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Letters November 19, 2007 It is that time a year again when we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. Even though everyone historically involved with the “first Thanksgiving” are usually mentioned as we go through our school years, the intent of celebrating Thanksgiving many times gets lost in the shuffle of life. For me it has turned into a personal time of thanks. During the week of Thanksgiving I pause and mentally go through my life and what all I am thankful for—it astounds me just how much I have to be thankful for and just how unthankful I really am!
Take inventory of your thankfulness this week and enter into His gates with Thanksgiving . . . there is always something for us when we learn to be thankful!
Re: “Sometimes My Preaching Stinks: I Don’t Have God’s Message”
I deeply appreciate the transparency of this article’s subject in regards to the responsibility of ministering the Word of God. The response of “What should we do” in a situation where we don’t feel we have God’s message and the congregation doesn’t either, has an answer. Rather than “having church” just to have church, we need to realize what the goal of our gathering together really is.
Jesus must be our preeminent focus. His Word states that the dead letter kills but the Spirit brings life. If we don’t have His Word, should we go through the motions expecting the dead letter to be effectual? How about we say in transparency, “I don’t have the Word tonight, so let’s turn this place into a prayer meeting and seek the face of God.”
This can be a humbling position and it’s not church as usual, but aren’t we pursuing a relationship with the Lord. If Jesus isn’t talking, we don’t need to add filler just to take up the space. Waiting for him to speak is the best way to model how to have a real and dynamic relationship with the Master. Jesus honors honesty and humility and richly rewards those that diligently seek him.
Jonathan Markworth, Minnesota
Re: “Letters, Nov. 12, 2007”
A writer writes about a rumored break-up of the UPC and the division fomented by the UPC’s Resolution 4. He concludes that division is “desperately needed.” That solution, of course, is a practical one and has surface attraction. It is, however, neither a biblical solution nor a truly Christian one.
The biblical solution is found in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8. In my 40 years as an apostolic Christian, I have heard no thorough exposition of either. This points to the observations I made elsewhere in these pages (The Pefm and Bankrupt Theology) that Apostolics of the modern era have a low view of scripture. Else, neither Resolution 4, nor any other seemingly difficult issue, would be cause for division.
Do we modern Apostolics think this issue is more important than was the issue of eating food in an idol’s temple (I Corinthians 8)? The principles Paul staked out in I Corinthians 8 and Romans 14 are “the principle of a brother’s good.” He went so far as to say that, despite the side of an issue we might fall out on, we are neither to judge our brother nor to sum him up in our minds in a negative way (Romans 14:10). We Apostolics need to get about the business of declaring the whole counsel of God. If so, we will quit ignoring I Corinthians 8 and Romans 14. We will at the same time make good on Jesus’ command to love one another, thereby becoming a sweet savor of Christ (II Corinthians 2:15).
For either side to cut and run, shows, once again, that we refuse the discipline and maturity that would make us truly Christian, truly pleasing to Him, and willing to learn at His feet.
John Charrier, Louisiana
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© 2007, ninetyandnine.com
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