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July, 2001
By Bernie Parsons - July 2, 2001
Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1:4-5 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible values and respects the life of the unborn, the newborn, and the child.
2 Kings 17:16-18 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only."
Ezekiel 16:20-21 "Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?"
Psalms 106:37-39 "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions."
Isaiah 59:7-9 "Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness."
Mark 10:13-16 "And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them."
Job 31:15 "Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?"
Jeremiah 1:4-5 "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
Matthew 18:2-6 "And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
The church that I see in the Bible values, respects, and supports the children--whether unborn, newborn, or otherwise.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 3, 2001
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:2 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible places great importance in the role of the family.
Matthew 19:3-6 "The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Therefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
1 Corinthians 7:2-4 "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife."
1 Peter 3:5-7 "For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."
Ephesians 5:33-6:4 "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
The church that I see in the Bible values, respects, and supports families.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 5, 2001
The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible respects and values the elderly. After all, wisdom born of experience passes from generation to generation.
Leviticus 19:32 "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD."
Proverbs 16:31 "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness."
Job 32:7 "I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom."
1 Timothy 5:1-4 "Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God."
1 Timothy 5:16 "If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed."
Ephesians 6:1-22 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;"
Proverbs 6:20-22 "My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee."
Proverbs 23:22 "Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old."
The church that I see in the Bible values, respects, and supports the elderly.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 6, 2001
One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. Psalms 145:4 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible passes its wisdom and experience from generation to generation.
Titus 2:3-5 "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
Psalms 78:2-7 "I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:"
Deuteronomy 4:9 "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;"
When this passing of information is interrupted, evil results.
Proverbs 30:11-14 "There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men."
Judges 2:10-12 "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger."
The church that I see in the Bible passes wisdom, knowledge, and experience to the next generation.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 9, 2001
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 1 Peter 3:8 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible is tender, compassionate, and forgiving.
Colossians 3:12-14 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."
Ephesians 4:32-5:2 "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."
1 John 3:17-18 "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."
2 Peter 1:5-7 "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity."
Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
Matthew 12:7 "But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless."
James 5:11 "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
The church that I see in the Bible is known for tenderness, compassion, and forgiveness.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 10, 2001
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalms 86:15 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible is compassionate, as was Jesus, head of the church.
Matthew 9:35-38 "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
Our Lord is compassionate, and asks for laborers. We are the laborers of the Lord.
Matthew 25:38-40 "When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Matthew 15:30-32 "And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way."
If we truly believe in our Lord, then we should prove it by doing as He did.
James 2:15-18 "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."
Galatians 6:8-10 "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
The church that I see in the Bible is compassionate, like its founder, Jesus Christ.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 11, 2001
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible is merciful--full of mercy--as is Jesus, head of the church.
The Bible speaks of judgment, justice, and mercy. Judgment means that truth is discovered. Justice means that reward or punishment is given, based upon the finding of truth. Mercy derives from a root word that means "price paid". It means that we don't actually get the severe punishment that we deserve. God is merciful to us, although we deserve harsh punishment for our sins against Him. We must show that same mercy to others.
Psalms 89:14 "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face."
Psalms 86:5 "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee."
Psalms 86:15 "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."
Jeremiah 23:5 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."
Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Luke 18:13 "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
Matthew 9:13 "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
James 2:12-13 "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment."
James 3:17-18 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
Luke 6:36 "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful."
The church that I see in the Bible is full of mercy, like its founder, Jesus Christ.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 12, 2001
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible is forgiving, as God is forgiving.
Matthew 18:21-22 "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."
Luke 17:3 "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him."
Christians have an obligation to rebuke those who sin against them. This gives the other person a chance to mend his or her ways (repent), and to ask for forgiveness. After all, the mission of Christ and the Christian is not to destroy, but to heal, to help, and to save.
1 John 1:8-10 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
Ephesians 4:31-5:2 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."
Colossians 3:12-15 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
Luke 6:36-38 "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
"Forgive" is derived from root words that mean "to give". It is an integral part of Christianity, and is related to charity, which is undeserved and unearned love. It means that the Christian "gives up" a debt that is owed by another. Debts accrue whenever people offend us, attack us, and persecute us. Forgiveness wipes out that debt. For two classic and instructive examples, consider:
Luke 23:33-34 "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."
Acts 7:59-60 "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
The church that I see in the Bible is forgiving, just as God is forgiving.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 13, 2001
Judge not, that ye be not judged. Matthew 7:1 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible is not self-righteously judgmental. One of the most misunderstood and abused principles of the Bible is that of judgment. It is misused by Christians and their detractors, alike. God, and Jesus through Him, is the judge. The word judge derives from root words that mean literally "to say right". Humans don't have the capacity to decide what is right. God, our Maker, determines right.
Romans 3:4 "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."
Romans 3:5-6 "But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?"
Romans 2:16 "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel."
Romans 14:10-13 "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."
1 Corinthians 4:3-5 "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."
There are matters of the heart that we must not judge, for we cannot rightly say what is in that man's or woman's heart. But God knows the hearts, and will judge. However, on clear matters of God's fundamental instructions, we can rightly say what the will of the Lord is.
1 Corinthians 5:11-6:6 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers."
James 4:11-12 "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?"
James 5:9 "Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door."
1 Peter 4:5 "Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead."
The church that I see in the Bible is not judgmental, but leaves that up to the Lord.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 16, 2001
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible upholds the judgment of God.
Some folks see a contradiction in the statements that Christians are not to judge, yet we Apostle Paul said that Christians will judge. This is not a contradiction, but the result of inadequate study.
Our mission is to turn the hearts of individuals to the worship of Almighty God, not to judge the people. God will judge the people..
Acts 14:15 "And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:"
Acts 26:17-18 "Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."
Jesus only judged according to what His heavenly Father had already declared to be true.
John 5:22-23 "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."
John 5:27 "And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man."
John 5:30 "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
John 8:15-18 "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me."
We do not judge others based upon our assumptions, upbringing, experience, or education. Any judgment that we pronounce is only to repeat what God has already stated to be true.
Romans 2:1-3 "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?"
Matthew 12:36-37 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
In essence, we judge ourselves by whether our lives measure up to God's standards.
2 Corinthians 10:12-13 "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you."
The church that I see in the Bible upholds the judgment of God.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 17, 2001
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 1 Timothy 2:11 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible has silent women in the assemblies.
1 Corinthians 14:34-37 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."
1 Timothy 2:11-14 "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."
2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
In the Bible, men in the church do the teaching and take the leadership roles. Women are subject to this chain of command as put forth in the scriptures.
1 Corinthians 11:3 "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
Outside the assemblies, women have more latitude and a great responsibility.
Acts 21:9 "And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy."
Acts 16:13 "And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither."
Acts 18:26 "And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly."
Luke 8:1-3 "And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance."
The church that I see in the Bible has women silent when the church assembles, but who are very active outside the assembly.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 18, 2001
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 1 Peter 3:3 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible promotes modesty among its members.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works."
1 Peter 3:1-4 "Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."
Modesty derives from a root word that means "moderate". In other words, to be modest means to be moderate, not going to extremes. Modest dress implies dress that does not draw undue attention. Immodesty can be presented through revealing too much of what should remain private, but is also manifested when too much attention is given to the body. This can include elaborate hairstyles, gaudy or expensive jewelry, expensive or garish clothing, and excessive make-up. These all signal an obsession with one's outward appearance, and an attempt to draw attention to the body, rather than the spirit within.
1 Samuel 16:7 "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
A word similar to modest is temperate.
1 Corinthians 9:25 "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."
Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
2 Peter 1:5-6 "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;"
1 Corinthians 9:27 "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
Christians are not to go to extremes--whether in dress, or comportment. However, we are to be zealous of good works--that is, eager to perform righteousness..
Romans 8:5-9 "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
Titus 2:14 "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
The church that I see in the Bible teaches modesty, and expects it of its members.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 19, 2001
Rejoice evermore. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible is a happy group of people.
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."
There is a time for weeping, and a time for joy.
Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."
1 Corinthians 12:26 "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it."
In the midst of persecution for Christ's sake, we count it a joy to suffer for Him.
Philippians 2:15-18 "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me."
1 Peter 1:6-9 "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
The Holy Ghost fills us with joy.
Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
Romans 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
John 15:9-11 "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."
Acts 13:52 "And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost."
The church that I see in the Bible rejoices in righteousness.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 23, 2001
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 1 Corinthians 11:24 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible remembers our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Some "churches" are no more than social gathering places, neglecting our founder and our mission.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25 "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."
Mark 14:22-24 "And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."
John 6:53-56 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."
1 Corinthians 10:16-17 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread."
Some religious bodies only observe the Lord's supper once a year; others do so only quarterly; some do it on special occasions, or holidays. The churches of Christ observe this memorial upon the first day of every week. Yet, even some of them have trivialized this memorial supper, and rush through it as if trying to get it out of the way. I recently attended an assembly of the church where the young man who "presided" over the Lord's table gave a rambling speech about his occupation, then proceeded to thank God for "His gift", ending the prayers over the bread and the cup without praying in the name of Jesus. Not once did he even mention the name of Jesus in his speech or in his prayers. Even when mentioning "the gift", he did not even say "the gift of your son"--it was as though Jesus had nothing at all to do with the ritual that was taking place.
1 Corinthians 11:26-30 "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."
The church that I see in the Bible remembers our Lord in frequent, regular observance of the Lord's supper--a memorial to our Lord and Savior.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 24, 2001
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church of the Bible prays in the spirit. Some folks give little thought to prayer, and pray infrequently. When they do pray, many repeat a ritual prayer which they have memorized.
Matthew 6:7-8 "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."
Our prayers are to be heart-felt, and will be rendered into God's language by His Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:26-28 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Our prayers are to be in a language that those around us can understand.
1 Corinthians 14:14-17 "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified."
The church that I see in the Bible maintains communication with our head, Jesus, receiving direction from Him. We pray with the spirit, and with understanding.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 26, 2001
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Romans 13:11 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
Romans 13:11-12 "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."
The church of the Bible is not much like the churches I see today. We have replaced the words of God with the traditions of men. We abuse certain scriptures while totally ignoring others. We have a tendency to condemn others while failing to live up to God's expectations of us. We value attendance over righteousness, crowds over the mission of the church.
We gladly spend money to build bigger church buildings, or renovate existing ones--while the attendance dwindles--then we refuse to use the church collection to help our members in need, much less the needy of the community.
We strain out gnats while swallowing camels. We argue over what should be permitted instead of investigating to see what is expected. We fight among ourselves even though Jesus said that the mark of true believers is the love we have for one another.
We sit at home and let television fill our minds and hearts with lust, envy, and murder--then go to "worship services" where we look down at everyone else for not being as holy as we, after which we go home and ignore them the rest of the week. Or, for our more worldly and "liberal" churches, we meet for a 20-minute "worship service" that often consists of comments on a poem or song, or perhaps a verse of the Bible, but get together throughout the week for ball games, scout meetings, and entertainment.
We have succumbed to the message of the 1960's generation--what's in it for me? We have neglected the service to one another that Jesus taught and performed, while telling us to do the same.
I usually have little commentary in my writings. I try to stay with the scriptures, teaching what our Lord taught, and what the Holy Spirit provoked the Apostles to teach. But, after 33 years in the ministry, I see no change in people professing Christianity who are satisfied to "play at church" without committing themselves to the Lord.
Lord willing, over the coming weeks, I plan to target specific failings in the church that need to be corrected. This includes introducing some much-overlooked church history and taking a hard look at some of the accepted traditional doctrines that have supplanted God's very own word. I will attach more than my customary amount of commentary to these reviews.
Although I don't intend this as an attack upon the church of the beloved Son of God, I do mean it as a wake-up call to my brothers and sisters. We rapidly approach the time when we will each stand before the Lord to give account of what we have thought, said, and done while in this body.
Romans 14:11-12 "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
The church that I see in the Bible promotes righteousness over religiousness, truth over tradition, and service over personal gratification.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
The Building Is Not The "Church"
By Bernie Parsons - July 27, 2001
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The place of assembly, or "church building", is not the church, and it is not the "house of the Lord". This may seem like unproductive nit-picking over semantics, but it is foundational to understanding the truth about the church. The sanctified people of God--the righteous--are the church. The church consists of people, not materials. We must stop the practice of calling the assembly place the "church".
We do not need a separate building for our church assemblies. As shocking and revolutionary as this sounds, look into the scriptures. There is no instance of a church building built by the early Christians. God had the central temple in Jerusalem destroyed on purpose.
Luke 21:5-6 "And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
We Christians, in our individual bodies, are a temple to God. The church is a spiritual house. We are the house of the Lord.
John 2:19-21 "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
1 Peter 2:5 "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
We are the church, whether we are by ourselves, or in a group. We are the temple of God, the place where God's spirit dwells, and where God communicates with us. Immediately, some traditionalists have a problem with this Biblical concept. They jump on the comment that each individual is the church, and is a temple. Yet, we see that Jesus, the early disciples, and the apostles, traveled in groups of two or more.
Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
When the church is gathered, it is referred to as an "assembly", a "gathering", or a "togetherness", not a "worship service". Apostle Paul also refers to this assembly as being "in the church". Again, it is important to remain scriptural in the terms in which we speak. Otherwise, we can twist the phrases to mean whatever we desire them to mean.
1 Corinthians 11:18 "For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it."
1 Corinthians 14:19 "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
1 Corinthians 14:28 "But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God."
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."
Hebrews 10:25 "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 early church met in members' houses.
1 Corinthians 16:19 "The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house."
Colossians 4:15 "Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house."
Acts 2:46 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,"
Acts 20:20 "And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,"
Acts 1:13 "And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James."
The building is not the church, the Christians are the church. Wherever Christians go, and wherever Christians assemble themselves, that is the church.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 30, 2001
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
In our last study we saw that the building is not the church, the church is the sanctified people of God. What is this church of Christ? (I was reared in the church of Christ/Church of Christ.)
Some think that it is just another denomination, and for good reason--so many groups that have assumed the title "Church of Christ" have adopted a set of common doctrines, several of which are traditional rather than scriptural. These beliefs are fairly consistently held as an "unwritten" creed, although many men have written articles, pamphlets, and books that describe this dogma.
A supposed tenet of the church of Christ is that we "speak where the Bible speaks, and are silent where the Bible is silent". I wish that this were so. I have dealt with many factions and sects within the Church of Christ, many of whom will not affiliate with other groups of the Church of Christ because some man, or group of men, has developed a new doctrine. When they are unable to persuade their "brethren" to come over to this newly devised doctrine, war is declared, and the new group shuns the old group in a move called "disfellowshipping". This is akin to Catholic excommunication, or Amish shunning.
Yet, as an entity known as the "Church of Christ", they tenaciously cling to certain assumed doctrines that bind them together. Some say that this is because those doctrines are scriptural, and that a thorough study of the Bible yields the same teachings and commandments. This sounds good on the surface, but is not always true. There are ideas and concepts taught in the church that one would be hard-pressed to substantiate with book, chapter, and verse. Yet, anyone who questions these widely accepted teachings is found to be persona non grata, subject not only to "disfellowship", but viciously attacked for raising legitimate questions. I speak from personal experience. (By the way, show me the word "disfellowship" in the Bibleor the dictionary, for that matter! It is a rather loose concept that allows any group or individual to abuse their relationship with other Christians, and with the church of our Lord. It is itself one of those man-made but widely accepted doctrines.)
Through the often-abused force of "disfellowshipping", not only is dissent not tolerated, but important questions relating to the salvation of our souls are swept away.
One dangerous doctrine that I have encountered is a growing declaration that the "Church of Christ" has been in existence since A.D. 33, with all of its present practices and doctrines in place for the past 2,000 years. To so proclaim is to deny our own history. This is dangerous because it allows us to keep in place Catholic and Protestant doctrines, or variations thereof, under the pretense that this is what the church has always believed, taught, and practiced from the time of the Apostles.
Christ established His church, which is rightly called the church of Christ--because it is His--almost 2,000 years ago. The Bible plainly describes many of their practices and under-girding principles. What I intend to do over the next several articles is to compare doctrines of the current "Church of Christ" with the doctrines of the church of Christ in the Bible. The purpose is not to attack my brothers and sisters in Christ, but to awaken them to the truth so that we might draw closer to God. My desire is to be a member of that Biblical church of Christ.
James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."
Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
Christians are the church of Jesus Christ. We are not a Protestant denomination, unless we behave like one. We can only be the true church of our Lord when we learn the teachings of Jesus, become a follower of Him, and worship God in spirit and in truth.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
By Bernie Parsons - July 31, 2001
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
When I was a child in the churches of Christ, most preachers and many members knew a little about our history. They knew the names of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, Walter Scott, and "Raccoon" John Smith. They knew of the combined history with the Disciples of Christ and the Christian Church, and the point of breakaway into the modern "Church of Christ". Now I find that members, and even preachers, deny that history. They say that our modern "Church of Christ" was established in A.D. 33, went into hiding for close to two thousand years, then re-emerged about 200 years ago. Others more blatantly lie that the Church of Christ as we know it existed in its present state over the course of the past almost 2,000 years.
We still carry with us some trappings of the Catholic church, and many of the Protestant beliefs. To truly become the church of Christ that is patterned after the early church, we must understand our heritage, strip away the Catholic/Protestant concepts, and strive mightily to understand how the early church operated according to the will of God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The "Church of Christ" is the result of an attempt of serious and dedicated lovers of the church and of the Bible to cast off the dogma of men in favor of the word of God. As men like Martin Luther are associated with the "Reformation" of the Catholic Church, so the men named in the first paragraph were involved in what they considered the "Restoration" of the true church of our Lord. They worked to put aside the teachings of men that caused churches to stray in divergent directions. They worked for unity in the body of Christ, and came out of the Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Methodist Church. They discarded these divisive names and declared themselves to be Christians only, or disciples of Christ, only. Rejecting the Catholic idea of infant baptism and Calvinist ideas of waiting for God to give a sign of salvation, some of these men read the Bible carefully and determined that (1) faith is a necessary component to salvation, (2) repentance is a necessary part of salvation, and (3) baptism for the remission of sins is the point at which sins are washed away. These are all scriptural concepts, being substantiated by many scriptures and practices in the Bible.
After phenomenal growth, the "Restoration Movement" splintered over time into the Disciples of Christ Church, the Christian Church, and the Church of Christ. Tolbert Fanning and David Lipscomb were largely responsible for the designation of "Church of Christ" for their arm of the restoration movement. This use of the name became official in the 1906 Religious Census.
This is a simplistic recap of church history. It does not get at the heart of the influences and methodologies that shaped the belief system of the current "Church of Christ". There are many good sources of information about that, and I will not attempt to tell it all once more. (For a more detailed look at the history of the Church of Christ, read this.) I will, however, refer to those methods and influences as I point out why we have a long way to go to get back to being the church of the Bible. We must shed the influences and methodologies that hang as a millstone about our necks and cause the continuation of the decline of the Lord's church.
Hebrews 1:1-2 "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"
Matthew 17:5 "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."
The modern Church of Christ is derived from the American Restoration Movement of the 1800's and early 1900's. Our desire to become the church of Christ that is in the Bible hinges upon our willingness to accept our church history, and the spirit of the movement that produced us. That movement called for the Bible as our only "creed" book, and the "blueprint" and "pattern" for our own practices and beliefs.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
