Chapter 2 - According To This Word
In
the days of Isaiah there was much religion and little reading of the
Word of God. The days in which we find ourselves are very similar.
There are a multitude of voices, all crying, "This is the way, walk ye
in it." There is little turning to the Bible to hear the Voice of the
Living God.
Even among Christians, it is remarkable how little
stress there is placed upon a study of God's Word and obedience to it.
We have lost the spirit of Isaiah as he cried, "To the law and to the
testimony! If they speak not according to this word, surely there is no
morning for them" (Is. 8:20, A.S.V.). A whole-hearted allegiance to
God's Word is not popular in this age of expedience.
There seems
to be more interest in turning to God's Word for doctrine than for
practical matters, especially with regard to methods of carrying on the
Lord's work. An evangelist will fight fiercely to preserve the
simplicity of the Gospel message, but will manifest an amazing,
complete indifference as to whether or not the Bible has any
instruction on the methods of evangelization. The teacher will contend
dogmatically for details of prophecy, but will show little exercise of
soul about the practical matters of local church organization and
discipline.
In view of the fact that "Christianity" is not gaining
ground in the world, but rather losing territory, it may be well to ask
oneself the reason for this fruitlessness.
Why are hundreds of churches closing their doors every year in the United States?
Why are "Christian" nations such as Great Britain and the United States rapidly becoming infidel?
May it perhaps be because true Christians are not emulating the apostles in their methods of doing God's work?
There is perhaps the objection that conditions have changed. Have conditions essentially changed?
Although
the traveler of today may drive a Ford instead of riding on a camel,
his heart is the same black heart of unbelief as that of the merchant
entering Damascus during the days of Paul.
Although today there
is a ridicule of the things of God by the so-called intellectual, Paul
experienced the same mocking skepticism as he preached in the market
place of Athens.
Although the morality of today is at a
shockingly low ebb, Paul had the same type of audience as he preached
Christ crucified in Corinth, a city which gloried in its one thousand
temple prostitutes and was a cess-pool of iniquity.
Conditions
have not changed basically. Man has the same evil heart, the same
perverted lusts, the same need for the New Birth. Perhaps the methods
of the New Testament church, if practiced today, would produce the same
glorious results as in Paul's day.
There are three types of
instruction which one finds in the Bible: command, example, and
principle. If one will saturate himself with Scripture, he should not
be at loss concerning a method of action, as to whether or not it is
according to God's mind.
Definite Commands
If
in the New Testament there is a definite command, either directly by
Christ or by the Holy Spirit through the various writers, it must be
obeyed. How sad it is to see believers sometimes rationalize away some
of the plainest commands of Scripture. There are women preaching today
in many churches in deliberate violation of I Corinthians 14:34. There
are many other examples of flagrant disobedience to the plain commands
of God's Word.
Definite Examples
Where there
is the definite example of Christ and the apostles one should seek to
follow it. Paul expecially seemed to regard himself as a pattern for
Christian life and service. His words are, "Be ye imitators of me, even
as I also am of Christ" (I Cor. 11:1, A.S.V.). "Mimic me; do things
the way I do them."
Is it wrong to use object lessons in
preaching? One needs only remember that the Lord Jesus placed a child
in the midst of the disciples with the admonition, "Except ye turn and
become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom
of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). He delighted in object lessons.
How
frequently should a local church remember the Lord in the Breaking of
Bread? The early churches celebrated this remembrance feast every
Lord's Day (Acts 20:7). Surely to the earnest heart of the obedient
believer this solves the problem.
Should a local church have a
"pastor" who is responsible for most of the teaching, preaching, and
visiting, and is salaried by the church? Again as the New Testament is
surveyed one must acknowledge that such an office is foreign to the
practice of the apostles and early churches. The spiritual care of the
local flock was entrusted to a group of elders who earned their own
living (Acts 14:23, 20:28). Because of this practice the full-time
worker could press on to new fields.
The example of the apostles
is being neglected by most of Christendom today, and as a result there
is a barrenness and deadness in the Lord's work.
Principles
Besides
commands and examples to guide one in his work with God, there are
principles, general truths, which will guard one from many mistakes. As
one steeps himself in God's Word, a knowledge of God's character and
desires will become part of him. Instinctively he will sense whether or
not something is in accordance with God's Mind.
For example, one
cannot study God's Word without becoming profoundly aware that God is
Holy and would have His people be such (I Peter 1:15, 16). God hates
sin; His child should hate sin. God is separate from the world; the
believer should be separate from the world.
Any move to break
down this separation between the believer and the world is immediately
viewed with alarm by the saint who has drunk deep of this principle. It
may be only a slight trend in that direction, but it must be withstood.
Is
there an attempt to enlist the aid of unbelievers in the work of the
Lord? With Israel of old, the believer should cry, "Ye have nothing to
do with us in building a house unto our God" (Ezra 4:3).
Is there
an attempt to "sweeten-up" the Gospel message to soothe the palate of
the unbeliever? Is there a great deal of entertainment to attract the
unsaved? Paul's words echo down the centuries, "And I, brethren, when I
came unto you, came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom,
proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know
anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (I Cor. 2:1,
2, A. S. V.).
In these days of darkness preceeding the Lord's
return there is much departure from simple New Testament teaching and
practice. It is a day of novelties and the believer is apt to be swept
along with the tide of worldly thinking.
With Isaiah let us cry, "To the law and to the testimony" (Is. 8:20).