Biddeford Church of Christ

What is interesting about so many things in life is that the depth of our understanding of specific things is directly related to our insight about others.  Let’s use a relatively simple example, light.  Light can only be truly measured and understood through our knowledge of darkness.  Let’s try another example; that is, the word hot.  Try to describe it without any reference to cold…you can’t.  At best, you would only be able to develop a shadow of its true nature.  The same applies to our understanding of many biblical words.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end,

they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.

                                                                                                      Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

Today marks the first lesson of the new year and with it a new theme.  As was noted in last week’s article, the text chosen is familiar with most of us simply because we sing it often.  What strikes me as interesting are the words uttered in this text and sung with great enthusiasm.  Words like faithfulness, steadfast and even love.  Each of these words carry meaning but are often described outside the context of the verse.  Doing so, although not intentional, limits the depth of our understanding.  It is my hope in the weeks and months to come, that we can increase our understanding (in some cases, simply rekindle it) of these, and other words that have such powerful biblical significance.

I thought that today, we would begin with a word that is profoundly powerful; that is, mercy.  How would you define it?  Listen closely to this definition: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.  You may remember how Terry Schmidt defined mercy, “God NOT giving us what we deserve.”  There it is!  Mercy cannot be truly understood outside of understanding what one deserves.  So, for us to grasp what Jeremiah was writing, to get an idea of what God’s mercy is truly like, we need to place it in the context of real life; that is, the events that moved him to pen these words.

I am convinced that if we allow ourselves to journey down these roads, the depth of our understanding of God will grow, along with, our awareness of how much we desperately need Him.  May God be glorified and each of us enriched in 2019 so that His church can be strengthened, and the gospel can be proclaimed.

Dennis

There is a New Testament verse that I suspect many of us are familiar with; that is, Romans 15:4.  It says the following, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”  Such a verse is spoken often to encourage us to take the time to look back into the Old Testament and benefit from that part of God’s word.  Truth be told though, many of us might have the tendency to almost avoid certain books.  For instance, when talking with people, they express their frustration with books like Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, expressing confusion because they don’t understand so much of what they read.  Yet, some of those very same people walked away enriched after our study of Leviticus because it gave insight into the cross of Christ that they did not realize before.  It truly is worth our time.

Well, our theme verse for 2019 comes from one of those books often avoided by Christians, simply because of lack of insight: that book is Lamentations.  The word lamentation means the passionate expression of grief or sorrow, weeping.  Its title is understood when you realize it deals with the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple which took place in 586 B.C. We can read of this tragic event in 2^nd Chronicles 36:11-21.  Lamentations is five poems written by Jeremiah that speak to this event and its impact on God’s people.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end,

they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.

                                                           Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

Do you find it interesting that that very song we sing with these words in it, comes from a book that was written by someone in great anguish over the state of God’s people?  If you take the time to read the events leading up to this tragedy, you would understand why God was so upset with His people; even so, their state was awful, and lamenting was reasonable.  It seems odd to read such words when thinking of such a horrific time; that is, until you read verse 21, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.”  In the midst of this overwhelming event, Jeremiah reminds himself, and us, that God loves His people always.  Even when He must discipline them for their behavior.

Reading the unread.  When was the last time you read Lamentations?  Maybe this might be the first time, and that is okay.  My prayer is as we consider this text and the background behind it, that we become even more committed to the God that so desperately loves His people.  Thank You Lord for 2018 and may we dedicate 2019 to the One who makes it all possible.

Dennis

As I write this article, we are coming to the tail end of an autumn that has felt a lot like winter. We are tossed back into the “              Christmas Season”. This can feel like a time when our top priority is to find the best Black Friday deal, when we get stressed out about hors d’oeuvre planning, when we might travel dozens or hundreds of miles to visit Family members that we would really rather not see.

Please do not be discouraged (Joshua 1:9). Last December, I wrote an article for this bulletin about the scriptures being  read on that forth Sunday, and about another passage from the Bible. I reference Romans 14:5-8. It speaks about how each of us will have special days and normal days, and how we should regard them. Basically, whatever we do on any given day should be done for the Lord.

So, if any of us choose to celebrate Christmas with our family members of non-believers, let us make sure, as Christians, that we are doing so for the right reasons. Let us not fall into the traditions of man with blinders on. As we think about the teachings in Romans 14, and,  as  we are reminded to “live to the Lord”,  let me put forth another suggestion; use this time of year to your advantage. We are not commanded to celebrate the birth of Christ, but let us use this season to point our loved ones to Christ. Plant the seed.  It may be as simple as showing them Isaiah, where the Lord is prophesied some 700-ish years before his birth. It may be helpful to point them to the first couple of chapters  of Matthew or Luke where Mary and Joseph and the Magi are discussed. These scriptures contain the inspiration and even the very words of Christmas carols that many  non-believers enjoy singing. Explaining what the words to carols mean may be helpful, or showing folks some of the other verses to songs that many have never seen may trigger curiosity for learning more.

However you handle this time of year,  please, do not be ensnared into the traditions of men. Do enjoy your time with brothers, sisters, and lover ones in His creation, as we put our God and Savior foremost in our lives every day of the year.

Abraham

I struggled somewhat with seeking to end the year with a lesson that can help us all reflect on our own personal journey’s with Christian maturity.  After some thought, I considered the question which is the title for today’s article, “What has the Lord taught you that has been the most transformative in your life?”  Of course, the list could be plentiful, and I encourage you to consider what your answer may be.  For me, the answer is very easy, and it has to do with what was once a wrecking ball in my life.  It is anger.  The only reason this comes to mind is because I heard the following quote from Mark Twain in a recent speech, “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking

be put away from you, with all malice.

                                                                                                                                    Ephesians 4:31

Some of you chuckled last week when I spoke of my personal flaws, that in times past especially, have hindered me and others to grow and one of those flaws was my issue with anger.  I can say without hesitation today, that unbridled anger has no place in the Christian’s life, but I walked with it for years as the Lord worked so patiently and purposely in my life (and He still is in this area).  My anger has often been displayed with words that bite and injure, wanting others to feel the inner pain that fed that anger.  I think of Proverbs 10:19, “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”  That verse is etched in my mind, along with Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  Although growth in any area of life really never ends, I am grateful to the Lord for the changes that have been made and hope for His help in continued growth.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies,

kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another…

You may think it odd to close out this year with the focus on something like this: but truth be told, the journey forward is dictated in part by our ability to see where God has already brought us.  These character traits listed by Paul in the above verse, reveal to us that growth will never be stagnant; that is, as long as God’s objectives are ever before us.  Each of the words listed by the Holy Spirit, quickly remind us that Christian growth is no easy task.  It takes work to “put away” things which God so patiently wants gone and equally so, to “put on” those things that best reflect who He is in our lives; that is, that He is our Lord and Savior.

As we journey, we can take comfort and direction from these simple, yet life changing words.  I believe what follows is part of the core of Christian growth: “…even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Colossians 3:13).  May we grasp and experience the depth of His forgiveness daily and may it empower us to grow spiritually and as we do, offer that same forgiveness to those around us, especially those who walk with us towards our heavenly home.

Dennis

Back on March 4^th of this year, I did a lesson entitled, Not Always a Straight Line.   I would like to revisit this idea and the life of Peter once again in hopes that we can possibly grasp a couple reasons why growth is not always a straight line.  I know in my life, even after all these years in Christ, I have much work to do and am thankful for God’s patience, grace and mercy as I strive to become more like my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So, the question I want to try and answer today is this, “What are some things I need to be attentive to that may at times hinder me from transformation?”

So He said, “Come.”  And when Peter had come down

out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

                                                                                                                        Matthew 14:29

Distractions: This scene amazes me, and the reason is not simply that Jesus walked on the water or that Peter did as well.  What amazes me is the fact that Peter, without hesitation, steps out of the boat!  All life experiences up to this day would not give reason to such a move!  Jesus is what he responded to and by faith, he did the impossible.  Have you ever stepped out in boldness of faith before?  I suspect most, if not all of us have at one time or another.  Notice something about Peter’s story: back in v24, before Jesus came on the scene, there were rough seas.  This was the condition when Jesus invited Peter and he faithfully stepped out onto the water.  But, in v30 begins, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid…”  Nothing had changed in reality, other than what his focus was on at the time.  Sometimes, what hinders me from going forward are the distractions of life.  They were always there before, it seems at times I lost focus and became distracted.

But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You,

I will not deny You!”  And they all said likewise.

                                                                                                                        Mark 14:31

Pride:  This scene is from the previous lesson, and although Peter was my focus, it should be noted that the rest of the disciples were equally convicted.  They had given three years of their lives to this Jesus and His teachings.  Family, friends and jobs were all set aside as they walked with Him during His ministry.  This was evidence of their confidence.  But their faith would be tested that night and their response is sobering, “Then they all forsook Him and fled” (Mark 14:50).  Jesus had warned them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night” (Mark 14:27).  Could it be that their confidence was absent of humility, which left only pride, a very big stumbling block to growth.

Our walk with Christ will never be a straight line, I think we all know that already.  I also think it is beneficial to try and understand some of the reasons why that line is not so straight.  Two things, I know in my life, have reared their ugly heads on more than one occasion:  First, there are the distractions that often take my focus off from Jesus.  Then, there is pride within me.  This idea that “I” can do all things.  Do these ever hinder you?  May God guide us toward home, a place I yearn for more and more.

Dennis

As the year rapidly comes to a close and our topic of spiritual growth, likewise, is replaced with a new theme, I find myself asking a simple, yet complex question; that is, why is spiritual growth so important?   My attention is drawn to a text often stated when talking about growth, it is Romans 12:1-2.  Consider v2 which says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Just what does it mean to be conformed to this world?  The world conform here is powerful in meaning.  The idea is that a person behaves according to socially acceptable conventions or standards.

Just consider this for a moment: there was a time when living together was seen as morally wrong.  That getting drunk was equally foolish (or, for the more recent times, getting high).  That homosexuality was not acceptable to God.  But how times have changed!  Now, before I go forward, I have to admit something about that past.  Those sins listed, have been in times past, treated with bigotry and distain to such a level that God’s love for the sinner couldn’t be seen through His children.  It is important to remember that all have sinned (Romans 3:23), and that includes me.  That being said, we are confronted with the possible reality that the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction.  Living together is seen as prudent, recreational drugs are acceptable and sexuality is none of anyone’s business.  Moral truths, that were so clearly defined are now obscure and evolving.

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason

of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

                                                                                         Hebrews 5:14

As God’s children, we are exhorted to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits” (1^st John 4:1).   Some “will depart from the faith…having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1^st Timothy 4:1, 2), some to such an extent that they “have lost their feeling of shame.  And they use their lives doing things that are morally wrong.  More and more they want to do all kinds of evil” (Ephesians 4:19, ETRV).  I know that the previous text does not speak directly to the things I expressed in the previous paragraph, but they do reveal something about mankind; that is, left to ourselves, our own desires, we will deviate from God…I will deviate from God.

Hosea 14:9 reads, “Who is wise?  Let him understand these things.  Who is prudent?  Let him know them.  For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them.  But transgressors stumble in them.”  I can so relate to the stumbling side of things.  Even now, I at times find myself giving way to selfish desires, and in so doing, inevitably violate God’s will.  It is for this reason (among others), that I should seek to grow spiritually.  For I want to “discern both good and evil,” so I can be best equipped to fight against conformity; that is, going along with the crowd.  Help me lord!  Help us Lord!

Dennis

Mankind has been suffering from a plague that has destroyed more societies and lives than one can count. That plague is division. It has ravaged mankind since the great fall found in Genesis 3. Whether it is a civil war in a country or the fall out from a divorce in a family, we all have been touched in some way by division.

The Church (universal) is no exception to this damaging plague. Many congregations in the Lord’s Church have split for a various reasons. This congregation is no exception. Some years ago this congregation went through a division of which I believe has not recovered from to this day.

Again, this problem of division is not a modern problem. The early Church two thousand years ago had to deal with it. Paul addressed the idea of unity in a number of his epistles. One example was to the Church in Corinth. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17) That congregation was beginning to divide. Paul pleaded with them “by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you.”

This problem of division continued after the Apostles were gone. The Apostolic fathers had to deal with it. Ignatius wrote about it in his letter to Smyrna. But his solution to the problem of division was not Scriptural. His idea was to listen to the Bishop as one who would listen to Christ.

Even the first Ecumenical council that took place at Nicaea in 325 AD was brought together because of division in the Church. Constantine brought three hundred and eight leaders together in order to bring unity.

Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, had the right solution to the problem of division. That solution can be found in Ephesians 4:1-3. Now, we must remember that the Ephesian Church was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. So you could imagine that division could creep into that congregation very easily. Two very different peoples with two very different cultures is a sure mixture for division.

The Lord’s solution is to first remember our calling. We should ask ourselves, what is my mission a child of God? Second is we must have a completely humble attitude. Thirdly we must be gentle. It is so easy to get angry and begin to raise our voices to press our point. The next is to be patient and bear with one another. Unity is sometimes hard and it takes time to iron things out. The council at Nicaea spent two months together before coming up with their creed. Last of all, we must work hard at it. Paul says to make “every effort.”

Can unity be achieved? Sure. With the right attitude and a lot of hard work this can be accomplished. Unity according to His Word pleases God. The benefits are without measure. The Psalmist writes: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.” (Psalms 132:1-3)

Tony