The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
April 5, 2009
In
This Issue:
Choosing
Sides
by
Derrick Richardson
The
Shortest Verse in the Bible
by
Kent Heaton
Choosing Sides
I was watching some of our politicians last election season during one of their debates, and it made me wonder how anything ever gets done in Washington. Well, actually I see why nothing ever gets done in Washington. We all know that this is not just the case during election season but that there is a constant struggle for power throughout the country and the entire world for that matter. Not long ago one of our Alabama politicians even took a swing at his rival. We are all surrounded with such bickering and fighting and feuding, and, if we're not careful, it can easily spill over into our Christian lives. Then, before we realize it, such fussing and struggling for "my way" is something that is considered the normal way of conducting business. "My brethren, these things ought not to be so." (James 3:10). James says this concerning the use of our tongues to produce blessing and cursing. These two things are opposite and should not logically co-exist. Similarly, the same is true of selfishness and concern for others; the two things can not co-exist (Phil. 2:3-4, James 5:16, I Cor. 12:25). As Christians, we should be considerate of each other's feelings and well-being. Sometimes it is easy to only see things my way. When someone else thinks differently than me, we may become defensive and upset. This may even make us angry and wonder why they won't agree with me, why they do this or not do that, and why can't they see. For us to be productive in reaching the goals set by God for us, we must work together while realizing that maybe, just maybe my way isn't the only way to accomplish this.
The apostles of Jesus Christ are the epitome of how people can work together to effectively carry out a joint effort. I might dare say that never has such a large task been accomplished by such few men than for the twelve apostles (thirteen including Paul) to spread the gospel throughout the entire world. Jesus told them to go preach the gospel to every creature, and this they did. (Col. 1:6) How did such ordinary people achieve such extraordinary feats? There are many answers, but one thing stands clear in my mind. Peter and John were arrested in Acts 4 and when the rulers saw the boldness they had and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. Then the text says, (v.13) "And they realized that they had been with Jesus." How much did Jesus teach His apostles about unity? Do you remember what He taught them about greatness and serving? Or, maybe I should say, how He taught them that greatness is serving. (Matt. 20:25-28)
Friends, my question for us is this: When people see us and see how we act, how well we work together, how we talk, how we dress, in short when they see how we live our lives, do they realize that we are with Jesus? The Bible teaches repeatedly that followers of Christ are different from the rest of the world (II Cor. 6:17, I Peter 2:9, 4:4, John 17:14, etc.). How about you? Is it obvious to others that you are striving to follow Jesus, or do you usually act, look and think like everyone else? Really, by looking at the kind of life each of us live, we already give answer to the question - Are you with Jesus? (Matthew 12:30- "He who is not with Me is against Me...")
-- Derrick Richardson
One of the favorite passages among young children learning to memorize scripture is John 11:35 - "Jesus wept." To memorize two words is very easy and, if you were required to say a memorization passage, this is the passage to be chosen (unlike Esther 8:9 which has ninety words). I heard a preacher recently refer to John 11:35 as the shortest verse in the Bible. This made me think of something I found in my studies -1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, "Rejoice always." Of course, the term 'shortest' can be defined either by shortest passage in words (two) or shortest passage in syllables (John 11:35 has three; 1 Thessalonians 5:16 has four).
The Bible was not written with chapter/verse divisions. As Moses penned the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament), he did not begin with Genesis 1:1. He began in the Hebrew as "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light and there was light" and so forth. When Paul wrote his epistles found in the New Testament, they were letters written to various churches and individuals. This is the pattern for all of the books. There were various divisions within Isaiah, Lamentations and, of course, Psalm 119, but the divisions we are familiar with came later.
Stephen Langton and Hugo de Sancto Caro established the division of chapters between 1227 and 1248. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses in 1555. The Bible in chapter/verse division is of recent history.
The lesson I draw from this illustration is that, often, we believe something that is not quite according to what the Bible says. I know that whether John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible or not has nothing to do with eternal salvation but the principle of how we come to certain conclusions may have a bearing on such. There are many "chimney corner scriptures" held fervently by people that have no basis in Biblical truth. Phrases like the following:
· All men are created equal.
· An idle mind is the devil's workshop.
· Cleanliness is next to godliness.
· Spare the rod and spoil the child.
· Give the devil his due.
· Blood is thicker than water.
· Bread is the staff of life.
· Familiarity breeds contempt.
· God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform.
Many people hold fervently to the idea that Jesus was born on December 25; wise men saw the baby Jesus in a manger; Mary Magdalene was a prostitute; Peter was a "Pope"; salvation is by faith alone; join the church of your choice; the early disciples worshipped with instrumental music; the anti-Christ is a man with 666 on his forehead; Jesus will return to earth to reign on David's throne; Armageddon is a nuclear holocaust still yet to come, and so the list of myths abound.
Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). To His disciples Jesus declared, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17). Truth is what the Bible says and what the Bible says alone. We must be diligent to examine scripture and declare what the scriptures say in truth. If it is not in the Bible, it is not truth. Our diligence must be to speak only what the Bible speaks (1 Peter 4:11).
-- Kent Heaton