Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 4)

Posted on March 16, 2012 by russellmckinney

I want to use this post to deal with yet another aspect of what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. The new aspect goes like this: To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray with an understanding of the limitless power such praying offers. Christian, I’m not trying to swell your head with this one, but I do want you to realize just exactly what Jesus said in John 14:12-14 concerning praying in His name. Read His words again and let them sink down into your soul:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Now, before you run off and become a “name it and claim it” kind of Christian, let me remind you of my second post from this series. There, I explained that to pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in submission to God’s will. This means that words such as “whatever” and “anything” must always be viewed through the lens of God’s will. Not only is this implied in the New Testament, there is even a passage that comes right out and says it. That passage is 1st John 5:14-15, and it’s worth mentioning that it was written by the same John who wrote John 14:12-14. The passage reads:

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

And so, you see, it’s clear that Jesus never intended for His followers to turn God the Father into a wish-granting genie via their prayers. Let’s be clear about that. But, with that understood, let’s not water down what Jesus did teach about prayer. He said, “The one who believes in Me and asks for things in My name will do even greater works than I have done.” What an astounding thought!

Jesus walked on the water. Jesus fed thousands with a boy’s lunch. Jesus turned water into wine. Jesus healed the sick. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. How could Christians, even praying Christians, do greater works than these? The answer is: Our works can be greater in extent.

Remember that Jesus, in His earthly body, was confined to one place at one time and spent His entire life in one small part of the world. Furthermore, His public ministry only lasted for three-and-a-half years. Jesus didn’t preach a sermon that led 3,000 people to get saved. But Peter did that (Acts 2:14-41). Jesus didn’t take the gospel throughout the entirety of the Roman empire. But Paul did that. Jesus didn’t start churches wherever He went or write the books of the New Testament. But His followers did that. And these works were all greater in extent than even Christ’s earthly works.

Therefore, Christian, never be guilty of underestimating the incredible power of prayer. As James 4:2 says:

…you do not have because you do not ask. (N.K.J.V.)

A church got a new pastor, and his first Sunday there he walked to the pulpit and said, “Let us pray.” Then he proceeded to pray for ten minutes. When the service was over, one church member said to another, “Boy, we’ve sure got a good pastor now. He asks God for things our other pastors didn’t even know God had!”

Christian, don’t you be like those previous pastors. Lay claim to the fact that praying “in Jesus’ name” means praying in POWER. The only requests that lay outside that power are those that lay outside God’s will for your life. Other than those, have at it with your asking! Who knows what “greater works” the Lord might have in mind to pour out in your life?

Posted in Christ's Miracles, Desires, God's Omnipotence, God's Provision, God's Will, God's Work, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name" | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 3)

Posted on March 14, 2012 by russellmckinney

“And we ask these things in Jesus’ name.” As a pastor, I’ve said those words at the close of prayers in church services more times than I can remember. Even more than that, I’ve said them at the close of scores of personal prayers during my alone times with the Lord. But what do they really mean? That’s what we’ve been exploring with the last couple of posts. Thus far we’ve established two things. First, praying in Jesus’ name is something only a true Christian can do. Second, it involves praying in submission to God’s will.

Now, the third thing I want to say about praying in Jesus’ name is this: To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in the authority of Jesus. When a United States ambassador travels to a foreign country, he doesn’t greet people on the basis of his own authority. He greets them on the basis of the considerable authority of the President of the United States of America. This gives the ambassador much more clout than he has on his own.

This concept of ambassadorship is one that Jesus Himself understands perfectly. I say that because He was quick to point out that His teachings and miracles were all based upon the authority of His heavenly Father. So, in the same general way, when a Christian prays in Jesus’ name, that Christian evokes an authority greater than his own.

Imagine me taking my requests to God the Father through prayer and saying, “And you have to honor my requests, heavenly Father, because this is Russell talking.” If angels could be sarcastic, there would probably be one standing beside the Father’s heavenly throne saying, “Ooh, we’re so impressed.” I mean, think about it, there are times when I can’t even get my two sons to do what I ask them to do! That’s why I’d be well advised to do my praying in the authority of Jesus. You see, that kicks everything about my prayer into a much higher gear. Praying “in Jesus’ name” is as different from praying “in Russell’s name” as day and night.

Someone asks, “But just how much authority does Jesus have?” I’ll answer that with a Bible verse. Matthew 28:18 reads:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (N.K.J.V.)

You certainly can’t have any more authority than that, can you? Oh, and don’t miss the fact that Christ’s authority covers not only the earth but also heaven. That’s relevant to the topic of prayer because heaven, the location of God the Father’s throne, is where our prayers are headed. Understanding this helps us dive a little deeper into the infinite depths of Hebrews 4:16, which says to Christians:

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (N.K.J.V.)

Far too often we Christians are needlessly timid when we talk to God the Father. We’re like the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz as he approaches the great Oz. And, truth be told, if we try to approach the Father’s throne on the basis of our own authority, we should be every bit as mousy as that lion. Ah, but when we approach God’s throne in the authority wrapped up in Jesus’ name, that changes everything. That should turn our cowardice into courage and our bashfulness into boldness. Claim this great truth, Christian, and put it into practice the next time you pray.

Posted in Heaven, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name" | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 2)

Posted on March 12, 2012 by russellmckinney

I used my previous post to explain that Christians are the only people who can rightfully close their prayers with the words “in Jesus’ name.” Now, with this post, I want to offer a second fact about praying in Jesus’ name. That second fact is: To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in submission to God’s will.

It is only fitting that praying in Jesus’ name would entail praying in submission to God’s will. After all, Jesus was the very embodiment of one who was submitted to the will of His heavenly Father. Consider the following passages. First, in John 6:38 He says:

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (N.K.J.V.)

Second, Matthew 26:39-44 tells us that Jesus prayed the same prayer three times in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of His arrest:

O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. (N.K.J.V.)

Third, Matthew 6:9-10 says that Jesus taught His followers to pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. (N.K.J.V.)

Christian, you need to grasp the concept that prayer isn’t you sending God on an errand. It isn’t you getting your will done in heaven, either. It is much more about God getting His will done on earth. You see, your prayer time is a good time to die. I’m talking about you dying to your wants, wishes, aspirations, plans, and schemes. Don’t spend twenty minutes in prayer demanding that God grant all your requests and then have the audacity to close that prayer by tacking Jesus’ name onto the end of it. When Jesus hears such a prayer, He could very well say to Himself, “That’s not how I lived my life, and that’s certainly not how I prayed.”

I think each of us would do well to follow the example of the legendary evangelist, D.L Moody. He used to pray the following prayer:

Lord, if what I ask for does not please you, neither would it please me. My desires are put into your hands to be corrected. Strike the pen through every petition that I offer that is not right. And put in whatever I have omitted, even though I might not have desired it had I considered it.

Another good role model in this area would be the renowned preacher, Phillips Brooks. He wrote:

Every true prayer has its background and its foreground. The foreground of prayer is the intense, immediate desire for a certain blessing which seems to be absolutely necessary for the soul to have; the background of prayer is the quiet, earnest desire that the will of God, whatever it may be, should be done.

And so, Christian, the next time you use the words “in Jesus’ name” at the end of your prayer, I hope they will be in accord with the attitude you have evidenced in making your requests. If they aren’t, your best move would be to restart the prayer and do a more Christlike job making your requests. Yes, this will take some time. Even more than that, it will take some dying. But the end result will be that you will be able to use the words “in Jesus’ name” correctly, without them being mere lip service.

Posted in Desires, Dying To Self, God's Will, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name", Submission | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 1)

Posted on March 9, 2012 by russellmckinney

If you’ve spent much time in church, you’ve no doubt heard someone end a prayer by saying, “And we ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.” But have you ever wondered what all is involved with praying “in Jesus’ name”? Well, to help you with that, I’d like to devote a series of posts to the subject.

I’ll begin by giving you the Bible passage from which we draw this whole idea. It’s John 14:12-14, where Jesus says to His chosen twelve apostles:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (N.K.J.V.)

Okay, now that we have quoted the passage, the first thing we need to learn about praying in Jesus’ name is this: It can only be done by a Christian. And before you label me a bigot for saying such a thing, please note that Jesus addresses His words specifically to “he who believes in Me.” That narrows the field down quite a bit, doesn’t it?

The fact is, there are a lot of people out there praying. It’s even become a cliche for politicians and celebrities to say to the victims of some tragedy, “You are in our prayers.” That sounds so compassionate and comforting, doesn’t it? What we must question, however, is the level of power in such prayers.

You see, real power in prayer comes from praying in Jesus’ name, and the only people who can legitimately pray in Jesus’ name are Christians. Oh, sure, lost people can mouth the words “in Jesus’ name” at the end of their prayers, but that doesn’t mean those people have truly prayed in Jesus’ name. It just doesn’t work that way.

In the next few posts, we are going to learn the incredible importance of these words, “in Jesus’ name.” What we are going to find is that the words are not only the key to an effective prayer life but also to living the Christian life. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself, and so for now I’ll just ask you to stay tuned. For this first post, we’ve begun where we had to begin: at the beginning. Now that we’ve laid the necessary foundation for the topic, we can start building the levels necessary to complete the task.

Posted in Prayer, Prayer Requests, Salvation, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name" | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Just Do Your Best TODAY

Posted on March 7, 2012 by russellmckinney

I’d like to use this post to offer some good thoughts from a couple of well-known Independent Baptist preachers who have gone on to be with the Lord. The first one comes from Tom Malone. After quoting Deuteronomy 33:25, which reads: “As thy days, so shall thy strength be”, Malone said, “I’m glad He didn’t say, ‘As thy strength, so shall thy days be.'”

The second one comes from Curtis Hutson. He wrote:

Most people live either in the past or in the future. They talk about how it used to be or how it’s going to be someday. In so doing, they miss life altogether. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” In other words, don’t borrow from tomorrow. Someone suggested that worrying is using today’s strength on tomorrow’s problems.

You’ve heard this little adage: “Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have, so spend it wisely.” A friend once asked, “Do you know how to eat an elephant?” “No,” I replied. “One bite at a time,” he smiled and said. Years ago I saw a church sign which read, “Yard by yard is mighty hard, but inch by inch is a cinch.”

I have to admit that I spend too much time looking back longingly on the past. I also have to admit, though, that I spend even more time looking ahead to how it’s going to be someday. You see, I’ve been trying to get “there” for a good many years now. As for where “there” is, it’s just some idealized place I’ve got conjured up in my mind. Actually, it changes every so often. That’s why I can never say for sure where it is, let alone when I might arrive at it.

But what makes me think that everything will be wonderful “there” anyway? As far as this earthly life goes, is there any place that doesn’t offer some sort of struggle and travail? Not really. Therefore, as Christians, the best we can do is have a good attitude about today and do our best for Christ where we are at this very second. Looking back to where we once were, or looking ahead to where we plan to be, just isn’t the way the Lord wants us to live.

Posted in Adversity, Aging, Attitude, Commitment, Contentment, Depression, Desires, Doing Good, Encouragement, Faithfulness, Perseverance, Personal, Problems, Service, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Handle a Bad Inning

Posted on March 5, 2012 by russellmckinney

At a Little League game, the visiting team had already scored 21 runs and was still batting in the top of the first inning. The mother of the boy playing the position of right fielder began to worry that such a staggeringly lopsided loss would demoralize him and destroy his confidence. So, she left her seat in the stands and made her way out to the fence located beside right field. She stood there and yelled out to the boy, “Son, this has to be an awful experience for you, and I just want you to know that you don’t have to keep playing if you don’t want to. I’ll take you home right now and explain things to your coach.” The boy, however, seemed shocked by the suggestion. He simply smiled back and said, “But mom, we can still win this game. We haven’t come to bat yet!”

You have a choice to make as to how you approach life. You can operate with an optimistic attitude or a defeatist one. You can believe that God is up to something good in your life or that He is leading you off a cliff. The choice is yours.

As for the optimistic approach, I’m not talking about some pie-in-the-sky, “hope so” kind of thing. I’m talking about you putting your faith in Jesus, a Savior who loves you enough to die on the cross for your sins and stands ready to give your life ideal meaning and purpose. I’m talking about you heeding Him when He says, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). I’m talking about you relating to the apostle Paul when he says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Does following Jesus mean that you will never experience any blowout defeats? Hardly. But it does mean at least two things. First, if you stay submitted to Christ’s will for your life, He will keep you out of a lot of those situations that would end badly for you. Second, even when those difficult times do come along, Jesus will not only give you what you need to get through them but also use them to increase your strength and wisdom.

Christian, I don’t know where this post finds you, but perhaps you are right now guilty of bringing a defeatist attitude to the playing field. While this might be understandable for a person who doesn’t know Christ as Savior, it should be different for the Christian. Our Savior wasn’t a quitter, even as battered, bloodied, and bruised He carried His cross up Calvary’s hill. None of us will ever have a worse day than that one, and yet the eternal good He accomplished through it is far too deep for our human minds to grasp. That should teach us that the hardest things we have to endure in life can produce the greatest good. And that’s why we shouldn’t quit playing even in the midst of a bad inning.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Belief, Christ's Death, Disappointment, Encouragement, Faith, Fear, God's Love, God's Provision, God's Will, Perseverance, Problems, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Little Too Much Separating

Posted on March 1, 2012 by russellmckinney

My buddy Malcolm Woody once forwarded something to me that someone had forwarded to him. It’s a word about religious groups and denominations. I have no idea who wrote it, but it hits a little too close to home. See what you think.

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don’t do it!”

He said, “Nobody loves me.”

I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?”

He said, “A Christian.”

I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?”

He said, “Protestant.”

I said, “Me, too! What franchise?”

He said, “Baptist.”

I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”

He said, “Northern Baptist.”

I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.”

I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.”

I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.”

I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him over.

Does the Bible teach there are times when I, as a Christian, should separate myself from those who either preach wrong doctrine or practice wrong conduct? Yes, it does. For your homework, read: Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14-15; Jude v.3; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 John 4:1; 2 John v.9-11; and Ephesians 5:11. Obviously, there really is a time for what is known as “biblical separation.”

But as we Christians tend to do with so many things, we can go overboard with this separation. For example, if the very gospel itself is being compromised by some erroneous reinterpretation of it, that’s grounds for separation. If, however, the divisive argument in question is over how the financial contributions should be spent, that’s not such sacred ground. Can you see the difference? I hope so. And if you can’t, well, die heretic!

Posted in Balance, Doctrine, Humor, Separation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Romans 8:28 & Roan Mountain

Posted on February 28, 2012 by russellmckinney

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28, NKJV)

I grew up in the small town of Bakersville, North Carolina. I would call it Mayberry, but Mayberry looks bigger on television. Nationally speaking, Bakersville’s claim to fame is that it lies at the foot of the North Carolina side of Roan Mountain, a well-known tourist site.

And what is it that makes tourists want to come see Roan Mountain? Rhododendrons. The mountain is home to the largest display of blooming rhododendrons in the world, and the display is 100% natural. All told, the plants cover over 600 acres of the mountain. We’re talking about the world’s most exquisite rhododendron garden, marvelously nestled along a mountain ridge 6,300 feet high. It really is quite a site. The plants usually bloom sometime around mid-June, and Bakersville holds an annual Rhododendron festival complete with a beauty pageant, street dance, 10K run, and car show. Can you say, “Small town Americana”?

In the 1800s, people held to the general notion that high mountains offered mystical, healing powers. To cash in on this idea, mining tycoon John Wilder built the grand three-story Cloudland Hotel atop Roan Mountain. The hotel was completed in 1885 and was billed as a health resort. It featured beautiful carpets, fine furniture, copper bathtubs, steam heat, a bowling alley, a croquet course, and a small golf course. The hotel thrived for several years as a class of wealthy patrons ranging from American politicians to European royalty frequented it. Ultimately, however, the high cost of operating such a place on a mountaintop marked the end of the Cloudland. By 1910, the hotel was out of operation. A few years later, just before his death, Wilder sold it. Shortly afterward the new owner auctioned off the materials of the decaying building. By 1927, nothing but rubble was left. Now even the rubble is gone.

Here, though, is where the story of Roan Mountain’s rhododendrons takes an interesting turn. After the Cloudland’s closure, workers were hired to come in with machinery and dig up the mountain’s rhododendrons. The plants were then sold to different places. Obviously, the conservationist movement hadn’t exactly taken hold yet! The removal of the plants left the once beautiful mountaintop looking barren and scarred, and the local people who lived on either side of the mountain were grieved and outraged. They thought the days of Roan Mountain being defined by its trademark rhododendrons were gone forever.

But something unexpected started happening a couple of springs later. The roots of the old plants, roots that had been down too deep for the workers to touch, started sprouting new growth. Almost unbelievably, this new growth was even more beautiful than the previous growth had been. Whereas the previous growth had looked somewhat unkept and wild, the new growth actually looked cultured, even intelligently pruned. It wasn’t too long then before the mountaintop was once again a natural rhododendron garden, with this garden being even more breathtaking than the original one.

Now let’s be clear, the digging up of those original rhododendrons was certainly not a good thing. Today we look back on it and are appalled at such a ravaging of God’s creation. God, however, in His infinite power and sovereignty, was able to take that “bad” and make it work for Roan Mountain’s “good.” And you can rest assured that if He was able to do that with a bunch of rhododendrons atop a mountain, He can do it with the “bad” of your life. Do you remember what Jesus said about another kind of flowers, the lilies? He said:

…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:28-30, NKJV)

The point is that God cares much more about you than He does flowers, even gorgeous lilies or stunning rhododendrons. This doesn’t mean that He will keep everything “bad” from happening to you, but it does mean that if you know Jesus as your Savior, He will take even the “bad” in your life and use it to produce something “good.” He’ll bring a positive out of the negative. He’ll work with the ugly to create something of beauty. Claim this promise today, Christian, and if you need an object lesson from nature, go visit Roan Mountain along about the second week of June.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Brokenness, Comfort, Complaining, Creation, Depression, Disappointment, Encouragement, Faith, Fear, God's Love, God's Omnipotence, God's Sovereignty, God's Work, Perseverance, Personal, Problems, Restoration, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Problem of Copper Nails

Posted on February 23, 2012 by russellmckinney

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10, N.K.J.V.)

The noted preacher Dr. F.E. Marsh once preached a sermon on the importance of confession of sin and (wherever possible) the restitution for wrong done to others. At the close of the service one of his church members came to him with a troubled conscience. “Pastor,” he said, “you have put me in a sad fix. I have wronged someone and am ashamed to confess it or try to put it right. You see, I am a boat builder and the man I work for is an infidel. I have talked to him often about his need of Christ and urged him to come and hear you preach, but he scoffs and ridicules it all. Lately, though, I’ve become guilty of something that, if I should acknowledge it to him, will ruin my testimony forever.”

The church member then went on to explain that sometime ago he had started building a boat for himself in his own yard. He had needed to use copper nails for the job because such nails don’t rust in water, but copper nails were expensive. Consequently, he had been carrying home large quantities of them from work. He had rationalized the stealing by telling himself that his employer wasn’t paying him a large enough salary and that the employer had so many nails that he wouldn’t miss them anyway. That reasoning had kept the fellow’s conscience reasonably appeased until Dr. Marsh’s sermon.

Dr. Marsh counseled the church member to go to the employer, confess the stealing, and make the theft right, something the man just couldn’t bring himself to do. In his mind, such a thing would simply be too embarrassing. So, weeks passed, and with each new week the fellow’s guilt only increased. Finally, it got to be too much for him and he broke. He went and confessed all to the employer and offered to pay for the nails.

And how did the employer respond to the confession and the offer? He said, “George, I always did think you were just a hypocrite, but now I begin to feel there’s something to this Christianity after all. Any religion that would make a dishonest workman come back and confess that he had been stealing copper nails and offer to settle for them must be worth having.”

And now, Christian, I’ve got just one question for you: Have you got any “copper nails” in your life that call for some confession and restitution on your part? If you do, you’d be well advised to confront the issue head on because, until you do, any sense of inner peace you have will be a false one. Remember, you can’t be wrong with people and right with God.

Posted in Backsliding, Character, Confession, Conscience, Conviction, Guilt, Honesty, Inner Peace, Personal Holiness, Repentance, Sin, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Doing Church Differently

Posted on February 21, 2012 by russellmckinney

The churches of Asia greet you, Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. (1 Corinthians 16:19, N.K.J.V.)

Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house. (Colossians 4:15, N.K.J.V.)

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Apphia, Archipus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: (Philemon 1:1-2, N.K.J.V.)

Elbert Hubbard was a prominent American writer, publisher, and philosopher before his untimely death aboard the Lusitania, the ship that was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland in 1915. Hubbard was known as a man of profound quotes. One of those, in particular, strikes a chord with me. He called tradition “a clock that tells us what time it was.”

As we study the gospels, we find that Jesus was frequently in conflict with the man-made traditions of the Jewish religious elite. In particular, many incidents involved Him purposely breaking the time-honored but erroneous rules that had been established for keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest (Matthew 12:1-13; Luke 13:10-17; Luke 14:1-6; John 5:1-16). What caused all that conflict regarding the keeping of the Sabbath? Let me explain.

In the Old Testament Hebrew, the Sabbath commandment consists of 39 words. In accordance with those 39 words, the Jewish rabbis devised their own list of 39 ways in which a person could break the commandment. Then the rabbis took the whole process one step further by dividing those 39 ways into 39 divisions. This produced a grand total of 1,521 ways by which one could break the Sabbath. For example, getting a tack in your sandal was considered carrying a burden on the Sabbath. Killing a flea was considered hunting on the Sabbath. Even eating an egg that was laid on Saturday was considered a violation because the hen had worked on the Sabbath. It’s no wonder that Jesus railed against such traditions.

While I certainly wouldn’t say that the traditions of the American way of “doing church” are as bad as those the Jews used to keep their Sabbath, our traditions do sometimes seem about as entrenched. Try changing something in the typical local church and see what you get! But what’s surprising is that so many of our traditions have little or no scriptural basis.

Consider that for the first 300 years or so churches were simple “house churches” (Romans 16:3-5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon v.1-2; James 2:1-3; Acts 2:1-2; 2 John v.10). That means no: committees, deacon boards (even though the churches did have deacons), business meetings, Sunday Schools, Bible Schools, Bible conferences, revivals, church budgets, choirs, Christmas plays, Christmas cantatas, Easter dramas, Easter cantatas, Fall Festival parties, missions boards, youth missions trips, senior-citizen outings, or Christian schools. The congregations didn’t have pew-filled sanctuaries, baptisteries, education buildings, fellowship halls, gymnasiums, or life-activity centers, either.

So, how did those early churches “do church”? Consider the following:

  1. There were multiple house churches in a city. Since cities such as Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Smyrna, Colossae, and Laodicea boasted populations in the multiplied thousands, no one house could possibly have been large enough to host all of the Christians in a city.
  2. Evidently, when a congregation grew too big for the confines of a home, that was seen as an opportunity to begin a new offshoot house church. This was a version of what we might call “church planting” in the early decades of the church age.
  3. All of the house churches in a given city made up the one “church” of that city (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 2:1; Romans 1:7). When the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the “church” of a city, he meant for that letter to be passed along to each of the house congregations in that city and read aloud in each one.
  4. Each city had multiple pastors. These men were typically called “elders,” “overseers,” or “bishops” (Acts 14:23; 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; Philippians 1:1; Ephesians 4:11). It seems likely that each house congregation had one pastor as its overseer. The fact that Acts 14:23 says that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders (plural) in every church (singular) and Acts 20:17 speaks of the elders (plural) of the church (singular) of Ephesus is explained by the fact that all of the house congregations in a given city made up the one “church” of that city. In that sense, each “church” did have multiple pastors.
  5. There were deacons, men who performed necessary menial acts of service in the congregations (Acts 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 3:8-13).
  6. The congregations met each Sunday to commemorate the fact that Christ arose on a Sunday (Acts 20:7-8; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10). Since many of the early Christians were slaves, and since the Roman empire did not consider Sunday to be a special day during this time (this was before Constantine became the Emperor of Rome and change that), it is likely that services were typically held on Sunday night.
  7. The services were free-flowing ones wherein each Christian was encouraged to contribute by somehow using or exhibiting his or her spiritual gift (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 14:26; Ephesians 4:7-11). However, everything was to be done in an orderly manner (1 Corinthians 14:40).
  8. There was praying (James 5:13).
  9. There was singing (Ephesians 5:18-19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13; 1 Corinthians 14:15). Since the headings of many of the Psalms tell us those Psalms were written to be played on specific instruments, perhaps instruments were sometimes used in the services. Obviously, though, there wasn’t a piano organ sitting in the corner.
  10. There were no pulpits, but there was certainly teaching and what we now call “preaching” (1 Timothy 1:3; 4:6,13,16; 5:17; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Titus 1:9; 2:1).
  11. It seems that the Lord’s Supper was observed each service. This was called “the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42-47).
  12. In the earliest days of the church age, a “love feast” (a meal designed to help the poorer Christians) was served in conjuncture with the Lord’s Supper (Jude v. 12).
  13. Real wine was used during the Lord’s Supper and the love feast (1 Corinthians 11:21). How else could some of the Christians of Corinth have gotten drunk during the observance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)?
  14. The house churches were expected to practice church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). Perhaps they did this by using the guideline laid out by Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17).
  15. As for the collection of monetary offerings, the Old Testament law’s elaborate system of tithing (Leviticus 27:30-34; Deuteronomy 12:5-7,17-19; 14:22-29; Numbers 18:21-32; Malachi 3:8-12) was not taught. Why would it have been since Christians were no longer under the law (Romans 6:14; 7:4; 10:4; Galatians 5:18)? For that matter, a Christian couldn’t bring a tenth of his harvests and livestock to a house church, and there was no longer a need to support the Levitical priests who ministered at the temple. So, what many now call “grace giving” replaced the commands concerning tithing. Under “grace giving” cheerful and generous giving was expected as each Christian gave in accordance with his or her prosperity (2 Corinthians 9:6-15; 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
  16. The collected offerings went to aid the needy (Acts 20:35; Ephesians 4:28; James 1:27), help fellow Christians who were struggling (Acts 11:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 6:10), support the apostles in their missionary work (Philippians 4:10-20; 1 Corinthians 9:1-14; 2 Corinthians 11:5-9), and meet the basic needs of the pastors (Galatians 6:6,10; 1 Corinthians 9:7,11; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
  17. Each and every Christian was to be actively involved in hands-on service to Christ outside the confines of the church congregation. The primary role of the pastors was to equip all Christians with the doctrine and knowledge necessary for those Christians to carry out the work of ministry themselves (Ephesians 4:11-12).
  18. The pastors did have authority to lead the congregations (Acts 20:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 3:5; Hebrews 13:7,17,24).
  19. Pastoral leadership was to be the kind of servant leadership that Jesus exemplified (1 Peter 5:1-4).
  20. The ultimate authority in all the churches rested with the apostles (1 Corinthians 5:1-3). They were the ones who ordained the pastors (Acts 14:23).

Okay, so why am I telling you all this? First, let me assure you that it’s not because I’m trying to take us all back to those early days of the church age. Even if we wanted to go back to that time, we couldn’t because we no longer have genuine apostles the likes of Peter and Paul. Second, I’m also not saying that there is anything patently wrong with: church buildings, committees, Sunday Schools, Bible Schools, revivals, missions boards, youth missions trips, senior-citizen outings, Christian schools, etc. I mean, the fact that you are reading this via a very modern tool called the internet isn’t lost on me!

No, my purpose in this post is to help promote a little more tolerance among Christians when a church comes along and says, “We’re going to try something different.” Since what we consider to be the “traditional” way of “doing church” is as different from the churches of the New Testament as apples are from oranges, who are we to say, “Oh, that’s wrong, you can’t do that”? C’mon, we’re already so far off the New Testament blueprint that Peter and Paul would hardly recognize us. Therefore, surely we can use a lot less of the attitude, “Our way is the only way.”

Actually, the more I study the church, the more I realize that it is akin to a living, breathing thing, and as such is constantly growing and evolving. The Lord doesn’t want congregations who are trapped back in the year 100, 1600, 1900, or 2000. He wants us out there on the cutting edge of society, relating to people where they are, and keeping up with the times. Think about it, isn’t that exactly how Jesus ministered to the people of His day? So, even though there is certainly a basic, Bible-based template for what constitutes a local church and how that church should function and be led, there is a lot of God-allowed play in the particulars of how a specific congregation goes about its mission. And just because a church operates differently from your personal preferences or your tradition, don’t automatically assume that the church is in the wrong and you are in the right.

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