acknowledged that he could of Himself do nothing. It was the Father that dwelt in Him who did the work, but that work could never have been done through Him had He not humbled Himself to every precept of the Father’s will.

Notice in the text, we are told what He did with Himself. God did not humble Him nor compel Him to take this lowly position. He did it Himself, of His own free will. He “made himself of no reputation,” (Philippians 2:7) and “humbled himself.” From the highest reputation in heaven, He descended to the lowest plane of no reputation on earth. From the exalted position of equality with God in heaven, He descended to the plane of the most humble servant on earth. He truly counted all things of honor and advantage but loss for the blessed privilege of doing the Father’s will to redeem us unto God.

Now there is no question about this being a great humiliation to Him. His servant life on earth was one of continual self-denial and hardship. Think of it, the Son of God, the most honored of heaven, taking a place on earth as a homeless mortal, even below the foxes and birds, not having a place to lay his head. When He had accomplished His mission on earth in going about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, He humbled Himself yet more and took the place of the most dishonored of earth, being numbered with the transgressors, and dying on the cross. Greater humiliation cannot be comprehended.

Thank God, we see the exaltation of Jesus was in proportion with His humiliation. He humbled Himself under the mighty hand of God and was exalted in due time. Now He speaks through His apostle Peter to us with the command to humble ourselves likewise, and as in the text, we are admonished to let this same mind be in us—this same humility that can cheerfully allow the footsteps of Jesus into every detail of our Father’s will. As He came to do the will of God, so we must do the same. We may never be called to die as cruel or shameful a death as He did, and it is impossible that God’s purpose in our death could ever be what it was in that of our Redeemer. But it is very clearly set forth in His will concerning us that our life should be completely yielded up to Him for service or sacrifice, just as He may be the most glorified thereby.

The very least that we possibly can do for Jesus, to be consistent with His great love wherewith He loved us, and our profession of love to Him is to yield ourselves up to the will of God as freely for Him as He did for us—to humble ourselves as willingly under the mighty hand of God for Jesus’ sake as He did for our sakes. If we can share with Him in His humility, we may also share with Him proportionately in His exaltation. In His prayer He says, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou has given me.” (John 17:24) First, the humiliation, then the exaltation. The one we must do ourselves through grace. The other God does for us.

Oh, let us follow our blessed Example, the meek and lowly One, that we may be able to perfectly represent Him in this sinful world!

The Will of God, Bulletin 30

Publish Date: Tue Aug 05 11:26:18 MST 2008
Author: Unknown

The Will of God

The will of God will never take you,

Where the grace of God cannot keep you,

Where the arms of God cannot support you,

Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,

Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you,

Where the spirit of God cannot work through you,

Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,

Where the army of God cannot protect you,

Where the hands of God cannot mold you. The will of God will never take you,

Where the love of God cannot enfold you,

Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,

Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,

Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,

Where the Word of God cannot feed you,

Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,

Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

~Author Unknown

God Allows U-Turns, Bulletin 29

Publish Date: Tue Aug 05 11:17:13 MST 2008
Author: Abe Miller, Senior Minister

It is my understanding that the State of Arizona has a law that makes U-turns legal. For those of us who are not used to that law, it would be uncomfortable to make a U-turn even knowing it is legal. That is so because we are not used to it. In many places, it is strictly forbidden.

There are bumper stickers that proclaim, “God allows u-turns.” What a great message that is! That is what repentance is all about (Act 8:22). When you discover that you are going in the wrong direction, you repent and make a u-turn in your life. Before you were traveling away from God, now you are headed in His direction.

Jesus further illustrated the idea of a u-turn in Matthew 21:28-29 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later changed his mind (repented) and went.” Repentance, as Jesus stated it, literally means you are traveling in the wrong direction and when you recognize that, you turn around and head in the right direction.

There is more good news. God does not limit us to just one u-turn in our lifetime. We can make as many as is necessary to keep us going in the right direction (I John 1:7-10). Repentance is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process. In other words, every time I have an evil thought, or say things I should not say, etc. I must repent, make a u-turn and get my thoughts going in the right direction. Paul said it in a little different way, “I die daily.” That is, he had to die to the desire of doing what was not becoming of him as a Christian. The good news is God accepts our u-turn every time we are truly sorry for our actions.

Folks that are perfect never need to make corrections in their life. But the fact is none of us are in that category, although some seem to act as though they are. Since we all sin (Romans 3:23), we all need to repent of those sins (Acts 17:30). If this is your situation, then we urge you to change your heart and change your life. Make the u-turn and get right with God. It is legal; it is right; it is necessary if you want to live eternally in heaven

The Center of the Christian Assembly

Publish Date: Thu Jul 10 11:25:36 MST 2008
Author: Dr. Mark S. Krause

As one reads the New Testament in regards to the worship assembly, it becomes apparent that everything that happened centered around the Lord’s Supper. This is true because the Lord’s Supper centers around the cross. So our preaching and teaching and our singing must be cross centered. Even our financial giving must be cross motivated. The following article gives us a historical perspective of the Lord’s Supper and how the churches moved away from weekly communion. As a result, preaching became the center of their assemblies. We will be able to see through the reformation movement of the 1800’s how preaching and weekly communion were both preserved. The following was written by Dr. Mark S. Krause from Westover Hills Church in Los Angles, California.

It would be a mistake, however, to believe that the New Testament presents the Lord’s Supper in simple purity, while the post-New Testament era begins a fall into confusion. As the famous scholar C. K. Barrett noted, even in the New Testament era there appears to have been a “good deal of variety in the way in which Christians observed their common meal.”

Why, then, is there such variety in the frequency and method for celebration of the Lord’s Supper among churches? This is a complex historical issue, and there are different factors that come into play in each church’s tradition. However, I believe there are a couple of significant things coming out of the Protestant Reformation that help us understand this variety. Before this time (the 16th century), I know of no churches that did not celebrate the Lord’s Supper each week if they were able to do so.

To understand the Reformers’ position on the Lord’s Supper, one must understand what the European church of the late renaissance believed and practiced. In the pre-Reformation period, there was only one church in Europe—what we call today the Roman Catholic Church. Europe was considered “Christendom” and the political leader was called the “Holy Roman Emperor.” The Catholic church carefully guarded the Lord’s Supper (also called “Mass “ or the “Eucharist”). It could be celebrated only by an ordained priest. In the ceremony, the priest was believed to pray in a way in which the bread and wine were miraculously turned into the true body and blood of Christ. This is called transubstantiation. The priest would say the Latin words “Hoc est Corpus meum (This is my Body).” The superstitious church people of this day saw this as a magical act, and these holy words were unfortunately corrupted by the common people to “hocus-pocus,” terms for magic. The mass involved a re-enactment of the sacrifice of Christ, his body broken and blood shed. For this reason, the table used was called the “altar,” the place for sacrifice. Much of this is still true in the Catholic Church today, although in America, the superstitious aspect is minimal.

The Catholic Church of this period considered the Eucharist to be a sacrament in the sense that ongoing participation was necessary for one to achieve salvation. Excommunication meant more than being dismissed from a church. It meant denial of participation in the sacrament, and, therefore, damnation. Since there were no other churches, an ex-communicant was in dire straights. This power was used in political ways by the bishops of the church in order to curb dissent and compel obedience. The Lord’s Supper too often became a tool for church control rather than a meaningful celebration of fellowship and remembrance.

This and other abuses were the grievances that led Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, and others to “protest” and eventually withdraw from the Catholic Church. Once they made the break, they were free to establish their own traditions when it came to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Luther remained quasi-Catholic in his understanding of the Supper, and Lutherans generally celebrate weekly, even today. The Church of England broke from the Roman church for reasons other than doctrine, so the Anglican and Episcopal churches also retain the weekly celebration of the Eucharist.

Churches which came out of John Calvin’s “Reformed” branch of the Reformation (sometimes called the Swiss Reformation) did not see any spiritual reality in the Lord’s Supper. For them, it was strictly a memorial ritual, and they had no theological purpose for celebrating it weekly. Much more important in the Reformed tradition was the Ministry of the Word. Because the Catholic Church had not allowed the common people to have free access to Scripture, the people of the Reformed congregations were hungry for the Bible preaching and teaching. They rejected the weekly mass as superstitious “popery,” and elevated preaching to the purpose for meeting each week. Some churches relegated the Lord’s Supper to an annual event. Others chose to celebrate it monthly or quarterly. A few, such as the Quakers, quit celebrating the Lord’s Supper altogether.

The Christian Churches of which our church is a part arose out of this Reformed tradition, primarily the Presbyterian church of Scotland. The early leaders, however, rediscovered the biblical pattern for weekly celebration. They saw no need to make it a priestly, superstitious event, but rather a time of fellowship when the members of the body of Christ met around His table. Yet they retained the Reformed emphasis upon preaching, so we have both in our church.

Bulletin Survey

Publish Date: Thu Jul 10 11:20:14 MST 2008
Author:

Bulletin Survey

Dear Reader,

The purpose of this survey is to gather some feedback about the bulletin. The cost of materials, equipment, rental, maintenance and labor are significant, so we are considering ways to reduce cost and ways to move toward 21^st century modes of communication. We also wish to learn if there are people who no longer really want to be on our mailing list. Please return this questionnaire to Eastside within one week of receiving it. You may either 1) mail it back or 2) place it in the box provided on the Welcome Center. Your response is important to us and we value your input. We want to use the bulletin to keep you well informed regarding Eastside activities and members’ needs and prayer requests. Thank you and have a blessed week! The Eastside EldersEastside Church of Christ4025 College AvenueTerre Haute, IN 47803

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