Highland Lakes church of Christ

In his writings the apostle Paul refuses to draw distinctions between members of the Christian community according to the measure of the ‘holiness’ they possess. The exclusion of any leading caste in the community of a priestly or official kind extends to a rejection of any spiritual aristocracy within it as well. For a start, all genuine members of the community possess the Spirit. ‘Through one Spirit’ they were all introduced into it (1 Cor. 12:13); ‘in one Spirit’ they all have equal access to God (Eph. 2:18); ‘from one Spirit’ they all draw the same resources (1 Cor. 3:18); ‘by the (same) Spirit’ all are to direct their lives (Gal. 5:25). Since it is the same Spirit who dwells in them all, all share in the qualities of character that the Spirit produces (Gal. 5:22-23), and all participate in the gifts of ministry that the Spirit distributes (1 Cor. 12:4-11). All who belong to the Christian community, therefore, are fundamentally ‘spiritual’.

Paul’s use of the terms laos, people, and hagios, holy, confirms this. Apart from its occurrence in Old Testament quotations and in direct references to the Jewish nation (Rom. 11:1-2), laos refers only to Christians as a whole, as those upon whom the promises of God concerning the creation of a ‘people’ of His own have fallen (2 Cor. 6:6). Nowhere does the term refer to only part of the community, or in opposition to kleros, clergy. It was only in the third century that the words for clergy and layman came into Christian usage. Nor does any one member of the community, or group of members, possess a particular ‘holiness’ denied to others. Though, because of its Old Testament associations, Paul does sometimes use the plural of hagios with reference to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1), elsewhere all who are believers in a particular community are specifically referred to as ‘saints’. (1 Cor. 1:2) In so describing them, Paul does not mean they possess or have received some inherent personal quality which sets them apart from others. In Old Testament terms he simply refers to their having been ‘reserved’ for, ‘set aside’ by, or ‘dedicated’ to God. Since all members of the community share equally in this, there cannot be different grades of holiness within the community.

Paul therefore has no place in his view of the Christian community for traditional distinctions between its members. He has a different and less elitist understanding of ‘spirituality’ and ‘holiness’. So alien is the later Christian notion of ‘the saint’ to his thinking, that reference to the apostle now almost uniformly as Saint Paul is ironical indeed. What do you think?

Thoughts from reading “Participation and Its Responsibilities” by Robert Banks (Paul’s Idea of Community). — via Ken Darnell

We have some new DVD’s that have been added to the church library. These DVD’s are available for members to borrow and view at their convenience. Below is a listing of the titles and a short description of each:

BUILDING GREAT KIDS — Practical advice for Christian parents.

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE — Discussion of the Biblical view of homosexuality.

ISLAM, THE QURAN & CHRISTIANITY — A study of the origins of Islam and an examination of its claim.

BUSCANDO LA VERDAD (Spanish) — An evangelistic study that explains how to become a Christian.

THE SILENCING OF GOD — A study of the culture war going on in America that seeks to destroy our Christian heritage.

IS THE BIBLE RELIABLE? — An examination of the claim that the Bible is wrong and unreliable.

IS THE BIBLE FROM GOD? — An examination of the inspiration and reliability of the Bible.

BEHOLD! THE LAMB OF GOD — A study of the historical and divine nature of Jesus Christ.

TRUTH BE TOLD — A refutation of the claims of evolution.

AMERICA’S MOST PRESSING CONCERN — An examination of what the founding fathers actually said about God and the American nation.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CHURCHES? — A study of the true church that Christ established.

If I were to try think of a word that best describes God, I suppose it would be AWESOME. Not in the trivial way it is sometimes used but in moments of quiet deliberation when I contemplate His Word, His purpose, and His ways which inspire awe. Throughout the course of my life, I have read things in His Word, abided by them, and watched them come to fruition. I have also read things, rebelled against them, and suffered because of that.

In the lives of men, there are at least two dynamics known to have established themselves firmly. One is to profess an association with Christ while at the same time maintaining a general disdain to all things related to church. The other is to profess an acknowledgment of the church as the body without putting into practice the precepts which would greatly enhance our lives. In the case of the first dynamic, it is impossible to separate a love for Christ and the church He died for, Ephesians 5:25. To hold an unhealthy attitude toward the church is to, at least, withhold our service and, at most, to become an enemy of Christ Himself, Acts 9:4-5.

In the case of the second dynamic, the wonder of God is especially visible. Many times, unfortunately, the Christian life through God’s Word, is reduced to a list of do’s and don’ts. The love in our lives that is to be enhanced and directed toward God and man is seen as mere compliance, in order to be pleasing to God and with this avoid His wrath. Lost along the way is the vast storehouse of wealth which is seldom found by those who cannot see the blessings which can be attained by us, if we follow these commandments. Any person who loves both God and his fellow man, Exodus 20 and Matthew 22:37-40, need not worry about the pitfalls of drugs, alcohol, food, spousal abuse and adultery. Those do not abide where God is. Depression and anxiety cannot vex a soul that is comforted by the Savior’s love.

While it is true that the words of God produce a person who is in all ways amiable to society, the greater benefit is found in what it does for us. Faith keeps us faithful. Love keeps us loving. The conclusion is: this church stuff really works! — from an article by Tim Turpin, Ware Branch church of Christ,  Harrison, TN

Generally, when we think of “growing up,” our minds turn to those years that one begins to leave behind childhood and start the process of entering into adulthood. Physically, this is what growing up is all about. But there is another area of growth that is much more critical because it prepares us for eternity, namely, growing up spiritually. Simply stated, the child of God needs to grow because this is expected of him/her. Paul wrote of “growing up in all things” in Ephesians 4:15.

There are several important areas that the child of God needs to grow in, and this should be the ongoing goal of each and every Christian:

To begin with, we should desire to grow in our faith. The Hebrew writer tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” The apostle John tells us in 1 John 5:4, “for everyone born of God overcomes the world” adding quickly, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” Faith keeps us going! It is the vessel that will carry us safely from this life to the next one.

We should also desire to grow in knowledge. In the last recorded words of the apostle Peter, he emphasizes to his readers that they should “grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). The Christian who constantly grows in knowledge is the one who is “growing up” in Jesus Christ and reaching forth to spiritual maturity.

But if we wear Jesus’ name, we should also desire to grow in love every day. There are few areas Paul emphasizes as strongly as he emphasizes love. We often refer to 1 Corinthians 13 as Paul’s great chapter on love. Here he tells us that “love never fails”. In verse 13 of this chapter, Paul tells that of faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love. Jesus once asked His followers, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Are not even the tax collectors doing that” (Matthew 5:46)? It is obvious that Jesus was challenging His followers to achieve a degree of love that was unprecedented in the world at that time.

While it is true that there are many areas the Christians can grow in every day, it must be conceded that growth in faith, knowledge, and love are areas in which daily growth is an absolute necessity. – Milton Smith, Bixby, OK