Some Things the Whole Church Needs to Remember

May 26, 2017 by

To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady

We, as a body of people under the leadership of Christ the Son of God, need to remember that Christ is the head of this body, Col. 1:18, and that we are just members of it; that the Church does not belong to us but that we are members of the Church; that Christ is the Lawgiver over that body of people known as Christians and that there is not one thing we can bring into that body; that everything that is in that body must be placed there by the authority of that Lawgiver which is Christ (James 4:12). In Matt. 17:5, the voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son hear ye him. That voice still says for us to hear Him. Paul said in Heb. 1:2: …hath spoken unto us by his Son. We need to keep in mind that it is the way He still speaks to the church. He doesn’t reveal something to me one way and to you, another. Our instructions come through that voice which speaks from heaven and which is recorded in the Bible. Christ has never set up any person or institution or body of men to speak for Him.

It is our duty to find out what He has already spoken and then for us to reproclaim it to those with whom we come in contact. We need to remember that when Christ built the church, He was able to see the wisdom of placing things in the Church that would meet the need of all future generations. Therefore He told the Church at Ephesus what He did in Eph. 3:21: Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.

The Lord does what He wants to do, He says what He knows to be right, and there is no way to add to it. Solomon said in Ecc. 3:14: What so ever God doeth it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it. We need to keep in mind that the Church has no right to follow and endorse things just because others have them. We must speak as by the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11).

We need to know that institutions started and governed by man have no place in the Church of the New Testament. We should have it impressed on our mind daily, that the best defense man can put up is the one that the Saviour used in Matt. 4:4, when he met the devil and defeated him. His defense was, It is written…, and there He stood to the last and showed that no man need to be afraid of the wicked as long as he has what is written with which to defend his position. We need to know that in the Church alone we move. Personally owned enterprises have no place in the Church. They are fine in their place and it is possible to accomplish good with them, but they are not a part of the Church of the New Testament.

We need to know that Christ prayed for unity in John 17:21, that Paul taught and commanded it in 1 Cor. 1:10: Be perfectly joined together. We need to know that it is our duty to work for what Christ prayed for and what Paul commanded (Phil. 2:1-2).

At the same time we need to know what an awful sin it is to cause division in the Body among God’s people and when we do, we come under the condemnation the Lord has pronounced upon us and also are marked by the people of the Lord (Rom. 16:17-18). The body of Christ is divided into many different congregations and each congregation is a unit in itself. We should know that it is our duty to place over each one of these congregations the proper kind of an eldership—men who are able to lead the flock in the right way; men who are really examples to the flock. But we must keep in mind that the elder’s authority ends where it begins which is with the flock over which he has been appointed. As Peter explains in 1 Peter 5:1-2-3-4-5: Feed the flock of God which is among you. He has no authority over any other.

The eldership is the highest office there is in the church here on earth and the men who are appointed to that office should be respected by the members and should also show his respect to the church over which he is appointed. He is to feed the flock over which he is appointed, but none other. There are times when a man unworthy of that office has been appointed, but while we are opposed to the man who is guilty of wrong doing, yet we must respect the office and do every thing we can for it. The Lord placed that office in His Church and to reject the office is to reject the Lord.

We, as members of the Church need to know that it must be a divine institution. To be divine it must be fashioned after the model that is found in the New Testament. It must have a divine head, it must be governed by divine authority, and it must wear a divine name. To do that it must acknowledge the name that was placed upon it by divine authority (Rom. 16:16 and 1 Tim. 3:15). All names that God gave to His people and to His Church were not placed there by accident, but they had a meaning.

In closing this lesson may we remind you that the Church needs to know that it must have converted members (Matt. 13:15, John 12:40, Acts 3:19); faithful members (Rev. 2:10, 1 Cor 15:58); lively members (1 Peter 2:5); Bible readers (John 5:39, Acts 17:11, 2 Tim. 2:15); Church goers (Acts 2:42, Acts 20:7, Heb. 10:25); workers (1 Cor. 3:9, James 2:14, Phil. 2:12); humility (Matt. 23:12, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:6); thankfulness (Col. 3:15; 1 Cor. 15:57, Eph. 5:20); forgiveness (Matt. 18:35; Col. 3:13; Eph. 4:32); watchful overseers (1 Peter 5:1-3); preachers of the word (2 Tim. 4:1-4; 2 Tim. 2:2-15); competent teachers (Titus 2:3, Heb. 5:12, Titus 2:1-5).

Israel perished because the Israelites did not have the knowledge they should have (Hosea 4:6). We face the same danger. Israel became a byword among the other nations, because they would not obey what the Lord commanded them to do. Don’t forget that we need to profit by their mistake and that the Church can ruin her influence by not doing the Lord’s will just as easily as Israel did under the old law.

The above post is an excerpt from the book, To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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Mission Work

May 25, 2017 by

To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady

We are often asked if the Church of Christ believes and practices mission work. We wish to make it very plain that we do. We believe that it is a command of God and that it must be obeyed if we are to be the Church that Christ built. But we do want to say that we do not believe in a missionary society. There is not a thing the Lord has commanded to be done that can’t be done through the Church. God does not intend for His work to be done through a human institution. When we do that then that institution takes the glory that belongs to the Church. The Church is the only institution that was bought with the blood of Christ (Eph. 5:25-26-27). The Church is the only institution that has Christ as its head (Col. 1:18). The Church is the only institution through which we are to give glory to God (Eph. 3:21). Mission work is to be done through the Church. Please read this statement from the pen of Apostle Paul in 1 Thess. 1:8: For from you sounded out the word not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. It is the duty of the Church to sound out the word. It is the duty of the Church to see that people have a chance to hear and believe the gospel. We often hear some one say, “That preacher is not doing much mission work.” That belongs to the church and for the preacher to take that upon himself has only helped to encourage the Church in her neglect of duty along that line. I read again in Eph. 3:10: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. It is the Church’s place to make that known.

But some might ask why be opposed to a missionary society? For more than one reason. In the first place, a missionary society robs the Church of the glory that belongs to it. They stand up and say, “Look at what we have done,” and the result is the Church is kept out of it. Another reason is why is it necessary to keep up the middle-man? The Church of Christ sends money to do mission work, every cent of which goes to the place where the work is to be done. There is no middle-man to be paid. That is not true where the money is placed into a human organization. Everyone knows that the organization has to be taken care of, and knows that it takes money to do that. Therefore, part of the money paid in for mission work stays with the organization to keep it going. The Church sends out the word. The Church does the mission work. The Church gets the glory for it, and every cent that starts out to do missionary work gets there. That is the Lord’s plan, and there is none better. The money is raised for mission work as we raise it for other purposes: give as we have been prospered on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:1-2-3). If the Lord’s plan fails, then we are not to blame. But we are to blame if we put up a plan of our own and use it and put the Lord’s plan into the background. Mission work is plainly taught in the Bible and we must carry it out as taught.

The above post is an excerpt from the book, To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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What Are We Called and Why

May 24, 2017 by

To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady

The Lord’s people are called saints (Eph. 2:19; Jude 3) because they are set apart for the service of God. They are called brethren (Col. 1:2; 1 John 3:14) because of their relationship in one family. They are called the Elect (Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:10) because they are chosen of God in Christ by the gospel. (2 Thess. 2:14) They are called children of God (Rom. 8:16; Eph. 5:1) because of their relationship to the Father. They are called disciples (Acts 20:7) because they are learners under the instruction of their Blessed Master. They are called Christians (Acts 11:26) because they are followers of Christ and citizens of His Kingdom. They are called soldiers (2 Tim. 2:3) because they are all in the same army fighting the good fight of faith. (1 Tim. 6:12) We make the plea that these names were worn by authority and were given by inspiration.

The above post is an excerpt from the book, To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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God’s Part and Man’s Part in the Plan of Salvation

May 23, 2017 by

To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady

Anything that man could not do for himself in the saving of his soul God willingly did that for him. But God is not going to do something for us that we are able to do for ourselves. That being true, there are some things that God did, and there are some for us to do. God did His part through Christ, and we are to do our part by accepting Christ.

Christ brought to this world a gospel that was able to save the human family. (Mark 16:15-16; Gal. 1:8-10) It is our part to believe that gospel. (Rom. 1:16; Mark 16:16)

Christ brought to this world the grace that is able to save men. (Eph. 2:5-8) It is out part to let that grace lead us to repent of our sins. (Rom. 2:4)

Christ brought to this world a name in which salvation was placed. (Acts 4:11-12; Eph. 3:14-15) It is our part to confess that name before man. (Matt: 10:32; Phil 2:8-11)

Christ brought His blood to this world and shed it that man could be saved. (1 John 1:7; Pet. 1:18-25) It is our part to be baptized into that blood. (Rom. 6:1-6; Gal. 3:27) Christ established His Church here on earth. (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 5:25-27) It is our part to become a member of that Church. (Acts 2:47; Col. 1:18)

It was Christ who went away to prepare a place called heaven. (John 14:1) It is our part to live a faithful life that we can enjoy that place when life is over. (Rev. 2:10; Rev. 22:14)

The above post is an excerpt from the book, To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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Two Works

April 14, 2017 by

Sermon on the Mount: Instructions for Life

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

These works are the deeds that we might do in service to God. Jesus explained that not everything we do for Him is accepted by Him. There are right works and wrong works.

The right works are those that are according to God’s will (Matthew 7:21). God’s will is found in what Jesus taught. He said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me” (John 7:16). This message would then be sent from heaven by the Holy Spirit to the apostles. Jesus told them, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26). These apostles were then commissioned to preach the gospel throughout the world and teach the disciples to “observe all that [Jesus] commanded” (Matthew 28:20).

The right works will be those works that are authorized in the word of God. Paul wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). He told Timothy, “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me” (2 Timothy 1:13).

The wrong works include whatever we think will honor the Lord. Notice that Jesus described people who claimed to do things in His name but were actually practicing lawlessness (Matthew 7:22-23). The problem is that we, as mere men, do not think like God. Yet many fail to see this. They believe that if they think a particular action will please God, then it must actually be pleasing to Him. The Lord rebuked the wicked, “You thought that I was just like you” (Psalm 50:21). Too many fail in this regard – they think that God is like them. Yet as we noticed earlier, the ways and thoughts of God are infinitely superior to our own (Isaiah 55:8-9).

There is only one set of works that is right. These are the works that are revealed in the word of God. Again, Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable…so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Following the Scriptures exclusively to determine which works are good will make us different because most people think that anything we do for the Lord is good. Yet we must do what He has told us to do. Jesus said, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). We must do what has been authorized in His word (Colossians 3:17), not presume to know what would please Him. When we attempt to make such presumptions regarding the will of God, we will fail. Paul explained why this is: “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). The only way we can know God’s will is to look at what He has revealed in His word. Therefore, the only way we can do what will please Him is to look at what His word defines as a “good work.”

The above post is an excerpt from the book, Sermon on the Mount: Instructions for Life. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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