MARCH EDITION... WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE...
Issue 6
by Dr. Keith J. Wise
I. INTRODUCTION...
We begin with the month of March to set us before the truth of God's Word and the words of life for daily living. March is a month in which the winds blow to sometimes confuse far flung meteorological predictions. But out of the confusion, the steady movement of the sun and calculated principles of natural science brings forth the spring and new life and new beginnings. It is much like life. There are times of predictable days and sometimes monotony, when the drudgery of the mundane can seem confusing. Then, out of nowhere comes that sudden, sometimes unpredictable change or opportunity. Beloved, that is what God wants to do with you and I. How many times do you read in the Bible,"but God" in a verse? HE changes everything... See the miracles in the small events and large ones, the great stories of scripture and their faith building hope. Today is the first day of the rest of your life!!II. DIGGING DEEPER ... Some history of denominations
I had a great professor of history at Kentucky Christian University (nee Kentucky Christian College). His name was Thomas Gemeinhart. He passed into glory this year and his family and students will miss him. His details of lecture and requirements were sometimes overwhelming, but set forth a standard to challenge young minds to learn. This month I am going to periodically talk about the origins and statistics of his classes along with my own study over the years. People in the congregations we have served, and my teaching experience of the college classroom have motivated me to share this information.
The Roman Church like other denominations is normally recognized by it organization. We can observe three basic patterns of Church government in Church History: One will be Congregational, in which each congregation elects or selects it own leaders from its own spiritual reservoir. This is done from observing the quality of these persons among them and following Apostolic instructions noted in the Pastoral Epistles. These congregations may in turn, at various levels, see engage other like minded congregations, in loose methods of mutual goals and support systems. Another method of Church governance is called the Presbyterian form. In this system, local congregations develop a Presbytery in which they control issues and dialogue through the local congregations by the collective Presbytery. This in turn will be further organized at a Synod level comprising many Presbyteries. Finally, any number of Synods will reach their junction in the churches General Assembly where often political and social debate are voted on and embraced or discarded. Last but not necessarily least, will be the Episcopal form or church government. Here we see a variety of power sharing actions between the local clergy as priests who are accountable to a Bishop who was accountable to an Archbishop and so on. The Archbishop in this form will, as history notes, the Bishop of Rome eventually became the Pope. The Eastern Church used the term "Patriarch" for their sole leader.
The Roman Catholic Church derived their authority for its thinking from what was known as the Petrine Theory. Simply stated, it derived its view from Matthew 16:18-19 where the Apostle Peter makes the great confession of faith. In this view of Roman Catholic interpretation, Jesus gave the headship of the church to Peter. One of many issues of difficulty with this view is that the other Apostles taught, including Peter, that Jesus is the head of the church. (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18) After serving preeminently in the early chapters of Acts, Peter virtually disappears as Paul becomes more visible. Consequently, early centuries of the church used the term "catholic" in a generic sense not wishing to be exclusively seen as an arm of Judaism. Ignatius who was martyred, in a letter to Polycarp, noted several times in a series of letters of which we have seven, between 110-115 A.D. that there were references to the church as "catholic" or universal.(small "c") This connection in context of the period is natural, without specificity dealing with a religious group. If we think about this in the period, the gospel was to be preached "universally" to all peoples for all times as Jesus commanded in the great commission. New scholarship has noted that there were varieties of Christianity emerging in various areas until a uniform system of theology and polity were established. This typically after the first century came to be determined by the term Bishop. English theologian and historian Edwin Hatch, in his noted work The Organization of the Early Christian Churches suggested that this term Bishop was used for one who held the money or treasury, and later saw the position as a wider encompassing office. The weakness of some of these systems was the attachment policy of local pagan customs into the local congregations, then moving into the higher arenas of church government. As the Roman civil government collapsed under the invasion scenarios of the Germanic invasions, the only literate class that was available was the church and its structure to fill that vacuum.
So, let us summarize this area by saying, that as social and homogenization of Apostolic teaching became more pronounced, the ingenious simplicity of the New Testament organization and teaching became compromised in favor of societal norms and church tradition plus questionable incorporated practices. Therefore, we see two pillars of Roman Catholic broadcasting; one will be scripture and the other will be tradition. This orthodoxy will encompass the traditions of the church fathers, the traditions of the church councils, and eventually the decisions of the Papacy speaking ex cathedra or "from the throne" in terms of church morals.(TO BE CONTINUED)
DID YOU KNOW?...
As we live in an era of "fake news" or "false reporting," this has not gone unnoticed or surprised the living God who is interested in cultivating the "Good News" into the lives of His people. Jesus in His early ministry and His clear pronouncements of himself will eventually reveal this aspect of faith and confidence in His miracles and His salvation. For instance, in Matthew 9:29 two blind men came to Jesus and asked to be healed. Jesus will ask them, "...do believed that I can do this?" Their healing was based on their faith in His ability. This ability issue will be expanded after the resurrection in areas listed below in the word ABLE. Take a look.
1. He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him. (Heb. 7:25)
2. Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling. (Jude 24)
3. He is able to succor (assist) them that are tempted. (Heb.2:18)
4. And being fully persuaded that, what he has promised, He was also able to perform. (Rom.4:21)
5. God is able to make all grace abound toward you. (II Cor. 9:8)
6. I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. ((II Tim. 1:12)
7. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us. (Eph. 3:20)
When we go back to that occasion in Matthew 9:29, the two blind men say, "Yes, we believe that you are ABLE. " That faith made a difference in them. We to by remembering the Christ who rose from the dead is able to meet your needs today and give you a new perspective in your new life now and the one to come.
NUGGETS OF NOURISHMENT... ( A SERMON OUTLINE)
THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND
Text: Mark 6:30-44
Introduction: CHRIST is the pivotal personality of Scripture. Take Christ away from the scripture, and everything else falls into confusion. Seeing Christ in the scripture and the key is found to understanding and grace, peace and hope of God. Notice this great miracle and we all learn.
I. They were gathered to Jesus- (vs. 30)
II. They were speaking to Jesus- (vs.30)
III.They were invited by Jesus- (vs. 31)
IV. They were running after Jesus- (vs.33)
V. They observed the compassion of Jesus- (vs. 34)
VI. They listened to the instruction of Jesus- (vs.34)
VII. They were directed by Jesus- (vs.37)
VIII.They were questioned by Jesus- (vs. 38)
IX. They were commanded by Jesus- (vs. 39,40)
X. They looked for Jesus- (vs. 41)
XI. They sought the blessings of Jesus- (vs. 41)
XII. They observed the action of Jesus- (vs. 41)
XIII. They received the gift of Jesus- (vs. 41)
XIV. They welcomed the distribution and division of Jesus- (vs.41)
Conclusion: He is the bread of life and we as that multitude on that day, can partake of the bread of life in Christ Jesus. In a true sense, each week we partake of the bread of life in the Lord's Supper, and when we read His Word we take in the bread of life.
PROVERBIAL WISDOM... (Continued)...
"Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe." (Prov. 2:11)NLT
"Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and the people, and you will earn a good reputation." (Prov. 3: 3-4) NLT
"A wise child accepts a parent's discipline, a mocker refuses to listen to correction." (Prov.13:1)NLT
"Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster." (Prov.17:19) NLT
"A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even tempered." (Prov.17:27) NLT
