Looking on the Things of Others

Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). He was instructing his audience to be mindful of the state of affairs pertaining to those around them, whether spiritual or material. Paul was not advocating that they should be nosy or meddling, but rather that they should minister aid as opportunity permitted. To be contrary to what Cain implicitly maintained, we are our “brother’s keeper” (Genesis 4:9). Underpinning this admonition is the fundamental principle that God intends for believers to “serve one another with love” (Galatians 5:13).

One way that we serve one another is by ministering to spiritual need. Paul commanded the Galatians, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). As a Christian, we should be concerned for a brother or sister that has fallen into a sin and seek to help them see its destructive influence and overcome the sin. This must be done prayerfully, scripturally, and humbly in love. To help a brother or sister walk in obedience to the Lord is indeed loving. Unfortunately, it is too often the case that our own example gives little credence to a loving voice of concern and we are viewed as hypocrites. We must love the expression of truth in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Another way that we serve one another is by helping to bear the heavy burdens that fall to each of us in the course of our lives. Immediately after Paul wrote of helping those overtaken in a fault, he wrote “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ…But let every man prove his own work…for every man shall bear his own burden” (Galatians 6:2-5). Paul’s instruction seems contradictory. On one hand, we are to bear one another’s burdens, but on the other hand, we are to bear our own burdens.

The answer lies in the two different Greek words used for “burdens”. The first “burden” has to do with an overly heavy weight. There are burdens in life that come to each of us that are not intended to be born alone, e.g., the death of a loved one, overwhelming sickness, job loss, etc.  It is on these occasions where we seek God’s direction how we might minister to such needs that afflict our brothers or sisters.

The second “burden” is a word that has reference to the freight of a ship, its cargo. Specifically, it has reference to what the ship was designed to carry. In this case we are reminded that each of us has our own duties and responsibilities that belong to us in the various roles we play, e.g., husband/wife, employee, neighbor, etc. God intends for us to bear these ourselves and, consequently, not be a burden to others.

There are many ways that the Lord intends for us to help others in their journey. Perhaps, the larger issue for us is that we haven’t made it past “looking on [our] own things”. To minister to others, I must move beyond myself first.

Cut Off From the World

Have you ever thought that you just don’t fit in? I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves at one time or another feeling ill at ease with our surroundings as though we just did not belong there. For the Christian that should be a common or recurring experience as we make our journey through this life. The Apostle Paul understood well the nature and cause of this estrangement from the world in which we live. He wrote to the Galatian believers, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

Those in Paul’s day were well familiar with the cross. Rome had proliferated its use as a means of death. But Paul has reference to our Savior’s cross upon which he died in our place for our sins. It is through this cross that Paul was crucified unto the world and the world unto him. And this is true for every Christian.

Listen to Paul’s explanation of this phenomenon. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). The Christian is a new creation created in Christ Jesus through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our new life in Christ is in polar opposition to the world and all of its ways. The Apostle John wrote, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:15-16). Christ prayed for his followers because they had been delivered from this world. “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:14-17).

What it boils down to is this. When Christ saved us, he made us new creations. We have new life that is not compatible with this world’s affections and pursuits, which are in opposition to all that pleases God. We are now citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) and we “look for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). As we increasingly follow Christ’s word, his life in us becomes more evident. As a result, this world grows less attractive to us and the world’s hatred for our Savior as seen in us more apparent. As the old song teaches us, “This world is not my home; I’m just passing through”.

But our heavenly journey is not without an earthly purpose. Christ prayed to the Father, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world…neither pray I also for these alone, but for them which shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:18-20). It belongs to us to testify for Christ in the paths that he has placed us that others may come to know him.

Is heaven your home? Or, are you comfortable in this present world? Are you becoming more like the Savior? Or, is his word far removed from you? In essence, are you related to Christ or to this world?

Abstain from Fornication

Many Christians struggle to know the will of God for their lives. What profession should I pursue? Should I get married? How will I know the “right” one? Where should I settle down? All of these considerations are natural to man. As believers, we can be confident that God has a plan for our lives. Yet much of God’s will for us is already recorded in the Scriptures and we pass by it.

One such testimony concerning God’s revealed will is found in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. He writes “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication” (I Thessalonians 4:3). There are three important considerations in this brief statement worthy of attention.

First, Paul indicates that what he is about to say is God’s will. He is not making a suggestion or sharing a recommended guideline for living. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he is proclaiming God’s determined purpose and plan for those who know Him as their heavenly Father. Our response is to obey. There are no other acceptable responses.

Second, it is God’s will that His children are sanctified. The word means to be set apart, especially in the context of holiness. In fact, later in this same passage and context, Paul declares “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (I Thessalonians 4:7). Peter confirms this expectation of God when he quotes from the Old Testament in his first epistle. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [behavior]; because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:15-16).

Third, the specific outworking of sanctification in this context is that we should “abstain from fornication”. The Greek word translated fornication here is the word from which we get our English word pornography. The word used in this passage and elsewhere in the Scriptures embraces every kind of sexual sin – adultery, harlotry, homosexuality, lesbianism, sodomy, pedophilia, and every other kind of sexual uncleanness. Our society has turned its head away from condemning these practices, but be assured God has not. We are told “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). God created marriage and its sexual intimacies. He will judge those who despise his command and pervert this gift.

Modern America is given over to sexual promiscuity. One would have to be willfully ignorant to think otherwise. Humor, advertising, clothing, entertainment, and just about every other arena of life has been touched to one degree or another by a growing appetite for sexual expression. We would do well to earnestly reflect on the will of God in this matter of fornication. Often, sin’s encroachment is subtle, barely noticeable, as it makes its way into our daily path. But once we have grown comfortable to its presence, it becomes bolder in claiming new areas in our lives. Even so, what God has commanded, he enables us to do. God help us to abstain from fornication.

Whether It Be Right…

The spread of the gospel message in the early church was accompanied by signs and wonders performed by the Apostles. These miracles served to authenticate the message and the messenger as one sent from God. These miracles later became unnecessary with the completion of the New Testament Scriptures. We now have in His word all the revelation of God that He is pleased to give us and His Spirit testifies to the veracity of that word.

One of the early miracles was performed by Peter shortly after Pentecost as he was going to the temple at the hour of prayer. He encountered a lame man who sat at the gate begging for alms. Fixing his eyes upon the lame man, Peter said “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” The Scriptures then relate that “immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into temple” (Acts 3:6-8).

Now for the rest of the story. Naturally, this kind of thing did not just happen every day. So “all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering” (Acts 3:11). When Peter saw this, he took the opportunity to testify to the death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ and that faith in his name “hath made this man strong, yea…hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16). Peter went on urging the people to “repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).

The Bible tells us that the religious leaders “being grieved that they [Peter and the other apostles] taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead…laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day” (Acts 4:2).  These leaders feared that the teaching of Jesus might spread among the people and so “commanded them [the apostles] not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:17-18).

Peter and John answered them with words still profitable for us today. “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20; emphasis added). They owed their obedience to the God of heaven and made it plain that they would honor Him.

We are faced daily with a multitude of choices. Many of them are morally indifferent, e.g., what shirt to wear, what to eat, etc. But, many are not without greater significance. We are called upon to always do what is right before God regardless of the consequences. “Whether it be right…” must always be determined first and followed faithfully. Sometimes, what is right is easy to discern and sometimes not so easy. In those cases, it is wise to seek godly counsel from a trusted pastor or godly friend who knows the Scriptures. Ultimately, God is the Judge of what is right and “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

What is a Christian?

The Bible tells us that the “disciples [of Jesus] were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Over the centuries, the term “Christian” has grown in its embrace of peoples and practices that are anything but what those who coined the term observed of believers in first century Antioch.  Reviewing the term in its origin will give us a clear perspective of its scriptural distinctives.

Luke writes for us “Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution of Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord” (Acts 11:19-21).

At the heart of the term “Christian” is Christ himself. We are told that the people in Antioch responded to those “preaching the Lord Jesus”. One simply cannot be a Christian unless he or she is a believer in Jesus Christ. To believe in Jesus Christ is to accept his testimony that he is the Son of God and Savior of the world. Concerning the Lord Jesus, the Scriptures declare “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus Christ himself claimed “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Being a Christian requires an exclusive belief in the deity of Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection. It’s one thing to acknowledge him as a good teacher. But it is quite something else to own him as Lord and Savior. We may want to enlarge the circle of who we call Christian, but faith in Christ is non-negotiable.

A second distinctive of those called Christians is they had a changed life. We note that in response to the preaching, they “turned unto the Lord”. The lives of those who believed went in a different direction after they came to Christ than the direction they were headed before Christ. These ones turned from their sin unto the Savior. Their lives took on a distinctive character of righteousness. This should be no surprise for Christ “gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4). Paul wrote to Timothy, “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity [sin]” (2 Timothy 2:19).

Those who believe in Christ follow Christ. They are called “Christians” because they are followers. They desire to be like Christ. They follow him by obeying his word. Barnabus went to Tarsus to “seek Saul [later called Paul] …and he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people” (Acts 11:25-26). Through the Scriptures we learn of Christ and follow him. Christians follow a book, the Bible.

These three things distinguish Christianity, faith in Christ, a changed life, and obedience to his word. Would people call you a “Christian”?

We Ought to Obey God…

Following Christ is a path that regularly encounters opposition. In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). If you are walking close with Christ, you know whereof Paul spoke. The world is not a friend to Jesus Christ nor his followers. Jesus prayed to the Father as it related to his disciples “the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).

In Acts 5 we see a clear illustration of this truth. Following the death of Ananias and Sapphira (for lying to the Holy Spirit), Luke records “by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people…and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:12, 14). The spread of the gospel and the advance of Christianity met with fierce resistance by the Jewish leaders. “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him…and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison” (Acts 5:17-18).

The Jewish authorities thought to silence the witness of the apostles by putting them in prison. “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:19-20). The following morning the high priest along with the council and senate were quite surprised to find the apostles not in prison, but preaching in the temple. They confronted the apostles “Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name [Jesus’ name]?… ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine” (Acts 5:28-29).

It was at this point that the narrative touches each of us as believers personally. We read “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). God had opened the door (of the prison) and given the command (speak these words in the temple). The apostles had no choice but to obey. Therein is the lesson for us today. God gives command through his word and He opens the door of opportunity. But it is our responsibility to go through that door in obedience.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers of his ministry in Asia, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (I Corinthians 16:9). For the Christian, every open door comes with opposition. Even so, we ought to obey God rather than men. What door has God opened for you? Will you obey?

To the Unknown God

“But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people” (Acts 17:13). The gospel message is either received or rejected and, often, when it is rejected it is openly resisted. This was the case in Berea. Consequently, the brethren “sent away Paul…and brought him to Athens” (Acts 17:14-15).

Now, Athens was a city known for its philosophers. Acts 17 tells us that “the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing” (21). Yet, for all their “wisdom” the city remained “wholly given to idolatry” (16). In fact, Paul had even “found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God” (23). When these philosophers encountered Paul in the marketplace, they called him a “babbler” and others said that he “seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection (18).

Christianity will always be “strange” to the world and its wisdom because of the resurrection. This truth (resurrection) is intrinsic to the gospel message and essential to God’s plan of redemption. Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. This is the gospel (I Corinthians 15:3-4). Yet to the world and its wisdom, the message of the gospel is strange. The Jews rejected it for they “stumbled” at the concept of a Messiah who would die in supposed weakness rather than reign in power after delivering them from Rome. The Greeks thought it “foolish” that God surrender his own Son to die for his creation.

Man will never know God through the wisdom of this world. Paul reminded the Corinthians “the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (I Corinthians 1:22-25).

Christianity is not, nor has it ever been, the culmination of man struggling to find his way to God. On the contrary, it is God who took the initiative to seek and to save his fallen creation. Christianity then is a matter of believing the message that God has revealed concerning his Son, Jesus Christ. And so Paul reminds us, “the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God…For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (I Corinthians 1:18, 21; emphasis added).

Paul preached this gospel, the good news to the Athenians. “And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others [putting him off] said, we will hear thee again of this matter” (Acts 17:32). Is the gospel “strange” unto you? Do you stumble at the message of the resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ? The gospel is not a message that can be set aside. To put it off is to decide against it. God has made himself known in the Person of his Son. Cease from striving. Believe him today and be saved.

The Gospel is for All

Chapter 10 in the Book of Acts records for us a very clear and important principle related to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a matter of background, the Jewish religion incorporated a very extensive and specific dietary regimen. Leviticus 11 provides a detailed “law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten” (Leviticus 11:46).

Move forward to the days immediately following the resurrection of Christ, Peter is found lodging “with one Simon a tanner, whose house was by the sea side” (Acts 10:6). It came to pass that Peter went upon the housetop to pray about noon and became hungry while food was being prepared below. As he was praying, “he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. But Peter said, not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean” (Acts 10:10-14).

Peter’s response is not surprising. He was a faithful Jew and was fastidious with his dietary observances. Even so, “the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). To drive the point home to Peter, this exchange occurred three times.

The significance lies in what immediately followed. Now there were “men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate” (Acts 10:17). God had previously instructed Cornelius, a centurion, to send for Peter who “shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do” (Acts 10:6). Peter then accompanied the men to Cornelius’ home.

As Peter stood before Cornelius and his household, he said “Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). His Jewish practice had forbidden close interaction with Gentiles. But now, as a result of the vision that God had given him, Peter understood that God had other ideas.

He shared with Cornelius and his household how that Christ died for the sins of all and was raised the third day and “that it is he which was ordained to be the Judge of the quick [living] and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:42-43; emphasis added). The gospel is for all who believe. There are none that are excluded. This includes you. Have you believed?

The Chief of Sinners

Paul’s viewpoint concerning his own conversion to Christianity gives insight to the unsearchable depths of God’s grace. Prior to his salvation, he was a fervent opponent of the faith and persecutor of the church. The Bible records that Saul (Paul) “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, [he] went to the high priest and asked him for letters [authority] to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way [followers of Jesus], men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2).

Even after his conversion, his reputation made it nearly impossible for believers to receive him. Paul was blinded from his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. The Lord instructed a disciple, Ananias, to meet with Saul, lay hands on him, and restore his sight. But Ananias stumbled at this, knowing Saul’s past. “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here [Damascus] he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name” (Acts 9:13-14). Later, when Saul came to Jerusalem, “he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26).

Paul later testified himself concerning his past that he zealously persecuted the church (Philippians 3:6). In fact, writing to Timothy, he declared he was a “blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious” (I Timothy 1:13). Paul sums up his conversion this way. “I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (I Timothy 1:13-16).

God’s extension of grace and mercy to Paul demonstrates his patient willingness to save any sinner that would come to Him in faith. In addition to forgiveness, Christ also gave Paul a life of lasting joy and peace despite the difficulties he faced.

Perhaps, someone may be reading this who might argue with Paul about who is the “chief of sinners”. Maybe you think your sins are so great that they could never be forgiven. You may think no one knows how great your sins are, but Jesus knows. No matter what you have done in your past, Christ can forgive you. After all, as Paul asserted, Christ Jesus came into the world to do just this, to save sinners. Your sins qualify you for salvation. Jesus testified “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Is there a sin which the blood of Christ cannot wash away? There is none. As the old hymn says, “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

Speak the Truth

In the days following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the believers’ love for one another was characterized by selfless giving to meet the needs of one another. The Scriptures record “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need” (Acts 4:34-35). This distribution was not the result of some apostolic imposed communal lifestyle. Rather, it was the outworking of genuine selfless love resulting in unsolicited generous giving by those that were so led by the Spirit.

However, even the early church had its hypocrites. A couple, Ananias and Sapphira, “sold a possession, and kept back part of the price…and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 5:2). The desire to be recognized for their generosity led to their intended deception. They wanted the apostles to believe they gave all when in reality they had not. Peter, led by the Spirit of God, confronted Ananias “why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?” (Acts 5:3-4). Peter testified the land belonged to Ananias and that he could do as he wished with it.

Then Peter testified to the real issue. “Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou has not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:4). Ananias upon hearing these words “fell down, and gave up the ghost”. Later, his wife confessed her complicity in the matter and died also in like manner.

God demands purity in his church and that includes being truthful. Those whose sins have been washed by the blood of Christ should not return to sinful ways of the past. Paul wrote to believers in Colossae, “Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Colossians 3:8-9).

Telling lies is intrinsic to our old nature. The Psalmist wrote, “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies” (Psalm 58:3). Face it, we do not need to teach children to tell lies for it is natural to us all. We teach them to tell the truth.

Why does man think that he can disregard the truth and get away with it? Perhaps, nothing speaks as loudly to our sinful nature and our need for redemption as does our bent towards lying. Christ told the Pharisees who would not believe him, “Ye are of your father the devil…he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). Outside of Christ, are we any better?

The Scriptures warn in their closing pages “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Jesus himself testified to Pilate that he came to “bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37). Believe the truth. Speak the truth.