Bethany Baptist Church - GOD Only, ALWAYS

FROM THE UNDER-SHEPHERD’S TENT

Now I beseech you, brethren by the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, that ye ALL SPEAK the SAME THING, and that there be NO DIVISIONS among you, but that ye be PERFECTLY JOINED TOGETHER in the SAME MIND and in the SAME JUDGEMENT. (1^st Corinthians 1:10)

I believe that as I understand the HOLY BIBLE, that CHRISTIAN EDUCATION is the VERY FIBER of the CHURCH. It serves as the VEHICLE that leads people to DISCOVER or REDISCOVER the TRUTH about themselves, GOD, and the WORLD around them. Such discovery is found in ALL PHASES of CHURCH RELATIONSHIP: THE AESTHETICS (BEAUTY) of the church, the FOODS (SPIRITUAL) we serve, the BIBLE CLASSES we teach, the PREACHED WORD of GOD, and the SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS we share. ALL of these STATED QUALITIES are PIECES of the FABRIC that CHRISTIAN EDUCATION WEAVES together.

To THAT END, I have been led to SPEAK to you about this ALL IMPORTANT SUBJECT of CHRISTIAN UNITY. Therefore, I drape myself with CHRISTIAN HUMILITY as we DISCUSS the church’s POSITION from several aspects.

ONE BODY IN CHRIST

OBSERVE, if you please, that PAUL addresses the church initially by THANKING GOD for its EXISTENCE and COMMENDS its MEMBERS for the TESTIMONY of CHRIST being CONFIRMED in them. He quickly adds to that SALUTATION, ‘to them that are SANCTIFIED in CHRIST JESUS, CALLED to be SAINTS, with ALL that in EVERY PLACE call upon the NAME of JESUS CHRIST our LORD, both theirs and ours: GRACE be unto you, and PEACE, from GOD our FATHER, and from the LORD JESUS CHRIST.’

By including the salutation to “ALL that in EVERY PLACE call upon the NAME of JESUS CHRIST our LORD,” Paul makes it clear that this was not a PRIVATE LETTER, although it dealt with SPECIFIC ISSUES arising in the church at Corinth. You see, the Corinthian church included a GREAT CROSS SECTION of BELIEVERS – WEALTHY MERCHANTS, EDUCATORS, COMMON LABORERS, FORMER TEMPLE PROS-TITUTES, and MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES. Because of the WIDE DIVERSITY of people and back grounds, he took GREAT PAINS to STRESS both SPIRITUAL UNITY and CHRISTIAN MORALITY in the letter.

PAUL loved the church at Corinth. GOD granted him the PRIVILEGE and JOY of establishing a HOUSE of WORSHIP in the city where MORAL VALUES were CORRUPT and VICES were the ORDER of the day. Corinth, a city of Greece, RICH in MATERIAL WEALTH. Mariners crossing the TWO SEAS available to them for transportation; they enjoyed the DIVERSE CULTURE, for there were few RESTRAINTS. Corinth was looked upon as being an OPEN CITY where ANYTHING goes, and men enjoyed the type of freedom the city had to offer.

The CHURCH was GREATLY BLESSED and FAVORED as the result of the MEMBERS’ COMMITMENT to JESUS CHRIST. It became the CENTER of SPIRITUAL ATTRACTION as long as PAUL was present. But GOD INSPIRED him to PREACH the GOSPEL and esta-blish other churches also. He is now getting ready to start his THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY when he re-ceived word of the church’s SPIRITUAL TROUBLE. Satan had made INROADS into the BODY of CHRIST, for there was very little resistance. The church had DIVIDED into SECTS and FALLEN into SINFUL WAYS. Another EVIL re-ported to him was that the church was DIVIDED; there was a case of SEXUAL IMMORALITY; LAW SUITS were in practice between CHURCH MEMBERS; and CHRISTIAN FREEDOM was being ABUSED. We have some of the SAME THINGS going on in many of GOD’S CHURCHES today.

UNITY IN CHRIST

The word “UNITY” is from the Greek word HENOTES, meaning “ONE.” It is on THAT PRINCIPLE that CHRIS-TIANITY STANDS. There is ONE CHRIST – ONE OBJECT of our WORSHIP. In Ephesians 4:3-7, the BIBLE says, “endeavoring to keep the UNITY of the SPIRIT in the BOND of PEACE. There is ONE BODY, and ONE SPIRIT, even as ye are called in ONE HOPE of your CALLING: ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD and FATHER of ALL, who is ABOVE ALL, and through ALL, and IN you ALL. But unto EVERY ONE of us is given GRACE according to the MEASURE of the GIFT of CHRIST.

PAUL, in the text, appeals for UNITY. He exhorts the church to promote HARMONY and FIX all that needs to be FIXED so that UNITY can be RE-STORED. He used the statement, “PERFECTLY JOINED TOGETHER,” which indicates that they needed to CORRECT MORAL EVILS and ERRORS.

In the OLD TESTAMENT, UNITY is the manner where-in MEMBERS WORK and are TOGETHER. Persons enjoying CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP in their PRAISE of GOD together. This letter from PAUL to the CHURCH is not only a REPRIMAND, but it is a TESTAMENT on CHRISTIAN UNITY. This letter is just as USEFUL TODAY as a DIVINE SOLUTION for CHURCH INFIGHTING and FUSSING, FOR DISSENSION and for TURMOIL. It addresses many DIF-FICULTIES which this church is facing today.

It is so easy to be SIDETRACKED into ISSUES that are TANGENT, in so doing we lose sight of the “BIG PICTURE.” The HEART of the GOSPEL is that CHRIST DIED for us, HE was BURIED and ROSE AGAIN.

OUR DUTY IS TO SERVE CHRIST

PAUL was saying to the church at CORINTH, let there be NO DIVISIONS among you, and TODAY the HOLY SPIRIT says to us, BETHANY, let there be NO DIVISIONS among YOU! GOD’S CHURCH is not to be BROKEN into DIFFERENT PARTIES and GROUPS, or HOLD UP some LEADERS and let the others do the best they can. I realize that ALL of us CANNOT SIT on the various POLICY MAKING BOARDS… ALL of us CANNOT SING in the CHOIRS… ALL of us CANNOT make GOOD USHERS, and ALL of us CANNOT SERVE as CHURCH NURSES in the SANCTUARY, nor in the NURSERY… ALL of us CANNOT LEAD AUXILLARIES, but ALL of us CAN SERVE.

PAUL gives us a CATALOGUE of SPIRITUAL GIFTS and their WORKINGS in 1st Corinthians 12^th chapter in

particular verses 4-31. ALL of these BODY PARTS and EXTENSIONS are to be used in the SERVICE of the LORD. EACH CHRISTIAN has a JOB to do. You have a ROLE to perform, or a CONTRIBUTION to make. One ASSIGNMENT may seem to be MORE SPECTACULAR than another, but ALL of us are NEEDED to carry out GOD’S GREATER PLANS for the WORLD HE has made. Be AVAILABLE to GOD by placing YOUR GIFTS to and IN the SERVICE of the LORD. As you DIS-COVER GODLY SALVATION for your-self, then be READY to SERVE in GOD’S BUSINESS. UNITY does not just happen; we have to WORK at it through the LOVE of GOD.

Our ONENESS in CHRIST does not destroy our INDIVIDUALITY. The HOLY SPIRIT has given EACH CHRISTIAN some SPECIAL GIFT for BUILDING UP the CHURCH. Now that we have these GIFTS, it is CRUCIAL to USE them to the GLORY of GOD… To EVERYONE present right now, are you SPIRITUALLY MATURE? Are you EXERCISING the GIFTS GOD has given you? If not, why not?

DIFFERENCES are not to be IGNORED or DISSEMBLED, but they are to be RESPECTED – we call that “COMBINATION in DIVERSITY.” That is one of the CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES of the WORD of GOD. We need the RECORDS of FOUR EVANGELIST to give us a TRUE PORTRAIT of the SON of MAN in HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY.

We are not to regard one as being MORE FAITHFUL than the other – not to take any one as being COMPLETE, but to find HARMONY in that REFLECTION presented through the HOLY SPIRIT. St. Paul and St. James, St. Peter and St. John, each offers to us DIFFERENT ASPECTS of the TRUTH; ONE is the APOSTLE of FAITH, another is the APOSTLE of WORKS; one of HOPE, and another the Apostle of LOVE, but if EACH ONE has some SPECIAL GRACE or DUTY, it is not to be NEGLECTED or EXCLUDED from the other GOD-GIVEN GRACES and DUTIES.

We DIVIDE the SWELLING RIVER of TRUTH into a THOUSAND LITTLE BRANCHES or TRIBUTARIES, and each one cries out, ‘Come drink at my stream, for it and it alone, is PURE and UNCONTAMINATED. So many times we miss our blessings by trying to please one little stream and forget about the others.

But ONE of these days, after awhile, GOD is going to CALL us home and we will have to face our record. So, I suggest that ALL of us STOP NOW because it is PRAYING TIME, and start using those TALENTS and ABILITIES GOD has given you.

~Your SERVANT in the LORD~

A note from your editor:

Over the next few months you will notice gradual changes in your newsletter. My goal is to keep it interesting, informative, and fun. I will need everyone’s help to accomplish this goal and I know I can count on you.

This newsletter belongs to all of us so this is my proposal. Submit to me, with or without your name, any of the following:

v A favorite recipe

v A cute or silly joke

v A useless fun fact

v Something interesting about yourself we may not know

v Any suggestions you may have on what to include in our little publication

I will include one of the above per month and thank you in advance for working with me on this!