Funding the Work of the Church

I need to know how does the Church decide where the tithes go poor offering and such. Is there a formula for the dispercement of these monies or does each Church make their own determination of how these monies are spent. Thank you very much in advance. ~ Anthony Watson, Brookshire, Tx Rather than “tithes” or a strict ten percent, the New Testament commands freewill giving upon the first day of every week. This giving ought to be representative of one’s prosperity. “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). This giving is further regulated to be according as one purposes, but liberal giving is encouraged. “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Some of the reasons for which collections are to be taken include benevolence (Romans 15:25) and the support of Gospel preachers (1 Corinthians 9:3-14). Any endeavor that corresponds to the biblically designated mission of the church may be the recipient of expense money derived from the weekly collection. Essentially, the …

Religious Holidays: Easter

I am bothered about the way it is announced in the church bulletin about the coming anniversary of the Resurrection? Am I wrong in that this religious holiday is from man’s creation and not from God? I am thinking of not staying that day for the preaching and leaving after the Supper. ~ Alfred Vidal, Jr., Chula Vista, CA The religious holiday of Easter by which mankind intends to celebrate the resurrection of Christ is not biblical in origin. EASTER —  originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occured at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the translation of the Greek pascha (the Passover). When the Authorized Version (1611) was formed, the word “passover” was used in all passages in which this word pascha occurred, except in Act 12:4. In the Revised Version [American Standard Version, ASV] the proper word, “passover,” is always used.[1] EASTER, a word used in the Germanic languages to denote the festival of the vernal equinox, and subsequently, with the coming of Christianity, to denote the anniversary of the resurrection of Christ (which in Gk. and Romance tongues is denoted by pascha, ‘Passover’, and its derivatives). Tyndale, Coverdale and others give ‘Easter’ as a rendering of pascha, and one example survives in av, at Acts 12:4 (‘after Easter’, where rv [American Standard Version, …

Public Prayers by Women

Brother Rushmore: My name is Michael Moore. I am a member of the Mid Valley church of Christ in Sandy, Utah. (a suburb of Salt Lake). Last August the congregation we attended decided they were going to allow women to pray in public while men were present. What was odd; they used I Corinthians 11 and I Timothy 2 as the authority to do so. The issue was discussed and studied with the elders but they would not change their stance. Needless to say there was a split and hence the Mid Valley congregation was formed. To make a long story short, last October a young man became available to become our evangelist but we needed help to pay him. (which we came up short on) While we solicited support from congregations we were familiar with I received a response that surprised me. A congregation in Rogers, Arkansas replied that we could not use I Corinthians 11 against women praying since there are no longer prophets. Their reply was that I Corinthians 11 only dealt with women prophesying with their heads uncovered…do we force them to cover their heads today was their reply. My understanding is that, yes, there are no longer prophets (contrary to what the LDS believe here in Salt Lake) but Paul was correcting the Church at Corinth for allowing the women to have authority over the men. I have studied many different articles, and talked to different evangelist around the States. I have formed an opinion …

Female Preachers

Fully appreciating those scriptures that forbid females to preach, I still very much profit spiritually from virtually all of the contemporary female preachers whom I watch on T.V. In doing so, am I breaking the law of God? Is this law (I Corinthians 14:35) in harmony with the needs of contemporary believers and the socio-cultural conditions in which we live? Is the Bible out of sync on this issue? If it is, how can this be so if he word of God is divine and infallible? This concerns me chiefly because I’m catching flack from my fellow Baptists! I personally find it ludicrous in this day and time to forbid female preaching. God knows His churches and His followers want and need all the inspiration, teaching, and hope that is available. ~ S. C. Surratt, (An Unhappy Independent Baptist) Winston-Salem, NC It is true, of course, that the New Testament prohibits females from teaching or preaching under circumstances where they thereby subject males to them. “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church” (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to …

My Father’s Business

A businesslike approach to the work of the church should result in the same kind of success experienced in the corporate world.  As we set out, as Jesus did, to do our “Father’s business,” we can learn a lot from the success of those businesses who practice “strategic management.” Beginning with a “business plan,” a successful company first formulates a mission statement.  The mission statement of the church is in Ephesians 3:10, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” Once a mission statement is devised, goals and objectives are established to accomplish the mission of the company.  The Bible has set these goals and objectives for us.  In Ephesians 4:11-16, we can see all three of the main objectives of the church.  In verse 12, we read of the “work of ministry,” as well as the “edifying of the body of Christ,” and in verse 16, “increase of the body.”  These are the main objectives to making known the manifold wisdom of God: ministry (or good works), edification of the body (or the church) and growth (evangelism).  This list is not given, however, in the order of first importance. Without internal strength, the work becomes weak and ineffectual; thus, edification of the body must be the first priority.  When Paul penned the letter to the Ephesians, he stipulated that this work was placed in the hands of various men: Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, …

Who Should Lead Our Worship?

God has always expected those who lead in worship and service to be faithful to him. Sadly, that is not always the case and some are even advocating and encouraging those that are unfaithful to be leaders. Those that advocate such argue that if we give responsibility to the unfaithful, they will become faithful. They say if we get them to teach a Bible class, lead a prayer, or serve on the Lord’s Table that will get them to attend. Brethren, that is getting the cart before the horse. Paul’s purpose in writing his first letter to Timothy was “that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God” (1 Timothy 3:15). These words do not apply just to Timothy but to all fellow workers in the household of faith. Paul wanted Timothy to know how Christians ought to behave in the church so that he could instruct the church in these matters. Concerning men who lead in worship, Paul writes, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8). First, notice that Paul’s instruction does not merely apply to the worship assembly but to worship wherever and whenever it is offered. Because of the context, we can be sure that prayer is used as a synecdoche (“a figure of speech by which we speak of the whole by a part . . .” ¾ Duncan) representing all five avenues of worship. Second, notice that the instruction …

The Creeds And Confusion Of Christendom

Christendom is the name used to refer to the many churches that propose to follow Christ, but are divided into about three hundred denominational groups. Each one teaches doctrines which separate it from all the others. Each has its own creed. This is very confusing to many people and constitutes a barrier which has kept many from Christ. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). The Bible does not teach the contradictory doctrines and creeds of Christendom. We read in the Bible about the Lord’s church. It is not a denomination. It is not a conglomeration of factions. It is the body of Christ. Denominations were started over a long period of years because of failure to follow the Bible. The Bible contains the truth which makes people free and binds them in Christ, or in his one body which is his church. The confusion of Christendom did not emerge from the Bible. The Bible stresses unity. Jesus earnestly prayed that all who follow him be one as he and the Father are one (John 17). The holy apostle Paul, by the direction of the Holy Spirit, begged divided Christians to do away with divisions (1 Corinthians 1:10; 3:1-3). He also begged united Christians to put forth their best efforts to keep their unity in the bond of peace in the one body, which is the church for which Jesus gave himself (Ephesians 4:1-6; 5:25). Careless InterpretationOr Misinterpretation The Bible is in harmony with …

Praying for One Another

I am a member of the church at East Huntsville church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. As I was reading James 5:14-16, I started to wonder if an elder, or anyone, could pray for the forgiveness of my sins. I also wondered, if I had sinned for a long time, even until I was hardened to my sins, would I have to get a faithful person to rejoin me with God, or could I just pray to him in private for the forgiveness of my sins. This also made me wonder why when we go “forward” the preacher ask God to forgive us. Would God not forgive us, the erring sinner, if the preacher, or a faithful person didn’t intercede? James 5:14-18 reads as follows: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven …

Interracial Marriage

We received a question recently inquiring what, if anything, the Bible teaches regarding interracial marriage. After scouring the Bible for applicable passages, it appears that this is a subject about which mankind exhibits a greater degree of interest and concern than does our Creator and God. To be sure, interracial marriage has been and continues to be a societal taboo and a very emotionally charged topic. However, many interracial marriages that were formerly considered by some to be an affront to society are no longer considered so by most people. For instance, marriages between European settlers who occupied North America and native Americans was frowned upon for about the first 100 years, but now few people concern themselves with marriages between the ‘whiteman’ and the ‘redman.’ Following the 19th century wars that affected western nations and Asia countries (one of the last being the Viet Nam War), marriages between Caucasians and Asians are fairly commonplace and accepted. Apparently, the greater the distinction of the pigment of the skin between races, the more reluctant societal partisans are to appreciate interracial marriages. Yet, tens of thousands men and women from various races, including black and white, contract interracial marriages anyway each year. To be sure, societal pressures on such couples from their peers, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. contribute to the difficulties encountered by newlyweds that may severely test their marriages and result in divorce. Irrespective, though, of what may be socially acceptable or pragmatic, what biblical principles affect the topic of interracial marriages? Two possible biblical …

Studying the Bible

Study To Teach Others One of the fundamental laws of teaching is, “You cannot teach what you do not know.” Unfortunately, many believe the only criterion for being a teacher is the willingness to teach! This inevitably leads to the blind leading the blind (Matthew 15:14), so that ignorance begets ignorance which begets ignorance. Teaching others carries a great responsibility (James 3:1), and this responsibility includes knowing God’s Word well enough to communicate it to others. Thus, diligent study must go hand in hand with those who would teach. The writer of Hebrews said, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat” (Hebrews 5:12). How can we avoid having such a denunciation apply to us? Only through studying the Bible. Every Christian has the responsibility of taking the Gospel to the lost (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:18-20). Though some may not have the greatest ability and while some may be so young in the faith that they do not know much, neither of these works as an excuse. The responsibility to teach implies the responsibility to study in order to teach. Paul told Timothy, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). The Gospel is …

So Much To Think About, So Little Time (Part 3)

Two previous articles introduced the ideas behind personalities and discussed two of four personality types.  So far, the working choleric and the talking sanguine have been considered.  For each personality type, biblical examples have been introduced and application made to current living. The third group we need to examine contains the melancholies.  These people are the thinkers.  They are thoughtful, analytical and respectful.  All the strengths listed here belong to someone who is not nearly as aggressive as the sanguine or choleric.  This person is very sensitive to others.  He loves to make plans and tries to make everything in his life perfect.  These individuals are usually very creative. This group has its weakness also.  As the word melancholy suggests, this personality is very moody.  Often sad or depressed one moment, the individual may be happy and content the next.  The melancholies in life tend to be very pessimistic, critical and suspicious.  They are also insecure people who do not easily make friends.  However, when they do make friends, they make lasting friendships.  Melancholies are usually hard to please and fussy over details. A melancholy person is a self-sacrificing individual.  He will be a loyal friend no matter what it costs him.  This individual wants things done right or not at all and strives for perfection in all things.  He needs order and sensitivity in his life above all else.  If you encounter a perfectionist who is creative and moody, you have just met a melancholy person. A melancholy personality tends to be persistent, a perfectionist, pessimistic, depressed and revengeful.  What Bible figures come to mind regarding any of …

The Way

Buddhists would say yes. Hindus would say yes. Moslems would say yes. In fact, most of the world would say yes. The question is “Are you religious?” If, then, Christians answer this same question in the affirmative, what exactly do we mean by “religious?” It would appear that there exist different concepts of religion among those who attend the services of the Lord’s church. We are not concerning ourselves with what people say in this regard, rather with what they do. It is obvious by their actions that some view religion merely as something they do on a regular basis. Attending services is the beginning and end of their “religion.” They surround themselves with a false sense of security. They have convinced themselves that regular attendance relieves them of any other obligations. Whether they verbalize it or not, they view religion as isolated events, which they can perform on a regular basis. They then go home and are not concerned with Christianity until the next event takes place. This is the attitude, which dominated the “religion of the Jews” in the first century. They were concerned with little more than outward appearances. Their religion was limited to rituals, which they could perform with great fanfare. Jesus addressed this issue in Matthew 23:5-7. “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in …

May I Have This Dance?

With the Prom just around the corner many young people, as well as their parents, are asking the question of whether or not dancing is an activity in which they or their children ought to engage. Because there are many honest people who do not want to deliberately sin, I think it is imperative that we openly define sin, draw lines and expose activities that are at best questionable so that responsible decisions can be made. In answer to the question, “Is dancing wrong?” I must first answer “No.” Dancing is not an intrinsic evil. There is no sin in moving one’s feet to the rhythm of music. Not all dancing involves indecent dress, unchaste contact or illicit movement. In fact, the Bible records instances when righteous men danced as an expression of their joy (1 Chronicles 15:25-29; Luke 15:11-32). However, dancing that calls for close bodily contact between unmarried males and females is wrong. Dancing that involves indecent and suggestive bodily movements is wrong. And dancing that involves impure handling of a dance partner is wrong. The kind of dancing that God’s Word condemns is the kind of dancing that stirs one to have impure thoughts and act in impure ways. That is the problem with most of the dancing that takes place today. Its appeal is sex. Now, there is nothing wrong with sexual attraction. In fact, sexual attraction is a perfectly healthy matter that God created and put within us. However, that attraction must be kept within …

Learning Self-Control

Always Stay in Rank You have probably seen pictures of soldiers. You may have seen a movie with soldiers in it. Soldiers serve their country by fighting to protect it. They are trained to be the best at what they do. Sometimes they train very hard so that they can undergo the worst conditions and still be able to fight well. The military has a strict set of rules. All of the soldiers must follow these rules. And there is a set protocol. This means that the lowest level of soldiers (low rank) must follow what their leader (high rank) says. And that leader must follow what his leader says. The following of protocol and rules is very important. If everyone does what they are supposed to do, then the military has a good chance of winning the battles when they occur. But sometimes there is a soldier who decides he does not want to follow the rules or the protocol. He may decide it is not necessary for him to do certain things according to the rules. Or he may decide he knows better how to do something than the person leading him. So, this soldier does what he wants to do. This is called “breaking rank.” We are called soldiers of Christ (2 Timothy 2:3). Christ is the head of our army. We are to follow his rules and regulations. We are to stay in rank with the protocols he has established to rule the church. He tells …

Shiloh the Peacemaker

Text: Genesis 49:8-12 Introduction: 1.         The fourth and final prophecy dealing with the Messianic theme to be found in the Book of Genesis is found in chapter forty-nine, verses eight through twelve. 2.         This is in the context of Jacob’s final predictions regarding his sons just previous to his death. 3.         If we are counting correctly, this prophecy can be dated somewhere about 1860 B.C. 4.         “Jacob fathered twelve sons. With the prophecy of Genesis 49:10 eleven-twelths [sic] of the lineage of Jacob was eliminated from being the line through which the Messiah would come.”[1] 5.         Up to this point God, through his prophets, has told us that the Messiah would be born of a woman (Genesis 3:15); that he would be divine and dwell in the tents of Shem (Genesis 9:26); that he would come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3 et al); and in the prophecy of Genesis 49:10, God narrows the tribe from which the Christ would come to that of Judah. 6.         It was normal in the days when these great Patriarchs lived upon the earth for the eldest son to have a special position at the time the inheritance was divided at the death of a father. 7.         However, this was not the case among the descendants of Abraham as we see from noting that Isaac was not the first-born of Abraham, that Jacob was not the first-born of Isaac, since Esau was born some minutes before his twin brother Jacob. 8.         Under the guidance of the blessed Holy Spirit …

The Way of Cain

In the major portion of the fourth chapter of the Book of Genesis, we have recorded a history of one of the sons of Adam and Eve whose name was Cain. The story most remembered from this chapter is, of course, the story of Cain’s killing his brother Abel because of his jealousy over the fact that God accepted the offering of Abel and rejected the offering of Cain. Due to the fact that Cain committed this horrendous crime, he was banished to the “land of Nod,” where his wife bore him children, and a whole family of people descended from him. Here, in the land of Nod, polygamy began when Lamech, the great, great, great grandson of Cain took two wives. The life of Cain becomes very interesting to those of us who are Christians because when Jude, half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, wrote the little book of the New Testament that bears his name, he spoke of certain evils that had arisen in the early church as a result of a certain type of false teacher. Of these false teachers, who had crept in unnoticed, Jude said, “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.” While it would be very interesting to notice what the error of Balaam was, and how the false teachers were rebelling against God as had the people of Israel in the days …

The Role of Women in the Church

Discussion of “The Role of Women in the Church” treats the topic of subjection, though only a single facet of that God-appointed chain of authority; excepting God the Father, everyone is subordinate to someone else (1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Hebrews 2:8). “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3). “It is just as wrong for a woman to take man’s place as it is for man to take Christ’s place” (Lottie Novak).  The church is subject to Christ (Ephesians 1:22; 5:24); all men are subject to “the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3; James 4:7); everyone is subject to governments (Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13); and, children are subject to parents (Luke 2:51; Hebrews 12:9). Further, it cannot be denied that the Bible also plainly teaches that women are subject to men (1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:3). And, Scripture abundantly denotes that wives are required to be subordinate to their own husbands (Ephesians 5:22-25; Colossians 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:5-6), even if their husbands are not Christians (1 Peter 3:1).  The “Role of Women in the Church” or the home is only controversial to those who exhibit diminished respect for the authority of God and his Holy Word! Christians who reject the subordinate role of women despise “sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1, 4-5) and blaspheme the Word of God (Titus 2:5)!  The subjection of women to men is a divinely given …

The Waters for the Flood

“And the waters prevailed upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered” (Genesis 6:19-20). Many skeptics and some Christians alike have questioned where all of the water came from when God flooded the earth. I suppose that this is a question that is probably reasonable for anyone to ask, because that is a lot of water. It is exceedingly hard to imagine how every inch of the earth could be covered to a height of 15 cubits. Let’s look at what God says caused the flood upon the earth. “And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth . . .” (Genesis 6:17). Just this one statement would be enough of an explanation if it were all we had, because the Almighty can do anything he wants to do. But, the Lord has given further information about where the water came from. “. . . the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Genesis 7:11). This description of two great bodies of water, one in “the great deep” and the other in the “windows of heaven” tells where all of the water came from. It has also led to the theorizing about an earlier description of the earth in Genesis 1. “And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament …

Great Dragons: The Dinosaurs

“And God created great ‘dragons,’ and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:21). One of the most fascinating of God’s creations was the dinosaur. Which of us has not marveled at the immense size and fierce construction of these mammoths and wondered what it would have been like to live when they did? Their fossils are spread all the way around the globe and the fascination with them continues. But for the creationist, there would seem to be some problems. Did they really exist? Where is the mention of their creation? How could they have lived when man did? Were dinosaurs on the ark? Why have they become extinct? Let’s look at a little of what we do know about the dinosaurs. First, they are the creation of God; they did exist in living form and not just as created fossils as some would have us believe. Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” So, they are the creation of God. In the Book of Genesis, we can see the record of their creation. In verse 21, God creates “tannin”; this word was incorrectly translated “whale” by the King James translators. They could not translate it correctly because they did not know what a …

A Decent Devil?

“It is notable that nearly all the poisonous fungi are scarlet or speckled and the wholesome ones brown or grey, as if to show us that things rising out of darkness and decay are always most deadly when they are well dressed.” ~ Ruskin Some people think that if you believe in the devil, you never really graduated from childhood. Or as one put it, “Belief in a personal Satan is part of mankind’s nursery furniture.” Others believe in a quasi-devil who is really not as bad as everybody makes him out to be. He’s pictured as a red-suited, pointed-horned, long-tailed, fun-loving cartoon character in Hollywood films and Saturday Night Live skits. The Bible, however, is not unclear about his existence or evil intentions. It should be enough to say that Jesus acknowledged Satan and talked often of him (e.g., Matthew 25:41; John 8:44). Satan is found in the Bible 55 times (19 times in the Old Testament; 36 in the New Testament). Devil is found 59 times (all in the New Testament). Analyzing these texts gives us much detail about our enemy. Nature: What is Satan like? He is a slanderer (Job 1:7-8; Psalms 109:6). Devil means “slanderer” or “accuser.” He slandered Job, but take heart, God defended him. When Satan accuses us as Christians before God (or to ourselves), we should remember that Jesus defends us as our Advocate in heaven. A faithful Christian’s case is in good hands (1 John 2:1-2; Romans 8:31-39; Revelation 12:10)! He is a counterfeiter of God (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; 2 Corinthians …

The Parable of the Leaven

Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21 Introduction The Parable of the Leaven is one of the two “sandwich parables” that were mentioned in the previous lesson.  It is also one of seven kingdom parables presented by Jesus in Matthew Thirteen. The Parable “Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (Matthew 13:33). The word “leaven” means “sour dough.”  It is the fermented remnant of dough from a previous incident of baking bread. In ancient times leaven as a separate ingredient was not available as it is today.  In the leavening of bread, dough was kept over from a previous baking and inserted in the new mixture to ferment it. 1When I was a boy, my mother bought cakes (cubes) of yeast to make her bread rise.  Today, my wife buys dry yeast for the same purpose.  The bread that we commonly eat (loaf bread, sticky buns, etc.) is essentially leavened bread.  In contrast, the communion bread we eat lacks leaven or yeast and does not rise. Jesus used leaven in this parable to emphasize similar characteristics between leaven as it affects bread dough and an object that affects the kingdom of heaven.  Similarities include: (1) A small amount affects a larger mass.  (2) The effect is gradual and constant.  (3) Growth and progress are emphasized.  (4) Small beginnings are contrasted with substantial results.  (5) The effect occurs quietly or with little …