True Unity

TRUE UNITY

Recently while reading Paul Billheimer's book "Destined for the Throne" (one I highly recommend) this thought crossed my mind. He was talking about the Bride of Christ, which as you know is one of the scriptural names for the Church that Jesus is in the process of building. He used the term "multiple" bride, which I had never seen in print before, that I can remember. The very thought of a bride being other than a beautiful young lady in the prime of life being joined in holy matrimony with her groom at the alter of a church, is not something we can easily grasp! Yet that is what the Bible says the Church is. No wonder Paul speaks of this as being a "great mystery" which God had revealed to him about the Church. (Eph 5:32).

We understand an earthly marriage to consist of a bride (female) joined to her husband, and the two becoming one, in spirit, soul, and body. The very idea of a multiple bride somehow doesn't fit in our thinking. But not only Paul refers to the Church as the bride of Christ, John in (Rev 21:2, 9-10) calls the Church "the Bride, the wife of the Lamb". We know from this chapter that John has seen in a vision the "Completed Church" composed of every born again member of the true Church that ever lived, from every Nation. This will truly be "a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb". (Rev 7:9). We must grasp this concept of the Church before we can ever expect to see true unity in the Body. Truly a "multiple Bride", as brother Billheimer calls the church.

We will close this short article with a quote from page 55 of his book "We consider the human body as a single entity because it is united in a single consciousness. Yet Paul emphasizes it is not one, but many members. Just so, the Holy City of John's vision, which constitutes the heavenly Bride, is inhabited not by one but by an immense multitude. Yet because it will be united by a single consciousness it will compose a single, harmonious whole comparable to the human body. This is the unity toward which the Church is moving in time and which will be realized in absolute perfection by the bridehood inhabitants of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, which John saw descending out of heaven from God. That city will be inhabited by an innumerable throng so perfectly fused into one consciousness by holy passion for her heavenly Bridegroom, that it will constitute a single organism. Can this be why God prizes unity among His people so highly and why Satan fights it so desperately?"  I believe that what wse have referred to as the "church" in this 21st century, is something far different from God's concept of the "Church", the "Body of Christ", that Jesus stated just after Peter had made the declaration in (Matt 16:16) "You are the Messiah, the Son on the Living God". This statement prompted Jesus to declare "On this rock I will build My Church" (Matt 16:18) NLT. Jesus clearly meant on Peter's declaration of faith, and not on Peter himself, as some people have believed!

Sincerely submitted

Dave Jamer

PAUL'S FINAL WORDS

PAUL'S FINAL WORDS

Recently I took the time to read the "final words" with which Paul always ended his various letters to the young churches he had started. It was an interesting exercise that I would suggest everyone should do. It was sort of a trade mark of his, and was often accompanied with his personal signature. His letters were all actually written by one of his faithful helpers, who sometimes identified themselves, but not always. Because some false apostles were circulating letters that they said were from Paul, he liked to identify his own with his personal trade mark. At the end of Romans, which was his longest, and most detailed of all his letters, you need to read the last 10 verses of chapter 16. He started verse 17 with "And now I make one more appeal to dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions, and upset people's faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them." This has been going on in the church for centuries, ever since the church became joined to the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century!

Shortly after that date, various theologians started teaching their separate doctrines. Each one believed his particular doctrine was correct, and therefore all others must be wrong! This has been the source of confusion and numerous church splits down through the centuries. Finally God was able to get enough church leaders to agree on a common list of manuscripts to compile what came to be known as our "Holy Bible", composed of 66 books. There have been many translations from these original manuscripts, and now translated into many different languages. But God has guided the writing and protection of His Word down through the years. God directed Paul to write in his second letter to his young associate Timothy, in (2 Tim 3:16-17) some very confirming words about the scriptures! Because the Bible is the Eternal Word of God, we can depend on it to check out the accuracy of any "doctrines" and all so-called "prophetic words" given by any man down through history even until today. Paul preached to the people of Berea, and it is recorded in (Acts 17:11) "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those of Thessalonica, and they searched the scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching them the truth." This is the same way we should check out any word that is supposed to be from God, because many "false prophets" are still putting out their dangerous doctrines today. Jesus warned us of this in (Matt 24:5, 11, 24) so we "must" beware!!
Sincerely submitted
Dave Jamer 

PAUL'S THORN

PAUL'S THORN

In Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth he mentions receiving a "thorn in my flesh" (2 Cor 12:7). I have heard many suggestions as to what this thorn could have been, that God had apparently given him and refused to remove, even though he had asked 3 times for its removal. What could this be that a great man of God like Paul the apostle who wrote much of the NT be given by his Lord and Master to endure? Just recently I read a book by Gene Edwards called "Climb the Highest Mountain", in which he suggests what it might have been, and after a close reading of the book of Acts again, I'm inclined to agree with him.

As we know, when Paul and Barnabas were prayed for and sent out from the elders in the church at Antioch of Syria, (Acts 13:1-3), they became the first team of "apostles" (sent ones) on their first missionary journey. They went first to cities in what was called Galatia; the first was Antioch of Pisidia, then to Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. In each of these cities they preached the gospel, the (good news about Jesus), starting with the Jews in the local Synagogue, and then to the gentiles who were interested.These 4 churches were comprised mostly of former gentiles (non Jews), plus a few Jewish converts. Apparently one or more of these religious Jews, possibly a priest or high ranking Pharisee from Jerusalem, may have been the "spies" that Paul refers to in (Gal 2:4). It would seem that this man, or group of men, followed Paul around from church to church, and spread a different message to these young believers in Jesus. They were "false apostles" or counterfeits, and tried to destroy the work of Paul. This was his main purpose in writing this letter to the churches (plural) in Galatia, rather than to an individual church, as in the case of most of his other letters. Also in his second letter to the church in Corinth, (2 Cor 11:3-4, and 12-15), he mentions these false apostles, but does not name them. Notice here he says clearly they come with a "different spirit", preaching a "different gospel" that presented a "different Jesus" than what Paul had brought to them!

If we look around the church scene today, we can easily see that this same thing is happening in many church circles. Certain "religious" people are spreading many so-called gospels that are not the gospel that Paul taught. Jesus warned that this would happen in these last days that we are called to live in. (Matt 24:4,5,11,24). So by all means, beware!!
Sincerely submitted.
Dave Jamer