HERE IN THE REAL WORLD

Hello my friend,

I have just finished reading your critique.  I would like to bring up baptism, which is a subject in which you and I seem to disagree a bit. You commented that baptizo also means to identify with. Yet, nowhere in scripture is it ever used in that way. My question, I guess, is how do we arrive at that usage of the word from the Bible. Throughout The Acts baptism is always used as water baptism; why would deviate from that?

In regards to Acts 2:38, Gaertner (1993, pp. 80-81) writes, “A number of commentators have diminished the force of the phrase ‘for the forgiveness of sins” as this point seeking to sage guard the doctrine of salvation by grace. They take the preposition ‘for (eis) to mean ‘because of’ rather than ‘in order to.’ Peter, they say meant to be baptized because of the forgiveness of sins, implying that such forgiveness had already been given by the time baptism was administered. This position disregards the very common use of eis in the New Testament to mean ‘for the purpose of, in order to.” Matthew 26:28 where the exact phrase appears, Jesus says his blood is poured out for (eis) the forgiveness of sins. It would be absurd to argue that the phrase means ‘because of’ and that Jesus’ blood was poured put because sins had already been forgiven.”

Both repent and be baptized are joined together by ‘kai.’ We do not argue that repentance is not needed. Yet, whatever repent is for in this sentence be baptized has to be for the same purpose.

You also mentioned that Paul and I would be at odds with each other. I don’t see it. Personally, I think Paul makes the stronger case for baptism. While I argue salvation is by grace, and grace alone through faith, I give way to Dr. Jack Cottrell (Jack Cottrell, Romans [Joplin: College Press, 2005, pp.219-20]) who writes, “this union with Christ is not effected in the ritual itself, either by the water or by the act. It is accomplished by the grace and power of the living God alone. That it happens in the act of baptism is simply a matter of God’s free and sovereign choice; he has appropriately designated this event as the occasion for the beginning of the saving union with the Redeemer. It is not wrong to say that the external ritual of water baptism symbolizes or has metaphorical connection with the saving union. What is wrong is to separate the symbol from the reality as if the temporal connection between them is irrelevant.”

Schreiner (Thomas Schreiner, Romans [Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1993, p. 306]) asserts that unbaptized Christians were virtually nonexistent. He writes, “to refer to those who were baptized is another way of describing those who are Christian, those who have put their faith in Christ. Thus Paul is saying here that all Christians have participated in the death and burial of Christ as all Christians had received baptism. To posit here that the baptism mentioned here is simply metaphorical or baptism in the spirit rather than water baptism is incorrect.”

N.T. Wright(http://reformedworship.org/article/december-2008/n-t-wright-word-and-sacraments-baptism) writes, “Romans 6 is quite remarkable, when you think about it. Within twenty-five years of the crucifixion, Paul had already worked out this astonishingly deep and detailed theology of what it means to go through the waters of baptism, linking it to the Exodus, to creation, to new creation, and in particular to Jesus’ own death and resurrection.

Therefore, says Paul, the spectacular Good Friday and Easter at the heart of the Christian story—Jesus’ dying and rising—happened to us in baptism. Paul doesn’t hold back here: he doesn’t hedge and say “as if.” He simply says, You died with Christ in baptism and you were raised with him through the waters into the new life of belonging to Jesus.”

While many downplay the role of baptism, Paul raised it up. Many appeal to the thief on the cross, who died before the command to be baptized was given—his salvation was the same as any other Old Covenant salvation as it has to be remembered that at the thief’s death the New Covenant was not yet in force; it could only come into force  the death of Christ.

With this little bit said about baptism, which is highly biblical, is there any biblical evidence for the sinners’ prayer that has become so popular? Is there one New Covenant conversion where the sinner’s prayer is used and baptism is neglected?

Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

Minister, Belvidere-Ryland Church of Christ

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com

If I had a dollar for every time I asked someone for prayer and I forget to pray for them I could be a rich man. If I had a dollar for every time I realized I missed a chance to share the Gospel I could probably pay off the national debt. If I were a rich man it would not be because I had the dollar from each time I missed an opportunity; it would be because I was not missing opportunities. Yet, because I am flesh and a fallen man I do not always see things perfect. Only, hindsight can be 20/20.

By drawing closer to God the vision improves as vision comes from God. And vision is important throughout or Christian walk. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (KJV). This vision is not limited to the person who has accepted Christ, but to the evangelist as well. For if the evangelist had no vision opportunities will be missed, some people not reached, and people will perish without every hearing the Good News. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “[Jesus] gave gifts to men” (Ephesians 4:8, NASB). Wheeler and Leach ask, “What would life be like for you if you used your assets (gifts) to serve others in your neighborhood, in your community, in your sphere of influence?”[1]

While we may have the best of intentions, too many times our spiritual eyes are not open to the needs of others around us. We miss opportunities only to later realize we had a chance and missed it. Many times that door may not be opened for us again with that individual person. We need to open our spiritual eyes in all situations and be prepared not only to see the need that is presented, but be prepared to take the opportunity. “When we share the gospel with people, we are not calling them to a heavenly good buddy they can be folksy with. We are not simply calling them to a Cosmic Psychologist who can give them personal wholeness and heightened self-esteem. We are calling the to a Redeemer, who alone can save them from their sins.”[2] The first command from the risen Lord was to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19, ESV).  Acts  1:8 tells us that “[WE] will be [HIS] witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (ESV). It is hard to get to the ends of the earth without first going through our own backyards.  We then should be, as ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) making his appeal to everyone everywhere.

Jerusalem

            Evangelism starts in our homes. For many families the time spent with God and doing God’s work is relegated to Sunday mornings and maybe an occasional Sunday and Wednesday night.  To those known as the Chreasters[3] their time is relegated to two times a year: Christmas and Easter. For these people the total obligation to God is in attending church, not always on a regular basis. Pipes and Lee have another opinion, “Healthy families pass the baton of faith in Christ on to the next generation. It is not the church’s sole responsibility– or anyone else’s– to win your children to Christ and mentor them spiritually; it is yours.”[4] Yet, as Abbot Christopher Jamison writes, “People speak and act as if being busy is a force beyond their control…we are now stuck with a way of life that is a breathless rush. ‘People don’t have time like they used to.’”[5] When time gets tight it seems it is most of the time God’s time that gets cut.

Proverbs tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 ESV).  While the age of accountability may be different per child raising a child in the ways of the Lord should start at birth. Pipes and Lee write, “John 20:21 (NIV), the fourth Great Commission passage, far less quoted than others, reads, ‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’”[6] As parents the discipleship of children starts at home. Rusaw and Swanson add, “Though we often speak of life and all it compromises as gifts from God, they are unique ‘gifts’ in that, technically, they still belong to him.[7] When those gifts are used in the home they serve to train up a child in the way of the Lord. Tobit instructed Tobias to “Watch yourself, my son, in everything you do, and be disciplined in all your conduct” (Tobit 4:4). The real aim at serving though comes in verse 16, “Give of your bread to the hungry, and of your clothing to the naked. Give all your surplus to charity, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it” (Tobit 4:16). The training of our children starts in our own personal Jerusalem: Our homes.

Judea and Samaria

            The real test of our evangelism comes when we step out of our Jerusalem and get into the world. Dorothy Gail, in the end of the old Wizard of  Oz movie realized that if she ever went searching again it would be no farther than her own backyard. The truth is you cannot get to the ends of the earth without first going through your own yard, neighborhood, and city.

The old evangelism used to be knocking on someone’s door and asking, “If you died right now do you know where you would go?” In its most basic form this is nothing but a tactic to scare people into accepting Christ. But, does scare tactics make genuine converts? The crusades seemed to prove that scare tactics do not work. Knocking on the doors of people’s hearts instead of their houses seems to be a much more workable plan. Many people we meet in an evangelistic situation have never heard of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. The only gospel they have come in contact with is the gospel they see us live.

Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “Always preach the Gospel; if necessary use words.” Basically, our lives should be open testaments to Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:20, “[We] have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [we] who live, but Christ who lives in [us]. And the life [we] now live in the flesh [we] live by faith in the Son of God, who loved [us] and gave himself for [us] (ESV). We knock on the doors of people’s hearts when we live our lives according to scripture fulfilling the great commission. Yet, the flaw in Francis’ quote is that as well as living the gospel out in our lives, there is always a necessity to use words: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12, KJV).  At some point we have to use words in order that people know the reason we do what we do.

As Christians, people may see us going into church on any given Sunday morning and assume one thing or another about our faith. But it is when we are outside of the church that we enter the mission field. What type of witness do we give for Christ on the golf course, way back in the express lane at Wal-Mart when someone in front of us has more than the required 20 items, or when UNC loses to Duke? How does our life reflect Christ, and open doors to hearts, when we have a neighbor in need, and we have the resources to meet the need, yet we do not meet the need? “Doing good, even in the name of Jesus, will bring few to Christ when others see no inward transformation in those reaching out to them.”[8] We are Christians, charged with a great commission, 24 hours a day and it is in our daily lives that we witness most for Christ. In commenting on Matthew 25:40, Pipes and Lee write, “In the world around you who did you see in need? What was the need? Did you attempt to meet it? If so you did it for Me. If not, you failed me.”[9] But, even when we meet needs there comes a time when we have let it be known in whose name we serve.

Through serving others (Matthew 25:30-40), we can play our part in the great commission (Matthew 28:19). But, it has to always be remembered in whose name we serve, and that name has to be preached with words in order for anyone to be saved. Because of our faith we are saved and “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 ESV).

The Ends of the Earth

            Many of us will never be able to be long term missionaries in foreign lands. For that matter, most of us will never be able to take a short term mission trip. But, that does not mean we cannot take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. “Conversely, the most pious, moral believers who refuse to help the needy of the world will find their attempts to convince others of Jesus’ love often falling on deaf ear.”[10]

Jesus tells an interesting story about meeting needs in Luke 10. The story of the Good Samaritan has become one of Jesus’ better known stories. While the man who has been beaten and left for dead is past by a few different people (the very people one would have thought would have given help), help came from the least likely of sources: A man from a people group that were enemies with the Jews. The Samaritan immediately tended to the Jew’s pressing needs. Then, he took the man to an inn and put him up. He told the innkeeper to keep the man there until well and if any more charges were incurred he would pay them when he (the Samaritan) returned to the area. For us going to the end of the earth there is practical advice for all missions, but our world missions most of all.

For those who make overseas mission trips Jesus shows us how to meet the needs of those we encounter. But, for those who cannot make an overseas mission trip (either long or short term) Jesus shows how we can be part of that mission: Through our monetary support. Rusaw and  Swanson write, “It takes money to meet the needs in your community or your neighborhood. You should give, but never at the expense of involvement.”[11] While we are involved in evangelism in our homes, neighborhoods, cities, and counties, we can still, through the giving of money, food, and many other items be involved in foreign missions by donations of necessities with those in lands which our feet will never touch. We have to always remembered that there are needs to be meet at all times not just during natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. The poor of the world should be on our minds even at times when they are not on the minds of the rest of the world. “Being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires much more than just having  than having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world.”[12] We can transform lives in other lands and never step foot in the other lands by supporting the evangelistic efforts of others.

Conclusion

            Jesus gave us a Great Commission in Matthew 28 to god and Make disciples. In Acts 1 he told where we were to begin in the making of disciples. It starts in the home and spreads to the uttermost parts of the world, and we are to be a part of it. When we come together to be a family for God we begin our evangelistic journey. When children arrive they are to be brought up in the ways of the Lord; this is our first attempt at evangelism and discipleship. As our children age they begin to live a life conforming to the image of His Son as we daily renew our minds. From the home (our own personal Jerusalem) our evangelistic efforts spread out to Judea and Samaria: our neighborhoods and cities. We make inroads to the lost by the way we act around them and by the way we serve them. We go to the ends of the earth in the form of mission trips as well as our support of those who are on the ground in other lands for missions. Greer and Smith appropriately ask, “Doesn’t it seem like the church should be focused on achievable goals– like saving souls– rather than a utopian social dream?”[13]

Jesus said, “For you always have the poor with you” (Mark 14:7). We will never stamp out poverty, but we can help bring in poverty of spirit “for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Psalm 69:32-33:

The poor will see and be glad—

you who seek God, may your hearts live!

The Lord hears the needy

and does not despise his captive people.

When we serve the poor, both at home and abroad, in the name of Jesus the poor will be glad. We are after all, to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  In other words, Urbis Et Orbi.

Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

Minister, Belvidere-Ryland Church of Christ

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com

Probably every American, if not every person in the world, was touched by the events at Newtown, Ct. The senseless taking of those innocent young lives has left its mark on all of us. And, it should be no surprise that the call for stronger gun control laws have all ready gone out. The problem is that we already have the strongest law possible: Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13).  Yet, I am not surprised in the slightest that the children were murdered. After all we have become a country apart from God; why should his laws be followed? There are 3,500 to 3,700 babies murdered everyday with the full consent of the mother as we defend Rowe vs. Wade.

Our problem is not a problem of needing more/stronger laws, our problem is God. Our country is no longer a country of morals and love for neighbor, but a country of love of self.  We live in a world where God is out and sin is in. Of course it is hard to teach morals in school, the very place where years ago God was kicked out for good behavior years ago. Yet, as we have stamped God out of every facet of society we act with shock and surprise that such atrocities happen.

The solution to our problems is not in congress. It is not to be found in red or blue state leaders. The solution to this problem lies no farther away than our own hearts. America’s heart has been hardened against God. He has been removed from everywhere except the private home and the churches. The solution comes when America turns back to God and allows morals to come back into society.

Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

Minister, Belvidere-Ryland Church of Christ

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com

No one can deny that America has just gone through the most negative election cycle in recent memory, if not in its short history as a nation. It seemed early on that the motto was, “If we can change the way they think about a certain candidate we can change the way they behave.”  In other words, if candidate A can paint candidate B as something of an undesirable character candidate A can change their behavior in the voting booth. Backus and Chapian (1980) wrote, “The constant repeating of misbeliefs is what sustains the perpetual angry resentment” (p.51).  Do people really buy into such negativity or do they “fact check” and make informed decisions?

America is now a country in which there is some question about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (physical, security, love, purpose, self-actualization). Maslow suggests that people will not be motivated to meet the higher needs until the lower ones are met. If that is the case, in a country like America where unemployment is up drastically and wages are down, could the people suffering in this economy be influenced by negative advertising? The answer is a resounding yes.

If people who are out of work and struggling hear candidate A paint candidate B as one who will not help them, and as a matter of fact he is one who will put them more in chains, this will influence their beliefs. Crabb (1977) writes, “Each of us has been programmed in his or her unconscious mind to believe that happiness, worth, joy—all the good things of life – depend upon something other than God” (91). And, in America that something else is the Government.

If group 1 is a group that is struggling in the current world, their thinking will probably be something less than positive. If that is complicated by candidate A saying that candidate B cares nothing for group 1, the negative thought pattern is reinforced. And, if candidate A continues the negative stimuli candidate B becomes ingrained as an undesirable candidate. Even if the negative attacks make people view candidate A in an unfavorable way he may lose some votes, but he has painted the negative picture of candidate B and that image sticks.

While it is true that we cannot change people—no matter how negative candidate A gets anyone listening always has the choice to believe or not believe, to check facts, or any number of things—we do influence their thinking. Paul said “Let your speech always be with grace” (Colossians 4:6). Ours is not to make ourselves look better than the other person at the risk of tearing the other person to shreds. While we use self talk to help ourselves we allow what comes out of the mouth to tear others down.

It has to at all times be remembered that Jesus said, “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man” (Matthew 15:11). While we use our self talk to build ourselves up (and that self talk has to be biblical) we have to remember that when our self talks it should not degrade others. We are what we think. And, what we say does influence others, whether what we say is true or not.

If you are in the area stop by and see us at the Belvidere-Ryland Church of Christ.

Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

Minister, Belvidere-Ryland Church of Christ

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com

 According to ideas of many God puts individual rulers in place. If that is in fact true, what is the use in voting? Of course those who hold to such opinions appeal to Romans 13. While Moo  asserts that the paragraph as a whole is “coherent and well-organized argument about … the need for submission to governing authorities,”[1] Cotrell better sums it up saying, “Indeed, this passage presents the clearest biblical teaching concerning the divine origin and God-intended purpose of human government.”[2] One of the problems lies in the interpretation of Jesus.  While it is readily admitted that Jesus was both God and man (100% of each), it is not so readily admitted that as 100% man he was just that: Man! While it is admitted that Jesus was there to usher in the Kingdom of God, few want to admit that there was political ramifications involved.

If God has thus ordained each individual leader, each time ANYONE enters a voting booth and cast a ballot against the leader that God is ordaining they are in essence casting a ballot against the rule of God. Not knowing the outcome of an election, if 2 Christians go to vote and one votes in favor of candidate “A” and the other for candidate “B” one has by logic cast a ballot against the will of God.

Cotrell writes that, “God is the one who has established human government and decreed its purpose.”[3] Yet, as Cotrell rightly points out, he has not prescribed any one particular form.[4] So the same God who ordained Torah, also put into place dictatorships and the American presidency: The God who put into place the Levites also put into place dictatorships and the presidency. Thus many argue (unsuccessfully) that the God who put Aaron in place also put Hitler and Reagan and Obama into their appointed positions. If that is the case then man no longer has free will. Man is simply part of the Ruy Lopez in the mind of God.

So does one submit to the governing authorities? As Christians we are to submit to God (James 4:7). Jesus himself said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other (Matthew 6:24). It brings to mind Jesus’ story of “rendering unto Caesar.” In Mark 12:12 there is a plot being set to trap Jesus. It has to be remembered that the Caesars thought of themselves as gods. The question then was  posed to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” In true rhetoric of the time Jesus answers the question with a question: Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” , “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” It is in Jesus next words where most say Jesus is advocating paying taxes and supporting the government: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Yet, is it really taxes to a government that Jesus is advocating? Or, could it be that he is telling them to choose where their allegiance lies?

If one is a Christian then he rightly understands that everything he has belongs to God. So, if a Christian renders unto God the things that are God’s what is left to render unto Caesar? Nothing. As long as Governments are reflecting godly principles we should support them. But, just because the office is ordained by God does not mean the man who sits in the office even knows the name.

To interpret the verse as God putting each individual leader into office one has wrestle with the following propositions::

1. God ordained Hitler and thus the murder of millions of Jews.
2. God is ordaining the murders of innocent men, women, and children in Syria.
3. If God has ordained all leaders, does America (or any other country) have the right to remove a God ordained leader … such as Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein?

So, who would Jesus vote for? He would vote for whoever is going to fulfill the purpose of governing bodies. “The ultimate goal or purpose of Government is a positive one, i.e., to protect the rights of the citizens. This positive task is described in 13:4, ‘he is God’s servant to do good.’ It is stated in more detail in 1 Timothy 2:2, which says we should pray for the governing authorities ti the end ‘that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.’ The ultimate purpose of government is to make this possible.”[5]

(I miss Mayberry part 2 of series)

1 Corinthians 9:22

One of the first episodes of the Andy Griffith show, maybe the very first, opens with the wedding of Andy’s housekeeper/nanny for Opie, Rose. Of course as justice of the peace Andy tries the marry Rose and her fiancé, Opies struggles just as hard to keep the two from becoming one! And, why wouldn’t he, I mean Rose was a lady among ladies; she could play baseball, fish, and hunt frogs. For a five year olds Boy she was a keeper!

Andy has made arrangements for his former nanny to take her place. Now enters the prim and proper Aunt Bea (who knows nothing of playing baseball, fishing, or frog hunting). And, Opie picked up on these character flaws very fast! But, Aunt Bea showed her adaptability. She tried learning these essential skills under the coaching of Andy and Opie. Yet, she couldn’t quite make the grade. It is here where a tearful Aunt Bea prepares to leave while a tearful Opie looks out the window. And, it is here that the story takes a dramatic change: Opie runs down to the car to stop Aunt Bea from leaving. His logic? Who will take care of her? After all she can’t do anything! Well, at least the essential things like playing baseball, fishing and hunting frogs!

The Apostle Paul wrote, “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Both Opie and Aunt Bea were prepared to do just that. Aunt Bea was prepared to set aside her proper lifestyle to meet the needs of Opie. She didn’t compromise her beliefs; she was just prepared to get dirty that she might win Opie. She was prepared to hunt frogs; she was prepared to fish. Aunt Bea was prepared to get out of her own comfort zone. Too often we see people who aren’t exactly like us and we just write them off. Yet, to those people Paul became like them, without sacrificing the gospel, so that he might win them.

It is easy for us Christians to guild the lily with all kinds of fancy language and terms, But, for those who are weak, or never have even heard, it means little to them. We have to step out of our comfort zones and step into theirs. We have to be like Aunt Bea and be prepared to get dirty. And, we have to be like Opie and recognize that some people are lost and need our help.

We do it all so that some might be saved. Just imagine, there are some people in our world who don’t know the gospel. They don’t know how to play baseball, fish, or hunt frogs. We are called to bring them up to speed. We are called to get dirty.

The next time you see that person in your world who doesn’t know Jesus, but his/her lifestyle might be a bit different than yours, ask your self, “Can you be an Aunt Bea or and Opie in their life?”

In the last few weeks I have accepted the position of senior minister at Belvidere-Ryland Church of Christ. If you are visiting North Eastern North Carolina come by and visit us (send me a message for directions).

Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

Minister, Belvidere-Ryland Church of Christ

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com

Here in coastal North Carolina we lost a good neighbor a few weeks ago with the death of Andy Griffith. While we will never forget him as a neighbor, the world, through Mayberry, can also make that same claim. I grew up in a Mayberryesque world. As Barney took Thelma Lou down to get a bottle of pop,  I remember when the Cherry Coke was not something that came in a can already mixed but a fountain Coke that got a shot of cherry added to the cup. And, while my home town didn’t have an All Souls Church, or a Rev Tucker, it was the place to be at on Sunday mornings—of course there was scarcely anywhere else to go as everything closed on Sundays! Church was such a part of the world of Mayberry that Barney once pronounced someone unchristian because they didn’t know all the words to “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms.”

We have changed from those carefree days when as kids we could go trick-or-treating without worry of harm coming to us. Now we live in a world where death and danger lurk at every corner. We are bombarded by sin on a minutely basis. The God who went to school, and everywhere else, with us has all but been pushed out of our lives. We have strayed from where we were. Are we that much different from the children of Israel?

Israel had been God’s chosen people. They were entrusted with the very Word of God. They had his protection. He had given them the promise land. All they had to do was obey him. They too strayed.

The Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, “Stand by the roads, and look,

and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 6:16 ESV).  For us also there is an Ancient Path. That Ancient way for us starts wherever we are and runs to an empty tomb in Jerusalem. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life …” (John 14:6). The risen Savior is that path.

The lord, speaking through Jeremiah, says finding the old path isn’t enough: We are to walk in it. Psalm 1:1 tells us “Blessed is the man who walks no in the counsel of the wicked.” Yet, all too often we seek advice from the world and not from the Christ. But, when we find that ancient way and we walk in it the Lord says we will find rest for our souls. Jesus himself said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Our fast paced world may never return to the peaceful slower paced world of Mayberry. Email will never be replaced by snail mail; Sitting on the front porch will probably never replace Xbox or NetFlix Streaming; and the old conventional stove will never take the place of a micro-wave oven. But, there is nothing that prevents us from seeking and walking in the Ancient Paths. After all, with all the interstate highways, GPS, and international flights, the ancient path, Jesus Christ, is still the same and is the only path that offers us rest for our souls.

Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

The Tribe Of Jesus

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com

Bat For Lashes asked the question, “What’s a Girl To Do.” Obviously BLF was not satisfied with previous suggestions to women as to the answer to that burning question. It cannot be forgotten that Helen Reddy said, “I am woman hear me roar.” It has to also be remembered that Cyndi Lauper said, “Girls just wanna have fun.” While in ages past Connie Francis vowed to be “Where the Boys are,” and Tammy Wynnette had pledged to “Stand by [her] Man.” The question of women’s roles is not just a question limited to society where the roles of man and woman have become blurred in recent years, the question is one that has been and is still being tackled in our churches. While various social programs and laws offer solutions to the question in society at large, for the Christian the Bible is the place that holds the answer.

Moses recorded that God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). The question that has to be answered is what kind of helper is the woman to be in the New Testament church? Are the churches to adopt a complimentarian or an egalitarian stance with regards to role of women in the church?  According to John Piper “Confusion over the meaning of sexual personhood today is epidemic.”[1] Piper went on to say, “it is a remarkable and telling observation that contemporary Christian feminists devote little attention to the definition of femininity and masculinity.”[2] The roles of man and woman are set in place by the Bible.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” (1 Timothy 2:12).  In recent years this verse has come under attack by those who claim the verse deals with a problem specific to Ephesus, yet the Apostle Paul seems to have taken that out of the equation when he ties this teaching to the created order of Genesis 1 and 2: For Adam was formed first, then Eve (1 Timothy 2:13).  Paul does not address a problem in Ephesus; He simply relies on Gods original creation. While Orthund writes, “Moses doubtless intends to imply the equality of the sexes, for both male and female display the glory of God’s image with equal brilliance: “. . . in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them,”[3] G.C Steele writes:

The pattern of behavior advocated in the letters is not opposed to society so much as to individual desire; self-control is inculcated as the way for the church to survive as a corporate institution, and therefore it is understood as submission to the communal rules rather than to a personal ideal of conduct. The asceticism that is advocated is not in regard to food, drink, sexual activity, and family life, but rather subjection to the life of the community in which each person has their proper place.[4]

Can they be equals and have their ‘proper place’ at the same time?

Writing to the church in Corinth concerning Spiritual Gifts, the Apostle Paul wrote, “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose” (1 Corinthians 12:18).  He went on to write, “On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Corinthians 12:22). If a part is indispensible it must then be equal to other parts that are indispensible, yet at the same time have its proper place for it wouldn’t be the part that it is if it were not in its proper place: A kidney placed in the middle of a chest cannot function as a heart, yet it is equal to the heart in that the body couldn’t function as a whole if the kidney was not in its proper place. Equality and proper place can and do operate as one in the sense of the body as well as the Body of Christ.

Paul has set up a scenario where men are the head, women can’t teach men, but women can teach women and children (this last point is implied in 1 Timothy 2:12). Whereas Genesis 1 and 2 makes the case for equality, Paul puts the equality in its ‘proper place’.  Wayne Grudem puts the restrictions on a woman’s role in the church into three categories: (1) Governing authority, (2) Bible teaching, and (3) public recognition.[5] Grudem writes, “In fact, all the questions of application pertain to at least one of these areas.”[6]

In chapter 3 of his first letter to Timothy, Paul gives qualifications for the leadership of a church.  Paul says that an overseer should be “husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2). It seems that If the office of overseer (what we now call an elder) could be a woman we would have some type of charge to the women in this context. Yet, it is missing. Hendriksen and Kistemaker wrote, “Accordingly, the meaning of our present passage (I Tim. 3:2) is simply this, that an overseer or elder must be a man of unquestioned morality, one who is entirely true and faithful to his one and only wife; one who, being married, does not in pagan fashion enter into an immoral relationship with another woman” (emphasis mine).^[7]

Paul then moves his discussion in 1^st Timothy 3 to the qualifications of deacons. Paul starts his discussion on deacons in 1^st  Timothy 3:8 and concludes it in verse 13. In verse 12 he uses the same wording for deacons that he uses for elders: Husband of one wife. What is interesting is that in his discussion about deacons, in verse 11 he writes, “Their wives likewise must be dignified” (ESV). The New American Stand Bible translates it this way: Women must likewise be dignified. Either translation is a good translation of the Greek. Why in the middle of a discussion on deacons- who have to be the husband of one wife- would Paul insert instructions to women? Could it be that the early church had female deacons?

For the early churches in the Restoration Movement there were female deacons. Dr. Bobby Valentine records, “In 1835 Campbell wrote, ‘From Rom 16:1 as well as from 1 Tm 3:11 it appears that females were constituted deaconesses in the primitive church. Duties to females as well as to males demand this’ (“Order”, MH 1835, p. 507). He would write 18 years later, ‘The primitive church had also deacons. Such was Phoebe, of Cenchrea’ (“Church Organization #2″ MH 1853, p. 185).”[8] On the office of deacons, D.K. Pendleton asserted, “Besides Deacons, every church should have Deaconesses, whose duty it is to perform such offices as cannot be so well performed by deacons, and especially such to females, as could not with delicacy and propriety be laid upon the deacons. This both Scripture and decency require.”[9] Was Paul suggesting there was an official office of deaconess?

While both women as well as wives are acceptable translations of the Greek word ????????, it is a safe assumption that Paul was not speaking of an official office, but the conduct of the wives of deacons. It can be deduced from Paul’s writing ‘husband of one wife’ and no instruction to the women to be the ‘wife of one husband,’ that he was not giving instructions for an official office. It seems only logical that there would be times when a woman may have some type of problem that she was more comfortable with another female helping with.  Who better than a deacons wife to serve in this capacity? But, if Campbell and Pendleton were right, it has to be remembered that the role of a deacon is one of serving. Paul’s instruction were that a women could not have authority over a man: A servant rarely has authority over those he serves.

There can be no denying that in the churches today women serve. Granted, it might not be in an official capacity, but they serve. They teach our children. They minister to other ladies (as well as teaching them). While there is a Biblical prohibition due to the order of creation placed on women having an official office, our women serve. The Bible takes a stance that there is equality between man and woman while at the same time asserting there are differences in the roles they fill.

Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

The Tribe Of Jesus

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com

Why is a great question to ask. I don’t really know why, but I would venture to guess it is the most often asked of questions. And, in the realms of Christianity “why” is oh so popular! Why do bad things happen to good people? I mean, think about it, we hear all the “health and wealth” gospels. No one, Christian or otherwise, has escaped without at least hearing someone mention the prosperity gospel. If “health and wealth” and “prosperity” gospels are the biblical way, why do bad things happen to good people?

It could be argued that even while he was a Pharisee, the Apostle was a man after God’s own heart. But, after his conversion to Christianity and becoming an Apostle look what he says about his life:       Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:24-28). The fact is bad things happened to this good man his entire ministry ending with a beheading in Rome.

Christians suffer because we live in a fallen world. We suffer the same things that those who aren’t Christians suffer, again as a result of living in a fallen world. The fact is there is evil in our world and as Christians we are not immune to its affects.  Each of us will die of something, be it a disease, an accident, a heinous crime, or whatever event. All of the health and wealth gospels combined cannot get around the simple fact that, “it is appointed for man to die once…” (Hebrews 9:27).

Christians suffer bad things in this word because they are Christians.  In fact Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, “you will be hated by all for [His] name’s sake.”  The Apostle Paul’s life is a testimony to this fact. God’s only Son, Jesus, lived a life that speaks volumes to the fact that as Christians we will suffer.

Our hope then is not built on the luxuries of this world, but it is our eternal hope of being with God the Father eternally in Heaven.  Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare us a place where never again will we suffer.

So the next time you are asked, “Why?” Give the best of answers, “Why not?”

If you are in the area come visit us at the Manteo Church of Christ.

 
Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

Minister, Manteo Church of Christ

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com

Psalm 63:1

Hurricane Irene recently paid a visit to coastal Northeastern North Carolina. While the winds were heavy, they didn’t bring the destruction for which the coast had braced. Yet, widespread devastation and destruction was present. Flood waters from the winds blowing water in, out and around the sounds produced flooding that people had not seen in their life time and only rarely had heard about in history. For people who use personal wells and water pumps, while their land was flooded, could not get water to drink as their water pumps were inoperable due to the electricity being out. For others who were connected to county water supplies they could not get water as supplies were contaminated. Due to the lack of electricity even boiling water to make it clean was an impossible remedy. There was water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.  While we know the limits we can go without drinking water, many of us never realize that we thirst for the water the leads to real life.

Like David, we Christians are fond of proclaiming, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you” (Psalm 63:1). While we proclaim that God is our God, do we earnestly seek him? Or, do we just pay lip service to the God that has delivered us? Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs lists water as one of the basics for our physical survival. And, when a storm cuts off that vital supply we thirst. We beg. We plead for that vital substance. But, can you say, like David, that for your spiritual survival, for God [your] soul thirsts for [Him]” (Psalm 1b)?

David uses the powerful imagery of thirst, the most basics of human needs, throughout the Psalms.  Is today the day that while you are in a world that seems like you are “in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1d), that you earnestly seek him? Irish poet Nahum Tate wrote in 1698:

Through all the changing scenes of life,
In trouble and in joy,
The praises of my God shall still
My heart and tongue employ.

Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!

Bobby Cohoon

Minister, Manteo Church of Christ

North Carolina, USA
bobby@bobbycohoon.com