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Making the Point, But Not Getting ItBy Kenneth Bass Pick up an article or book by an Apostolic author, and
chances are you will read something about the Oneness of God, Jesus Name
baptism, speaking in tongues as the initial evidence, or holiness (read: standards).
Now there is nothing wrong with writing about our distinctive teachings;
however, the rub comes in that doctrinal issues have been our focus for much of
the last 40 years. By now, we have made the
point. Pick up any book by the cultists, heresy hunters, staunch
defenders of “orthodox” dogma, or those who are ex-Apostolics and you will
see that we have made the point. Apostolics in the press, academic and
mainstream, are known for their distinctive dogmas. People know what we believe.
They know that we are not Trinitarian. They know that we baptize in the name of
Jesus. They know that we have a different dress code. Yes, we have made the
point. Here comes the rub. Now that we have made the point, have
we got it? (Stick with me on this
one.) There is no direct correlation between the purity of
doctrine and the growth of a movement. But wait; isn’t our model based on the
First Church, who purportedly “turned the world upside down” (Acts
17:6) before they came to Thessalonica? Who would say that they did not have
purity of doctrine? The evangelistic efforts of the first church were
significantly more successful than our modern versions, perhaps because, after
we have made the point, we still don’t get it. The glorious truth of baptism, repentance, remission of
sins, One God, and holiness must keep the foundation that Jesus gave it.
(Here, I am thinking of passages like Luke 6:27-38 and Matthew 25:31-46.) Of course, it would be wrong not to include “The
entire law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” or “on
these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40).
The two commandments are summarized as 1) love God with everything you
have, and; 2) love your neighbor as you love yourself. What gives? Our evangelistic efforts could be enhanced by enacting the
basic principles of brotherly love. Love is a verb. It is about doing.
Theory and dogma will only go so far, and prayer and fasting will only go so
far. At some point, we need to go out there and love people. Love the
homeless. Love the stranger. Love the needy. Give to the poor. Get involved in
community action. Fight against racial inequality and discrimination of any kind
by loving everyone. Our Lord said, “A new commandment I give you; that you
love one another” (John 13:34; 15:12). You may object, “But I do love
everyone.” Good for you! I am talking to those of us who haven’t got the
point yet. The point is that in all of our emphasis on doctrinal
purity, we have nearly forgotten that this doctrine is supposed to change us.
Not “change us” in that we conform to a set of standards administered by our
local Apostolic church, but “change us” in that we are “transformed by
the renewing of [y]our mind” (Romans 12:2). This can, and does, often
include standards that are upheld in the local church. However, it also includes
so much more. A series of questions you may not wish to answer:
You may be tempted to answer, “Well, I know what I am; I am saved.” That answer highlights the point. The Scripture is about more than believing it right; it is primarily concerned with living it right. Are you different like Jesus was? If not, maybe you have not yet got the point. And that point will make all the difference. ninetyandnine.com © 2003, Kenneth Bass --------- Kenneth Bass is a Ph.D. student at Baylor University (Religion – New Testament). He graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary with an MA in Biblical Studies. He and his wife, Tammye, live near Troy, Texas, with their two children, KaRonna and Kasey.
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