Manslick Road church of Christ » 2006 » November
Keeping up with the Joneses is an old way of describing people who think they must have everything their neighbors have. Not wanting to be outdone, folks buy new houses, cars, clothes, sports equipment, electronic gizmos, and more. In some cases the old things really are worn out or obsolete; in others, we simply do not want to be (or appear to be) outdated.
There is often a problem, however: the Joneses may make more money than we do. To solve that, we convince ourselves that these wants are needs and out come the credit cards. (Are the Joneses’ finances in any better shape?) And there is another problem: the Joneses don’t ever quit buying. We are always aiming at a moving target. The process never ends.
Did you know that the Joneses go to church? Yes, they do. And would you be surprised to learn that church has it all, too?
Denominational churches have long known about the Joneses’ church. When it started having pot-lucks, others quickly followed. It then built a multi-purpose facility in which to have them. So did others. The Joneses’ church then turned to musical programs, plays, sports teams, day care, schools, exercise classes, camps, retreats, recreational outings and more. They were determined to be the biggest. But so were others. They not only kept up with the Joneses’ church, they tried to outdo them. Now, anything goes. Nothing seems too far-fetched; some church somewhere has it.
Lost in all this scramble for image and size is the simple New Testament pattern for local churches. Also lost is God’s approval. Merely attaching His name to a thing does not make it right (Mt. 7:21-23 ).
Conservatives preach against the Joneses’ church’s innovations, yet some of us look wishfully at their swelling numbers and dabble. A few of our “gospel meetings” are looking a lot like youth rallies or marriage seminars. Sermon content is shifting away from salvation and doctrinal themes. VBS is getting increasingly playful and dramatic. So are some preachers.
There is no virtue in getting stuck in a rut. The framework of what God authorizes certainly allows for some variety in approach. But the Joneses’ church will always have more to appeal to the worldly minded. Salvation is what the Lord’s church is all about (Eph. 5:23 ).
Popular author John MacArthur, Jr., echos the Calvinistic view when he says in his book Faith Works, “Again, repentance is not a human work. Jesus said, ‘No one can come to Me, unless the Father draws him’ (John 6:44 ). It is God who grants repentance (Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25 )” (34).
Is repentance something God does for us? Consider the three passages MacArthur gives in support of the proposition.
What about John 6:44 ? The next verse explains how the Father draws men: “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” God draws men by teaching them. His word, the gospel, is His power to salvation (Rom. 1:16 ). This text says nothing about repentance being something God does.
Acts 11:18 says God granted Gentiles the repentance that leads to life. How? Not by some direct, miraculous means. The passage says nothing of the kind. Cornelius was instructed to send for Peter who would come and speak words to Him by which He would be saved (vs. 14). Peter preached the gospel of Christ, just as he had done on Pentecost. It is a message of hope, one which contains sufficient evidence to produce faith and sufficient convicting power to bring about repentance. Calvinists say faith, too, is a gift of God. Peter said it is a response to hearing the word (Acts 15:7 ). If that is true of faith, why would it not also be true of repentance?
2 Timothy 2:25 points to the same means. The context is a preacher being patient and gentle with those he teaches, especially if they wrong him. If God grants repentance apart from the gospel, what does the preacher’s conduct have to do with it?
The people of Nineveh heard the preaching of Jonah, believed it, then repented (Jon. 3:4-5 ). The Jews on Pentecost heard Peter’s preaching, believed it, and were commanded to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:26-38 ). The Corinthians read Paul’s letter, believed it and therefore were made sorrowful by it, and repented (2 Cor. 7:8-10 ). Clearly, this demonstrates how God “grants repentance.”
“God gives men repentance by a system of means calculated to produce it. He gives man faith by giving him testimony calculated to produce it, and will damn him if he does not believe it. He gives man bread by giving him the means with which to make it, but unless he uses the means he will starve for food. So God gives man repentance by causing repentance and remission of sins to be preached among all the nations in the name of His Son, yet he who does not repent will surely perish. Then let no man wait for God to give him repentance directly, until he is willing to sit, with folded arms, and wait for God to give him bread in the same way” (T. W. Brents, The Gospel Plan of Salvation 197).
Modern American families are on the move. There was a time when it was common for people to stay in one locale all their lives. That is now the exception rather than the rule, especially for younger families. Ever-changing economic and work conditions translate into more frequent job changes and moves.
This moving about is at times spiritually counter-productive. Some are faithful in attendance at one church, but when they relocate they do not maintain the habit of consistent worship. Some are hard workers in one place but never do get as involved in another. Some who have associated with a sound church in one community compromise when they move: perhaps the nearest faithful congregation is a greater distance away, or is small, or for some other reason seems less appealing.
The New Testament tells of a family that was often on the move: Aquila and his wife, Priscilla (or Prisca). You have to be impressed that no matter where they were, they were working hard for the Lord.
Our introduction to this couple is in Acts 18. Paul came to Corinth and stayed with them because they were of the same trade: tent-makers. They had recently come from Italy. The Bible does not say whether they were already Christians at that time or Paul converted them then. It does say that when Paul left Corinth they went with him to Ephesus (vss. 18-19). They stayed there while Paul went to Antioch.
While at Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla met Apollos, an eloquent preacher from Alexandria. He was mighty in the Scriptures but ignorant about baptism. They “took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (vs. 26). He went on to be an effective gospel preacher, first at Ephesus, then at Corinth.
Aquila and Priscilla evidently still lived at Ephesus when Paul returned there. He mentions them in 1 Corinthians 16:19 , noting that the church met in their house.
By the time Paul wrote Romans, this family was back to Rome. The Apostle wrote, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house” (Rom. 16:3-5 a).
The final mention of this couple is in 2 Timothy 4:19 . Now, Paul was in Rome and sent greetings to them back at Ephesus.
Aquila and Priscilla were models of faithfulness. Neither materialistic Ephesus nor ungodly Corinth influenced them away from the Lord. They worked with different sized churches. They worked in varying circumstances, at times dangerous ones. Yet Paul could always count on them. So could the Lord. Can He count on you?
A local merchant designated October “pastor appreciation month” and offered a slight discount on clothing.
Many folks are confused about pastors. A preacher is not a pastor. Pastor is from a Latin word. It means a shepherd. In the New Testament the shepherds are those otherwise called elders or presbyters (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Pet. 5:1-2 ). They are charged with watching the “flock” of God’s people. The preacher or evangelist or minister has a different role. He is to preach the gospel (2 Tim. 4:2-4 ). The only time the word pastor occurs in most English translations is in Ephesians 4:11 , where it is clearly distinguished from an evangelist.
That said, our pastors surely do merit our appreciation, and not just this month. “But we request of you brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Th. 5:12-13 ).
When did you last express that appreciation, either to God or to them? Why not tell them that you prize them and their work? Surely they would be encouraged to hear that. They would also appreciate your prayers on their behalf. Most of all, you can encourage them by cooperating with them, by living peacefully with others, by being faithful, and by growing in Christ.