In the process of looking for a church home, there are many things to consider. The emphasis on structure and orderliness, finding a church that edifies the Body rather than the individual, the quality of the leaders – these are important considerations. The driving impetus behind any congregation is the subject today.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. And God has placed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next, miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, managing, various kinds of languages.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in languages? Do all interpret? But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way." (I Corinthians 12:27-28)

Spiritual gifts were given to the Church to help strengthen it, yet spiritual gifts mean nothing under the wrong motivation. Paul understood this and he sought to teach the church at Corinth this all-important motivation. No spiritual gift outweighs the motivation that comes from God. To state it simply, there is a certain kind of love that flows from God and that is the love we’re speaking of today.

“If I speak the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have [the gift of]^* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, Other mss read to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
(I Corinthians 13:1-3).

I don’t know what I could add to Paul’s clear statement that spiritual gifts are useless if the possessor does not exercise love (God centered, unconditional love). Speaking in tongues is as useless as a musical instrument in a hurricane if you don’t exercise agape love. The ability to interpret scripture specifically and to know and understand the world with Godly wisdom or even the faith to accomplish incredible miracles means nothing. The person able to do those things is nothing if they don’t exercise God’s love toward others. Even selfless charity and the willingness to die for others mean nothing without God’s love acting in our lives.

Ah, but what is love? We use that word so casually in our time. I love my husband. I love my children. I love ice cream. Let’s hope I love them all in distinctly different ways. The word is meaningless because it is over used. Fortunately, Paul defined it. It’s important to know that Greek scholars say that the Greeks had several words for love (not quite as many words for love as the Eskimos have words for snow). Thus, when we read the one word “love” in the Scripture it is easy to become confused. For purposes today, we’re discussing agape love, the love that flows from God, which is unconditional and present even when our human soul does not feel very loving.

“Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” (I Corinthians 13:4-8a)

Boiled to its essence this is love. Love is always an action. It is connected to feeling, but it transcends emotion because we can agape love even when we don’t feel loving. Love is always an action. It is how we comport ourselves, how we treat others, how we control our inward lives. And, it is those actions motivated by agape love that the recipient will remember. Those have eternal consequences.

“But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.” (I Corinthians 13:8a-10)

There is much controversy about what Paul meant in these few sentences, but the simple non-sectarian explanation is that these gifts will cease, if not in this world, then in heaven. There will be one language in heaven, so we will not need tongues. We will be standing in the very presence of God, so will not need prophesy. Love will endure beyond this common life into the next realm where there is no need of spiritual gifts. Why would we need imperfect tools when we stand in the presence of the Perfect God? We won’t need anything then, but the love that flows from Him.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.” (I Corinthians 13:11-12). Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that they were infants in the Lord, but that the day would come when they would become spiritual adults in heaven and then they would not need “training wheels” any longer. This is what God wants us as Christians in the 21^st Century to understand. We know it part today what we will someday know in full, but only when we have entered fully into God’s presence.

“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13) Paul wanted the immature church of Corinth to understand that nothing was greater than agape love that even faith and hope would fail before love does.

When I get to heaven I plan to ask Paul why he put the “love” chapter right in the middle of a discussion on spiritual gifts, but I suspect I’ll only verify what I think I already know. The church of Corinth was no model for the New Testament church. It had problems. No wonder, being where it was in the world at that time, given that they didn’t have the Bible to refer to when they had a question about doctrine. Corinth was more a model for what not to do in a church. While the church at Corinth excelled in spiritual gifts, they were disorderly and perhaps uninterested in what their form of worship looked like to outsiders. They lacked agape love. In this, they were a poor model for the New Testament church. However, Paul’s letters of correction give us a unique insight into the workings of the New Testament church universal. There were tongues and prophesy working in congregations. There were many other gifts as well. Handled properly, these gifts were a great tool for the church in advancing the gospel and nourishing the Body. Used improperly, they could also damage the ministry.

“Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.” (I Corinthians 14:1) I have a few charismatic friends who say that Paul was saying here that prophesy (particularly in tongues) was still the most important aspect of worship. I disagree with them because I try not to cherry-pick the Scriptures. Paul wanted his disciples to pursue agape love and to desire spiritual gifts, particularly the interpretation of scripture for a particular circumstance (prophesy) so that they could advance the gospel. No part of the Body is less equal than any other. We all perform a function. What binds us together and motivates us as we go out into the world is God’s love flowing through us.

When you seek a church, make sure it’s a loving one that doesn’t just talk the talk, but also walks the walk.

My husband and I just got back from watching Rocky Balboa.  I know, I know, the idea that Rocky could still fight seemed like fiction to me too, but we needed an adult evening and that was what my husband chose. It turned out to be a pretty good date film.

It also turned out to be an excellent political/cultural statement. Not to give anything away, but Rocky Balboa turned out to be about more than the usual Rocky underdog theme. Intermixed in the usual message was a powerful statement about not making yourself into a victim and not blaming others for your own failures.  I've not really kept track of Sly Stallone's politics, but his cultural message is bang-on.  "It's not about how hard you hit, but how many hits you can take and keep moving forward."  Life is NEVER fair or easy and, guess what folks, nobody really ever promised you a rose garden.   If you fail in life it's because you chose not to succeed.  Get over it! Deal! Quit your whining!

A lot of junk comes out of Hollywood and this movie isn't high art, but it's great that Rocky Balboa is around to remind us that we make our own destiny only if we choose to take responsibility for that destiny.  Go and enjoy!

In providing recommendations for selecting a church, we’ve already discussed the organization of leadership, how you want people in leadership who are wise, self-controlled and God-centered. Now to discuss the church itself.

Most people’s first introduction to a church is the worship service. Paul the apostle describes a typical worship service in the First Church of Corinth.

“How is it then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, [another] language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification. If any person speaks in [another] language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret.  But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God.

"Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate.  But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent.  For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged.  And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets,
since God is not a God of disorder but of peace." (I Corinthians 14:26-33)

I know this will irritate my charismatic friends, but they already know I think their chaotic worship services are not God ordained. I draw my support from this passage of Corinthians.

“God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.” I’m not saying that a church service should go off like a stage production with perfect timing and all roles memorized. What I am saying is that “all things (in the worship service) must be done for edification (the building up of the body as individuals or as a group). Paul gives us a very clear pattern for how this should be accomplished.

Apparently, the New Testament church had singing, teaching, revelation, speaking in languages not known to the speaker (tongues), and interpretation. Prophesy (which I define as the specific interpretation of the Scripture for a situation, group or individual). Apparently, the congregation actively participated in this style of worship, but Paul had concerns that some of the activities of the Corinthian church were driving visitors away before they could hear the gospel. Thus, he instructed the congregation in the right form of worship.

Everyone has something to say and that’s fine. But “Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.  Let all things be done decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:39-40). Speaking in tongues is not forbidden, but it is given rules. Only two or three may speak this way, each in turn, and there must be an interpreter present. If there is no interpreter available, the speaker should remain silent and speak to himself and to God. Clearly, a modern charismatic service where the whole congregation is praying in tongues at the same time without any interpretation is not following this Biblical pattern. Earlier in Corinthians, Paul warns that the unbeliever coming into such an environment will think the congregation mad and, likely, reject their teachings.

I have been in one worship event where the Biblical pattern of tongues and interpretation was followed. One person spoke out in a language that didn’t sound like anyone knew it. Another person interpreted the speech into English. This happened a second time. The third time, a woman behind me gasped and announced that the speaker was speaking in her native tongue from somewhere in Africa. She then translated it into English. At the end of the service, the African woman walked the aisle to proclaim she had accepted the Lord as Savior. I believe this was a Biblically correct use of tongues. I have been in perhaps 100 worship services where chaos reigned and I think nobody but the individual tongues speaker was edified. This was, according to Paul, not Christ’s plan for the church. If there is no interpretation available, the speaker should remain silent and simply pray to God. This is not a warning against praying in a prayer language in the privacy of your prayer closet, but is a call for orderliness within the worship service.

Again, two or three prophets may speak, but one at a time and if something contrary is revealed to another prophet, the first speaker who is now being corrected should not argue. This is God speaking to the congregation or to the unbeliever who has entered the meeting. We don’t argue with God, even if we sometime disagree.

I will admit (as if reading previous posts didn’t out me already) that there is prophesy working within my Southern Baptist church. You will probably never see it in the worship service. Because Southern Baptists as a whole are uncomfortable with the gifts of the Spirit listed in I Corinthians, we don’t include such practices in our worship service. As God chose to gift some of our congregation with spiritual gifts, these activities go on behind the scenes. We have found them to be a great strength for our congregation and the way in which we do it fulfills the injunction against chaos in the worship service. Some of my charismatic friends would say we “quench the Spirit” (I Timothy 1), but we think we are following a Christ-like pattern, one where the Lord is central and individuals are merely His tools. It keeps folks from becoming conceited and thinking themselves better than they are, yet it leaves God free to speak to His bride through those He has chosen. There are some more conservative friends who would say we have ceased to be Southern Baptists, but I will ask them "Southern Baptists are people of the Bible. What do you think was going on in Corinth?.” If what they were doing was out and out wrong, why didn’t Paul simply forbid it? Why did he give them instructions in how to use these gifts properly? Just because we are uncomfortable with something does not make it unScriptural.

Yet, let me also say this. We have the New Testament. Scripture is complete for us in a way that is was not complete for the Corinthians. We are warned in Scripture time and time again to reject false doctrine, or anything that differs from what the apostles had already taught. Paul goes so far as to warn a congregation to reject even his teachings if it differs from what he had already taught. Therefore, prophesy in the 21^st Century is not about new revelation. We have Scripture to teach us God’s words. Prophesy is about specific application of Scripture to a situation, group or individual. If some comes saying they have prophesy that contradicts Scripture, reject them swiftly and sternly, for they are not from God. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8-9. You cannot trust human beings. You can trust the never-changing word of God, the Bible. When human beings contradict the Bible, the Bible should always come out on top.

“For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets, since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”

The gifts of the Spirit were given to the church to edify (nourish) the church. Everyone may learn and be encouraged by a prophesy properly given and properly understood. God is a God of reason. Those receiving prophesies need not burst out in ecstatic utterances simply because God has given them prophesy. They can control themselves and wait until it is their turn to speak, for God has left that control to them.

When seeking a church, always look for one that strives to follow the Biblical pattern. No church will be perfect because churches are filled with imperfect human beings. In the end, it may come down to what you’re most comfortable with. But, always remember that Bible study is the first and best way to follow Jesus’ Way.

When seeking a church, you want to find a Biblical church. You’re not going to find a church that looks a lot like the First Church of Jerusalem or even of Antioch. Churches have changed a good bit since those days. Still, there are some things you can look for when deciding if this is a New Testament church.

Is this a church that practices baptism? I have some friends that attend churches who think that baptism doesn’t matter. I think they are wrong. I draw this conclusion from Acts, when the first thing most Christians did was submit to baptism. I am less dogmatic about the form of baptism as I am about it being believer’s baptism. See my previous posts for in-depth discussion of the subject.

Being a Baptist, I also hold to a congregational form of church politic, but I believe this is not a command from God so much as it is a practical way to assure that hierarchy remembers its place. I think of pastors more as sheepdogs than shepherds. Christ’s sheep have only one shepherd – Jesus Christ Himself. Pastors serve as His assistants and when they don’t, they need to be reminded of Whom they serve.

“This saying is trustworthy. This saying is trustworthy could refer to 1 Tm 2:15. “If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.”
An overseer (pastor), therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy— one who manages his own household competently, having his children under control with all dignity.   (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the Devil.
Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap.

"Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And they must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons.

"Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything.

"Deacons must be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently.

"For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves, and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” I Timothy 3:1-13

Does the pastor of the church you’re assessing meet the qualifications of pastoral duties set forth by Paul to the pastor of Ephesus – Timothy? Is he free from scandal, self-controlled, sensible, and respectable? All these go hand-in-hand. Is he the husband of one wife? Wow, hard to find someone who hasn’t been divorced in our day and age, so why is it important? Again, it goes back to whether this is a sober individual whose ideas will remain steady through all the changes of culture around him.

My own pastor was married for a brief time when he was very young. His first wife left him while he was gone to the military. It was not his choice to divorce. After a number of years, he met his current wife and they married. They just celebrated their 26^th wedding anniversary and are the parents of five children between the ages of 25 (their eldest child was born on their 1^st anniversary) and seven. Clearly, he can sustain a commitment and sometimes you can’t help the behavior of those you are married to. There is forgiveness in God. There are still standards that are best operating procedure. Keep those in mind. Paul, for instant, had to have been married to have been a Sadducee, but he was apparently single during his ministry. What happened to his wife? We don’t know. Whatever happened didn’t prevent God from using him.

Be aware of the pastor who drinks heavily or is a bully or has a temper. Check out his family. If his kids are out of control and his wife is a mess, you might want to think seriously about the church down the street. This is not disrespecting the man. It is simply recognizing that a man who cannot manage his own household cannot take care of God’s church. This is a job where your character has every bit to do with your ability to perform the functions of the job. If your character is wanting (which will definitely show up in your family life), you have no business being a pastor.

Assure that the pastor you are considering has some history in the faith and Paul tells you why – because new believers who are given too much power too early can become conceited and fall into condemnation. Outsiders should recognize the pastor’s good character. There’s a prominent businessman in my home town who is involved in church-based charitable activities. I will not work with him because he has a reputation as a thief in his business. He doesn’t particularly deny it. Business is business, he says. Yes, and character is character and if you haven’t got it in business, why would I think you would show it within your church?

Deacons are the church’s servants. I can hear some shrieks from deacons in churches where they are somewhat more, but please note that in Acts, deacons were waiters. They served tables to assure that everybody got enough. They weren’t dictators or the heads of ministries. They were servants! And, they had standards they were expected to live up to. Note the church’s lay ministers from the Building and Grounds chair to the Sunday School teachers. Are they drunken hypocrites or money-grubbers? Maybe this isn’t the church for you. Note that pastors usually do not stay as long as the deacons, so don’t select a church for the pastor because the pastor is not the church, the congregation is the church.

In both lists there is mention made of Bible teaching. This is the most important aspect to seek in any church. If the Bible is taught, even and especially if it is inconvenient for some of the members, that’s the church you want to consider. If the Bible is supplanted by pop psychology or cute little fable-like teaching stories, keep on walking, because those things will change every time the pastor changes or the cultural wind shifts. Remember that God is eternal and His message is eternal. The Bible is the only source you can ultimately trust when discussing what God wants with your life.

The following is based upon Acts Chapter 2, which is much too long to post here. Please read it for yourselves. History is derived from Holman’s Bible Dictionary, but also verified by my own reading of Scripture.

A brief history of the First Church of Jerusalem is in order for those who want to know what to look for in a church.

Founded by Peter and the other apostles on the first day (Sunday) of Pentecost (feast of first harvest). This was days after Jesus had ascended into heaven. While I am not dogmatic about the day we call the Sabbath, I do think it is significant that both Jesus’ resurrection and the first harvest of Christians happened on a Sunday. This would become the day that the New Testament church met in common, but it was more than just a day plucked from seven, but a significant day honored with miracles. I think that is enough said about that.

Peter was a Galilean fisherman, not a seminary graduate. He would have been raised with an understanding of the Law (as all Jewish men of the day were), but he was destined to be a manual laborer, so he likely did not have any special training in the Law or the prophets and he most certainly was not a learned man. A pastor of mine used to liken Galileans to Alaskans, a rough, outspoken bunch who can handle themselves in a fight, which is good since we lack tact. Peter was, during Jesus’ ministry, always putting his foot in his mouth. He could, in the same 24 hours period, declare that he could follow Jesus to the grave and then deny Him three times to a servant girl. He was a seeker, not a theologian.

The Holy Spirit’s choice of Peter to preach the first Christian sermon strikes my human educated mind as odd. Why choose a rough-speaking fisherman from the sticks to speak to all those cosmopolitan Jews at Pentecost. Wouldn’t Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, have been a better choice? The Holy Spirit knew what He was doing, for God did not come to seek the polished folks, who usually are unaware that they are standing in the swamp, but to redeem the lost. There would be time for flowery words and powerful doctrine when Paul eventually came to the ministry, but for now, the Holy Spirit had a surprise for the good people of Jerusalem.

There were about 120 (male followers, the women were not counted) followers of Jesus Christ in the place where they were staying and they all flooded into the streets of festival to tell about the benefits of being a Christian. That these uneducated Galileans were speaking in the tongues of these travelers amazed everyone. The miracle “because each one heard them speaking in his own language” had to do with the hearing of the languages, not so much with the speaking. We place the emphasis in the wrong place. God gave these disciples a means to speak to the crowds, but He also opened the ears of the crowds so that they might hear.

Peter preached in his own language – Aramaic. His listeners recognized this. So why Peter? I think because he was bold and willing to be used and it was his statement of faith on which Jesus meant to establish the Christian church. Not on Peter himself, for that would be idolatry, but on Peter’s statement “You are the Messiah, Son of the Living God.”

A brief history of Peter is in order. He remained around Jerusalem for some time and had various run-ins with the local constabulary, mainly for preaching about Jesus. He then traveled to Samaria for a time, returning to Jerusalem occasionally. He was the first to bring the Gospel to Gentiles in Caesaria. He encountered Paul a few times in his travels. He supported Paul in the Council of Jerusalem as to how the Jewish Christians should deal with the Gentile Christians. However, he was later chastised by Paul in Antioch for holding himself separate from Gentile Christians. His second letter indicates that he was ministering in Babylon (Assyria, approximately where Iraq is today) toward the end of his ministry. There is no strong evidence that he ever traveled to Rome or that he founded the church there. It is estimated that he died somewhere between AD65 and 69; location unknown. Given that he never seems to have traveled a long way from home, it was likely somewhere in the Middle East.

Peter was a man with flaws. Intensely human and somewhat parochial, he received the first call to minister to the Gentiles, but for whatever reason, his impact in that area was limited. I think it was simply that he was a Galilean fisherman, unschooled in the ways of the wider world, rough of speech and manner and uncomfortable outside of his own culture. He was God’s man, no doubt, and used mightily. He founded the first Christian church in Jerusalem. Peter was a great Christian leader, though I think some sects of Christianity almost deify him when in fact, he remained always a man. To be clear, there were Romans in Jerusalem at Pentecost and Jews lived in Rome for many years prior to Christ’s lifetime, so it is reasonable to assume that the Gospel reached Rome through one of those who heard Peter’s sermon in Jerusalem at Pentecost. That he did not physically go to Rome does not take anything away from the very real task he accomplished at Pentecost and later in Samaria, Caesaria, Antioch and Babylon.

For such a time as the founding of the Church at Jerusalem God required bold men who marched and preached at His command. Peter was God’s man! And, a fine example of what we might want in a Christian man today.

The men who flooded out in the streets of Jerusalem followed God. Willing to move at His inspiration, they were also apparently willing to die for what they believed. Jesus had been dead only 50 days. He had ascended into heaven only a couple of days before Pentecost. They were afraid of the Jews, hiding, uncertain, yet when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they went boldly out into the streets and made no secret of who they were and what they stood for.

When seeking a New Testament church, look for one that isn’t afraid to talk about Christ and what joy it is to live the Christian life. Remember that selecting a church is not so much about a polished sermon and an exciting worship band as that the miracle is in the hearing. God will draw those to Him who He wants. Stop and listen and you may find in a roughly spoken sermon by a manual laborer the Words of Life.

So how should Christians take their first steps in their new journey with Christ? To answer that question, it is best to go back to the very first believers to enter the Kingdom after Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

“So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.  And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.” Acts 2:41-42

We’ve already dealt with the symbolic act of baptism. It is an outward symbol of an inward heart change, a testimony of salvation, not a necessary step of salvation. Through baptism we are saying, “I leave my sins in the grave and I walk free of them in Jesus.” But now we face the narrow road of sanctification (becoming like Jesus) and how do we know what to do?

Verse 42 tells us what those earliest Christians did.

Apostles’ teachings
Remember that the early church did not have the Bible as we know it. At this point in time, the First Baptist Church of Jerusalem was peopled with Jews who knew their Hebrew Scriptures. Their understanding of God came from their understanding of what we call the Old Testament and the teachings of the Pharisees. Pharisees get a bad rap by those of us who don’t understand Biblical history, but though they deserved Jesus’ rebukes, they were also men who wanted desperately to be “good enough” for God. It’s safe to say that a fair number of Pharisees became Christians in those early days. Nicodemus had already trod the path before them. Remember also that Pharisees were 20 percent of the population of Judea, so everyone had been affected by their teachings. These new Christians needed to know what Christ had taught and how it applied to their lives that day.

Christians today are infinitely more informed on Christ’s teachings because we have the Gospels, and there is strong evidence supporting the historical validity of the Gospels. You may check out my post “Objections” for more detail

The new Christian should devote themselves to the teachings of the apostles, those men who were recognized leaders in the Body of Christ in the first generation after His death. This does not mean we cannot learn from the Early Church Fathers or modern-day theologians or even this writer (who is all but a humble Sunday School teacher), but our bottom foundation must be built on the Bible. The Bible is the never-changing Word of God, which means that it does not alter with fashion or whim, but remains the same through the ages. While it is good to have knowledge of the history of the Jews and an understanding of the culture the apostles were coming out of, you can apply the Bible to your life today and find long moral foundation for living.

Fellowship
John Donne wrote “No man is an island. entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; ….”

When a new Christian begins this fresh life in Christ, it is foolish to assume that he needs no one but Christ. This is because human beings are, by nature, fallen, and need their fellow human beings to remind them of who they seek to be.

The early church understood this. They believers who joined the church on Pentecost remained in Jerusalem, learning from the apostles, but also interacting with their fellow disciples. While we can learn much from the great men of the church and the writings of the Bible or early church fathers, we need also the everyday contact with ordinary Christians, though we must always remember that in Jesus, we are all priests of the Most High God. A ditch-digger might know the Lord better than Billy Graham and I think Billy would agree with that assessment.

Breaking bread
Christians should be friends with other Christians. I know quite a few Christians who only interact with other Christians at church. I think this is spiritually unhealthy and Biblically incorrect. We are in the world, no doubt, but we should be drawing our greatest strength and social support from the body of believers. If you find yourself avoiding the company of like-minded believers, you should examine why you are doing that. Is it theology or lifestyle that separates you from your brothers and sisters in the Lord? If it is theology, check the Bible and decide whether to believe God or to believe human-made doctrine. Act accordingly. If it is lifestyle, be assured that there are many types of churches and that not all are meant to “fit” every Christian. My church is casual, multicultural, and multilingual. If you have a problem with interracial marriage, you aren’t going to be comfortable attending here. My friend Don’s church is all about ecstatic utterances in tongues and prophesies in the same. If you find such gives you the creeps, it may not be simply that you don’t like what you don’t know, but that you may not be meant to worship in that sort of church. On the other hand, if Quakers waiting upon the movement of the Spirit puts you to sleep, you might like Don’s church. God has a church-home for you. You should find it and you should embrace it as family.

Prayer:
The Holy Spirit is given a special place in the church and the early church was quite aware of this. Called counselor and comforter, the Holy Spirit can best be described as our conscious contact with God. Prayer is communication with God through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through Scripture, other Christians, pastors, even – on occasion – a donkey, and prayer is the best means known for tuning into that communication. This speaking to God need not be flowery or Biblical. It is simply a conversation with God. And, it is a two-way communication. In prayer, be silent and let God speak at least 50 percent of the time. You are not praying to hear your own thoughts, but to hear God's thoughts. More often than not, you’ll receive a Bible verse as answer, but sometimes you’ll recall a comment someone made or a picture you saw. God can communicate in so many diverse ways with us that sometimes it seems like He must be reading our minds. This is because He is!

So what does that mean for the new Christian?

Recently baptized, the new Christian probably already has a contact with a local church. Basically, you can start right there. Show up on Sunday morning and any other time when there is Bible study being conducted. After Bible study, go home and read it again yourself. Go for coffee with your fellow believers. Talk about what you believe and what they believe. Pray with your fellow believers and pray by yourself. Speaking to God is something that has no standard format, no “right way” of accomplishment. It is an intimate contact with an infinite Being Who strives to reach our level. If we stand still in quiet obedience to God, we can hear Him speak!

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” I Samuel 15:22

After you look up the scripture, you'll understand my title.  This the pivotal phrase of the long story of King Saul’s downfall. I suggest you read the passage for yourselves, because it is an excellent example of how an ordained prophet of God spoke to the mere king of Israel. Remember, that in Israel, God always trumped man and the governments of men. Saul forgot his and it cost him his throne and eventually his sanity.

"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
Judas (not Iscariot) said[An * in the text marks verbs that are historical presents in the Greek which have been translated with an English past tense in order to conform to modern usage.] to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.” John 14:21-24

This is Jesus’ simple rule of thumb for who loves God. If you obey Jesus, you will keep Jesus’ words because these are not Jesus’ words, but God’s. Straight from the Savior’s mouth to our ears. Obedience of God is an act of love toward God.

The high priest questioned them, saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."  But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.  And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." Acts 5:25-32

Those silly disciples of Jesus’ just couldn’t get the message. The high priest had told them to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, yet even before the high priest, Peter felt it necessary to teach in the name of Jesus. His answer was simple, “We must obey God rather than men.”

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey Other mss add sin (lit it) in its desires.” Romans 6:12

Those who have read my writings know that I define sin as “disobeying God.” I have Biblical support for this.  Check out past posts. When disobedience to God reigns (controls) your human flesh, you will do what it wants rather than what you or God want. Therefore, it is always important that you seek to obey God in everyway that you can.

Obedience is not about empty gestures like the giving of a burnt offering. Saul claimed to be seeking God’s favor before heading into a battle with the Philistines (I Samuel 13), but he actually disobeyed God by sacrificing incorrectly. He had been told how to obey God. Wait a full seven days for Samuel. Kill all the sheep and cattle (I Samuel 15).

Love, whether it is for God or your fellow man, is not just an emotion. It is a commitment. Jesus’ followers, in saying they loved Him, were committing to die with Him, if not on the cross, in some rather horrific ways. Love is an action. We can feel all gushy and sweet to one another, but that means nothing unless it results in action on our part. Jesus’ followers showed their love by following Him, by spreading the Gospel in His name, by dying in His name. Love was not just hearts and flowers for them and love should not be that meaningless to us.

Although the Bible speaks often about obeying secular laws, it always comes down to “We must obey God rather than men.” If the civil laws say I must violate God’s law, then I will become a criminal because I own my highest allegiance to the Son of God, not to men. It is God Who saved my soul. My country just gave me the right to testify to that freely and without fear of death. If it ever asks me to do something that is contrary to that testimony, then I will choose what God wants rather than what man wants.

You will obey something. It’s not really a matter of choice. I give myself to God deliberately or I give myself to Satan by omission. There is no neutral ground. But, note that Romans makes it clear that we have a choice. We do not have to let sin reign. We can choose to obey God instead.

Last post we dealt with the simple first step of obedience, baptism. We now turn toward the day-to-day of life in Christ. It starts and ends with obedience.

This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands.
For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden,
because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.  And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” I John 2:2-5

We were born (or reborn) to spiritually conquer this less-than-perfect world. This conquest begins with simple obedience to the Commander.

To obey is better than sacrifice.

And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.  But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."
Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”  I Samuel 15:20-22

Christians are the adopted children of God through their relationship with Jesus Christ. As good children should, we should strive to obey our Parent. First and foremost, we must find out what our Parent wants from us. Fortunately, God has provided us with an excellent instruction manual in the Bible. All we have to do is look within the cover of His book to us. Far too often, new Christians (and some old ones) seek to please God with grand gestures and mighty pageantry and are disappointed when we don’t hear a chorus of angels cheering us on, but Saul went for the grand gesture and Samuel had to tell him “Buddy, you forgot what God wanted.”

The first step of pleasing our Savior is to take a bath and a symbolic one at that. Hey, where’s the grand pageantry in that? There isn’t any and there never was any when you look in the Bible.

Matthew 3:13-17 – “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.  But John tried to stop Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?’  Jesus answered him, ‘Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him [to be baptized].  After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him.  And there came a voice from heaven: ‘This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!’”

Acts 2:41-41 – “So those who accepted his (Peter’s) message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.   And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.”

Acts 8:34-38 – “The eunuch replied to Philip, ‘I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or another person?’  So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture.  As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, ‘Look, there’s water! What would keep me from being baptized?’ And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart you may.’ And he replied, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”

In Matthew, Jesus began His ministry with baptism. Really, this is the first time we hear about Jesus since He was a young man learning and teaching in the Temple.

John the Baptist was, if not an Essene, significantly influenced by this monastic sect of Jews who used ritualistic washings for the remission of sins. Baptism (coming from a Greek word – baptizo -- meaning ‘to immerse’ was not unknown in Judaism in Jesus’ era, bringing a common ritual for Gentile converts into Judaism. John, however, was baptizing Jews to show they were repenting (turning from) their sin. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law were concerned about that (see earlier in the chapter) because they saw him treating Jews as if they were Gentile dogs in need of a bath. John explains that he is using the symbolism of baptism to show that they were repenting of their sin. Jesus, of course, had not sinned. John felt unworthy to baptize Him, but Jesus explained that this step was the first in fulfilling God’s mission for Him on earth. He was doing what was “right.” Recognize that John and Jesus had known each other since childhood – they were cousins and only six months apart in age, so they would have been playmates at least during times when clans gathered, like on feast days.

Thus, if our goal is to obey God by being more Christlike, we should be looking at Christ’s baptism as an example for our own baby walk with Jesus. If this first step was something Jesus did to show what was “right”, shouldn’t we be doing the same?

On Pentecost, Peter led his fellow disciples into the streets of Jerusalem to talk about how wonderful it is to be a Christian and then Peter preached the Gospel to the crowd. Following his sermon (the first public Christian sermon), 3,000 people joined the First Baptist Church of Jerusalem by being baptized (immersed in water). As these were the first Christians to come to Jesus after His resurrection and ascension to heaven, we should be looking at how the apostles treated them. The first act was baptism.

Philip was called away from a revival in Samaria to the road running south to Egypt where he found an important Ethiopian official with a desire to know more about God. Philip guided him in his quest and the man became a Christian. Immediately, the Ethiopian wanted to be baptized. Water was available, so Philip baptized him.

There are other examples in Acts which you can read for yourselves. Go to Lifeway’s Online Bible Library for further study. Because of space constraints, I will deal only with these three examples.

BAPTISM - The immersion or dipping of a believer in water symbolizing the complete renewal and change in the believer’s life and testifying to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the way of salvation. (Definition from the Holman Bible Dictionary)

Thus, from the New Testament, we can draw a handful of conclusions.

Baptism is a symbol of salvation; it does not confer salvation itself.

Baptism is a believer’s act; it follows salvation; thus young children should be of an age to understand the actions of salvation before they are baptized.

Baptism is done by believers to new believers; one does not need to be done by senior ministers (drawing from the examples of Jesus and Paul).

Baptism should be done by immersion if possible; but as it is a symbol, the attitude of the act is more important than the act itself.

Baptism is a first step of obedience in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Baptism was almost always the first step following salvation in the early church. Where it is absent, I think the writer assumed it didn’t need to be mentioned. Clearly from the example of the Ethiopian, baptism follows a belief in Jesus Christ. Philip was careful to note this, so it is very important to the act of baptism – that salvation through a belief in Jesus Christ precede the symbolic action of baptism.

Baptism is a symbol of joining Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12). Baptism is merely a picture of what has already happened in our hearts; it does not confer salvation, which is why Paul rebaptized the new believers in Acts 19 who had previously been baptized by John, because they were new Christians. Their previous baptism had shown repentance, but not salvation and salvation is the key precursor to baptism. They had taken the first step of repentance, but not the all important second step of salvation (believing that Jesus Christ can take away your sins). There is no evidence that the apostles practiced infant baptism, especially since all baptisms apparently involved immersion, which would be dangerous with newborn babies. Infants also are unable to grasp the concepts of repentance from sin and acceptance of salvation, thus any baptism of infants would merely have to be redone at a later time when the children can grasp these all-important concepts.

Although there are no examples found in the New Testament of baptism by any other means than immersion, I believe that there are times when God sanctions a believer’s baptism by another means. My former pastor baptized a man who became a Christian while dying in the hospital of cancer. The man had been a lifelong Catholic and he really wanted to show his children that membership in the Roman Catholic church (performed at eight days of age) did not confer salvation, so he asked my pastor to rebaptize him. As he was too weak to go to a baptistery, our pastor baptized him as best he could with a basin of water in the hospital after the man gave his testimony that, were he able, he would be immersed in believer’s baptism and he hoped his children would do the same when they were ready. Again, the heart attitude is more important than the symbol.

Baptism is not just for ministers. I know churches that would disagree, but I don’t think they can support it from the Bible. The examples of Jesus, (John 4) whose disciples baptized while he did not, and Paul (I Corinthians 1) who apparently followed Christ’s example, leads one to believe that baptism is for all believers. My husband’s proudest moment as a parent was baptizing our son last summer. We are all priests of the Most High God. Some of us are called to different gifts, but baptism is a symbol and can be administered by any believer upon new believers. What is important is that you are a believer.

Baptism is only an outward symbol of what has happened in your heart. What happens inside of us is not visible to the outside world, so a picture is often helpful. We submit to baptism not for God’s sake or for our own, but as a testimony to others.

I am buried with Christ and my sins are no more. They have been left behind in the grave with Him. And, I rise clean to live in Jesus.

When my daughter was baptized at age six at her own request (she completely bypassed her parents and approached the pastor on her own because we thought she was too young, silly us), one of her stated reasons for wanting to be baptized was that she wanted her friends to know what had happened in her heart and to see that it wasn't scary to accept Jesus and follow Him.  She knew this was her first ministry opportunity, a testimony to all who came to watch.  She understood well the meaning of baptism.

Baptism is a first step and a first testimony that starts our walk with Jesus.