" Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, --because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it --doth not yet appear-- what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: --he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.-- For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Whosoever is -born of God- doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever -doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
------------ For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. ------------
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever -hateth- his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. --Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.--
--And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, ---because we keep his commandments, and --do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
----And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. -----
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, -by the Spirit which he hath given us. " -- 1 John 3
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A SIMPLE FAITH
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Why do we go to church? We have asked this question of many Christians, and the variety of the answers just amazed us... try it yourself.... think of how you would answer this question... do it before reading on.....................Survey says.......?
A. Because it is commanded.. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. " - Heb 10:25 - This is the clearest Biblical answer... and the reason for doing it is given one verse before this one..."And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking"... etc.... we will come back to this!
B. Fellowship/Mutual Support, Be taught the Word, get physical and spiritual help, get our praise and worship on, grow by serving, exercise our gifts and talents for His Glory, safety in numbers (not be isolated and taken down easily), experience the presence of God and the anointing of the Spirit (where 2-3 are gathered there He is), communion, discipleship, healing, wisdom....... there is a very long list .. and we haven't exhausted it yet !!!
This was a trick question! The question should have been framed like this --- why do Christians gather on Sunday in a building to sing some fast and slow songs, get yelled at for a half hour or more, give some money, and then go home and forget all about it till next week?
You may say the answers are the same for both questions, but put your hand on your heart and think about it. Did Jesus die on the cross so that we could pay lip service to a religious ritual conducted by a formal organization, that is located in a building and employs staff and volunteers to create "a worship experience"? Absolutely not! Yet, that is what we have reduced Christianity to, in a large proportion of "churches" all round the world.
We have reproduced 1 John 3 in its entirety ( we excerpted a few verses in our Christmas post) to answer this question - and the answer hinges on the definition of CHURCH.
Church as most of you will agree, is not a building or an organization. The church of Christ is the body/remnant of believers that have professed their faith in Christ, and been baptized in Water and the Spirit.
In Romans 16:5, 1 Co 16:19, Col 4:15, Phm 1:2 - the Apostle Paul makes a point of mentioning the CHURCH which is in the disciples HOUSE. The house is not the church - it is a place where the CHURCH meets.... the body of believers. The word translated as "church" is actually the word "Ekklesia" in greek - which simply means - "The Called out ones". The called out ones met in a house - Old English cir(i)ce, cyr(i)ce, related to Dutch kerk and German Kirche, based on medieval Greek kurikon, from Greek kuriakon (dōma) ‘Lord's (house)’, from kurios ‘master or lord’. Thats how church got all tied up and tangled with house, and has caused a lot of confusion.
The confusion is that Christians believe church going and right living is all they are called to do, and a lot of new Christians/unbelievers have a healthy scepticism that this, does not seem to be working or of any practical value.... and they are right. If you are privileged to be part of a communion that focuses on active discipleship, consider yourself fortunate - a large number of churches today are focused only on one mission - keeping the organization going and growing.
That was not why Christ died. He did it so that we would become the sons and daughters of God - and those terms have very specific definitions and implications as outlined in our text.
A. The unbelieving world in general (and maybe even some Christians), has absolutely no clue as to what true Christians, and true Christianity is all about.
Christ died to solve our sin problem and take it away! He did not come to turn all traffic signals green for us, or solve our money or relationship problems. He focused on the root from which all springs! "he was manifested to take away our sins", and "that he might destroy the works of the devil. " He did not come to do what we can do, but came to do what we CANNOT!
B. A true church, will be rejected by the world.
"The world knoweth us not, --because it knew him not. " "it --doth not yet appear-- what we shall be".
Its right here in black and white. The world has no concept of Christ, our God, our righteousness, our inheritance, our hope - - and it certainly does not consider Christians as a force to be reckoned with. For the most part, we are probably the most pathetic people (as viewed by them) - clinging to a hope that seems to have no real world evidence - and again - due to the fact that a large number of Christians are not actively looking to grow their faith or ask the hard questions - they would seem to be right! The Apostle Paul says -" If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." The World has a valid reason not to hope because they don't know Christ - but Christians are sometimes surprised at the misery and hate they experience from the world, to add to the overall misery of living in a fallen world!
C. The rejection is actually a badge of honor.
Our role model, our God, our Savior, was a man -".... despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." - Isaiah 53:3. If you are sick and tired of the rottenness you see in the world, the hypocrisy of people, the lying, the backstabbing, betrayal - guess what - so was He!! He was misunderstood and rejected by His own, and one who broke bread with Him was one who betrayed Him! For us - it is enough that the servant be like His Lord.
D. The seeds of rejection go back all the way to Genesis, where we are shown, the difference between the sons of God (personified by Abel), and those that are driven by the devil (Cain).
Adam and Eve were personally created by God Himself, but Cain and Abel are the first REAL descendants of Man - and we are shown two kinds - right at the beginning. Why did Cain kill his brother? "Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous". The evil will always hate the good even when the good does nothing active to injure evil. The Devil was a sinner "FROM THE BEGINNING" - and his children continue to do his bidding.
Hate and Love for ones brother is a theme that starts in Genesis, and that message has not changed over the ages. Hate leads to murder and is of the devil. Love of our brother is of God and leads to righteousness - and ultimately law keeping call it what you will - conscience, the Mosaic Law, The Golden rule, Dharma/Karma, yes even Jihad (a fight against evil) .
E. Christians do not have a monopoly on righteousness.
"-Whosoever- abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: --he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning."
What is the sin that the apostle is speaking of? Lack of love - for from it, springs all things. He who is a son of God will reflect His nature - e.g. Cornelius in the New Testament was a pagan - but he 'feared God', and from that healthy respect, gave alms to the poor. These deeds came up for memorial to the throne of God Himself, and resulted in him being "saved".
Christ did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. God saves (through Christ) people that are righteous from ALL AGES - check out Rev 20:11-20:15 when we see the dead from all ages be judged, and-- be FOUND--- in the Book of Life! This is the answer to those who say how could Christ save people who lived/died before He began His ministry!
F. What is the simple answer?
"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. " God's heart for man is unchanged from the beginning - and he reinforces it through the Words of Christ and His apostles - "And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment."
That is it. No other trips, no rituals, no religion, no do's and don'ts, no majoring in doctrinal differences or theological disputes!
AND THAT IS WHY THE CHURCH. Where else are you going to practice loving people? How else will you grow in fellowship, edify, and be edified? Examine the organization that you call 'church' today and ask - do you feel genuinely loved - or are you just another pew sitting, church dues paying member, convenient volunteer of a cliquey club? If the latter, we have hope for you.
G. THE BOTTOM LINE.
Walking or hiking a trail is done by the very simple process of just putting one foot in front of another. Rinse and repeat till you get to your goal. The same is true of the Christian life.
You cannot change yesterday, you do not know what tomorrow will bring - all you are asked to do is live life one day at a time. Love the people you come in contact with during that day - pray for Him to give you your daily bread, anointing and strength to make it through it. This is the LIGHT YOKE that Christ gives us to carry as opposed to the heavy burden/weight of religiosity.
Love your enemies - have compassion on those who are prisoners of the devil, taken captive by him at his will. Pardon their ignorance. Be wise as serpents in dealing with those that hate you ( we have already told why they do that) , but be harmless as doves.
..."And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. " - The author of the book of Hebrews, and the apostle John are both saying exactly the same thing. You assemble as a church to encourage each other, and helping each other love as we see the end approaching!
The Apostle John was Christ's favorite - and now we know why. He GOT IT, and DISTILLED Christ's teachings for us, so that we would not be distracted by trying to be a "good" Christian,hate the world back for hating us, or wonder - whats the point of being Christian in this world?
Don't despair if your church isn't feeding or caring for you. A home fellowship (the church in your house) is what God designed from the beginning. A house, that holds his children, who genuinely care for each other, are involved in each others lives, pray for and build each other up, and are devoted to keeping the commandment of God, and thus, ABIDING in HIM!
2 or 3 is all it takes to form a fellowship, and we see this pattern in the Word too!
Mat_18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of -two or three- witnesses every word may be established.
Mat_18:20 For where --two or three--- are gathered together -in my name-, there am I in the midst of them.
1Co_14:27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be -by two, or at the most by three-, and that by course; and let one interpret.
1Co_14:29 Let the prophets speak -two or three-, and let the other judge.
2Co_13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of -two or three witnesses- shall every word be established.
1Ti_5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before -two or three witnesses.-
Heb_10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under -two or three- witnesses:
It is time for the true church to go back to its roots - to be a church rich in Grace and Truth - reflecting the glory of our God! In the texts above you can see 2-3 is all it takes for Christ to be present, for tongues to be interpreted, for prophecies to be given, for the Word to be established.
You do not need to be part of an impersonal club that cares nothing for you -- if that is your situation. Find a couple of like minded believers and start worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth - walk in Love and you will not sin!
Hallelujah!