By Samuel Matthews
“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). KJV Loved ones, as always this series will be the truth (John 17:17) and written with love (Eph. 4:15). We thank God that His mercy and manifold blessings are allowing you to read and study it. Therefore, please don’t become my enemy “because I tell you the truth” (Gal. 4:16). It's our prayer that you will clear your mind of all religious prejudice and diligently study each scriptural reference from your Bible with an honest and good heart (2 Tim. 2:15; Luke 8:15). It's also our hope that you will understand the “grace and truth” given you from God the Father by the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Now please take a deep breath, fasten your seatbelt, and hang-in-there, for this series is going to tell it like it is! Friends, do you claim to love Jesus, our Lord, and our God? We believe that many of you reading this post truly are striving to love and obey the Lord from your heart (Rom. 6:17). That’s good because Jesus commands: “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). So, if you absolutely love God you will believe and obey what His Word or Son says (Heb. 1:1-2; Luke 6:46; Matt. 7:21-27). Why, because God Speaks Through His Word – THE BIBLE! The Bible is the written Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13); the written Truth of God (John 1:1-2, 14; 14:6; 17:17); the written power of God (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:24). In the Bible we find “all things that pertain unto life and goddess” and the “exceeding great and precious promises” of God (2 Pet. 1:3-4). In the Scriptures we also find the peace of God (Phil. 4:7), the knowledge of God (Col. 1:9-10), and the salvation of God (Acts 28:28). The Bible contains the only "doctrine" which will equip “the man of God… unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The wise person will take heed to God’s word, because one day it will be used as the basis for judgement (John 12:48). The Comforter, the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16), revealed the word to the apostles (John 14:16-17; John 16:13-14). They wrote it down in the Bible so that we might read and understand the mystery of godliness (Eph. 3:3-5; 1 Tim. 3:16). The mystery of Christ is, “That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (Eph. 3:6), has been revealed through the word of God. Friends, God desires for the peoples of all nations (Jews and Gentiles) to be in “the same body.” God has only ONE body (Eph. 4:4). That body is His church (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18, 24), or the kingdom of God’s dear Son Jesus, the Christ (Col. 1:13). The Bible presents the soul saving Gospel (or good news) of Jesus Christ. It plainly tells the sinner how to become a member of God’s ONE body (1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27). The three facts of the Gospel state, “3 That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1-4). By faith (Rom. 10:17), the three commands of the Gospel are belief in Jesus as God’s Son (John 3:16-18; 8:24; Matt. 10:32-33), repentance of sins (Acts 17:30; Luke 13:3, 5), and immersion (buried) in water baptism (Rom. 6:3-4; Acts 8:35-39; 10:47-48). The three promises of the Gospel are the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ (Acts 2:38; Matt. 26:28; Rev. 1:5), the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32; Eph. 1:13-14), and entrance into the church or eternal kingdom of God (Acts 2:41, 47; Matt. 16:18-19). The Gospel is the word that Christ commanded to be preached to the whole world (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; 1 Cor. 9:16), NOT the book of Mormon or the Catechism. God wants mankind to obey the Gospel (Rom. 10:16), and further, it is something that man must obey, or he will be eternally lost (Jam. 1:21-25; 1 Pet. 4:17; 2 Thess. 1:7-9. Since the Gospel of Christ is God's power to save the believer (Rom. 1:16), should we seek another way or power? The answer is definitely NO! (Gal. 1:6-9). The Bible calls God's people Christians, priests, children, disciples, saints, and brethren (1 Pet. 4:16; Rev. 1:6; Gal. 3:26; Col. 1:1-2). Christians are taught to do all in the name (by the authority) of Jesus (Matt. 28:18-19; Col. 3:17), rather than by the authority of the Pope, King Henry VIII, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wesley, Joseph Smith, Jr., Charles Russell, Charles Parham, Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen G. White, or any other man or woman. Therefore, God's people are NOT called: Adventists, Amish, Anglicans, Apostolic, Baptist, Buddhist, Catholics, Congregationalist, Deist, Episcopalians, Holiness, Jehovah Witnesses, Jews, Lutherans, Masons, Mennonites, Methodist, Moonies, Moravians, Mormons, Moslems, Muslims, Nazarenes, Orthodox, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Protestants, Quakers, Reformed, Unitarians, Universalists, etc. The above human manufactured names keep the religious world divided. As seen in our text, “Christian" is the NEW name given by God to His disciples (Isa. 62:2; Acts 4:10-12; Acts 26:28). Penitent believers must be willing to discard all human religious names and wear the name "Christian" only... for the name you wear tells who you belong to (1 Cor. 3:3-9; 2 Tim. 2:19)! To be continued… “God Has ONE Faith.” To the God of heaven be the Glory as His Will is done (1 Corinthians 10:31). Please pray for wisdom, for me and my wife, Cynthia, and for the Liberty NW church of Christ meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. We are praying for you, and we love you all so much. Samuel.
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Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJV)
Loved ones, assisting the church to grow spiritually and in numbers is the service every committed Christian will strive to do to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Jesus said, “19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20). From these marching orders, we learn that the power of salvation lies NOT in institutions, publicity, entertainment, gimmicks, or emotional outbursts. Rather, soul winning disciple-making lies with the humble people of God; i.e., Christians who will submit to God’s Method Of Church Growth – EVANGELISM or preaching the Gospel. If you are familiar with the 27 books of the New Testament, you understand that the church of the first century grew rapidly. Unfortunately, today the church of Christ is not growing as it should. However, if the principles and basic factors that caused the early church to grow were applied today, surely, they would help us also to grow. First, we might consider some things that were NOT factors in the growth of the early church. Many church leaders believe that the key to church growth is spending more money, sometimes large amounts of money. Yet, when one looks at the factors that led to the growth of the first century church, money was unquestionably not one of them. In fact, most of the factors that modern church leaders believe are essential to growth were absent in the early church. The early church did not have nice buildings; in fact they had no buildings at all. The church met in a variety of locations such as the Temple (Acts 2:46), but it seems that most congregations met in private homes (Acts 5:42; Philemon 2). The early church did not have well educated, prestigious, eloquent men serving as preachers, since located preachers as we think about them were virtually unknown in the first century. Most of the members were poor, and it was the common people who gladly heeded the words of Jesus (Mark 12:37). Thus, the church was not largely composed of civic leaders and rich respected prominent members of society. There is no "quick fix" for church growth. However, one factor that is absolutely essential for the advancement of the kingdom are for all members to truly live a Christian LIFESTYLE. Colossians 3:1-10 teaches us to seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. We are to set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Your old you is dead, and your life is now hid with Christ in God. Therefore, the Christian lifestyle must deny all avenues of sin (which we once walked in). Our lifestyle must be one that puts away fornication, covetousness, anger, and filthy communication out of our mouth. We must never lie to one another, as our old man led by our old father, the devil, tempted (John 8:44). We have put on the new man, made in the image of Jesus. The Christian life is fundamentally a partnership with God and other Christians. We are fellow laborers in God's church kingdom (Colossians 1:7; Philemon 16-17). There must be loving, personal relationships among Christians as well as among non-Christians. Individual members must spend much time in prayer. Paul used the word "together" several times to highlight a sharing that should exist among Christians. For example, in Colossians 2:12-13 Paul wrote that after being buried with Christ in baptism, we were also raised and made alive “TOGETHER with him,” having been forgiven of all our trespasses. Many other New Testament references emphasize the "one another" aspect of the Christian faith (read 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:1). From passages like these, one should be able to see the closeness and togetherness that exists between Christians, as well as recognize that we are co-workers with God. Every Christian who spurns and rejects this Christian brotherhood and fellowship is a hinderance to the growth of the church. What then is the solution to the empty pew? Rather, who is the solution to the empty pew? Each child of God must analyze himself or herself to determine if he or she is part of the solution or instead part of the problem respecting church growth. Part of the partnering that we have been discussing involves assisting new Christians to mature so that we can partner with them as well. New converts must “desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). They must also “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). When new converts fail to grow, they become the weak link in evangelism. Another important characteristic of growing churches is that the majority of the members are involved in some ministry. Only people reach people, NOT programs. Statistics have revealed that generally churches with less than 30% of its members involved in some form of ministry are declining, churches with 30% to 55% involved are on a plateau, and those with more than 55% involved in ministry are growing. The church will not grow if evangelism is done by only the preacher, the elders, or deacons, or a few of the members. This idea was also present in the early church when we read in Acts 2:42 that the disciples “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” They also met regularly together, even from house to house (Acts 2:46). We know that many members were involved in evangelism. It was the disciples that carried the Gospel throughout the regions, while the apostles stayed in Jerusalem. They were persecuted and scattered for sowing the seed and living the Christian lifestyle, but wherever they went they took the Word of God with them (Acts 8:1-4). The most important factor of church growth is that all members are UNITED IN LOVE for God and each other. LOVE for another is how we are identified. Jesus said to His disciples, “34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35). Spreading the Word – the Gospel – through evangelism is God’s Method of Church Growth. If you are a child of God, we encourage you to follow the example of the noble Bereans and search the below Scriptures, to see if what we have said is so (Acts 17:10-11). 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Luke 8:11 Luke 11:28 Luke 8:21 Mark 2:2 Acts 4:31 Acts 6:2 Acts 6:7 Acts 8:4 Acts 8:14 Acts 11:1 Acts 12:24 Acts 13:5 Acts 13:7 Acts 13:44 Acts 13:48 Acts 14:25 Acts 17:13 Acts 18:11 Acts 19:20 1 Thessalonians 2:13 2 Timothy 2:9 2 Timothy 4:2 Hebrews 4:12 1 Peter 1:23 1 Peter 1:25 Romans 1:16 Mark 16:15 In summary, if the majority of the members are truly working together in love for the Lord, the church will grow; if the majority of us are not sowing the seed, the church will not grow. It is as simple as that! Instead of looking for excuses or shifting blame for lack of growth, let us go back to the basics. Resolve today to participate in church growth and encourage your fellow Christians also to shoulder their responsibilities to help the Lord's church grow through evangelism. That's GOD'S METHOD OF CHURCH GROWTH! Let’s religiously apply some of the fanaticism typical of sports enthusiasts for the cause of Christ. To the God of heaven be the Glory as His Will is done (1 Corinthians 10:31). Please pray for wisdom, for me and my wife, Cynthia, and for the Liberty NW church of Christ meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. We are praying for you, and we love you all so much. Samuel. “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things” (1 John 3:20) KJV.
Loved ones, please do not view the title of this post as a contradiction to the above text. If there is anything plainly taught in the Scriptures, it is the omniscience of God (Psalm 139). However, using a play on words to cause you to think, this lesson will present an answer to some of the blasphemous and irreverent things that have been said about our Heavenly Father and His everlasting Word. Believe it or not, there are some things that God does not know. 1. God does not know a person who did not descend from Adam and Eve. Contrary to what atheists and evolutionists may think, all mankind descended from Adam (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:21-23; 3:20; Acts 17:26; Romans 5:12). 2. God does not know an accountable person who is sinlessly perfect. The Scriptures define sin as "the transgression of the law" of God (1 John 3:4). A sin is something committed. Every person who is accountable for his/her own actions has sinned (Romans 3:10, 23). Some have said that they have never sinned. Well, just making that statement was a sin. The Bible says, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). Notice what this passage says, "...we make Him [God] a liar..." Well, we know that this is impossible, for it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). 3. God does not know a sin He does not hate. Proverbs 6:16-19 begins, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him.” This is followed by a list of certain sins. God hates sin. In fact, God wants us to hate sin. WHY? Because sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). The Psalmist wrote, “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil” (Psalms 97:10; cf. Psalm 45:7). When we talk about God hating sin, we need to emphasize that we are talking about any sin. You and I tend to size sin; i.e., big sins and little sins. Sins may vary in consequences in this life, and there are some sins harder to undo, but God hates every sin. Every sin is a transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4; James 2:10). 4. God does not know of a sinner whom He does not love. Probably one of the verses that everyone could quote is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Another parallel verse is Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God loves the whole world, but that does not excuse us from our responsibility to obey His will (Matthew 7:21). We read in Ephesians 3:19 of “the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge…” We may never fully understand it. But we thank God that it is true. God does not know a sinner that He does not love. 5. God does not know a man under this Gospel Age who will be saved “outside” of Christ and in disobedience to the Gospel (Romans 10:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8). Salvation and all other spiritual blessings are "in Christ" (2 Timothy 2:10; Ephesians 1:3). So the most pertinent question is how does one get "into Christ" to receive these blessings? The Bible says we are baptized "into Christ" (Romans 6:3-4); thus, this is the point in which we "put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). 6. God does not know of a person who will be saved without confessing that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10). Jesus says, “32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33; cf. 16:15-16). Denying Christ is not just denying that He is God's Son. Denying Him can also mean that we deny His teachings. Many individuals deny Christ by not obeying and abiding in His Word (Luke 6:46; John 12:48). 7. God does not know an accountable person under the New Covenant who can be saved without faith, repentance, and being immersed (baptized) in water. One cannot say that they have faith in God's Word, and not believe that baptism is essential (Matthew 28:19). That is not faith in God's Word. That is not the faith which God requires. One trying to be saved by “faith only” is actually trying to be saved by his own works (Titus 3:5), for faith is a work, according to the inspired Word (John 6:29). Paul said it best, concerning those who would try to be saved by their own works of righteousness and disbelieving the true righteousness of God: “3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar…” (Romans 3:3-4). God is true, and any man who would dispute His everlasting Word is a liar! After being taught about Jesus, the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” When he confessed his belief that Jesus Christ “is the Son of God,” Philip immersed him in water (Acts 8:36-39). Mark 16:16 and 1 Peter 3:21 teach that baptism saves. Faith, repentance, and baptism are all essential to salvation (Acts 2:38). No matter how many Protestants say that baptism is unnecessary, the word of God will NOT be altered. God said it, that settles it, whether one believes it or not. 8. God does not know a sinner who was saved after death. After one has died, there is no second chance (Hebrew 9:27). John 8:21 and 24 also teach that after death one cannot be saved. All Catholics with their “purgatory” and all Mormons with their “baptism for the dead” should heed these passages. The Bible makes it clear that it is imperative that one obey the Gospel before it is too late: “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation)” (2 Corinthians 6:2). This is not saying that we have eternal salvation in its actuality at that moment; it is stressing the fact that salvation must be attained before it is everlastingly too late. King David wisely said, “And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee” (Psalm 39:7). 9. God does not know of a “faithful” Christian who is in rebellion against Him. The Apostle John wrote, “3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4). The writer of Hebrews said, “26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26-29). The word "despite " in this verse 29 actually means “to insult.” Christians insult God by sinning willfully! Those individuals are told to repent or perish (Luke 13:3; 2 Peter 3:9). To the God of heaven be the Glory as His Will is done (1 Corinthians 10:31). Please pray for wisdom, for me and my wife, Cynthia, and for the Liberty NW church of Christ meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. We are praying for you, and we love you all so much. Samuel Matthews By Michael McCall
Christians at times fail to see the sin of an activity because of the world's view on matter. There have been and still are numerous dancing shows on television, that Christians find themselves watching (which we as Christians have no business doing). In watching, we become less aware of the sin of dancing. So the question arises, "What does the bible say about dancing?" but the better question is, "Is today's modern dancing, wrong?" In the bible you will find the word dance used 27 times in its different form. Out of that, 26 times the word dance is used in a positive light, and even encouraged. (Psalm 149:3; 150:4) But was is dance? By not answering this question, many Christians today read such passages and state, "there is nothing wrong with dancing." They can be no further from the truth. But, let's answer the question, "what is dancing?" First, I think we can all agree on one point, the bible was not written in English. Instead Hebrew and Greek. So just because the word dance is used, this does not mean that the definition is that of dance that we see and have today. In the Hebrew text, the words translated into the word dance mean - to stamp, to skip, to twist or whirl, to move in a circle. Properly it means to be happy, so happy that the body moves. Take Miriam for example (Exodus 15:18-21), she danced. She lead the women in dance with trembles. Does this mean that we can dance, using her as an example? Yes and No. We need to understand what she was doing. How many of you have ever watch "March Madness"? How many times have you seen the "Cinderella team" upset the favorite? What happens when the clock strikes 0:00 and the game is over? The fans of that team storm the court, jumping and whirling, with their hands in the air, screaming, smiling, even crying due to emotions. This is what it means to dance in the Hebrew tongue. Can a Christian find him/herself on the floor after the big game jumping up and down? Yes. Is this wrong? No. But alas, that is not the type of dancing we are talking about is it? If you remember I stated that 26 of 27 times the word dance is used, it is not condemned. But what about that 27th time? I want you to read the story of Herodias' daughter and her dancing before Herod and his guests. (Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:22). What did her dance do that Miriam's didn't. Her dance invoked some key words for you to look up; Wantonness, Lasciviousness, Lewdness, Revelries. Look these up, find one scripture speaking of these terms in a way that is acceptable to God. Dance, modern dance, Herodias' daughter's dance is wrong because of what it does to the dancer, their partner, and those watching. The Greek 'aselgeia' according to Thayer's Lexicon means - "indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females." Which dance do you believe represents this? Miriam's (or the colleges students jumping up and down), OR Herodias' daughter's dance (or the tango, salsa, samba, you name it). However, Christians today still feel it is ok for a husband and wife to dance, or the newly married couple to dance their "first dance" because it's innocent. The setting and understanding why dance is wrong helps us answer our question above. To dance with your wife in public with people watching is not appropriate for a Christian, for anyone for that matter. The reason goes back to what we stated above. Dancing is wrong because of what it does to those watching. We as Christians must understand its not always (and rarely is) about us. Jesus called for us to be a light to be seen by men so they may glorify our Father. He told us to seek first the kingdom of God. Paul said abstain from every form of evil. But maybe more importantly, Jesus said woe to them who cause one of these little ones to stumble. If we dance with our spouse, and someone sees us and has a thought they should not have. It is not only on them, but also on us. Dancing is wrong, and unfortunately many brethren have become dull to sin through the glorification and commercialization of it. Buy Wayne Greeson
Patterns are an important part of our lives in many ways. When a contractor builds a house, he follows a pattern known as a blueprint. When a mother sews a dress for her daughter, she follows a pattern. In each case there is a standard pattern to be followed to achieve the desired results. The pattern must be followed or the end product will not be faithful to the original and the results could be disastrous. The house not built to pattern may leak or worse, it may collapse; the dress not made by the pattern may look more like a clown outfit. Many people who have the common sense to recognize the need to faithfully follow patterns in their everyday lives, fail to recognize the most important pattern of all the Bible. God has always provided a pattern for His people to serve as a guide to worship and service acceptable to Him. In the Old Testament, God led the children of Israel out of the slavery of Egypt to Mt. Sinai. There God called Moses up the mountain and gave him a pattern of laws and a pattern for a place of worship. As God gave Moses this pattern, He also gave a warning: “According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so ye shall make it” (Ex. 25:9). And He repeated this warning: “And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shown thee in the mount” (Ex. 25:40). Following God’s pattern, the Jews constructed the tabernacle and all the articles for worship to be placed within and without: the brazen altar, the laver, the golden candlestick, the table of shewbread, the altar of incense and the ark of the covenant. Not all the Jews heeded God’s warning to follow his pattern. Two priests determined to disregard God’s pattern of worship and follow their own worship. Nadab and Abihu “offered strange incense before the Lord, which he commanded then not” (Lev. 10:1). The consequences of violating God’s divine order were immediate, “And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Lev. 10:2). God’s punishment of these two men was for our benefit to teach us to treat His pattern with respect. When David became king he planned the build a permanent place of worship in Jerusalem. While David was not allowed by the Lord to build the temple, David did make all the plans and preparations for the construction of the temple which he passed on to his son, Solomon, to complete. As David commissioned Solomon to build the temple he explained, “All this the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern” (1 Chron. 28:19). David urged Solomon to follow God’s pattern in the commands of his Law as well as building His temple. Despite God’s warnings again the Jews failed to respect and keep God’s pattern. Towards the end of his life Solomon drifted away from God. Following Solomon under the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, more Jewish kings were unfaithful to the Lord. Because of the apostasy of the Jews, God allowed them to be taken into captivity and the temple to be destroyed. While in captivity in Babylon, God sent a special vision of the temple to the prophet Ezekiel. In the vision Ezekiel saw a man with a measuring rod measuring God’s temple and all the articles in it. Why? What was the meaning of the vision? “Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern” (Ezk. 43:10). Just as God gave the Jews a pattern through Moses and David, He has given us a pattern of work and worship. The Old Testament, the tabernacle and the temple were only “a copy and a shadow of heavenly things” that are now provided for us by Christ under the New Testament. The pattern Christians have to follow is complete and sufficient. It is complete as it has “given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). It is sufficient as it “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). As God warned the Jews not to violate or tamper with His pattern, He warns us also. We must obey God’s pattern. It is necessary to obey “that form (pattern) of doctrine which was first delivered to you” (Rom. 6:17). To fail to obey His pattern leads to sin and death (Rom. 6:18-23). We must walk by God’s pattern. The apostles, led by the Holy Spirit are an “ensample” or pattern for us to learn from, imitate and walk after (Phil. 3:17; 2 Thes. 3:9). We must keep God’s pattern. “Hold fast the form (pattern) of sound words, which thou hast heard of me” (2 Tim. 1:13). We must make all things by God’s pattern. As Moses was warned to follow the pattern of God in all things, so God warns us in the New Testament “for See, sayeth He, that thou make all things according to the pattern” (Heb. 8:5). Will you heed the warning? |
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