Is the Church of Christ a cult? Part 2

My last post, Is the Church of Christ a cult?, garnered a lot of attention.  That may be putting it lightly, actually the post was HUGE!  I was taken aback by the response it received.  From a numbers point of view it was far and away my most read post ever.  During the month of September I set a personal best for hits on my blog, due to the response to this post I broke that record on October 18th.  Even more amazing, the traffic count for the first first three days the post was up (October 17 – 19) exceeded the traffic count of the months of April, May, and June.  When the end of this month arrives Saturday I will have experienced a 50% increase in visitors over the previous record setting month!

I’m glad that so many people read this post. However, I’m humbled by the response people have had to it’s content.  Starting on the Saturday I posted the article up until today I have received well over 100 responses from my readers.  A few of you posted directly on the blog, others did so publicly on facebook, however, the majority of the response came in the form of emails, phone calls, and personal conversations.  If you read the post, and I encourage you to do so if you have not, you know that I was shocked as well as discouraged by the accusations being levied against the congregation I call home.

As soon as I had expressed my discouragement in words, God moved in to replace my discouragement with encouragement!  I was truly a recipient of the promise of Paul in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  You see, what I saw as a horrible setback in the Christian community, what I viewed as an opportunity for Satan to gain a foothold, God took and used it for his great purpose.  What could have been an occasion for more division, God used as a call toward unity.

My purpose in speaking out against this outrageous claim was not to “get back” at the source, if that was the case I would have named names and pointed fingers.  No, I purposefully refrained from naming the source because to do so would only foster divisiveness.  We all make mistakes and do things that, in hindsight, we wish we could take back.  My prayer is that by shining a light on the issue more people will be inspired to do as a dear friend remarked concerning this whole ordeal; “Let’s make the main thing the main thing!”

As I said earlier, I am humbled by the response I received to the article.  Your kind words were uplifting, your advice was invaluable, yet your show of friendship was priceless.

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”  Romans 14:19

Mitchell

Is the Church of Christ a cult?

It wasn't like this was the first time I had heard of or read someone attempting to make the claim that the Church of Christ is a cult, however this time was very different, this time it was personal. I, like most of you probably, have ran across some websites making this claim using erroneous, second and third hand knowledge about the Church of Christ and our beliefs or more times than not confusing us with the International Church of Christ. This time, however, a young person from my congregation was asking me why her friends would be saying that we are a cult. As I dug deeper into the situation, I learned that this young member of our congregation was told directly by one of her friends who attends one of the more charismatic denominations in our town that her Pastor was "teaching and warning" them about the Church of Christ "because they are nothing more than a cult."

Ruminations on Grace

I think most Christians, if asked, would say that they are sure of their standing with God. All one needs to do is read 1 John to hear his constant confident reiterations of assurance concerning our eternal destiny. We can know without doubt that we have eternal life! However, the devil has done a number on us and we doubt. We question ourselves. We know what the bible says, we know we've been forgiven, but we also know all we've done and our deepest, innermost thoughts.

It's tough to reconcile God's forgiveness with the reality of our sinfulness. Even after we experience that initial forgiveness when we first give our lives to Christ, we soon realize that sin remains part of our life. We think, "How can I be heaven bound and do such things, think such thoughts?" God never intended for his children to think this way.

This is why it is so important to understand grace. Grace sets the record straight. Grace balances the scales. Grace clears the muddy water. Grace is God saying, "I know you aren't worthy, but my Son is." No matter how righteous we live, no matter how many things we do in the name of Jesus, no matter how many people we lead to Christ we don't deserve salvation. We will never be able to examine our lives and feel "worthy" because of things we have done yet, grace says that we need not feel "unworthy" because of things we have done.

The next time you or one of your Christian friends question your standing with God, remember the words of Paul. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

CSI: Easter

Easter is huge! Next to Christmas, Easter is the most celebrated holiday in the world. There is a good reason why so many people celebrate Easter. Historians and theologians have never come to a satisfactory conclusion for the reason the early church began celebrating Easter. Some evidence seems to suggest that Christians held the first Easter celebrations to differentiate their celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Jewish celebration of Passover. Other evidence suggests that Emperor Constantine, desiring to promote Christianity and marginalize pagan activity, Christianized a pagan festival celebrating the earth's transition into spring.

As I said at the beginning, there is a good reason why so many people celebrate Easter the answer is Jesus Christ. While the origin of Easter may be in doubt, the reason for Easter is apparent, Christians desired to proclaim from highest height and in the loudest possible way the good news that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead! Scripture does not command us to celebrate Easter as a religious obligation however; scripture does allow us to celebrate such holidays. Paul writes to the Roman Christians,

"Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone." (Romans 14:4-7)

From now until Easter Sunday, we have a unique evangelistic opportunity that will not be available again until Christmas. Your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, anyone with a background in Christianity will be thinking about Christ and most likely desire to go to church somewhere. I encourage you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to help bring someone you love closer to and possibly into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will begin a new sermon series at Waynesboro that will culminate on Easter, April 12^th. This series, CSI: Easter will take us on a Crime Scene Investigation of the cross. Did Jesus really die on the cross? Did he really rise from the dead or was his body simply stolen to create the illusion? We will look at these question plus many more with a critical eye. We will weigh the evidence from history, from critics, and from the bible; we will place them side by side and see which ones stand and which ones fall. If you invite your friends and family, they will be engaged by this honest look into Jesus Christ and they will be moved by the conclusion. Pick up the phone right now and invite someone this Sunday!

Mitchell

Life Happens

Life is never easy. Life on this earth will introduce you to a myriad of emotions. In the course of one day, we can experience boredom and excitement, elation and desolation, life and death. Whether your outlook on life is positive or negative, life is filled with diversity. Just when we think we have it figured out and know what to expect, life happens. The past few days in my life is a good example of the range of emotions life will throw your way. Tuesday found me conducting the funeral of a young Christian woman who died of cancer; Thursday dawned with the birth of a daughter to a good friend and fellow gospel preacher; Saturday ended with joining a young couple in holy matrimony. Contemplating this whirlwind of events, I could not help but think that there must be a learning opportunity here.
A humanist would simply say that I had just witnessed the "circle of life." One life ends while another begins with some living in between. This "circle" idea may seem all neat and orderly, it may fit perfectly into the secular world, yet it fails to address the needs of man who is created "in the image of God." The essence of being created in the image of God is that we have an eternal soul. Instead of the "circle of life," we more aptly resemble an infinite line. Sure, we have a definite point of origin but when it comes to our soul, there is no end.
How we live while on earth and our response to the cross of Christ will determine where we spend the majority of our existence. Job summed up human existence by saying, "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble" ( Job 14:1). Job was beginning to understand that life on this earth is insignificant when viewed in light of eternity. This life we are experiencing is only a tiny portion of our whole existence. Job seemed to understand this as he said, "If a man dies, will he live again ... I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made" ( Job 14:14,15).
Let us not get so caught up in the happenings of life that we forget why we are here. We are the only ones who can let life get in the way of salvation. God has promised that no matter what happens in your life it will not stand in the way of your salvation unless you allow it. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" ( Romans 8:38,39).

God's Set Purpose

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death" (Acts 2:22-23 NKJV).

In the first gospel sermon ever preached, the Apostle Peter gives us a glimpse into the mind of God. At first, you may read over it, but look carefully. "The determined purpose and foreknowledge of God," the New International Version calls it "God's set purpose and foreknowledge," regardless how you word it, the word of God remains the same, the cross was not an accident!

God's Love for You

God chose to create mankind. While he chose to create us, he did not require us to love him or to follow him. In the beginning, God created everything perfect (Genesis 1, 2). There was no disease, no death, and no sin. All of this changed in the moment that Adam and Eve made their fateful decisions to disobey God. The moment Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, disease, death and sin gained a foothold on the earth and we have ever since suffered the consequences (Romans 5:12-21).

A casual reader of the bible might say God suffered a set back in his plans that day in the garden but the bible tells a different story. God had a set purpose.

That day in the garden, God didn't call an emergency board meeting to decide what to do with this most pressing situation. There were no heated discussions between God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit on how best to deal with this state of affairs. He knew it would happen. It had already been decided.

His love for you had already caused him to make that most difficult but necessary decision to send his Son to the cross!

Proclaimers of His Majesty

"For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty" ( 2 Peter 1:16).

Today I heard someone use the phrase "too close for comfort"; it was just after I had been contemplating the above verse penned by the Apostle Peter. As he continued, I began to ponder if it was not also true that we could get too comfortable because we are so close.

I live in the fabulous hills of Tennessee, snuggled between the legendary Civil War battlefield of Shiloh and the fabled Natchez Trace Parkway. About ten miles from my home is a naturally made land bridge and about thirty miles from my home is the birthplace of David Crockett, yet it has been years since I have visited any of these places. People travel for miles around to enjoy the beauty and history that surrounds me yet I am seemingly oblivious to it all.

A certain blindness comes from knowledge and familiarity. Unless we take the time to focus on something, it will never become a part of our life. Just because I own a beautiful flower garden does not mean that I have ever stopped to ponder the grandeur of the single rose.

As Christians, there is the danger of becoming comfortable with God.

As Christians we can get in a rut, we go to church, sing the songs, hear the sermons, read our Bibles, and pray our prayers, but none of it really makes a difference in our lives. Jesus told the Christians as Ephesus that this, basically, was their situation. They were doing all the things they were supposed to be doing yet Jesus says, "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love" ( Revelation 2:4).

As Christians, we have something about which to be excited!

We need to let people know about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. While we are not in the position of Peter, where we can be eyewitnesses of his majesty, we certainly can be proclaimers of his majesty. We have a message worth sharing and that message is Christ's message.

We do not have to use "cunningly devised fables" or any other "heroic measures" when it comes to spreading the gospel. We have the power of God unto salvation if we will but use it to save those who are lost ( Romans 1:16). This power is the Bible and it is God's inspired word. "No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit ( 2 Peter 1:20,21).

There is nothing more precious, more glorious, more majestic than the word of God that can save mankind.

A proclaimer of the gospel, God wants you to be one; your neighbor is dying for you to be one.

Psych

I love the show "Psych" on USA Network. The basic premise of the show revolves around the main character Shawn. Shawn is the son of a retired policeman who was forced as a child to develop keen observatory skills. Shawn uses this skill to help solve mysteries through the power of deduction, albeit under the guise of being psychic. Before revealing his "psychic" power, the police would pay no attention to Shawn but after revealing his "gift" they began to employ his services on all major cases.

Why do suppose that people are more willing to believe something simply because a person of "authority" said it verses investigating for themselves? Are we too lazy to do the work ourselves? Does the prospect of digging deeper bore us? You may never be called upon to solve a murder or uncover a major theft ring but you do have something in your life that is worth getting right. It is called salvation.

Many people are dealing haphazardly with eternal life because they are willing to simply accept what they have been taught as truth. Salvation is free, but true faith requires effort. We should all take our cue from the citizens of Berea who "were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11)

Listen to your preacher, teacher, or parents but do so with an open bible. Ensure that your faith is a biblical faith and not one "loaned" to you by someone else.