____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ March 1, 1998 ____________________________________________________ Kingdom Truth...With an Expose Of Kingdom Fallacies by Robert F. Turner The Lord's disciples misunderstood His teaching regarding the kingdom despite His patient coaching (Matt. 20:20-f; Acts 1:6-8). It was only after the Holy Spirit and ``all truth'' was given (Jo. 16:12-f), that they recognized the true nature of the kingdom, and penned a record we can understand. The whole picture also shows us why they could not understand. Kingdom prophecies were couched in Jewish historical terms, interwoven in their national life. They were prejudiced by popular misconceptions which their nation had drawn from prophets of old. Isaiah had said, ``Except Jehovah of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom...Gomorrah''--i.e., utterly destroyed. Israel lost her civil sovereignty, but God promised another King on David's throne (Isa. 9:6-7). Israel was scattered, but God promised a remnant (not the whole) would return ``unto God'' (10:20-23). Israel suffered bondage, but ``the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant" (11:10-16). Isaiah further says the He who would restore the preserved of Israel would also be ``for a light to the Gentiles" (49:5f). There is little excuse for today's student to continue the prejudice and blindness of 1st century Judaism. Paul reviewed Jewish history (Acts 13:14-f) and said Jesus Christ fulfilled the promise (vs. 23), was resurrected to be ``the sure mercies of David'' (v. 32-34), and further states that the deliverance is from sin (vs. 38). Peter had understood this clearly on Pentecost following the resurrection. He cited prophecies that Christ would be raised to sit on David's throne. He then testified that Jesus was resurrected, and concluded ``Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted...'' He commanded believers to ``repent and be baptized...in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:30-39). Paul said the Colossians had been ``translated into the kingdom of His dear Son,'' receiving the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:12-14). Kingdom teaching is not the only facet of Christianity expressed in ``Jewish'' terminology, but whose literal and physical aspects have given way to spiritual application. The Jews had a priesthood, of the tribe of Levi, who served at the altar. In Isa. 66:18-f. not only shall ``all nations'' be gathered, but ``of them also will I take for priests and for Levites.'' No Gentile is literally a ``Levite,'' but Christians are ``a holy'' and ``a royal priesthood'' (1 Pet. 2:5,9). They are both holy and royal for Christ is ``high priest after the order of Melchisedec'' (Heb. 7:17), who was both King and Priest (7:1-3). The Jews were a ``holy nation,'' ``peculiar people'' (Ex. 19:5-6; Deut. 7:6-f), and so are Christians (1 Pet. 2:9-10). No wonder they are called ``Abraham's seed'' and ``Israel of God'' (Gal. 3:29; 6:16). The literal was a type or shadow of the spiritual (Heb. 10:1-f). ``Kingdom'' is but one of many figures for describing the relation of saints to God through Christ. We are children in His family, laborers in His vineyard, sheep in His flock, members of His body, etc. The kingdom figure emphasizes the rule of Christ and our submission to His authority. Kingdom fallacies generally fall into three categories: Nationalistic, Materialistic, and Futuristic error. It is not unusual to find two, or all three of these errors combined into a single concept--in fact the first and second are kissin' cousins. The Jews were chosen for a specific purpose, i.e., to be the fleshly ancestry of Christ (Rom. 9:4-11; Heb. 2:16). The promise to Abraham, basis for the Hebrew race, contained also: ``in thy seed shall all nations be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3; Gal. 3:8,16). The ``breaking off'' of unbelieving Jews, and the grafting in of believing Gentiles (in the two-trees illustration of Rom. 11:16-24) shows the loss of nationalistic or racial significance to ``Abraham's seed.'' If today's Jews succeed or fail in their national aspirations, it is upon the same basis as all other nations. Jesus said (Jo. 18:36-f), ``My kingdom is not of this world.'' When Pilate asked, ``Art thou a King?'' Jesus replied, ``Thou sayest that I am a King''--which is an affirmative. He continues: ``I for this have been born and for this I have come into the world.'' Remember, he is answering Pilate's question! He further describes the nature of His kingdom by then saying, ``that (in order that) I might witness to the truth; everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.'' He rules in the hearts of those who will heed and trust Him. We must do God's will in order to enter the kingdom (Matt. 7:21-23). The better we understand His teaching the closer we are to the kingdom (Mk. 12:28-34)--a fact that must point to the nature of the kingdom rather than to the ``day'' of establishment. Only the humble (Lk. 18:17), those born of water and Spirit (Jo. 3:3-5), can see (appreciate) and enter into it. The kingdom ``cometh not with observation'' but was ``within'' or ``among'' those to whom Jesus revealed himself, as he prepared them for his ``rule'' (Lk. 17:20-21). It is a spiritual relation!! And the whole argument of Acts 2 points to its establishment. The law of the Lord, signaled by the coming of the Holy Spirit, went forth from Jerusalem in ``the last days'' (Isa. 2:1-3; Joel 2:28-32); and Peter declared ``this is that...'' (Acts 2:16-f). Christ's kingdom was to be in the lifetime of a 1st century generation (Mk. 9:1; Matt. 16:28). It was to ``come with power'' and that came with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:1-f). First century Christians were in it, as Paul clearly teaches (Col. 1:12-13). Zechariah 6:12-13 prophesied that Christ would be ``priest upon his throne.'' But Jewish priests were of Levi, while kings were of Judah. The problem is resolved when we remember Christ would be High Priest ``after the order of Melchisedec'' who was both priest and king (Heb. 7:1-f). We are lost without Christ as our High Priest (7:23-25), but it is most inconsistent to claim Him as our Priest and not recognize Him as our King. In truth, He is NOW both our Priest and our King; His kingdom is NOW established and is operative; it is a spiritual and not a materialistic kingdom; and it is for who-so-ever-will. Amen! -- Via Plain Talk, vol. 15, no. 10, December, 1978 ___________________________________________ Parental Strife And Divorce by Doy Moyer ``Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it than a house full of feasting with strife'' (Prov. 17:1). The most important people in a child's life is his parents. He learns from them, watches them, grows up with them, and imitates them. It is a most obvious fact that what the parents do, how they act toward each other and the children, will have a profound effect on the life of the child. What the child will be like and who he will become is largely determined by the influence of the parents (Prov. 22:6). This is why we cannot overstate the fact that parents must be careful in raising their children, especially when it comes to the examples they set. Children are a blessing from the Lord, put into our hands for a few short years to teach them how to be servants of God (Eph. 6:4). Whenever we fail to teach our children the way of God, we abuse our position as parents. The home should be a haven, a stronghold of one's life. Children crave peace and happiness in the home, especially between mom and dad. When parents fight, and perhaps ultimately end up in divorce, the child is confused and devastated. Hence, strife and divorce among the parents are terrible forms of mental abuse for the child. Unfortunately, many parents do not seem to think about the child when they are in a heated argument. Strife is ungodly. We speak not just of disagreement. We refer, rather, to the contentious and angry spirit so often accompanying disagreement. Angry words, shouting matches, slamming doors, name-calling, hitting things (or people), and other forms of unrighteous anger are so often a part of household strife. Children should never have to see this take place in their home. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior, no matter how sharp the disagreement or problem may be. The heart of the child is broken when he sees this happening with his own parents. Over time, the child may become somewhat callused to it, but he himself begins to act the same way. When disagreeing with a friend, he may shout, call names and hit because mom and dad do these things. It's difficult enough to teach children these things are wrong without encouraging them to do it by our own actions. Listen to the Proverb: ``The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out'' (17:14). How many homes and children could have been saved if this wisdom would have been followed?! Divorce is a tragedy. It has become so common that we hardly think twice about it anymore. I know school teachers who say that the majority of the children in their classrooms are from broken homes. The effects of divorce on children are tremendous. It effects the child the rest of his life. He may learn to deal with it; he may learn to ``accept'' the fact. But he will never get completely out of its shadow. It will haunt his memories and mar his childhood forever. When children see that their parents cannot hold their relationship together, they will doubt their own ability to maintain solid relationships. Statistics show that children of divorce are much more likely to divorce their own spouses than are children of intact families. They tend to be apprehensive about marriage, and thus might withhold full commitment to their own marriages. In a society that downgrades the importance of marriage, Christians need to stand as beacons in the world (Matt. 5:16). In family relationships, this means that we must treat each other with the due respect that God desires: husbands, love your wives; wives, respect your husbands (Eph. 5:22-33). As parents, we must set the proper examples for our children. We must teach them the value of the home (Heb. 13:4), respect for others (1 Pet. 2:17), and kindness toward all (Phil. 4:5). Contentions and divorce are born out of selfishness and sin. May God help us not to give our children these examples. Rather, let us set our minds on things above, teaching our children, by word and example, that there is nothing more important than being right with God. Children need to see attitudes and actions that conform to the mind of Christ. ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES We are glad to hear that Greg Frazier's mother is making some improvement in her recuperation. Let us continue to pray for her. Last Wednesday was our first service at 1314 Montgomery Avenue. The room that we fixed up for our services has turned out much better than we had originally expected. I will soon make some new maps to our services for the InterNet. But if you remember where we used to meet, we are now just right around the corner from there. Just go up 13th Street to Montgomery Avenue. Turn right. Then look for the second building on the right. Our services are still at the same time, but we might soon start meeting at an earlier hour for the evening worship service and the Wednesday night Bible study. We will keep you posted. We were glad to have Rick and Kelli Fleeman visiting with us last Sunday. Being the last Sunday of the month -- and our ``sing night'' -- Rick volunteered to lead several of the songs. A couple were new to us, but all were good. Rick is an excellent song leader, and we always enjoy his enthusiasm in all that he does. Free Bible courses are available for anyone who is interested -- just notify us. If you are without transportation, live in our area, and would like to attend our service, call us today! Would you like to setup an appointment to see Bible film slides in your home or mine? We have the 5-lesson series by Jule Miller now available. Each lesson is about 30 minutes long. Come visit us soon! Your presence would be greatly appreciated! ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________