1. Why was there a murmuring in the church? 6:1
2. What could the 12 not do (not fit)? 6:2
3. What does this show about their relative importance? (for the apostles to do)
4. Name the three qualifications the seven man selected for this work would have to have. 6:3
5. Who would appoint the men? 6:3 Who would find them? 6:3
6. Who do you think should find men for bishops in the church today? Deacons? Who should appoint Elders? Deacons?
7. What would the apostles spend their time in? 6:4
8.  Name the seven men chosen. 6:5
9. Who laid their hands up on the seven men? 6:6 give reasons for your answer
10. Which three reasons does 6:7 give for for the church “growing?”
11. What makes you believe that Steven was inspired? 6:8
12. Who arose disputing with Steven? 6:9
13. How did these men fair in the argument with Steven? 6:10
14. What did they do against Steve 6:11 – 12 – 13
15. What were the charges against Steven? 6:11 – 14
16. How did those in the Council see Steven’s face? 6:15
17. What was this council? 6:15

It has been stated that while Jesus was on earth in the flesh that “He learned everything he learned from his parents.”. Jesus being both God and man could live like man at the same time demonstrate power above what man could know or do.
In every dispensation time, God has always admonished children to obey their parents.  This principle was in force while Jesus lived under the law and under Joseph and Mary.  However, when Jesus was twelve years old, he went into the temple and was heard “sitting in the midst of the doctors, bouth hearing them and asking them questions”
Luke 2:46-4946 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”


Luke 2:5050 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.
It was a natural reaction upon not knowing where Jesus was for them to be worried or sorrowful.  He had been a son to them in the flesh and they expected concern and respect from him as a natural thing.  The thing that was different was that He was more than just a son.  He was more than just a man.  Being God,  he could demonstrate things they did not understand for they did not understanting the saying “I mus be about my Father’s business.” Luke 2:50.
They were no doubt his teachers from a fleshly standpoint, but the fact that they were “amazed” at things he knew and said showed that he was God at this point.
Luke 2:4848 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
Who will be the first to say that Jesus sinned in the temple when his parents knew not where he was and what he was doing?
As Jesus himself said:
John 8:4646 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
Written by Cliff Chandler

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The churches of Christ do not now, nor have they ever used mechanical music in worship to God.  Christ did not command it, no apostle ever sanctioned it, no New Testament writer ever authorized it, and no apostolic church ever practiced it.  We have no authority for it.  Col 3:17shows that all we do must be done by the authority of Christ

1. The preceding page shows what the Bible says about our music to be used in praise of God and in teaching and admonishing each other.  The Bible is silent on mechanical music, just as the Law of Moses was silent on priest from Judah (Heb 7:14) and yet they weren’t spiritual (He 8:4).  Neither are mechanical instruments.
2. Some arguments people make trying to justify instruments (mechanical) of music in worship today.

• Some say David used them, therefore, we can praise with them today.  Answer: David had 18 wives and burnt sacrifices.  Is David our authority?
• David said he praised with the instruments – I Cor 23:5.  Many today say they don’t praise with them but only use them as an aid.
• They were used in the –temple but only in the portion which was not a type of the church 2 Chr. 29:25-30
• Some argue that the Greek words translated “sing” and “psalm” include the mechanical instrument.   “Psallo” is translated “sing” 3 times, make melody – 1, and using psalms 1.  “Psallo” a. to pluck off, pull out; b.  to cause to vibrate by touching, to twang;  to touch or strike the chord, to twang the strings of a musical instrument so that they gently vitrate….to play on a stringed instrument, go play the harp…..(in the) “Sept. for nagan and much oftner for zamar; to sing to the music of the harp; in the NT to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song…”  Thayer.
• “Psalmos: – a striking, twanging, …..spec. a striking the chords of a musical instrument; hence a pious song, a psalm –Eph 5:19; Col. 3:16 ….” Thayer.  Thayer’s lexicon gives the derivation of the words meanings.  Since Thayer’s lexicon is a NT lexicon, it gives the meanings of words during the time of the writing of the NTeven though it may go back and give the origin and history of the word.  Sometimes people will pick up a Greek lexicon of some time other than the 1st century and try to make other believe the words in the Greek NT had such a meaning when, in fact, the words had no such meaning in the NT   ****  The words in the Bible uses do not include the instrument and there is no authority for such.  The instrument the of God specifies is the Heart.  Ep. 5:19

POINTS:

1. Mechanical music, to be approved, must be either a command or and aid or expedient.  Which is it??  If the Bible specifies it, all not using it are wrong and sinful and our worship to God in song depends upon having a musician with an instrument present.  If it is not commanded, it could be no more than an aid!!  Which command does it ail??  How does it aid singing when it is played (during the LS and the passing of the hat) when no one is singing like most who have it do?
2. A piano may or may not help to produce a higher quality of music (depending on a person’s likes) but God is interested in our praise, not just high quality music.  A piano would tend to drown out the teaching and the admonishing done by the human voice.
3. The OT is not our authority today.  Heb. 1:1-2; Col 2:14

Reference: “The Church The Greatest Work of God.”, David Bonner, 1971, pp 66-67.

There are many things that help build up a local church.

1. A good teaching program is one of these things.  The pulpit should help in teaching Bible based good lessons.
2. Each person should be encouraged to “be a daily Bible reader.”  Once one gets into the habit, he cannot go to sleep at night unless he has read his Bible that day.
3. Reading the Bible is one thing, studying it is another.  One might study a few verses and get “the meat out of such” to great encouragement.
4. Some have a goal to read the Bible through in a year.  Think that would be hard?  There are 929 chapters in the OT, and 260 in the New Testament.  That means there are only 1189 chapters in the Bible.  If you read just 3 and one forth chapters each day you can read the Bible, Old and New Testaments, in a year.  Most spend more time studying the Bible that seeing how fast they can read it.  Surely we need to study, but don’t neglect reading all of it.

Are you a daily bible reader?  If no, why not?  You cannot form a better habit…..than reading your Bible regularly.
Truth in Love  Vol 7, #7 July 2014, Editor David Bonner

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beliefeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  The Gospel is the only power God has to save men.  If this won’t appeal to men, God insn’t going to reach them.  ”For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God..”  I Cor. 1:18.  In this issue we will study why people are not reached by the gospel.
PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE!
Every organization and institution in the world, just about, wants to reach people.  The Boy Schouts, the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Clubs, and all religious bodies in the world want to reach all the people they can.  There are many in the Chamber of Commerce who are not in religious bodies.  Obviously, Lions Clubs, Boy Schouts, etc attract and have some attraction for some people that regigious bodies do not have.  People usually know what they are looking for in life and seek to find it
WHAT APPEALS TO PEOPLE?
Many people like coffee and donuts and seek organizations where these are served.  Some like hiking, fishing, or bowling and seek organizations to join where they  can participate in these.  Many “religious bodies” now days know what people like in life and have some of the secular to please, thus mixing the religious with the secular.
OTHERS WANT TO HELP PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD
Still, many other people are good moral people and desire most of all to help people in and for this world.  Surely every human should be interested in the welfare of all humans.  Most people have a lot of good in them and should they see a car wreck that just happened, they would stop to see if they could help in any way.  People are interested in helping people.  Some religious bodies emphasis the as a part of their work, and teach secular courses to help people.  Every person ought to help others in any way that he can, yet the work of the church is spiritual in spreading the gospel.  See Phil 1:5; I Jn 1:7
THE PURPOSE OF JESUS’ CHURCH
Many religious bodies realize that because all Americans want to help people in this life, if they will let that be the primary purpose of their religious bodies, naturally all people will be somewhat impress with their work.  The real question is the is: IS THIS the purpose of the church for which Jesus died?
EITHER— 1.  The purpose of the church you read about in the Bible is primarily help people in and for this life.
OR —2.  THE primary purpose of Jesus’ church is to help people get ready for the next life, the hereafter.
If a religious body places the emphasis upon getting people ready for the next life, it surely should draw people who are the most concerned with their souls.  IF, HOWEVER, it places the emphasis upon helping people in and for this life, it would be more appealing to people more interest in such.  HOW CAN WE DECIDE WHERE THE EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PLACED??
LET THE BIBLE DECIDE
“For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Lk. 19:10  All men have sinned and been lost-Rom 2:10, 23.  The purpose of Jesus was to seek THE LOST.  Jesus being the head of the church (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22f), the PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH MUST BE THE SAME AS ITS HEAD.  NOTE THESE SCRIPTURES:

1. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Matt. 28:19.
2. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”  Jesus in Mk. 16:15.
3. “Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things thar are upon the earth.” Col 3:2
4. “Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life..”  Jn 6:27.  Note:  Here Jesus plainly teaches the importance of spiritual food over carnal.

In Lk. 10:38-42, we have a record of Jesus in the home of Martha and Mary.  Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and heard His word, but Marth was cumbered about much serving.  Martha said, “Lord , dost thou not care that my sister did leave me to serve alone?  Bid her therefore that sh help me.  But the Lord answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and broubled about many things; but one thing is needful: for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
In this the Lord plainly tells that the SPIRITUAL, should take place and EMPHASIS over the MATERIAL  If we cannot see where the emphasis should be placed from these Scriptures, it surly isn’t the Lord’s fault.
THE INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN
The Christian is commanded to “do good to all men, and especially unto those in the household of faith.”  Gal 6:10

1. What is good?  I Tim 4:8 shows bodily exercise is good.
2. Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, favor with God and men – Lk 2:52.  To encourage intellectual development, physical development, and social as well as spiritual development surely is good.  Every Christian should do this in both word and deed.

Individuals can work on worth causes whether social, benvolent, physical, or other. (Cancer society, Red Cross, March of Dimes, etc)
THE CHURCH
Since Jesus did build His church (Mt. 16:18) like He said He would, and the only organization of such  is just the LOCAL CHRUCH which can operate, all the organized spiritual work of Christians is through the local church.
Truth In Love, February, 2014, Vol. 7, No. 2