December 1995
Vol II
To take the true Gospel Light to all men
CHANGE IN THE CHURCH OF GOD
by Dr. Stanley R. Farrar
Change! A word that many in the church of God do not want to hear. When many of the church congregation's hear the word they almost go into a panic. New pastors to congregations often hear how the former pastor did things, or they hear those famous seven words, "we never did it that way before." Incidentally these words are considered to be the last seven words of a dying church. Much has been said about change in the modern church, in October at a minister's meeting pastors were given a lot of instruction on this very subject. But, to be the Church of God there are things that can be changed, while there are other things that cannot be changed.
Things that can be changed:
1. The methods by which we operate the local church.
2. The ministries that are in place in the church or those that need to come into existence.
3. Hours of the services.
4. Where the evening services are held, i.e. such as in homes of those in the congregation.
5. The kinds of worship service on Sunday morning.
6. The kind of evangelism program to bring others to Christ.
7. Fellowship times to bring the people of the church closer together.
The list could probably go on and on, but I think this is sufficient to make my point.
Things that cannot be changed:
Those things that are doctrines of the Word of God, which are as immutable as the God that gave them to us. This does not mean our traditions, which are a fore mentioned. Some of these unchangeable are listed below, not all because of the lack of space to print them all.
1. God is, without any debate or discussion, he is from eternity to eternity. He is the ever existing God.
2. God is in three persons, the trinity,
A. the Father, B. The Son, C. The Holy Ghost.
3. Jesus is the beloved, everlasting Son of God.
A. He was incarnate in the flesh, came as man.
B. He died on the cross as an atonement for man's sin.
C. On the third day he was resurrected from the dead, by the power of the Heavenly Father.
D. Was seen by his Apostles and many others.
E. He ascended back to the Heavenly Father and sits at the right hand of the Father to intercede for you and me.
4. Salvation through Jesus Christ.
5. Upon Jesus' return to Heaven, He sent the Holy Ghost to dwell within those who are sanctified, guide, lead, and instruct His children.
6. Sanctification, as a second work of grace performed by God to cleanse the one justified by faith of:
A. any imperfection, making him holy in the sight of God.
B. eradicating the carnal nature that was inbred in man from the fall from grace, in the Garden of Eden.
C. making that individual a vessel fit to be used of God.
D. empowering him to be a witness for God throughout the world.
7. There will be a second coming of Jesus to take his church and present it to Himself without spot or blemish.
8. This is the second resurrection, at which time the judgment will take place,
A. those whose names are found written in the Lamb's book of life will enter in to life eternal in Heaven.
B. those whose name is not there will be cast into the lake of fire which will burn for all eternity.
These are immutable truths within God's Word that man has no authority to change. There are also commandments that cannot be changed, as well. It would be well for the Bible student to sit down with his Bible and learn those commandments. Such as: 1. love God above all else, 2. love your neighbor, 3. pray, 4. study, 5. worship God, 6. tithe, 7. assembling yourselves together, 8. the autonomy of the local church, 9. live a holy life, 10.live in unity with all believers, not united with denominations, for we are to be separated from the beast of denominationalism, John said in the book of Revelation, "come out of her My people." The name of the church is very important, because Jesus Himself named the church, the church of God.
There is a movement within the Church of God Reformation Movement to unite with denominationalism and become just another denomination. As this is done we are loosing sight of those blessed doctrines brought back into the Church by the reformationalist. God called these men to bring about the restoration of His blessed truths and we need to hold on to them irregardless of what some are trying to bring about.
Change in the changeable things of the church can be very good, but let us not try to change those
blessed truths of God. Change in the area of the unchangeable is blasphemy against the Almighty
God. Let us be faithful and true to the entire Word of God and hold fast to those things
revealed to us by mighty men of God. In all things TO GOD BE TRUE.
***
by Rev Stephen J. Dickinson
We are living in a day where everything seems to be acceptable. Our society teaches us to have everything our way, and have it our way we must. The whole world has been set up in such a way that each of us can pick and choose, till our own hearts desire is realized. We have personalized checks, personalized designer T-shirts, and an array of other styles of personalized clothing. We have personalized computers that are made up to fit each owners desires. We have so personalized the shoe department, that one often walks away scratching ones head, confused and not knowing which kind of a shoe to buy. Automobiles have become so personalized that you can have any style, color, size, or comfort that one should desire, as long as you are willing to pay the price. The field of coffee has a tremendous hold on our society today. You're not a professional coffee drinker unless you have tried nothing less than 500 different blends of coffee which are on the market today. You go to the supermarket to buy a box of cereal, and it takes you 5 to 10 minutes to scan two rows of cereal and still not find the one that you were sent for in the first place. The fast food restaurants advertise that you can have your own personalized burger, with most restaurants following suit. We could go on and on with this, and yes, some of these things are neat. Yet, maybe this mentality of "having things our way" has gone too far.
This same mentality has carried over into personalized religion. People have designed every kind of religion that could possibly be thought of. Many churches have designed their own religion, putting their own interpretation on faith, love, hope, happiness, salvation, holiness, Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit. In the Bible realm, more and more Bibles are hitting the market, and all seem to be different. Many new versions of the Bible display the writers desires, with the "make me feel good" principal. Most of the para-phrased bibles are leaving things out and adding things that are not in the original scrolls. All of this seems to be done in the name of "having it your way."
The most amazing thing about all this is, everyone seems to think that their way is the right way. This has come from the "having it our way" mentality. What could have been a good thing, has turned into a nightmare, for a person with such a mentality will have a hard time following Christ, and letting Him have His way in their lives. If we do not "Let Go and Let God" have His way with our lives, we end up with a religion (not Christianity), that is void and empty of Christ. This can be seen very clearly among many of those who call themselves Christians today. Because of our having conditioned ourselves to having it our way in every aspect of our lives, we begin to do what seems right to ourselves, and form our own personalized religion which is contrary to God's word and will. Proverbs 14:12 warns us against such a way by saying: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." As if it were not enough for us to be warned once, these words were repeated again in Proverbs 16:25.
When we begin to live the way we want to live, without seeking the complete counsel of God's word, we become a member of the worlds biggest fools club. Proverbs 12:15 tells us, "the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise." One who tries to form a personal religion, "having it their own way", is a fool and without wisdom. One who is wise and seeking eternal life is the opposite. This one seeks the full counsel of God in every aspect of his or her life, which comes from all of God's Holy Word.
We have become a society today that is a "feel good" society. We have a tendency to accept only the things in our lives that keep us feeling good, content, happy, which is better known as the "warm fuzzies." Anything that might place a demand on our giving up one of our little pleasures is automatically rejected as "not necessary." These same people have a hard time with the deep preaching of God's word, which is clearly seen in their lives by their sins of the flesh and carnal heart. The people that carry the mentality of "having it their way," do not seem to have time to study God's word, nor find out just where they are in their spiritual walk. These same people will occasionally take a few minutes and focus upon the books of Psalms or Proverbs and think that their religion is complete. They do not wish to concentrate on the deeper books that would lead them into a working knowledge of Godliness, Christ-likeness, righteousness, sanctification, holiness, and the true meaning of love which is found throughout the New Testament. Those who carry the "Have it your way--feel good" mentality, do not want to learn about cleansing oneself and living with a pure heart which glorifies God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. They do not want to hear about how they should not quarrel, feel badly, or carry grudges towards others. The same ones do not care to hear about repentance, living the sin free life, and walking as their Savior walked while here on this earth. The Bible teaches that all scripture is necessary in our walk with Christ, and without the reproof and correction that comes through all of God's word, we cannot be complete in our Christian walk (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
There is a way that seems right, which leads to eternal death. There is also a way that is right, that leads to eternal bliss with our Savior in Heaven. Proverbs 3:5-7 says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. The word tells us to trust only in God and to lean only upon His word, not on our own understanding. If we will lean on God's word, He will guide and lead us on the paths of righteousness for His name sake.
It is an evil thing in the sight of God, for one to try to live the Christian life in any way, other than the way that God has set forth in the Old and New Testament. God destroyed The Jewish Nation, because they tried to live in a way that seemed right in their own eyes. When it comes to God and His kingdom, we do not pick and choose our own walk. Our own walk has been chosen and directed by God and there is no other way to serve Him. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Would you have it your way---or God's way?
By Pastor Stanley Farrar II
There are many in the church today that would not see the relevance of questioning whether God reigns in the church or man does. Many would say, of course, God reigns in the church, but are we allowing Him to reign supreme? Some would say, how could we help but let God rule the church? Well, it can be taken out of the hands of God and put into the hands of man. This is done by setting up traditions on an equal with God's Holy Word, and by elevating man into places were people answer to man instead of to God. This is compromising the faith, and teaching the doctrine of Devils! (See 1 Tim 4:1-2).
There is a great danger of following man instead of God. By following man we lower the position of God and put man in His place. By placing men in places of authority over the ministries of God, we also become a respecter of persons, seeking to please the man in charge. This takes precedence over following the will of God. Instead of allowing God to place His ministers where He sees fit, we elect them into positions where we see fit. By placing restrictions on the ministers, making them answerable to man instead of to God, is giving man the authority that only God should possess. When man is given such authority then it is natural for men to seek to please him and elevate that man even higher. Let us not fall into the trap of elevating men instead of God, for we are commanded not to be respecters of persons (See James 2:8-9, Col 3:23, Jude 1:15-17).
Who then should hold the positions of accountability in the church, both local and world wide? The answer to that question is simple, God alone should hold that position. Jesus is, after all, our Judge and we must answer to him for everything that we do or say (See Acts 10:42-43, 2 Tim. 4:1,8, Heb 10:30, Heb 12:23, James 4:11-12). So we see that if we are to answer to Jesus then why set up man to be the authority. To place committees or executives in positions to where pastor must answer to them is to give them God-like authority. God chooses the people for the offices of the church and He gives very specific instructions as to who can and does qualify. We must remember that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church (Eph. 2:20). We should always remember that we are not to remove this cornerstone but conform to it. The Holy Ghost is the chief administrator of the church. He gives people the gifts to do various jobs within the church (See 1 Cor. 12:4-11, Rom 12:5-9). So if the Holy Ghost has given unto his servants gifts and callings to do certain jobs in the church, than that is where he should serve. Not seeking to be elevated above his peers.
Now, I know there are some, saying how have we not allowed God to reign supreme in our congregations? We see the divergence happen in most congregations with the unbiblical principals of democracy. The Bible does not teach us to take things to a vote of the people. On the contrary, the Bible teaches us that we are to take it before the Lord and let him guide us in to the truth. But instead of spending hours in prayer and fasting seeking Gods will, we bring it before the people and vote on it. All the time, assuming that the majority will always show the will of God. The major problem with this principle is that it assumes that the majority will choose to serve God's will in a given occurrence. This thoroughly ignores the fact that only ten percent of the people are saved and fewer still are sanctified. If the people are not saved you can not expect them to choose to serve anyone save their master the Devil. This being the case, instead of taking it to a vote of the people, we should pray and let God lead the leaders that He has put in place. Boards and committees, the way that we use them, are not biblical either. The only committee in the Bible was organized to do a job, not plan it (Acts 6:1-6). Let us select those to serve in positions in the congregation carefully. The Bible is very specific on the qualifications of an elder in the church. They must be saved and sanctified but for a more detailed list of requirements see 1 Tim 3:8-13. We need to make sure we hold with the way the Bible says the church is to be organized. Be very careful not to exclude God from the decision making of the congregation.
Now I don't want to leave the impression that the laymen are the only ones in danger of setting up a man-made system within the church. For I know some ministers that would turn their backs on the truth and walk back into denominationalism. Knowing good and well that God commanded us to leave it (2 Cor. 6:16-18, Rev. 18:2-5). They would have us, instead of standing separate, to embrace the man-made teachings of denominationalism. Some would have us to reaccept the doctrine of physical church membership, to have us unequally yoked together with anyone who would "join" the congregation (2 Cor. 6:14). They are ignoring the fact that Christ adds to the church (Acts 2:47). We can not accept such teachings of man. Christ adds our name to the Lambs Book of Life at the time of our salvation, and this makes us part of the glorious church of God. Too many in the movement today would have us embrace man-made teachings and to do this is to move away for the almighty God.
We must be aware of our teachings and efforts to control things. Too many would have us to make the ministers of God answer to man instead of God. They set up church councils that, instead of working with the pastor, they dictate to him, and try to make him answerable to them instead of to God, our supreme Judge. Ministers try to set up man-made organizations to control the local pastors and congregations instead of leaving it in the hands of God to control. These things will destroy and divide the church. Do we not teach the unity of all believers? We need the unity of God's people, not the unity of man-made religions. This is the only true unity that can exist in the church. Let not the lies of Satan sway you. Let us let God rule His church.
We do not have to have man-made organization or teachings in the church, for the Bible is
sufficient for teaching and reproof (2 Tim. 3:16). We do not need man's teaching tearing away at
the foundations of the church. Once we set up the church on the teachings of man we place man as
the foundation, and once man is the foundation then we are no long built upon Christ and the truths
of the Bible. We then cease to be the church of God and become the church of Satan, he is then the
master, not God. Let us not take on the ways of the world for they will lead to destruction (See
Titus 2:11-12, John 17:4-18). Jesus took us out of the world to serve it no longer (Rom 6:6). Let
us serve the Lord and not man (See Matt 6:24, Acts 5:29). Who will you serve?
***
by Dr. Stanley R. Farrar
Society today has a lot to say about a MILLENNIUM, to take place at the end of time. There are those who believe in a pre-millennial teaching, of which there are those who believe that there will be a pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and a post-tribulation period. Most of those that hold to one of these three beliefs do not even know that there is any other belief. There are two other beliefs that are held in the world which are the post-millennial and the a-millennial teachings. Let us consider these few points for a few moments so as to come to an understanding of the Biblical position upon this much debated subject.
First of all let us start with what the post-millinnial people believe. These folks believe that Christ is coming again to establish His kingdom, but they believe that His return will be at the end of this kingdom. At His coming He will then take those that are His to be with Him in Glory. They also believe that things are going to be getting better and better until the return of Jesus to collect His faithful followers. There are a few problems with this belief.
1. If Jesus is not going to come until the end of this one thousand year reign of Christ, how and when is He going to establish this kingdom?
2. The Word of God tells us that things are not going to continue to get better and better until the return of Jesus. The Bible tells us that things are going to wax worse and worse towards the end, as described in I Tim. 4:1-2 and again in II Tim. 3:1-5, 13. II Peter 3:3-4 "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." This tells that man would be walking in his own lusts questioning where is this promise. This doesn't appear to me to be indicating that things are going to be better and better toward the end of time.
3. Jesus said, that His kingdom is not of this world, but His kingdom is in the hearts of man. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom not a physical kingdom. Examine John 18:33-37 as Jesus is speaking to Pilot. Therefore if the kingdom is to be in the hearts of man there is no way that it can be a literal kingdom of as the other kingdoms of this world. It can only be spiritual if it is in man's hearts.
4. When does Jesus begin to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords in your life? That is when you repent of your sins and ask for forgiveness of your sins.
This is sufficient to show the problem with the belief of post-millinnial teachings. (continued next
issue)
Is published by the First Church of God, 818 4th st, Fairbury, Nebraska 68352, Chief Editor Pastor Stanley Farrar II, Editor Michelle Farrar.
The Gospel Light is published to spread the true light of God's word to all men. We are dedicated to the truths of the word of God. Such as salvation, holiness, sanctification, the unity of all believers, etc... Any articles submitted to the Gospel Light paper become the property of the First Church of God, Fairbury, Nebraska. We reserve the right to hold the articles for future printing, and possible reprinting. All articles submitted should be submitted to the First Church of God, 818 4th st Fairbury, Ne 68352. Articles are not to be longer then two pages typed, because of space concerns. I hope that the Gospel Light paper is a blessing to you, and may God bless those who read this paper.
To Return To Home Page
Get your own Free Home Page