The following is an excerpt from the letters written to the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia, “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15:28).  Acts 15 records a conference that took place in Jerusalem.  God’s requirements of the Gentiles was the topic addressed regarding which, “there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5).

Though these Pharisees believed and were part of Christ’s church, they were still up to their old ways.  Jesus said of the Pharisees, “…they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders” (Matthew 23:4).  The apostles and elders went to the Jerusalem conference to consider this matter (Acts 15:6), but it was not that they were going to determine by majority vote what position they were to take.  Rather, it would be established again to those at Jerusalem what God had declared about the Gentiles through miracles and wonders (Acts 15:12).  It was God’s choice that was acknowledged, not man’s choice that was decided (Acts 15:7).  Those Pharisees who were intent on binding the law of Moses and circumcision, were questioned as to why they were trying to put an unbearable yoke upon the necks of the Gentiles (Acts 15:10) and ordered to not trouble the Gentiles with laws God did not require of them (Acts 15:19).

There were requirements God had for the Gentiles.  They were to abstain from idols, fornication, from eating things strangled and eating blood (Acts 15:20, 29), but the extra laws the Pharisees desired to bind were not to trouble them.  God wants to bind on us no additional burden than the commands necessary to keep us from harm and in godliness that leads to eternal life (2 Peter 1:3).

Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  There are requirements we must keep to follow Christ.  We must not seek to be loosed from what Christ binds upon us.  But His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  His commandments are for our good and are not grievous, nor burdensome (1 John 5:3).

But we must beware of those who would add laws which are not a part of the Gospel.  Christ has given us true freedom in His laws, so we should not be ensnared as slaves to man-made religious requirements (Galatians 5:1-2).  While it is often shown that man flouts the Lord’s commands, certain people have a tendency to go the other way and forbid things which God allows (1 Timothy 4:3).  Spiritual death is lurking in either direction.  Spiritual life is found in doing Christ’s commandments (Revelation 22:14).  When I continue in Christ’s word, then am I truly His disciple and truly free (John 8:31-32).

-Mark Day

When many people hear the word “church” different thoughts may come to their mind as to what this word means. When it comes to religious matters we must appeal to a standard, and that standard is the Bible.

The word translated church comes from the Greek word “EKKLESIA” which means “called out assembly”. In the New Testament we read that the church when applied to Christians is “called out” of the world. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

Christians are called out of the world and many will ask “How are we called?” The Bible teaches we are called by the Gospel. 2 Thessalonians 2:14, “Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The word “church” is used in three ways in the Bible.

1. The term “church” is used of the “UNIVERSAL CHURCH”. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus promised “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” He is referring to the universal church, without regard to locality.
2. “Church” is also used of “LOCAL CONGREGATIONS”. Revelation 2:1 says, “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write…” This is referring to the congregation (church) that had been established in Ephesus.
3. The word church can also mean “AN ASSEMBLY”, indicating a gathering of individuals. We read in Acts 7:38, “This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers…”. The word church in this context does not refer to the New Testament church, rather to the assembly that had been called out of Egypt, i.e. the nation of Israel. In other contexts it means a worship assembly of the Lord’s church. For example, 1 Corinthians 11:18, “For first of all, when ye come together in the church…”.

We note at this point that when the church is used in reference to New Testament Christians it is not referring to the building. In 1 Corinthians 16:19 the Bible says, “…Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.” This is referring to Christians that met (assembled for worship) in their house.

Also important is the fact when the word “church” is used in regard to Christians it never refers to a denomination. Denominations are not found in the Bible. Denominationalism is a secular division of a whole. Some believe the universal church is divided into differing denominations and this with God’s approval. However we read the apostle Paul by inspiration condemned division in 1 Corinthians 1:10, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” As already shown, the Lord Jesus Christ did not build a denomination, He built “His church”.

We see from the Bible that those in the 1st century were called out of the world by their obedience to the Gospel. The Lord added them to the church (Acts 2:47) and they assembled for worship in local congregations without the need of denominations.

-Jerry D. Sturgill

“Tell me the story of Jesus;
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.”

In this week’s VBS, we echo the sentiments of these words of Fanny Crosby in this great, old hymn.  The Bible, though a library of sixty-six books, is really one story: the story of human redemption through Jesus Christ.  Over the course of 1,600 years God used over forty individuals from different cultures, in vastly different circumstances, speaking different languages to write one unified message to mankind (2 Peter 1:20-21).  The great emphasis of our theme this week is that all the stories of the Bible, even the stories of people such as Noah or Ruth, relate to the central story of Jesus Christ saving man from sin.  Jesus is the overarching theme and purpose of all these stories, and we need to connect them to this broader scope.

The early church loved to tell the story of Jesus and to be told it over and over again. Acts 5:42 records, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”  Do we likewise love the story?  Even today, Christians can draw faith and spiritual strength from Bible stories, even Old Testament stories that lead up to Christ (Romans 15:4).

This week we have a great opportunity to meet every day to tell the story of Jesus at VBS.  This week we can grow in knowledge (2 Peter 3:18), keep our spiritual temperatures high (Revelation 3:15-16), encourage our brethren (Hebrews 3:13) and show we have the right priorities by choosing to give VBS precedence in our schedules (Matthew 6:33).  If you have the opportunity will you come to VBS?  The Bible stories taught this week will be stories that children will never forget for the rest of their lives and Christian adults will never get tired of hearing. Will you be like Mary and choose the better part (Luke 10:42)?  Will you show your child and/or the children who come this week that you love the story of Jesus because it is the most precious and sweetest ever heard?

The story of human redemption through Jesus Christ is so wonderful because it is true and you can have a place in it.  The records of people in the Bible “are written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10:11).  Just as the first-century church could be benefited by the accounts of God’s dealings with His people many centuries earlier, so we can reap the same benefit today.   The story of Jesus means my salvation if I believe and follow it (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

-Mark Day

Hope is the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19).  It keeps us from losing it all when the storms of life beat against us.  What about when I’m about to give up hope?  What if my situation looks so bleak that I feel hopeless?  While no quick, magic answer can be given in a few words to instantly remedy the most difficult situations we face in life, there are some truths from God’s word that can help us from giving up hope.

1. God created you, a human being, in His image (Genesis 1:26). You are of immense value to God (Luke 12:7).  He is the Father of our spirits (Hebrews 12:9).  All souls belong to Him (Ezekiel 18:4).  God gave us an eternal soul, and no matter what happens to us in this life, we can choose to be faithful to Him and, after death, return to Him to live forever in a place far better than anything this world has to offer (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
2. As part of the body of Christ, the church, you are important (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:18-22). You may feel unloved, but you are an important part of God’s family who can help growth occur through love (Ephesians 4:16).
3. Jesus understands your pain. He knows what it is like to live in the flesh (Hebrews 2:14).  He was made like His brethren in order to be a merciful high priest (Hebrews 2:17).  While He was here in the flesh, He cried (Hebrews 5:7).  Even though He knows the solution to our problems, He still weeps with us because of our pain (John 11:35).  He even asked in agony on the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
4. Help is available. We can always say, “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).  God is with us even in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).  He hears our cries of distress (Psalm 18:6).

As we are reminded of the hope we still have, we must take life a day at a time (Matthew 6:34).  When we gradually regain our resolve and confidence in God, day by day, we can make decisions as they come.  Remember we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  There are many things we cannot control, but when it comes to what we can control, we must work out our own salvation, by doing our part to overcome the trials that come our way (Philippians 2:12; cf. Galatians 6:5). “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” (Romans 15:13).

-Mark Day

Jesus is Lord. Those who claim to belong to Christ say it, we pray it, we sing it, but do we live it?  When we say, “Jesus is Lord,” we ought to be doing more than merely acknowledging He created the universe.  If He is Lord, then He has complete control of our lives (Colossians 1:15-18).  We are to sanctify the Lord, setting Him upon the throne of our hearts even when it is difficult to follow Him (1 Peter 3:15).

I suppose that many of us in this contemporary age do not like being told what to do.  We want Jesus to be our Savior, but we are not so big on Him being our Lord.  We cannot have one without the other.  When following Him is easy, we’ll let Him have the chair, but we still want to sit on the throne when temptations come (Luke 8:13).  Some of us have believed the religious lie that we can practice selective obedience – where we choose when we will and will not obey.  This is no kind of obedience.  This is why the religious world lives in confusion because people adapt their own standards for their faith, morality, worship, and life rather than conforming to the words of the Master, the standard that will judge us all (John 12:48).  Many will follow God’s word when it fits in with their wishes, but they also seem to think that God has opened His throne to man’s feelings when following the word of God becomes too morally or socially challenging.  And yet, they rejoice in the promises of God all the while failing to heed His conditions for salvation.  They claim they love the Lord, but they do not listen to Him; love listens and obeys (Luke 6:46; John 14:15).  To merely listen to what the Lord says without obeying is to follow the foolish to destruction (Matthew 7:24-27).  How can we claim to know God and have His grace working in our lives if when it comes to His word we have stopped up ears (Matthew 13:15)?

Jesus says we are to obey all things that He has commanded (Matthew 28:20).  The church is not a democracy where everyone should think up ways that they feel would best express our religion and then decide what is to be done by majority vote.  The church is a monarchy; it is a kingdom established by the King of Kings (Matthew 16:18-19; 1 Timothy 6:14-15).  He has all authority (Matthew 28:18).  Christ is the head of the church (Colossians 1:18).  It is our duty as the body to precisely follow the lead of the head, not to act independently of Him (Colossians 2:19).

Many claim to know the Lord, but the only way to truly know if we know Him is to keep His commandments (1 John 2:3).  This will determine whether He knows us in the judgment (Matthew 7:21-23; 25:12).

-Mark Day