“Thus says the Lord: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it: then you will find rest for your souls” (Isaiah 6:16).
“Luther, beginning with an apostate Church sought to correct one by one the errors of the ages that were past. The doctrinal iniquity of justification by human merit first arrested his attention. He next denounced indulgences and questioned the papal power. He afterward abandoned the mass, and then renounced the celibacy of the priest, and finally defied openly the authority of Rome. It is true that in vindication of his reforms, which were mainly doctrinal, he appealed to the authority of Scripture, and for his justification placed the Scriptures in the hands of the people, but in these reforms he never fairly reached the apostolic age, nor did he fully restore the Gospel to the world, either in its simple faith, its sacred institutions, its divine promises or its ecclesiastical organization. Luther nobly struggled Backward through the corruption of the ages, but he ended only with St. Augustine in the 5th Century. It was the providential calling of Alexander Campbell and his co-laborers in the Restoration Movement to begin with Jesus and the apostolic church of the 1st Century and carry New Testament Christianity Forward to the current generation.”
(Robert Richardson – Adapted).
Martin Luther and his contemporaries among the Protestants of Europe carried on a Reformation. They were attempting to cut away the errors, man-made traditions, and false teachings from the Roman Catholic Church in order to have a purer form of Christianity. We do not fault them for what great efforts, courage, and accomplishments they achieved and demonstrated. But about as much of human content was left in the Church as was removed.
The Restoration Movement was a 19th Century attempt to recapture the primitive simplicity, original institutions and unity of the Church in the Bible. The idea was to return to the original blueprint and work forward. That is the philosophy, genius, and mission statement of Churches of Christ and Christian Churches. We may not have fully arrived yet, but success is available on a church-by-church, preacher-by-preacher, and member-by-member basis. If we take up our own Bible and work from it, in love, truth, sincerity, and good zeal, we will come a lot closer than one might imagine!
Without criticizing, condemning, or judging others, let us make a positive effort to search out the “Old Paths” and walk in them! The Lord will bless us when we do!
Larry Atkin, Preacher
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
"The Gospel According to You"
If none but you in the world today
Had tried to live in a Christlike way,
Could the rest of the world look close at you
And find the path that is straight and true?
If none but you in the world so wide
Had found the Christ for his daily guide,
Would the things you do and the things you say
Lead others to live in His blessed way?
Ah, friends of the Christ, in the world today
Are many who watch you upon your way,
And look to the things you say and do
To measure the Christian standard true!
Men read and admire the Gospel of Christ
With its love so unfailing and true,
But what do they say and what do they think
Of the Gospel according to you?
You are writing each day a letter to men—
Take care that the writing is true;
`Tis the only Gospel that some men will read,
That Gospel according to you.
--Author Unknown
Had tried to live in a Christlike way,
Could the rest of the world look close at you
And find the path that is straight and true?
If none but you in the world so wide
Had found the Christ for his daily guide,
Would the things you do and the things you say
Lead others to live in His blessed way?
Ah, friends of the Christ, in the world today
Are many who watch you upon your way,
And look to the things you say and do
To measure the Christian standard true!
Men read and admire the Gospel of Christ
With its love so unfailing and true,
But what do they say and what do they think
Of the Gospel according to you?
You are writing each day a letter to men—
Take care that the writing is true;
`Tis the only Gospel that some men will read,
That Gospel according to you.
--Author Unknown
Monday, April 13, 2009
"IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN?"
“Now it came to pass, that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper parts, came to Ephesus: and finding there some disciples, he said to them, Have you, on your believing, received the Holy Spirit? And they replied to him, No; we have not so much as heard whether the Holy Spirit is received. And he said to them, Into what, then, were you immersed? And they said, Into John’s immersion. And Paul said John, indeed, administered the immersion of reformation, telling the people that they should believe in Him that was to come after him: that is, in Jesus. And hearing this, they were immersed into the name of the Lord Jesus. And Paul, laying his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied. And they were, in all, about twelve men.” (Acts 19:1-7 Alexander Campbell N.T.)
“These men, disciples of John the Baptist, were deficient in personal spiritual experience. So obvious was this fact that when Paul came into contact with them, he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Their answer was that they had not so much as heard whether the Holy Spirit had come. (“We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” NKJV). In view of John’s prediction that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit, it seems inconceivable that they had never heard His name; but they might never have heard of the fulfillment at Pentecost and the promise by Peter of the coming of the indwelling Comforter as God’s gift to believers. The reply of Paul proves that the baptism of John was insufficient to produce a full Christian experience, for the believer must not only repent of sin, he must also be filled with the Spirit.”
(Merrill C. Tenney – Adapted).
When the Spirit of God is absent from the heart of a person there is a definite emptiness which is obvious both to self and others. And how remarkable that missing element when occurring in the life of one who otherwise professes to be a thoroughgoing Christian, one who is even believing, repentant, and baptized (immersed)!
God intended it to be so different! His purpose in bestowing the gift of the Holy Spirit upon every Christian was to provide a superb inner resource to bless us in every way, to give us comfort when sad, courage when fearful, joy when grieving strength when weak, wisdom when confused, help when needed, deliverance when oppressed, understanding when studying, patience when on trial, skill when working and witnessing, power for growing, and hundreds of other aids in living for Christ and overcoming the world! We may not see the Spirit with our eyes, but His presence is unmistakable because of His activities in us and fellow Christians!
But what if the Spirit is missing in my life? What can a person do? He can do what the twelve disciples at Ephesus did—he can start over and do it right, by the grace of God! And if that is the case, why would we hesitate? The longer we wait the harder it will become.
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (II Corinthians 13:5).
Larry Atkin, Preacher
“These men, disciples of John the Baptist, were deficient in personal spiritual experience. So obvious was this fact that when Paul came into contact with them, he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Their answer was that they had not so much as heard whether the Holy Spirit had come. (“We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” NKJV). In view of John’s prediction that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit, it seems inconceivable that they had never heard His name; but they might never have heard of the fulfillment at Pentecost and the promise by Peter of the coming of the indwelling Comforter as God’s gift to believers. The reply of Paul proves that the baptism of John was insufficient to produce a full Christian experience, for the believer must not only repent of sin, he must also be filled with the Spirit.”
(Merrill C. Tenney – Adapted).
When the Spirit of God is absent from the heart of a person there is a definite emptiness which is obvious both to self and others. And how remarkable that missing element when occurring in the life of one who otherwise professes to be a thoroughgoing Christian, one who is even believing, repentant, and baptized (immersed)!
God intended it to be so different! His purpose in bestowing the gift of the Holy Spirit upon every Christian was to provide a superb inner resource to bless us in every way, to give us comfort when sad, courage when fearful, joy when grieving strength when weak, wisdom when confused, help when needed, deliverance when oppressed, understanding when studying, patience when on trial, skill when working and witnessing, power for growing, and hundreds of other aids in living for Christ and overcoming the world! We may not see the Spirit with our eyes, but His presence is unmistakable because of His activities in us and fellow Christians!
But what if the Spirit is missing in my life? What can a person do? He can do what the twelve disciples at Ephesus did—he can start over and do it right, by the grace of God! And if that is the case, why would we hesitate? The longer we wait the harder it will become.
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (II Corinthians 13:5).
Larry Atkin, Preacher
Monday, April 6, 2009
"IN CHRIST"
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
“Faith in Christ means union with Christ; and until we realize the central place this thought holds in Paul’s life and experience, many of the richest treasures of the Gospel must remain sealed from our sight… The religion of Paul is something quite simple. It is communion with Christ. The critics of Paul must give full weight to his constantly repeated words “in Christ”. The mystical Christ could do what the idea of an earthly Messiah could never have done. This conception, first expressed in the Fourth Gospel, then fully developed in the epistles of Paul, has been the life-blood of Christianity from the beginning. The intimate relationship with the Spirit-Christ is unquestionably the core of the Christian religion. Union with Christ is the brief name for all that the apostles mean by salvation. For Paul and John oneness with Christ is to be redeemed, and to be redeemed is oneness with Christ. Sanctification seen in its true nature is the unfolding of Christ’s own character within the believer’s life.” (James S. Stewart – Adapted)
Being a Christian is not something one does. Being a Christian is something one is. There is the constant tendency, one may say constant danger, of externalizing our religion, of merely going by the rules, performing the rituals, adhering to the customs, rather than becoming through and through a new creature “in Christ”, one who, being filled with the Spirit of Christ, is daily growing more and more into the image, and the character, and the life of Christ.
Is it “Christ who lives in me”, or is it just me living my life with a little Christian whitewash coated over? No one but the individual can answer this question.
It is not a matter of legalistic conformity, this ideal of being “in Christ”, or of having “Christ within”, it is a matter of life!
Let us not be content with a cheap imitation; let us choose the real thing!
Larry Atkin, Preacher
“Faith in Christ means union with Christ; and until we realize the central place this thought holds in Paul’s life and experience, many of the richest treasures of the Gospel must remain sealed from our sight… The religion of Paul is something quite simple. It is communion with Christ. The critics of Paul must give full weight to his constantly repeated words “in Christ”. The mystical Christ could do what the idea of an earthly Messiah could never have done. This conception, first expressed in the Fourth Gospel, then fully developed in the epistles of Paul, has been the life-blood of Christianity from the beginning. The intimate relationship with the Spirit-Christ is unquestionably the core of the Christian religion. Union with Christ is the brief name for all that the apostles mean by salvation. For Paul and John oneness with Christ is to be redeemed, and to be redeemed is oneness with Christ. Sanctification seen in its true nature is the unfolding of Christ’s own character within the believer’s life.” (James S. Stewart – Adapted)
Being a Christian is not something one does. Being a Christian is something one is. There is the constant tendency, one may say constant danger, of externalizing our religion, of merely going by the rules, performing the rituals, adhering to the customs, rather than becoming through and through a new creature “in Christ”, one who, being filled with the Spirit of Christ, is daily growing more and more into the image, and the character, and the life of Christ.
Is it “Christ who lives in me”, or is it just me living my life with a little Christian whitewash coated over? No one but the individual can answer this question.
It is not a matter of legalistic conformity, this ideal of being “in Christ”, or of having “Christ within”, it is a matter of life!
Let us not be content with a cheap imitation; let us choose the real thing!
Larry Atkin, Preacher
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