This is a presentation of the Woodland church of Christ, meeting at 3370 Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. We meet for worship on Sunday at ten thirty am and five thirty pm. We meet for bible study at nine thirty am on Sunday and seven pm on Wednesday. If you have questions or comments on this lesson, you may email them to Fred Gosnell at fgosnell@ftc-i.net or to Arnie Granke at agranke440718@twc.com or to Glenn Landrum at scbamaboy2003@yahoo.com.
Arnie:Good afternoon. This is What Does the Bible Say? Brought to you by the church of Christ at Woodland in Sumter, South Carolina. I'm Arnie Granke. Glenn Landrum is with me, and Fred Gosnell and and we're all members of the church of Christ at Woodland. We meet on the Lord's Day at 3370 Broad Street extension. And if you would like to drop us a note and and offer some suggestions or even some criticism for that, for that matter, you can reach us at PO Box, 3171 here in Sumter, South Carolina, 29150. Uh, we've been talking about Christ's Church and the difference between Christ's Church and and others, and so let's continue that thought. Glenn, we were talking about a few things before we be before you got started. Would you like to share those with our audience, certainly?
Glenn:Sure. And before I start with that, just let you know if, if you would like to participate in a Bible study or something, you can get in touch with us, and we'll provide with you with opportunity to to do a Bible study and learn more about God's word and what you need to be doing in order to please God. We ended up last week talking about singing as being one of those things that we do in worship of God that we find mentioned in the New Testament. The passage we looked at last week was Colossians 3, 16, and that mentions singing and and what it accomplishes, it accomplishes teaching and admonishing one another, and it also tells what kind of songs, it's, psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Take a look at Ephesians, 5, 19, there'll be another passage we would would like to mention, and that says, Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord it says, Today, most churches use what? Use what to make the melody? Of course, that's a question and why most, most people would answer, well, they use some form of instrumental music, whether it's a piano or organ or some other type of instrument of music, and that's what they use to make the melody. It's a musical instrument. In this passage, we learned that the melody should come from the heart. Did you know that the musical instruments were not even used at all in the churches claiming to be of the faithful Christians until the seventh century? Musical instruments in worship did not become prevalent until the 1800s. You may ask, Why does God not say anything in the scriptures? Like, Thou shalt not use musical instruments? We have to accept the silence of the scriptures in many cases, coupled with the known practice of the church in the early centuries after Christ's death, burial and resurrection. The example of the early church is so important to because it was being looked after by the apostles and the direct disciples of Christ. The Apostles and many others, were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke through the Holy Spirit by God. Besides Colossians, 3, 16, and Ephesians, 19, the only other mention of singing in reference to worship in the New Testament Church is Acts 16, 5, 25, and that's probably not in a worship service, but it mentions Paul and Silas while in jail, they were singing hymns of praise to God,
Arnie:And they didn't have an instrument, did they?
Glenn:Exactly
Arnie:Just handcuffs or something of that sort. Fred.
Fred Gosnell:Well, one of the things that that Paul says to the Corinthians in First Corinthians four, verse six, and we'll read it from the American Standard Version. He says to them, Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes that in us you might learn not to go beyond the things which are written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against against the other. So as as Glenn mentioned the apostles, the words that they provided us, their preaching and their writings came from the Holy Spirit. And Paul says, don't go beyond what is written. Now, one of the other things that Paul said, and he said in First Corinthians, 14 verse, verse 37 notice what He said there. He says, If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. So, so we are guided by the writings of the apostles, and those writings are the words that they got from the Holy Spirit, and ultimately, they are the commandments of the Lord. So so we don't have the option to change those words or to do the things that are different from what those words say. And of course, when, when, when Glenn's talking about the worship there, the worship and involved in singing. And singing is a specific action that we take. The word playing is not in there. It's it's singing and and then one, one final word, and I'll toss it to toss it to Arnie. One of the things that Paul tells the tells, tells Titus. And again, in Titus chapter or first, first, Timothy, second, Timothy, chapter one, I'm sorry, in in verse 13, he says, Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ, Jesus. And if you have a newer translation, you'll find out that the word form there is, is translated as pattern. So, so the words we have in the New Testament provides us, is a pattern. When we're talking about worship, there's a particular pattern that we are to follow when we are worshiping God, and that pattern includes specific words, and we've got to stick with those words. We can't go beyond them, and we can't change those words where they mean something different than than what the original words said that the Holy Spirit gave the apostles that they wrote down for us.
Arnie:Certainly the singing is, is a part of the activity that we engage in when we when we worship and and it needs to be done in a scriptural manner in order to be acceptable to to to God. And the same is true with regard to prayer. We mentioned prayer once before in Acts, chapter two and verse 42 we we read about disciples as soon as the church had begun that they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in in prayers. And we need to be doing that as well, having prayer lists and and writing down things that we don't want to forget to mention in in prayers. Not a bad idea. Uh, perhaps there are people who have spiritual needs or maybe even health needs that we'd want to pray about. We'd want to want to pray about brethren in in distant locations. Uh, Fred has a class that he works on with some disciples over in India and speaks with them and and they interact with him. And that's that's certainly helping the church to grow in in that location. So let's not omit things that will that will certainly be of of benefit to the to the saints. And first, Timothy, chapter four and verse 13, I just mentioned one other passage here talks about reading the scriptures. And Paul had written to Timothy and and said to him, Till I come give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. These are not just things that sometimes people want to say. Well, you know, maybe, maybe we should do that. Or maybe not, we'll just pass on that this week, or something along that line, no passing on those things. These are things that that the Bible says and it doesn't say, doesn't have the word occasionally, or if you feel like it, or any other thoughts along that line. Let us indeed read the Scripture, exhort one another, and by all means, include teaching of of the God, of the Word of God. Glenn, I see
Glenn:Yeah,
Arnie:turning to a passage.
Glenn:Well,yeah, I might, might get one there in a moment. But yes, prayer and scripture reading are things that we know we do in our worship to God. Another is gospel preaching. Acts 20, verse seven, says And upon the first day of the week, which lets us know when it happened, When the disciples came together to break bread, and this refers to the Lord's Supper. Paul preached to them ready to depart on the morrow and continued his speech unto midnight. So this is a great example of the the church coming together on the first day of the week to do those things, to to participate in the Lord's Supper, and Paul, being the preacher, preached to them until midnight on that that very day. One of the things that I might mention about prayer, we we all may, may be familiar with the passage in First Thessalonians, 5, 17, that says, Pray without ceasing.
Arnie:Pray without ceasing.
Glenn:Now that's probably a command towards individuals themselves, but I think it applies to us as a church as well. We need to be praying and we we pray for many different things. We all know the model prayer of Christ and the things that he prayed for. So we can use those things as, as an example of how we pray. We pray for other people. We pray for our own strength, we pray for forgiveness, and we pray that God's work will be done. Those are things that we do.
Fred Gosnell:You know, just you're talking about prayer, in First Corinthians 14, that whole chapter is talking about spiritual gifts, but it's but it's talking about their worship and the things that they did. One of the things they talk about is a prayer. And he says, 14, verse four, chapter 14, verse 13, Wherefore, let him that speaketh in an unknown language pray that he may interpret. But then he says, If I for, if I pray in unknown language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it? Then I will pray with the spirit. I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also. And of course, the singing and the praying has to be in such a way that people understand it. And of course, they had people there that spoke different languages, and they had people that had spiritual gifts to do so, but, but if there was nobody there that had the foreign language you were speaking in. Well, don't, don't use it when you pray? But, but prayer is one of the things that is, is that we do in our worship. So, so you read Acts 20, verse seven, and of course, it says something else there, it says about the Lord's Supper. It says there Uupon the first day of the week, and again, the most King James versions have had have the word day there italicized, and it's the first of the week. And the word week there is sabbaton. The sabbaton has seven days, so the first of the sabbaton would be the first day. And so it's specified, and they came together to break bread. And of course, this phrase here is not talking about a common meal. This is talking about the communion. It's the same word that's used in First Corinthians 10, in verse 16, says,, The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of blood of Christ, the bread which we break? Is it not the communion of the Body of Christ? So, so. So here in Acts 20, verse seven, it was on the first day of the week that they came together to break bread, to remember the Lord's death till he comes again. And that was part of their worship. And of course, it's specified. It wasn't on the seventh day. It wasn't on the seventh of the sabbaton, it wasn't on the third of the sabatton, it was on the first of the sabbaton, the first day of the week that they came together to worship in spirit and in truth, according to the pattern that we find in the New Testament,
Arnie:Giving was another activity that was a part of of worship as well in the New Testament, and needs to be a part of our our worship, even today. In First Corinthians, chapter 16 and in verse two, Paul specifies that, On the first day of the week, let everyone of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him, that there be no collections when I when I come. And then also in, in Second Corinthians, in in chapter chapter nine. Here's how we what our attitude ought to be as we're as we're giving. Sometimes people want to short change the Lord, he doesn't become wealthier if we give a lot, he doesn't become poor if we give a little, but we we do, perhaps lead him to have some thoughts with regard to us, either positive or negative, based on how we carry out these activities that are that are specified as parts of of worship. I mentioned Second Corinthians, chapter nine, Paul said this, I say he which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly, and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully, every man as he purposeth in his heart. This isn't necessarily talking just about male individuals. This is is every disciple, Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart. So let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity. Not. somebody's not standing over you expecting you to put a little more in there. That that's a decision that you have to make. For God loveth a cheerful giver. And and I would think that that you know if, if we're cheerful givers, and we want the Lord to recognize us as cheerful givers, we ought to, we ought to give in a generous fashion, as both of these passages of Scripture suggest.
Glenn:You know concerning giving, many churches today are are still giving under the the Old Testament, the law of Moses standard, and they'll call that tithing. Tithing was giving one tenth of everything that the the Jews owned at that time.That's never mentioned in the New Testament. And we need to be and we need to be aware of that. I mentioned a few moments ago, when when talking about singing, that we need to be aware of the silence of the scriptures. And this is one of those things that that is silence on. Giving under the law of Christ, is never mentioned as being tithing or giving one tenth. We are told to give as we've been prospered, to purpose in our heart how we're going to give and to give liberally. So those are the those are the ways that we we are to give as New Testament Christians. The things we've talked about so far, you may notice that these are kind of, if you will, identifiers of the Lord's Church or Christ's Church. These things now are, are what, what you can look at to determine whether the church that you're considering worshiping with is the church that belongs to Jesus Christ. We talked about name. Now we've talked and talked about the things that that it does in in in its worship. We talked about its organization. We talked about it's owner. So now we come to the mission of the church. And the first mission of the church, this is what the church has to accomplish. This is the goal that you're trying to achieve. The first is, is evangelism. And we want to look at First Timothy, 3, 15, But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth. Well, the pillar and the ground of truth identifies that we are to proclaim the truth of God, and that's exactly what we do. Also, we want to look at first, Thessalonians, one, verse eight, For from you sounding out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia,but also in every place, your faith to Godward is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak anything. Paul is talking to the Thessalonians here and and praising them for for carrying out that mission that's been given them, because they did sound out the word of the Lord, not only he said in Macedonia and Achaia, but in many other places. So they were doing the mission, or accomplishing the mission which God had given them.
Fred Gosnell:Well, and of course, part of that mission there, mission there, uh, it includes what Paul mentions as edification or building up the body. And in Ephesians, chapter four, verse verses 11 and 12, he, he includes a number of things here. And of course, he's, he's talking about what was done in the first century. He says, He gave some apostles, some prophets and some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, and these were these were inspired people, and the work that they were to do was for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ, for to to build up, in the individual Christians. And so Paul said to the to the Corinthians as as well. And of course, we find, we find that sometimes the edification had to, had to do with some with some negative things. And notice what he said to the to the Corinthians, Second Corinthians, 13, verse 10, he says, Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present, I should use sharpness according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification and not to destruction. So even when Paul had something that he had to correct them on his whole purpose was to build them up. He wasn't there to destroy them. He was to correct them so that they would be built up, become better, stronger Christians and would serve the Lord better in the future.
Glenn:You know, I thought of a comparison when, when Fred was talking about this, we talked about singing a few moments ago, and I don't know whether you I noticed it or not, but one of the things that singing does is teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual Psalms. So we not only teach through reading and studying the Bible and teaching one another that way, we teach also in the songs that we sing. Therefore we need to make sure that the songs we sing are songs that are in accordance with the Scriptures.
Arnie:I noticed that you that you mentioned the word sing several times with regard to these psalms and, and I think it's important that we also add to that, a word that is not mentioned is playing.
Glenn:That's right.
Arnie:That we don't have musical instruments, but that's not even mentioned in the in the New Testament, having having those and and our purpose is to is to teach one another. So if I'm singing, singing a part of the song, you're singing the same the same thing. Maybe we've got a hymnal that we're reading the words out of as we as we sing, we're edifying each other and strengthening each other, and I think that's an important part of of our faith. Fred, I see you've got a thought there.
Fred Gosnell:Well, when we move on to benevolence, part of the work of the church is benevolence. What, Well we we read First Corinthians, 16, one and two, I think it said. And Paul said that the collection is for the saints, and one of the responsibilities for the for the church, the local congregation, is to use part of the collection is for those saints that are that are in need. And Paul, Paul talks about that in firstCorin, or first First Timothy, five, three through 16. Now, notice that pretty long reading here, but notice what he says. He says, Honor widows that are widows, indeed, if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, to requite their parents, for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed and desolate, trusteth in God, continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. And these things giveth in charge that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. Let not a widow be taken into the number under three score years old, having been the wife of one man, well reported good works, if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints feet, she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed, every good work. But the younger widows refuse, for they have begun to wax a wanton against Christ, they will marry, having damnation because they have cast off their first faith, and withall they learn be idle, wandering about from house to house, not only idle, but tattlers also and busy bodies, speaking things which they ought not. I will therefore that younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully, for some are already turned aside after Satan. If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged that it may relieve them that are widows indeed. So widows indeed are those that are 60 years old. They don't have any family, their their husband's gone that they have no means to support themselves. The Church can take care of her and but if she doesn't meet those qualifications, the last thing that Paul says is, if she has family members, let those family members take care of her and let not the church be charged. The church is charged with relief of the saints, those that are in need. And that's what part of the collection is for, and it's specified in in the scriptures, according to Paul by the Holy Spirit.
Arnie:So that that really throws us into really three categories of of the mission of of the church involves the the evangelism. It involves edification, and it involves the benevolence toward needy saints. Uh, we're not just required to to give to the to the general population of the community, or whatever, that would be an individual responsibility, rather than a church responsibility. It takes care of of the saints. Glenn, I'm thinking maybe we ought to talk a little bit about who are members of the Lord's church. We've only got a couple more minutes there. Certainly Acts chapter two would indicate that it's people that are saved, people that have obeyed the gospel in in other words, had their sins washed away. They've become Christians and and I'm looking at Acts, chapter chapter two, and beginning in in verse 40, 46 where the the record tells us, with regard to the to the the first congregation that existed there in in Jerusalem, Acts, chapter two, verse 46, They continuing daily with one accord in in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they'd eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily, such as were being saved. That that's certainly a significant thought there, that as, they weren't just out trying to recruit people or anything of that sort, They were simply preaching the gospel. And those that that said, you know, that's applicable to me, decided that they needed to obey the gospel, have their sins washed away and became, become members of of the body of of Christ themselves..
Glenn:You kinow, when, when Arnie just mentioned the response of people said, he way he raised it. Said, well, that they they heard the gospel, and they said, Well, that's for me. Well, we have a really good example. And I think we'll probably, this will probably take us to the end of our time. We have a really good example in Acts 2, 37 and 38 concerning that. Peter was preaching the first gospel sermon and and he preached, and he taught about Jesus, what had happened to Jesus, and told, told the the people that were there that they were guilty of crucifying Jesus. And verse 37 said, Now, when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? So get that they they, they did come to that point where Arnie was saying, well, that's for me, they're saying they were, they were convinced that they were guilty, and Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So therefore we we see these people responding to the gospel being preached. They were pricked in their heart and wanted to know know what they needed to do to be saved.
Arnie:So, it wasn't just for a social situation. They weren't trying to join a club or or anything of that sort. They were seeking to comply with what God had said with regard to removing sin and and being his people, and that's what we want to do, and what we hope that you'll do as well. We're out of time, and we appreciate you listening. We hope that you'll tune us in again, next Lord's day. We've got more to talk about on on this subject, so be with us again next Lord's day, afternoon and meanwhile, we wish you a good, pleasant week of serving the Lord.