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

SPIRITUAL FOOD

SPIRITUAL FOOD

Just as our physical bodies need good nourishing food to sustain a healthy condition, so we also need a nourishing source of food for our spiritual lives.
Our creator of course knew this, and had the written Word made available to us. We know it as the Bible, and it is now available in various languages, and many different versions, so most of us have many choices, and no excuse for not reading a version of our choice! One portion that comes to mind is (Psalm 19:1-14), which has many verses that speak about food. It "makes wise the simple" (Verse 7), and is "more desirable than gold" and "Sweeter than honey" (verse 10). This covers both our spiritual condition as well as our physical, and God provides ample food for both. The story of Elijah in (1 Kings 19:1-10) is a good example of an exhausted man who was physically and spiritually spent after his encounter with the wicked queen Jezebel. In this case God used one of His angel messengers to provide for His servant Elijah, in our case it will probably be a fellow follower of Jesus that we are in fellowship with!

A question that might naturally come to our minds is; why are so many people we meet in much the same condition as Elijah was in? Of course we are all living in a wicked world, which is under the control of Satan, "the prince of the power of the air". (Eph 2:1-3). But when we read verses 4-10 of this passage we find the answer to our dilemma! It is clearly, accepting the truth about the provision our Father God has made for us. That is receiving the salvation by faith plus nothing, that Jesus has provided for us by His "finished work" on the cross of Calvary, where He gave His life freely to redeem us. And of course this salvation is a free gift of God's grace, and can't be obtained by any amount of religious activity!

These facts from God's Word are for everyone, but sad to say many people are ignorant of this vital information simply because they do not read the Bible. Others read it from a background of certain religious traditions, which give their own interpretation to key scriptures like the one mentioned above from (Eph 2:1-10), and somehow miss the fact that salvation is a "gift", and must be received by "faith alone" and not by religious works! Those of us who are followers of Jesus must be diligent to share these truths from God's Word to all of our friends who might be caught in some "religious trap!
Sincerely submitted.
Dave Jamer

A SAFE PLACE

A SAFE PLACE

Everyone needs some place they consider safe, where they can be themselves, and not be threatened by circumstances, or the actions of other people! In (Ps 91:1) we read "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty". Here the writer of this psalm clearly states that such a "safe place" is available to all who will take advantage of the offer. Our Creator God makes this place available for us who have come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Jesus stated this truth very clearly in (John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me".
God has always wanted to dwell with man on planet earth. He created earth specifically so it could sustain life, and then created Adam in His image, and after His likeness. (Gen 1:26-28) He placed Adam, and his mate Eve, that He formed from Adam's side, into a garden with only one condition. That condition had to do with a command from God not to eat the fruit of one particular tree located in the center of the garden. There were two trees there in the garden, but only one that Adam was forbidden to eat the fruit of. This was called the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil". In other words, God wanted Adam to look only to Him for his knowledge of what was good, or what was evil. For a time Adam and Eve lived at peace in this garden, and God would visit them in the cool of the evening, and they would have sweet fellowship together. Then one day God's enemy, Satan, entered the garden and convinced Eve that they would be better off if they ate of this forbidden fruit, and become like God. By choosing to listen to Satan, and disobey God, they lost their innocence, and complete dependence on their Creator. This choice on their part introduced sin into the human race, which caused a separation from God and the result was expulsion from the garden.(Rom 5:12)
After many attempts on God's part to dwell with His created beings on earth, He finally sent His only begotten Son Jesus to our planet as the "Second Adam", to redeem mankind, so He could once again dwell with man in peace on earth, so man could have a "safe place" to dwell in. We know from reading our NT that this "secret place of the Most High" is none other than the "body of Christ", the Church that Jesus is in the process of building from His present throne next to the Father in heaven. One day soon, when His church is complete, He will come again to put an end to all traces of evil, and set up His Kingdom here for eternity! What a day that will be!! I trust you have found your "safe place" in Him!
Sincerely submitted.
Dave Jamer

CHURCH MEETINGS

CHURCH MEETINGS

During my 45 years of being a follower of Jesus, I have faithfully attended churches of various denominations in various locations. Certainly the number of meetings I attended would be in the hundreds, and perhaps in the thousands, and I have noticed that most all "church meetings" can be classified as being one of two types. The first type could be called "Pulpit-to-Pew" meetings, of which there are many, and the second type we will call "Round Table" meetings. I'm sure you have all attended both of these, although perhaps not referred to by these terms. The normal meeting in churches located in our Western culture would certainly fall into the first class mentioned. Our church buildings are constructed in such a way as to facilitate "one way" communication from pulpit to pew. The other type of meeting often consists of a circle of chairs, or benches, located in a home or some other suitable room. The main difference in this setting over the first is that everyone can see each other, and communicate face to face.

This second type of meeting mentioned can go under several different names, such as small groups, cell groups, home groups, house church etc. The name is not as important as the function they serve, that of allowing people the freedom of asking questions and receiving answers from others in the room. We know that the best way to receive understanding on any topic is to be able to ask questions, and receive answers about things you don't understand! This freedom to communicate with each other when a new topic is being presented, can make all the difference between being edified by the teaching or not. Of course this cannot be done in a pulpit to pew setting, because of the confusion it would cause. Both types of meetings are necessary for people to be properly instructed in the things of the Lord, so it's not a case of saying one type is better than the other. I have certainly benefited from both in my years of walking with the Lord, and highly recommend people to take advantage of both types of meetings, in order to get a balanced understanding of the Christian life. Unfortunately some churches only offer the first type mentioned, and have never seen the need for the other. Many scripture passages like (Acts 2:42-47), or (Heb 10:19-25) show us clearly how the early church met, and they helped cause the good news of the gospel to spread throughout the known world of their day. Surely we in the 21st century can learn much from our brothers and sisters who lived in the first century, when the Church Jesus said He would build was just beginning!
Sincerely submitted.
Dave Jamer

PERFECT AND PERFECTED

PERFECT and PERFECTED
In (Phil 1:6) we read "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus". The Greek word here translated as "perfect" [telios], means to come to the end of that for which it was created, or in other words to become completely mature. In this case when Jesus starts a work in our life, when we receive Him as our Savior, He will complete this work. This doesn't mean perfect in the since of being without blemish, like we might use the term to describe a perfect diamond. The word is spelled the same way but the meaning is quite different. As a follower of Jesus we will never be "perfect", or "flawless" until we stand before the throne of God in our resurrected spiritual body! Our spiritual growth from conversion to full maturity is a process that may take years, and involve several stages. We start out as an "infant" when we are "born again" (John 3:3-5), where we need constant care like a natural baby. But just as a natural child goes through several stages of growth, and they gradually become able to care for themselves, so it should be with spiritual children. But just as natural children require good parenting to develop into healthy, well adjusted adults; so do followers of Jesus need good pastoral care.

The growth of an acorn into a fully grown oak tree is a good model to use as a comparison. An acorn has all the DNA to become a mature oak tree that is capable of producing thousands of acorns, which in turn can produce more oak trees. But of course this takes many years, and many stages of growth. So it is with a new born believer in Christ, we are all born with the complete DNA of our Creator God in "seed form". An acorn must lose itself, so to speak, by being buried in the earth, where it dies, and produces a sapling that develops into a tree. This process doesn't happen over night, but takes many years. When we become born again by receiving Christ, we also must die to our natural sinful way of life, inherited from Adam. Instead of being buried in the earth when we are saved, we are buried by being immersed in water, in what we refer to as "believer's baptism" (Acts 2:37-38). This was Peter's reply to their question of what they must do in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Repentance followed be baptism is the scriptural method of beginning our spiritual journey, it follows that a person must be old enough to understand what they need to repent from. A baby cannot do this, and therefore an infant's christening service should never be considered as their "baptism" according to scripture.
Sincerely submitted
Dave Jamer