Saturday, October 27, 2012

Hebrews 13:17 Watch Over Your Souls

Hebrews 13:17  Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. (NASB)


Membership in the Church universal is accomplished in one way and one way only.  Upon salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by grace out-poured we are brought into a right relationship with God, sins are forgiven and we are issued eternal membership cards as it were.  This frankly is the only path.  “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” John 14:6 (NASB) 

But there are a lot of Christians out there bumping into one another with these “Membership” cards who don’t even know each other.  There is a master directory, “The book of lifePhilippians 4:3 (NASB) but it is locked away in heaven, not something we can access on the Internet.  So how do we identify with and have fellowship with our fellow believers as called for in Scripture? 

There is another membership that is much more tangible where the other various commands of Scripture a lived out.  This is membership in the local church.  Much of the New Testament was addressed to the “Local church” and how it was to live out the Gospel with which it had been entrusted.  Some these days balk at whether local church membership is even a valid concept.  Is it?  Let Scripture be the guide.

Take this passage from Hebrews 13 as an example.  How is this possible without the local church and membership in it?  Let’s take a closer look.

It starts with, “Obey your leaders.”  Straight forward enough for you?  Okay, who do you point to for your church leaders?  The Pope?  The head of some denomination?  What about all you non-denominational folks?  Does this mean you are all disobedient to the Scripture because you have no church leadership?  Not at all!  This is a reference to your local church leaders, your elders from your local body.  You are to submit to them. 

Why?  Because, “They keep watch over your souls.”  Now do universal Church leaders watch over the souls of every Christian?  Not the way local elders are able to watch over the souls of individuals in their local church.  Are you able to submit to universal Church leaders?  Not in an accountable way as you can local church leaders.  Why accountable?  “For they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account”.  You see those God has appointed to lead the local church have an accountability to watch over you.  That simply isn’t possible in the universal Church setting.

So membership in the local church helps both member and leader in this regard.  How you ask?  Membership identifies you as one to be cared for and looked after by these church leaders.  They know you and you in-turn know them.  The bonus that we won’t cover today is that you begin to know “One another” in the local assembly and you care for each other.  That is also a screaming argument for membership in the local church; mutual care.

The writer continues with a comment on how your behavior in submitting to leaders in membership affects them.  It says, “Let them do this with joy and not grief.”  In other words, do not behave in such a way as members that you cause your leaders to grieve.  Hmmmm!   

Now why would my leaders grieve over their leadership of me?  There could be a number of specific reasons but they all settle on SIN!  When we let sin win in our lives, it brings grief to our leaders because they are the ones that are to be looking out for us and teaching us and helping us to grow in righteousness.  When sin wins our leaders grieve.  And, “This would be unprofitable for you.”  So, why is that – because my church leaders are going to take their pound of flesh?  Not at all.  It is not profitable to you because no sin is profitable and anything your church leaders face grief over cannot be profitable for you because it is rooted in sin.  Your church leaders are called to a mission of restoration and healing but it begins with confession and repentance.  Those first steps are often the stumbling block, the hindrance to recovery.

So, the Biblical model is one of local churches exhibiting mutual care.  Follow this model and get plugged in to a local assembly and heed the Scripture, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” AMEN!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Romans 2:28-29 Tender Hearted

Romans 2:28-29  For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.  But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. (NASB)


Have you ever wondered about the label, “Tender hearted?”  I don’t know the actual origin of the phrase and at this point I have no interest in looking it up but I do think it fits particular people or moments in life.  I also think folks can build up layers of “Protection” for various reasons and wind up callused.  That callus though protective can also become a barrier to relationships; it can be a problem.

In the book of Romans Paul goes to great length to explain our Christian faith.  Many great men of faith have made it their lifetime endeavor to study and write on just this great book from our Bible.  It is deep and chewy and rich in helping us to understand the depraved state from which we come and the great gift of grace by the shed blood of Jesus which saves us.  If you grasp and believe what Paul presents in Romans your faith is on a solid foundation.

One of the themes presented early on is that there is no partiality in God between Jew or Greek.  That is, Jews and the rest of us.  He illustrates this with the picture of circumcision which of course was the ritual performed on every young Jewish boy prescribed in the Law setting them apart.  This ritual has its origin alongside the origin of the covenant God made with Abraham as a sign of that binding agreement.  We see it used throughout scripture including as the people of Israel wander through the wilderness.  Those who left Egypt had all been circumcised but those born in the wilderness were not.  Because of disobedience, the former generation were not allowed to enter the Promised Land and the sign of circumcision sorted the generations.  Before entering, Joshua was commanded to then circumcise this generation about to enter – Ouch!  There would have been up to 80 year old men (40 years x 2) uncircumcised that had to endure this ritual.

Back to Romans

Paul continues making this argument that the distinction between Jew and Greek is now gone.  And one of the chief symbols, circumcision of the flesh, is not what we should be considering.  Indeed, it is the circumcision of one’s heart that matters.

The verse makes the argument, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly” – what?  I thought this covenant and ritual was all about Abraham’s children.  Yes, it is – but it is Abraham’s offspring by faith that are counted.  That is the point here.  “But he is a Jew who is one inwardly” – by faith having that same connection Abraham did.  That is the covenant relationship.  The symbol of that covenant was circumcision so Paul makes the comparison, “Nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh” and continues, “And circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter”.

Whoa!  Those are fightin’ words Paul!  Do you mean the prescribed circumcision that generation upon generation of Jewish people have followed is of no value?  Yep!  That’s right.  As a symbol of the covenant God made with Abraham – circumcision of the flesh is of absolutely no value!  NONE!  That is exactly what Paul is saying.  By contrast what is of value is the true circumcision which cannot be seen as faith cannot be seen – it is a circumcision of one’s heart.

Paul indicates this heart work is that of the Holy Spirit, “by the Spirit, not by the letter”.  That is instructive too, this heart work is not something a man with a sharp instrument does one to another.  This is in fact delicate work the Holy Spirit, God Himself accomplishes in the life of men. 

So was Paul coming up with a new idea?  Not at all.  Read this portion of God’s promise  … "The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.  “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live”. Deuteronomy 30:5-6 (NASB)

Did you get that?  Old Testament promise of God!  He will “Circumcise your heart” and so that you are able, “To love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

So, what does all this mean?  It means simply this.  Circumcision of the heart is the work of God that brings His covenant about in a person’s life through faith in Jesus Christ.  When His work on your heart brings about the necessary tenderness such that you may respond by faith, the circumcision is complete.  Only then are you enabled to “Love the LORD your God with all your heart.”  AMEN!