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The Visible Tests of Faith

3/13/2014

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     I've struggled with this in the past and I know many brethren do as well. At what point does a child of God have the ability to say that another human being has either failed to reach or has fallen from the salvation in Christ because of his religious beliefs or actions?

     Many believe that any person having some inkling of a belief in Jesus and some rendition of the faith in Him is to be called a Christian and is to be inside the scope of fellowship of fellow Christians, but is this correct?

     We've all heard the normal tests of fellowship - worship, church organization, authority in the Scriptures alone, etc. but are these the only things one must believe and obey in order to be unified in the Spirit? 
     The apostle Paul, one of the most prolific inspired writers of Scripture, stated that the seven tests of fellowship were the body of Christ, the Spirit of God, the hope of eternal life, the authority placed in and only in Jesus' teachings, the single faith by which someone is saved through the grace of God and the blood of Jesus Christ, the baptism for remission of sins in accordance with the Law of Liberty and the God (i.e. the Father) who planned such things but is not more deity than the Lord or the Spirit (Ephesians 4:4-6). And while we know that there are other aspects of Christianity which one must hold in order to be the Bible's definition of a Christian (like conviction, love for the lost and the brethren, the heart of a servant, etc.), these seven things were chosen by the Spirit in order to give a way by which we can test our extension of fellowship. 
Many believe that any person having some inkling of a belief in Jesus and some rendition of the faith in Him is to be called a Christian and is to be inside the scope of fellowship of fellow Christians, but is this correct?
     However, being a person who is always yearning to test all things (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:21) we must ask the question, WHY? - I believe the reason is very simple, because the other things are not visible! 

     Take conviction, for instance. There is an aspect in which conviction in Christ (personal belief/faith) is able to be seen outwardly like when Paul wrote that the faith of the Colossian brethren was able to be seen in that he knew that they were "faithful" (Colossians 1:2) and that they had learned of their faith (Colossians 1:4). But, in a very real sense of the word, my faith and conviction is deep within my heart which no man can know save me (1 Corinthians 2:11). 

     My love for the lost and for my brethren is the same. While my teaching the lost shows my love for them and my fellowship with the brethren shows the entire world that I am a follower of Jesus (John 13:35), no one can definitively know whether or not these things are done out of true love or a pretentious love which is bent on getting society's accolades except me. 

     So, why do we use things like whether or not a person worships in spirit and in truth (cf. John 4:24) forsaking man-made traditions and worship practices like mechanical-instrumental music or flawed roles in worship as a test of fellowship? I can assure you, it isn't because we just want to feel superior to him (although a minority might have this in mind and it is really impossible to tell definitively). No, the reason is because we can openly see that. 

     That doesn't mean, however, that a person seeking to be a part of the restored church of Jesus Christ can simply stop at the outward signs of faith and be done in his restoration process! Just as it is important to restore the authority of Jesus and the knowledge that the Bible and it alone give the words for eternal life (John 12:48, John 6:68), it is likewise important to have the inner man restored in order to be in fellowship with Christ and walk in His light (1 John 1:7-9) whereby the fellowship between mankind can be defined as "Christian" as well. 
If you'd like to study more about how one knows that he is part of the church found within the New Testament and the inward things that must be restored as well as the outward things, please check out a brand new podcast from our brethren and dear friends over at The Light Network called "The Church on Trial". 
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Small Church, Big God - Lee Snow

9/16/2013

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     For those of you who don't know, I am a preacher of the Gospel of Christ. Furthermore, I preach with a congregation (notice the with) that is...small. Now, don't get me wrong we are larger than some congregations but by and large we are small in numbers, but does that really matter? Let's look at the first chapter of 1 Corinthians to see home helpful things to keep in mind as we live, work and walk amongst small groups of the Lord's people. 

We Are Not Alone
"To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who in every place scall on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:" - 1 Cor. 1:2
     That's right, Paul said "with all who in EVERY PLACE..." I'm not sure about you, but that is encouraging to me! Throughout my ministry as a preacher I have had the privilege of visiting other places in the Southeast to meet, and even worship with, brethren from other areas. Throughout all of those meetings I have come to learn one thing, we aren't alone!
     
     Sometimes brethren allow themselves to beat themselves up thinking that they are all alone, especially if they are the only congregation in their community, county or even larger region. But the wonderful thing is, we have brethren all over the world with the same mind seeking to follow the Christ and His teachings regardless of their location. 

     Now, how can that really help a small congregation? One word, "RESOURCES"! Never forget that we can call on brethren to help smaller congregations at times in order to fulfill the will of God. Have a meeting/revival coming up? - Call the local congregations and speak to the elders expressing your wish that they come and gather with you to encourage the small congregation in the area, what can it hurt?\

We Are Not "Almost There"
"I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge," - 1 Cor. 1:4-5
     Here's my favorite! Regardless of the size of a congregation, God's grace is much larger than the group will ever be! No Christian receives a smaller amount of the grace of God, especially not because of his location and membership of a congregation that has 2 or 2,000. After all, God isn't one to show partiality when it comes to race (Acts 10:34) so why would he be when it comes to the number of people in those races?

     This might just be the hardest thing for brethren in smaller congregations to understand. I know I have thought it as well. "If we could just get ____ members we would be more pleasing to God." We may not say it in those words, but that's the meaning of our thoughts. But the great thing is the fact that a congregation is pleasing to God when they are following the commands of Christ (John 14:15) and heading the warnings of Him (Revelation 2:7). 

"If we could just get _____ members we would be more pleasing to God."
We Are Not A Slave to the Preacher
"Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" - 1 Cor. 1:13
     Jody Apple said, "I am not the means [alone] by which a congregation is going to be pleasing to God." It takes cooperation between the all the brethren at any local church to get the work done. Remember back at the beginning when I said that I preach with a small congregation? That's just it! We are in this together and therefore ought to work together in order to evangelize, worship and live in accordance with the Gospel. It is sometimes difficult for the preacher to realize that he doesn't have to do everything, I'm just now getting to actually figuring out that fact, but it's absolutely necessary. 

     Have a bunch of cards or flyers for an upcoming revival? Work together to pass them out. Have roles that need to be filled in order to make the congregation work effectively? Work together! Remember, we aren't alone in the world but we also aren't alone in the congregation. 

     We all have the same God, same grace, same brethren and same job. - So let's forget about the numbers on the board at the front of the auditorium or the black, or red, numbers on the bank statement and start thinking more about how to effectively work together in order to get the Gospel to the entire area (P.S. - Small churches, in my opinion, ought to focus on their area instead of others. We've got a lot of work to do right here.) and save those lost souls!
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