The Fellowship Of The Saints

The Layout Of The Meeting

Before I begin I would like to say one thing, that in all things we as the Church must be careful so as not to take things by the letter of the law, but by the Spirit.

In today’s American church the set up is very much the same. One pastor, two to three elders; perhaps a deacon, Sunday school teachers, and the usual crowd that shows up each Sunday. On a normal given Sunday around 9:00am Sunday school starts ending around 10:00am. Then from 10:30am worship starts with around five songs pre-picked by the worship leader, perhaps to better suite the pastor’s sermon. Following the time of worship the pastor relays his message for the day, after this everyone rises to leave and the meeting of the body of Christ is over. Now I want to be careful on how I write this, for to some this may seem over the top. Is the diagram of the church layout in American society scriptural? At this point I could do as many believers do when writing about Theology and Christian living, I could ramble on and on about my own knowledge. I will do that most likely, be assured, but first I believe we need to look to the scriptures first.

Order In the Church, Order In The Church

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is dealing with order in the church, something I believe has been abused in the denominational church and yet forgotten by many of the home churches.

1 Corinthians 14:23-26
If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
¶How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

In verse 23-24, notice that Paul gives an hypothesis; a what if. That what if, is that if all the church comes together, and all speak with tongues. These verses immediately raise a question in my mind. How could all speak in tongues or prophesy if on Sunday it is the pastor who shares his message? Paul shows in vs. 26 the answer to this seemingly confusing mishap between today’s church and the scriptures. He first asks a question. How is it then, brethren? Or, How should it be brothers? The way the church should function when together is everyone either has a psalm, doctrine, tongue, revelation, or interpretation. We must remember that we are the body of Christ. How useful is an arm that plays not out its role for the body? It is useless. So then we as the body of Christ should all be moving and working for the sole purpose that the rest of the body might be edified to the glory of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:4-12
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
¶For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

So what things could be done in the church for the edification of the church? Well one of course is teaching, which teaching is a gift. So let us look at another great passage.

Ephesians 4:9-16
(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Following the ascension of Christ into glory, the anointing of the Holy Ghost, gifts were given. As the purpose of the saints is to edify the body as shown in the previous passage, God has supplied gifts to His children that they might better build up the body of Christ. Now let us carefully look at each one of these gifts. Let us scrutinize and not legalize.

The Five Gifts Of Ephesians

Apostles
apostolos -- pronounced: ap-os'-tol-os
from 649; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ ("apostle") (with miraculous powers): KJV -- apostle, messenger, he that is sent.

In today’s words: a missionary. Although many argue that there are no longer apostles these today’s, that is simply untrue. If anything, there are more sent out into all the world then there were in the early church, due of course to the growth of the church since then.


Prophets
profetes -- pronounced: prof-ay'-tace
from a compound of 4253 and 5346; a foreteller ("prophet"); by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet: KJV -- prophet.

Although throughout the Old Testament a prophet usually spoke of future events, the gift of prophesy is more then that alone. A prophet is merely one who speaks at a certain moment by the very inspiration of God.

Evangelists
euangelistes -- pronounced: yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace'
from 2097; a preacher of the gospel: KJV -- evangelist.

The evangelist is much like the apostle, only instead of being sent out from the local body of believers into the world, he rather remains local as a preacher of the gospel.

Pastors
poimen -- pronounced: poy-mane'
of uncertain affinity; a shepherd (literally or figuratively): KJV -- shepherd, pastor.

Although today’s American church would view otherwise, I look at the gift of pastor as merely one, who just as a shepherd, watches out and cares for the spiritual and physical needs of the body. This is the same command to the elders. In fact the same Greek word for pastors used in Ephesians 4 is the same Greek word for elders used in 1 Peter. Peter exhorts the elders to feed the flock. He goes further by saying they need not be lords over the flock, but rather examples. (1 Peter 5:1,3) For, there is only One Shepherd who is Lord over the flock, the others just care for them as examples to the others to do so as well. Todays church view of a pastor is a mix-mash of both teacher and pastor into one. I am not saying that a pastor cannot have the gift of teaching, but that the gift of teaching is different from the gift of pastoring. I believe that an elder and a pastor are dealing with the same gift and calling as they both come from the same Greek word.

Teachers
didaskalos -- pronounced: did-as'-kal-os
from 1321; an instructor (genitive case or specially): KJV -- doctor, master, teacher.

This gifting is simply having a better ability to project the truth of the word to the believers, whether it is the tough meat for the mature believer, or the milk for the newly saved.

The Five Bars Of The Tabernacle

If we turn to the Old Testament we will find a great picture of what Corinthians 4 is describing. In almost every aspect the Old Testament was historical, but it also extends further as a picture how of the church was to work.

Exodus 26:26-28
And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.
And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.

If you have ever built a fence before you would know that if you leave your fence posts standing in the ground alone for to long, the weather and elements of the climate will begin to twist and warp the posts. But if you place your fencing on immediately, your posts will remain straight and stable, come what may. The tabernacle was much the same way in its design. It’s posts or boards as described were held together by five bars, one of which reached from one end to the other. If you turn to Ephesians 2:20 you will find that the Apostles and Prophets were the foundation of the church. I believe that middle bar as found in Exodus could very well be a picture of the evangelist, as the calling of making disciples is sent forth to all the saints. But that is up for interpretational debate. What I am trying to show in these scriptures from both the old and new Testament is that without the five bars or the five gifts in use, the boards of the church will over time become twisted and deformed perhaps even beyond repair. If all the gifts are not in use the walls of the church are in dire danger. So many churches today mark off apostles and prophets as being a thing of the past. Then they take the gifts of pastor and teacher and try to squeeze them together into some mega gift that certain people with a degree obtain. All in all by doing so, the church at large has removed the foundation of the church, the apostles and prophets, and has taken away the working of the Spirit in the midst of the meetings by simply handing out gifts in the form of a paper diploma. This is not found in scripture nor is it seen in early church history. We must be careful so as not to hinder the Holy Ghost, and we must needs be cautious so as not to mold the church in an unbiblical setting for the sake of traditional secular ways. Scriptural truth must supercede all human notions of church function.

“All Ye Are Brethren”

Matthew 23:8-12
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

The intent that God seems to make so very clear for the church is that we are all on one level, that level is simply based upon the calling and working of God. This is clearly lost in the Catholic Church. Going from the Pope down to the priest, this is considered the positions that God speaks through in the Catholic religion. The congregation has no need for biblical studies, just the hearing of the daily sermon from the priest. We can see how this goes against what God desired from the beginning. Turn to Exodus and there we will find that with Israel, God desired to speak directly to them Himself. He no longer wanted them to have to go through Moses, He desired a relationship with them. Yet it was due to their sin that they could not all hear from God but had to wait for Moses to bring the word of God to them.

Exodus 20:18-22
¶And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

The Lord desired greatly to be able to speak directly to His people. But because they were fearful and unbelieving and because the Spirit of the God was not in them, they left the task for one man to bring to them. In the end the Lord took this burden from Moses and laid it upon the priests and prophets of the tabernacle. But as seen in Acts, after the ascension of Christ to His throne, by the power of the Holy Ghost to which He left for the church, we have all become priests. It is not left to only a certain tribe, but to one tribe, the tribe of Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:1
¶And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

1 Peter 2:9-10
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

So Christ has made us all partakers in the church. As priests we all have our duties before God to perform in the meeting. If we heed not the working of the Spirit but rather stand back due to the schedule or layout of the traditional church, so prevalent in America, we become a useless part on the body of Christ. God forbid that we should become that. As Peter puts it, we are a royal priesthood. Let us be faithful to the calling and duties to which God so desires to work through us for the edification, admonition, encouragement, and even correction of the brethren around us. If we slack in our work, the fence posts of the church will become twisted and unworkable in hard times, and in due time even non-repairable. I fear the traditional church is already there. Let us take caution in this world, and action in the Word of God.

Wells Of Salvation

John 4:13-14, 21-24
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Jesus makes it clear to the woman at the well. It is from Him that we receive the water of life, and that by Him we will have a well springing up inside of us. Isaiah prophesied of this in chapter 12.

.Isaiah 12:3-4
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
¶And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

The Lord has made us wells of salvation. As wells of salvation the church is able to draw from one another. As vs.4 shows that we not only draw from the brethren, but we also must spring forth the truth and declare the doings of the Lord among the people. This is what the Lord desired to do with Israel in Exodus, and what Christ stated as being done through Him. The well springing up was no longer subject to the Levite priests, but rather to the whole church; for we all are priests. Jesus continues in Gospel of John, showing that not only is the Spirit now working in all for the edification of the saints, but that He is not limited to location. He works where He wants and how He wants for the one purpose: to accomplish God’s eternal purpose.

John 4:21-24
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Then He explains that worship of the Lord among the saints is no longer subject to physical locations such as the temples in Jerusalem or the mountains of Israel. So bodily ministry is not something that the “home churches” do, but it is something all fellowships when meeting together should be practicing. Whether it is the mid week Bible study or the Sunday morning meeting, the Church needs to be listening to the voice of the Lord and allowing Him to use them at any give moment, so that all may draw from the well Christ has placed in them. I am not saying that all men are teachers, but all men should be open to teach should the Lord desire to have them do so. 2 Timothy 2:23 shows us that “the servant of the Lord must be apt to teach.” Let us not hinder the working of the Holy Ghost, but let us spring forth the river life that should be, if not is, flowing out from our inner most being. We are one body, the body of Christ Jesus, let us act as such that God might be glorified, the saints be edified, and the lost be mystified as they were in Acts 2.

Heavenly Citizen, Living In The World

¶I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2

It has come to my attention that there is a lack in Christian understanding as to where God draws the line when it comes to the world’s influences and our take on them. Before I go any further I would first like to say that I write this with caution and carefulness. I have found that when discussing Biblical doctrines one must use the scriptures to do so, or else ones thoughts and words have no foundation. With this though one must take very careful measure so as not to conform the scriptures to ones own views. I desire not to add nor take away from scripture. Lend me grace.

The subject of our citizenship being in heaven and not on earth has come to my attention recently. I have heard what would appear to be both sides of an argument and I have found myself trying to grasp the truth of both sides in light of the scripture. For in our American culture it is so easy to latch onto that which is pleasing to ones ears. Although I believe this is not only subject to American idealism but rather the mind of the lost soul of every man. Then on the other hand we find those who are so tired of the life they try to build, that they in turn run so radically to the opposing side and wind up running right past the very truth they so needed.

As previously shown Paul states in Romans that we must not be conformed to the world. This word simply means “to fashion alike.” Strongs G4964 Interestingly enough, Paul states that we are to rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds. He uses here a different word. From the Strongs the word transformed means “to change or transfigure.” When I just take his first exhortation at face value, it is easy to understand with a potter in mind. Outside of Christ being the Potter of our lives, we ourselves are the potters. Apart from the will of the Father we fashion ourselves to look like the world. The interesting thing about most Christians is that we either state this as being a physical forming, leaving us to worry about looking conservative yet lacking spiritual growth or we write it off as a spiritual change so that we do not have to change our outward likes and dislikes. But, as I will go into more depth on, I believe that we to often choose between two extremes and miss the liberty and the ground to which we should stand upon.
Now if Christ is our Potter, if it is he who molds us and transforms us, then we really need to be seeking Him as to what we should do and how we should live. If not, then we are only creating our own religion. Either a religion of physical pleasure or a religion of false spiritual desires. Now I would hope that we all agree that God is the same. He is the same God in the Old Testament as He is in the New Testament. The only difference is we have a far greater covenant through Christ Jesus, in our relationship with the Father. But if God is the same then we must be open to both Old and New Testament passages. I would like for us to take a look at one from both halves of the Bible.

¶The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. Hosea 1:2

Hosea is given a command like no other we have ever been given, and yet it is for the purpose to which God has for it. If we look back at the law of God in the Old Testament we will find that this would appear to go against many lawful commands. For instance, if an adulterous woman were to be found she was to be put to death, as commanded in Leviticus 21:9 and many other passages. So did God go against His previous command when He commanded Hosea to marry? No. We must realize that God has His plan that He works His way. The laws to which we must abide to, God is not held captive to. Yet in all He does He never sins. God needed to illustrate to Israel their abominations and what better way then to have His prophet marry a harlot who would be unfaithful to him.
Now moving to the other half of your Bible you will find in Acts 16:1-3 our next passage.

¶Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek. Acts 16:1-3

In this passage we find Paul meeting up with Timotheus, a young man who loved the Lord. Now we see in Galatians, Paul is dealing with Peter over the Peter’s flip floppy ways. He says,

¶But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. Galatians 2:11-12

Peter had a major issue; he was trying to please those around him due to his fear of man. That is a key point in this; it was due to his fear that he pleased them. It was neither wrong for Peter to eat with the Gentiles nor was it wrong for him to draw himself away from them. But that is only true if he was doing such due to a command by the Lord. This is why Paul was upset with Peter over pleasing man, when he himself went and circumcised Timotheous. John Piper puts it this way,

“In Timothy’s case, what was at stake was how unbelieving Jews might best be won to Christ.”(For more on John Piper’s thoughts go to: www.desiringgod.org/resourcelibrary//tasteandsee/bydate/1983/3005_why_was_timothy_circumcised/)

If Paul planned on taking Timothy with him as his companion in evangelism, Timothy would need to be equipped in certain areas. No Jew would even dare listen to an uncircumcised man when it comes to God and His holiness. Timothy was not circumcised due to the fear of man, but rather for the better ability to spread the gospel.

But this seems to go against Paul’s exhortation that we be not conformed to the world. Scripture even amplifies it by saying that we are not of this earthly kingdom but of a heavenly one. I believe Paul clears a lot of this up when he said in Colossians,

Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Colossians 2:20-22

The moment we state something as being a “touch not; taste not; handle not object” without any scripture that confirms such a stand, we must take it as what the Lord has set for our life for His purpose. Many might look at the scripture and say, “The early church met in homes, hence they were not like the world.” Some one else might say the contrary, “The early church road donkeys, and in this they were like the world.” Both are true and both are wrong. Just because one might physically do something that an unbeliever does just as well, does not mean the believer is seeking to look like the world. In America, it is true that we see the Christian’s tendency is to run after that which will make him more expectable to man and man’s ways. But if we are dressing and living not based upon pleasing man’s ways, but rather wholly for the purpose to which God has called us to, then we have no reason to question ourselves. It is like when a believer, (or as many prefer to call him,) a missionary goes into a different country his desire is to save that which was lost. In many countries one must take upon him the same garb of the culture to which he is dwelling in. Whether it is for the sake of the climate or the cultural acceptance to even speak of such matters as eternal as the scripture, as exemplified by Paul in Acts 16.

Our real problem in American Christianity, which I cringe putting those two together, is that we do not seek after the Father’s will in our lives for His eternal purpose. We lay aside our discernment and grab a hold of men’s ways, and in turn seek after that which is but for a moment. Peter has a pretty good handle as to describing the man who walks after the flesh.

¶But chiefly them that walk after the flesh…………………These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 2 Peter. 2:10a, 17

I believe Paul in all his writings over how the Church is to be separate from the world, boils down to being focused on the will of God, rather then the ways of man. With this we must be cautious that we do not despise another man’s walk if it is not a direct disobedience to scripture. If we do despise such, we have created within our own minds a religion apart from God. Sometimes we might find a believer standing on something that sounds so strange to our own calling. Let us once again use the Old Testament for an example. In 1 Kings 13 a young prophet is commanded by God to give a message and then to return home. He was not to eat nor drink until he returned to his home.

¶Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. ¶And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. 1 Kings 13:11-24

In this story we are dealing with two prophets of God. Was it a sin for the first prophet to drink and eat? Yes. Is it a sin for man to drink and eat? No. It is not a sin unless God in His great plan relays to you that it is. Now for those, as the older prophet did, who find it hard to understand why a man would not eat or drink, they must focus on the will of God and not hinder or cause doubt to enter the mind of the fellow brother.

Both sides of the argument are at fault. If we say wearing clothes that look like the world but have a different color is wrong, then we may have erased the words that God so desired to write in our lives pages. If we say it is not wrong to wear clothes that look like the world for the purpose of looking like the world, then we have caused a major wall to be built between us, and the working of God in our lives.
God has given us discernment; let us base that discernment on His plans and not our own presumption of what is right and what is wrong. Can a believer be a citizen of Heaven yet dressed like a citizen of earth? Yes. If it is for the purpose God has given him to fulfill. It does not matter whether he is in the heart of an American city or the remote villages of Africa, one can have just as much fleshly desires to look like the world as the other. It is when both set their eyes on eternal things and take no thought for what they shall wear or what they shall eat, but rather wear and eat what God gives them. It is when the believer tries to provide for himself, instead of grasping what God has already provided for him.

I have heard the phrase “life in America is not normal” far to often. It is a statement to which I agree with and yet have some reserve. Life outside of Christ is not normal. It does not matter where one resides, it is easy to see that without Christ, one lives a life apart from the eternal Giver of Life. I know of many who would think that to understand normal living one must leave the shores of America and land on some foreign idol worshipping jungle where men and woman die of sickness and children of starvation. Ask yourself honestly, is the other side of the sea normal living? Did Paul go out into the world to understand “normal living?” Whether it is in riches or in an idol made up of dirt, the fallen man lives off of the material things of this world. We as believers must realize where ever we are that those around us are not living a normal life. We need to surrender the terms that the fallen man deems life and realize that Jesus is life. (John 14:6) Anything apart from Christ is truly not living. So let us not go into another country based upon wanting to see “normal living” unless of course God commands us to do so. Our purpose for going into the world is to make disciples of men. And even that may call for what would appear as material work to do so. Take caution that we do not diminish what God might desire to use for His purpose.

Once again I would ask that you lend me grace. John Calvin upon his deathbed stated that he would not take back one thing that he wrote in all the years of his ministry. I find this rather foolish of a statement. So please understand that I do not say I have a perfect handle on this matter, this is just some thoughts to throw into the minds of the believer for the purpose that we all might understand our citizenship better. Iron sharpens iron. There is so much more I need to say and will, but I will leave it with this.

In Christ Our Perfect Redeemer,
Nathaniel Chapman