/2007_07

UPLOOK

NOV-DEC 2007

Assess the Need • Catch the Vision • Take the Challenge

PASTORAL CARE

Jack Spender

A STATEMENT OF FAITH Steve Batts

WORSHIP LEADERS

Warren Henderson

H idden Treasures Secret possessions of the New Testament church

www.uplook.org

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK by James Martin

Hidden Treasures Secret possessions of the New Testament church iStockphoto / Mayumi Terao

U Imagine! Possessing a treasure without even knowing it!

p until a few years ago, if you had been invited to the home of the Carlisle family, you might have unwittingly held in your hands a fortune in the form of a small porcelain bowl. The Carlisles—descendents of the founders of the Pony Express—regularly used the bowl to serve crab to their guests but were not in the habit of revealing its worth.

Why the secrecy? Because not even the Carlisles had any clue of the bowl’s worth. It wasn’t until an appraiser from Bonhams and Butterfields saw the bowl that it was revealed to be a 14th century Ming dynasty treasure. And when it fetched $5.7 million, it became the most expensive Ming dish ever purchased at auction.

Imagine! Possessing a treasure without even knowing it. Now rewind 3000 years.

The elders of Israel have gathered together to Samuel at Ramah. Samuel has grown old and his sons aren’t the replacements anyone would have hoped for. Israel makes a bold request of Samuel: “Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:5).

The demand was evil in Samuel’s eyes. But why? Did the Lord disapprove of the concept of kingship? Far from it! The Bible is full of positive references to God’s king (e.g. Psalm 24).

No, the problem wasn’t one of wanting a king. It was one of wanting another king. You see, Israel already had a king; and it wasn’t Samuel. The Lord Himself was Israel’s king, and, in making her demand, Israel showed disdain for Him and His rule: “they have rejected Me from being king over them” (v. 7b). Israel already had the perfect king but didn’t realize it. As a result, she shunned Him and asked for a monarch of infinitely lower value to be given to her in His place. Saul wasn’t a step up.

We may defend them and point out that most of them didn’t see it that way. They weren’t consciously rejecting the Lord; they simply didn’t understand their place of blessing. Yet, the fact remains that God’s assessment of their state was, “they have rejected Me from being king over them.”

Israel possessed a treasure; but, because she was didn’t realize it, she was willing to trade that treasure away. Fast forward 3000 years to today.

God’s focus in this age is the church. Like Israel, He has given us work to do. But what resources do we have? Any discussion of the work of the church eventually leads to a number of common topics: our name, our headquarters, pastors, priests, women ministers, worship leaders, statements of faith. Some of these are increasingly controversial, but all of these are practical. They need to be carefully considered in the light of Scripture if we want to please our Master and maximize our effectiveness for Him. Israel asked for an inferior king. Wouldn’t it be a shame for us to—even inadvertently—miss out on the Lord’s provision for us and attempt to make do with earthly substitutes instead?

Before going forth in service, then, we ought to take careful stock of our resources and consider how the Lord has met the church’s needs. Or else we, like Israel (and the Carlisles), might overlook our treasures and be immeasurably poorer for it.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Php. 4:19).

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UPLOOK N OV E MBER- D ECE MBER 20 07

Vo l u m e 74 • N u m b e r 7

Founded in 1927 as Look on the Fields, UPLOOK is published monthly except for occasional combined issues which count as two issues, by Uplook Ministries and Uplook Ministries (Canada).

Street Address: 12064 Linden Drive, Marne, MI, 49435-9683 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2041, Grand Rapids, MI, 49501-2041 Phone: (616) 677-6127 Fax: (616) 677-6129 Website: http://www.uplook.org E-mail: uplook@uplook.org

ISSN #1055-2642 Printed in USA. © Copyright 2007 Uplook Ministries

F E AT U R E S

PASTORAL CARE Jack Spender

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WOMEN MINISTERS Shawn Abigail

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WORSHIP LEADERS Warren Henderson

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REPORTING LIVE A World in Need

16

HIS FATHER AND OURS Colin Anderson

18

A STATEMENT OF FAITH Steve Batts

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FOR YOUR STUDY “…of the Lamb”

20

THE CHURCH AND THE NAME Wesley Ferguson

21

PRIESTS R. P. Amos

25

CHURCH HEADQUARTERS James Martin

27

THE POST-EXILIC REVIVALS (PART 2 OF 2) W. H. Burnett

29

COLUMNS 2

NEW LIFE IN HIM Church Discipline

4

FRONT LINES

5

DARE TO THINK Practical Ways to Support Missionaries

11

SCIENCE & YOU Fish Food

15

FOR PREACHERS Preaching on Church Truth

23

FINALLY, BRETHREN Working with the Wind

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maintained on a subscription basis. There is no charge for a subscription, however you must renew your subscription annually in order to continue receiving the magazine. An initial subscription is for six issues. Thereafter any time you renew, your subscription will be extended a further ten issues.

There are three ways to renew: 1) by using the reminder envelope sent to facilitate your renewal; 2) by using the form on our website at:

http://www.uplook.org/subscribe.html

3) by contacting our office at any time, by phone, fax, mail or e-mail.

Please advise us of any address changes at least six weeks in advance and include your customer number from your mailing label.

Submissions

Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with all unsolicited material. News items must be submitted at least two months in advance of issue requested. Selected news items will be carried for two issues (if time permits). The editor reserves the right to determine those items best suited for the magazine. Editorial decisions are final. Photos accepted. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for photos you wish returned. Send news items to frontlines@uplook.org

Postal Information

EDITORIAL Hidden Treasures

Subscription Information: The Uplook magazine mailing list is

UPLOOK magazine is intended to encourage the people of God in fidelity to His Word, fervency in intercessory prayer, labors more abundant, and love to the Lord. Believing in the practical Headship of Christ and the local autonomy of each assembly, this is not intended to be an official organ of any group or federation of local churches. The editor and authors take responsibility for materials published. For any blessing which accrues, to God be the glory.

UPLOOK is copyrighted solely for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of the material. It is not intended to limit the proper use of articles contained in the magazine. Please include the words: “UPLOOK magazine, by permission” on photocopies made for personal use. For large quantities or other purposes, contact UPLOOK.

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Donation Information: Uplook Ministries is a tax-exempt corporation

looking to the Lord to provide for the needs of this ministry. This magazine is sent freely to those who request it, but evidently is not freely produced. Donations may be made by check or money order denominated in US $, Canadian $ or £ sterling.

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iStockphoto.com

NEW LIFE IN HIM From seed planting to fruit growing

Church Discipline An act of love?

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ho are we to judge? Isn’t love the prevailing rule of the day? It may surprise some that, in the Bible, church discipline was commanded by Christ (Mt. 18:15-18), demonstrated by apostolic practice (1 Tim. 1:20), and revealed as an inspired precept in God’s Word (1 Cor. 5:11).

Levels of discipline Regarding church discipline, one size does not fit all.

Church discipline may be as simple as “warn them that are unruly” (1 Thes. 5:14). For those causing division, Paul outlined a two-fold process: “reject a divisive man after a first and second warning” (Titus 3:10, NASB).

The Lord outlined a three-step process in dealing with saints that trespass against other believers. First, confront the offender privately (Mt. 18:15). Second, if more intervention is needed, bring two or three witnesses (Mt. 18:16). Finally, if a resolution is still unsuccessful, tell it to the church (Mt. 18:17). And yes, sometimes the saints are instructed to avoid a disobedient believer: “if any obey not…have no company” (2 Thes.

3:14); or “mark them who cause division…and avoid them” (Rom. 16:17). 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 states bluntly, “put away from yourselves that wicked person.”

Attitude in church discipline When it comes to judging sin in the church, there is a specific manner in which it is to be conducted. First, we read in James 2:1, “Have not faith with respect to persons.” There is no favoritism when it comes to judging sin because the God we serve is no respecter of persons (Ac. 10:34). Second, discipline in the church should be done in the spirit of meekness, “considering thyself lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). Third, the Christian brother should be treated as just that: a brother. “Do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thes. 3:15). Discipline is not an arrogant, unkind, spiritual beating of a brother or sister, or disgust with them personally. It entails sincere mourning over sin. It must be done in love. Lastly,

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The Bible records the long-standing practice of excommunication of Jews from Israel (e.g. Ex. 30:33; Jn. 9:22). Should such a practice be applied in the church in the day of grace? with all discipline, we should be ready to forgive when there is genuine repentance (2 Cor. 2:6-7).

The object of church discipline The purpose of discipline is that the offender may be ashamed of his sin (2 Thes. 3:14), learn (1 Tim. 1:20), and be restored to fellowship (Gal. 6:1; Mt. 18:15). Furthermore, it serves to warn others (1 Tim. 5:20) and prevent a variety of moral and doctrinal problems. Sometimes discipline may be handled privately, but public sin must be dealt with publicly, as Paul admonished the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 5. The sinful lifestyle of some must not be allowed to spread among believers; the local church’s silence regarding sin in its midst will only lead to ruin.

It is not easy The Corinthians wanted to gloss over blatant sin: “ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2). No believer or group of elders enjoys the mourning process in correcting sin in the life of another believer. It is heart-wrenching. It may also be grievous and embarrassing to innocent parties and the immediate family.

But, as we consider the Lord’s working in our lives, we learn two things: the Lord disciplines those He loves (Heb. 12:6), and He disciplines for our ultimate good (Heb. 12:11). With these two things in mind, we can see that church discipline makes sense and really is an act of love toward those who mean so much to us.

FRONT LINES Pray around the world; praise around the clock

Hope in Omaha’s Tragedy

19-year-old Robert Hawkins wanted to be famous. Infamy is more like it.

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yle Rockhold of the Keystone Bible Chapel in Omaha, NE, writes: “I suppose you have all heard about the tragedy at Westroads Mall yesterday.…our granddaughter, Heather, works there.…She was there yesterday when the man started shooting.

Immediately she and another young lady ran for a closet and hid there. She was really shocked when she heard later that afternoon that three of her coworkers and a ‘cleanup man’ she knew who works for the mall were killed.

This has certainly had a sobering effect…”

As this magazine goes to press, we are working with Christians in Omaha to have inserted in the newspaper a gospel text with a message on the back that also includes an offer for a free CD called “HOPE in the Storms of Life.”

You can listen to this message by going to www.GoodNewsNOW.info/hope

WINTER YOUTH RETREAT IN OHIO The 49th Annual Winter Youth Retreat is being held in Toledo, OH from Dec 27-31. The theme this year is “Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening” and the cost is $245. Young people ages 16 and up are welcome and encouraged to attend. Visit the web site at www.winteryouthretreat.org

ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN HOLIDAY

will conclude at noon Wednesday.

Speakers scheduled will be Mike Attwood (GA), Warren Henderson (WI) and Steve Price (KS) ministering on God’s letters to the seven churches of Revelation. Registration and information can be viewed at believersgospelchapel.org/sewcreg.htm or received by mail: Ken Gross, 2328 Laurel Lane, Augusta, GA 30904.

The believers at Holiday Gospel Assembly in Holiday, FL announce their Bible Conference to be held on Friday and Saturday, Feb 15-16.

Speakers expected are John Adams (ON) and Bill Gustafson (SC). The meeting times are Friday, 7:30 - 9:00 pm and Saturday, 10:00 am- 3:00 pm.

Dinner will be on Saturday at noon.

CONFERENCE IN MISSOURI Contact: Lee Cappiello 727-845-4572 PHOENIX, AZ CONFERENCE Join Jefferson City Bible Chapel for ecappiello@tampabayrr.com The Annual Phoenix Conference will their first annual conference Jan be held Feb 29 - Mar 2. Rex Trogdon 12-13 in Jefferson City, MO. Start FOCUS IN KANSAS (NC) is the scheduled speaker. Everyyour year off right with great felNorthside Bible Chapel, 4510 E. one is invited for fellowship and minlowship and teaching. The speaker 61st North, Wichita, KS will host istry from God’s Word. Contact: will be Craig Shakarji (MD). their annual FOCUS Young Adult Beginning Saturday at 2:00 pm, Conference Feb 15-17. The scheduled David Wright ph: 480-917-2771 email: davidwendywright@gmail.com the conference will conclude with speaker is Mike Attwood (GA). lunch and fellowship on Sunday.

Contact: Randy Horn 316-832-9756 DALLAS AREA CONFERENCE On Friday the 11th at 7:30 pm there or Tom Goodson 316-744-3977 The conference is scheduled for Mar will be a special meeting for youth. email: thmsgdsn@yahoo.com 14-16, Lord willing. Harold Sommers Everyone is invited to the YMCA (BC) and Mike Atwood (GA) will on Saturday evening to enjoy the SOUTHEASTERN WORKERS CONF. minister the Word. The meetings will rock-climbing wall and gym.

The conference will be held in Linbe held at Wheatland Bible Chapel, Contact: Adam Horn colnton, GA Feb 18-20 at Lakeside 1303 Wheatland Road, Duncanville, email: jcbiblechapel@gmail.com Bible Chapel. Registration begins at TX 75116. Contact: John Daniels web: www.jcbiblechapel.org 6:30 pm Monday and the conference UPLOOK / N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7

Request your free “Ministry in India” DVD and become more aware of the ministry taking place throughout India!

FRONT LINES continued

HOPE IN THE LORD The Christians at Hope Bible Chapel in Birmingham AL cordially seek the blessing of your fellowship at-and your prayers for--their annual Spring Conference, Mar 19-23. The invited speaker is Mike Attwood (GA). Please contact for further information: 205-833-2380 email: prosborough@juno.com

YORK, PA BIBLE STUDY Now in its 18th year, the study meets at the North York Gospel Chapel, York, PA on the 2nd Saturday of the month Sep - May from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm with lunch provided.

Jan 12: Joel with Bob Spender, Feb 9: 2 Cor. with Bruce Hulshizer, Mar 8: Aspects of Salvation with John Gordon. Contact: Steve Hulshizer 717-308-2829 or email: S.Hulshizer1@verizon.net

SENIORS COMMUNITY IN MI Rest Haven Homes in Grand Rapids, MI is happy to report that there are opportunities for the Lord’s people to join their seniors community.

Rest Haven is a Christ-centered continuing care community that has been serving the Lord’s people for over 65 years. Their desire is to serve retired assembly Christians from around North America. Contact: Brian Wilson ph: 616-363-6819 web: resthavenhomes.org email: info@resthaven.org

GOSPEL MISSIONS OF INDIA GMI supports Christian workers and ministries in India associated with the assemblies who are engaged in

the task of carrying out Christ’s great commission. Steve Rusk, a GMI Board member, has put together a DVD from his last visit to several assembly ministries in north and south India for the benefit of the believers in North America. To receive a free copy of this informative and challenging DVD, contact GMI at email@gospelmi.org or write: GMI, P.O. Box 1043, Warren, MI 48089. Copies will be mailed within USA and Canada only.

Steve is available to visit assemblies in the USA and Canada to create awareness concerning the great need in India. Contact: P. Joseph Raju email: gospelmi@wowway.com

Steve Rusk

972-424-9889 or email: john_marilyn_daniels@verizon.net

NAME CHANGE

Emmanuel Bible Camp in PEI, Canada is looking to the Lord for a camp manager for the upcoming camp season. Fifty-four years in presenting the gospel to boys and girls in the area, Emmanuel continues to emphasize Christ in all its ministry.

Contact: Grant Canfield by email: gandscanfield@pei.sympatico.ca Lakeside Bible Camp, Clinton, WA, is looking to fill the position of Director of Camp Ministries. This person is responsible for shepherding oversight of the spiritual ministries of the camp, including evangelistic youth camps, family camps, and senior camps, as well as a variety of retreats for various age groups. Contact: Marty Hughes, 12422 8th Ave S, Seattle WA 98168 ph: 206-242-6925 email: Martin.Hughes@wamu.net

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

Parkside Ranch, located in Orford Quebec, Canada has a need for a full time cook, (single or couple). The cook position includes 8 weeks of summer camps with weekend and weekly groups during the year and the responsibility of ordering food. web: www.parksideranch.com email: registrar@parksideranch.com Fax: 819-868-6730 c/o Mr. Dean Somers, President

Logos School in Cyprus requires teachers commencing Sep 2008. The school will be hiring primary and high school teachers who are able to teach one or a combination of: Religious Studies, Math, Physics, Geography, History, English and Physical Education. Also needed is a primary teacher to fill a maternity leave from mid-Feb to June 2008. All inquiries should be sent to Gary Love. email: g.love@logos.ac.cy

Pittsboro Christian Village in Pittsboro, NC is seeking a Food Service Manager. This person will oversee Food Service Operations for Assisted Living and Independent Living residents of a Christian Continuing Care Retirement Community. If you have a desire to serve the Lord in a Christian environment, contact Gerald Baker at 919-542-3151 or email: gerald.baker@pcvnc.org

Emmaus Bible Fellowship in Tallahassee, FL has changed their name to Tallahassee Bible Chapel, meeting at 209 E. Brevard St. If any students or families are moving to the capital of Florida or attending Florida State University, please contact us via: www.tallahasseebiblechapel.com

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BIBLICAL BLUEPRINT by Jack Spender

Pastoral Care

Pastors were God’s idea. But we must understand what a biblical pastor does.

One of the truly great needs of assemblies today is a vibrant pastoral ministry that reaches out to the new, the hurting, and the needy.

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nyone who fellowships in a New Testament church with a plurality of elders will face this question sooner or later, often from a well-meaning fellow Christian, “Who is your Pastor?” Part of the equipping of the saints referred to in Ephesians 4:12 is to teach growing believers why we do what we do and how to defend important truths from Scripture. Otherwise, the impression may be given that this condition is admittedly abnormal and (hopefully) will soon be rectified.

To complicate matters, some assemblies that were once careful to imitate the New Testament pattern for church leadership have shifted their stance due to a sort of religious peer pressure to conform, while others aren’t sure what the underlying issues are and have adopted a “use whatever works” approach.

New Testament church leadership

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Only a brief survey of the Acts and Epistles is needed to assure us that the earliest Christian churches were led by a plurality of men called elders. Paul instructed both Timothy and Titus about how elders could be recognized and appointed, and he expected this pattern to be followed “in every city” (Titus 1:5). No example can be found of a church with a single “ruling elder” or single “Pastor.”

Even in his instructions to relatively new congregations such as in Thessalonica, Paul assumed that normal church leadership will be plural (see 1 Thes. 5:12).

The writings of Peter are no different. In addressing those who had been scattered abroad, Peter expected the number of those who led in the churches to be

several, not just a single individual, and called them elders (1 Pet. 5:1-2). This is significant since Peter, about to mention the Chief Shepherd (v. 4), might have taken the opportunity to address those in leadership as “the shepherds [i.e. pastors] who are among you.”

Instead, he specifically called them elders.

The benefits It is beyond the scope of this article to explore all the benefits of God’s design on this subject. Suffice it to say that the protection provided by a multitude of counselors or viewpoints in leadership, the different spiritual gifts that make up a leadership team, the training of younger men that occurs more readily where there is no professional clergy, the spreading out of the workload, and the smooth transition in replacing elders are just a few of the ways in which the wisdom of God is displayed in this extremely practical matter.

Suggestions to help How then can the truths concerning biblical leadership be built into the life of the church and the ministry of the Word in a way that both edifies and equips? Here are some suggestions: Judge pride. God hates it. No amount of excellence in church order can compensate for an attitude of superiority toward other Christian groups. Each person in the assembly must learn from both Scripture and the example of those in leadership that every true Christian community is a cause for thanksgiving to God and a potential opportunity to encourage other brothers and sisters in Christ. Answers to questions like the one at the head of this article need to be given in a spirit of love and humility, always rememberUPLOOK / N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7

ing that there are truths that others see more clearly than we do.

Provide basic instruction from the Bible on significant doctrines of ecclesiology. This includes the biblical terms used for church leaders, major passages on the subject, and clear statements as to how these truths are applied in our particular fellowship. Opportunities for questions and discussion, such as in a small group setting, are invaluable.

Practice using words correctly. People need training from Scripture as well as credible examples in real life to help them use biblical words correctly, especially important words. For example, spiritual gifts are not intended to be religious titles. Sometimes I hear church leaders lament, “I wish they wouldn’t call me Pastor, but since they do, I just accept it.” The antidote for misused words is not to avoid them, but to use them correctly. It’s OK to speak about people among us who are pastors (with a small “p”).

Help those in the fellowship become comfortable with expressions like “pastoral visit” and “pastoral care” without the ecclesiastical overtones that so often accompany such expressions.

Avoid lumping the terms “elder,” “overseer,” and “pastor” together as synonyms. They are not. The first two refer to the office or leadership position whose qualifications are clearly spelled out in several passages and are available to mature, qualifying men in the assembly. The third is a spiritual gift given to men, women, and young people by the sovereign act of God at the moment of conversion.

Never say, “We have no pastor.” Instead, explain that we are blessed with a number of people who have the spiritual gift of pastor though none has a title. The short answer is, “Thankfully, we have many pastors!”

In situations where people are coming into the assembly from denominational backgrounds, it is especially important for the elders to share or delegate functions that are often perceived as “ministerial.” These include conducting marriages and funerals, baptizing, passing out the bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper, and chair-

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ing important decision-making meetings.

Make sure that those who have pastoring gifts are able to function in a biblical manner, that is, not primarily as administrators, but as caregivers.

Instruct the more mature believers on the weaknesses of unbiblical positions. One of the most compelling arguments against the church “Pastor” position is to observe the verses wrongly used to support it. For example, there is no evidence that James, the brother of our Lord, was singled out as a man of influence in the church in Jerusalem because he was a titled official. He certainly was not its “head” as is sometimes claimed. In every reference to him in Acts he is simply called “James.” Most likely, his kinship to the Lord Jesus was recognized (much like the mention of Mary in Acts 1:14).

Some imagine that the angels addressed by the Lord in the letters to the seven churches in Asia (Revelation 2 and 3) must be the “Pastors.”

But there is no good reason to reject the normal meaning of the word used there as being “messenger.” We must not bypass teaching about church leadership that is abundant and clear in favor of what is, at best, conjecture.

One of the truly great needs of assemblies today is a vibrant pastoral ministry that reaches out to the new, the hurting, and the needy.

This good work must not be left to the elders alone! All those gifted must be functioning and encouraged. In an age when many churches acknowledge only one pastor (and he a preacher, administrator, and caregiver combined), groups seeking to follow the New Testament example have an opportunity to excel by providing rich shepherding skills from many different points within the fellowship.

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PASTORS continued

We must not bypass teaching about church leadership that is abundant and clear for what is, at best, conjecture.

HELP THOSE WOMEN by Shawn Abigail

Women Ministers

God has been ordaining women for thousands of years.

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…there are many ministries for which women are uniquely equipped. And there are some ministries in which only women can participate.

* When we use the word “silent” we mean that the woman is silent only as far as we are concerned.

She has complete liberty (and is greatly encouraged) to have unbroken communion with the Lord.

–ed.

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here are a lot of ministries women cannot participate in. Well, actually, not a lot.

In fact, there are very few. But it seems people make a big deal over those few and ignore all the ministries in which they can participate. In fact, there are many ministries for which women are uniquely equipped.

And there are some ministries in which only women can participate.

Let’s start by examining the “vast” list of restrictions on the ministry of the women in the assembly. They cannot speak in meetings of the church, and they cannot have authority over men or authoritatively teach men (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor. 14:34). That’s it. If that seems terribly restrictive, let’s remember that in most meetings of the church, a small minority of the men have anything to say.

Furthermore, only a few men will serve as elders or Bible teachers, having authority and authoritatively teaching the Word. If a man isn’t up at the pulpit speaking, is he a second-class Christian? Of course not. And if a woman has a biblical conviction that she should remain silent* in meetings of the church, does that mean she is wasting her gift as a second-class Christian? Of course not! So, while some would make much of these biblical restrictions, they are not, in fact, very restrictive.

Spiritual gifts But that’s enough discussion about what women can’t do. God has given the church women who minister in a wide range of capacities, so let’s discuss what they can

do. The obvious starting place is to discuss spiritual gifts. Four sections of Scripture discuss spiritual gifts in detail: Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. What is interesting to note is that none of these gifts are gender-specific. There may be a few specific ministries and venues where Christian women will not use their gifts, but the gifts themselves are available to both men and women. I’m thankful for the women who have gifts of teaching and evangelism.

From what I’m told, women teachers can often relate to other women in ways men find difficult. This is not to diminish the value of teaching from the pulpit by men, but is a simple acknowledgement that women can often speak to other women in a very special way. With regards to evangelism, it can be a dangerous temptation for a man to witness to a woman, and, in some cultures, it’s almost impossible. But women evangelists can reach other women quite effectively. Women may not be “ministers” in the sense denominational churches understand the expression, but there is no doubt they are ministering to the church!

Besides speaking gifts, what other spiritual gifts might women use to minister? The answer is obvious: all of the gifts! Whatever permanent gifts the Spirit has given to the churches are available for women to use in ministry. One seldom discussed gift is that of administration or ruling. A woman will not exercise such a gift in the ministry of formal oversight. But under the authority of the elders in an assembly, she might coordinate an evangelistic outreach for the whole assembly, or a program of visitation to nursing homes, or marshal the efforts of the women in the assembly behind some worthy cause.

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Training younger women Consider Titus 2:4, where the older women are told to train the younger women to love their husbands and children. Doesn’t this seem odd? One would think a newly-wed wife or a young mother would already love her husband and children.

And, in a sense, she certainly does. But since the Scripture gives this command, there must be an aspect of love which can be taught and learned.

It is unlikely that this is referring to emotional attachment, for that is usually present when a woman gets married or has a baby. More likely, this is referring to the development of a giving attitude. When a woman first starts a relationship, her husband is likely to dote on her. But as the relationship matures, and particularly when she starts having babies, she is called upon to give more and more of herself. She is called upon to give when she doesn’t want to give, and even to give when she feels she has nothing left to give.

An older woman can come alongside to help and encourage her in these new situations in ways that no man could truly understand, much less accomplish. The older woman will teach by example and by word. In her own life she’ll demonstrate that while giving isn’t easy, her whole family has been blessed. And if the older woman is wise, she’ll use Scripture to demonstrate that these principles are true and timeless. Nobody should doubt the value of this sort of ministry; and, if a church is blessed with even one older woman who ministers in this way, it will make a significant difference in the life of the body.

Ministers in deed In Romans 16, Paul gives personal greetings to a long list of coworkers and friends. In verse 13 we read, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.” Here we see a woman who treated the apostle Paul as her own son. Paul traveled under rough conditions and had no familiarity with luxury. Yet this precious woman’s care for a traveling worker was such that her deeds are recorded for eternity in Scripture. To the list of women who ministered to the Lord’s workers we could add Lydia (Ac.

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WOMEN MINISTERS continued

16:15), as well as Joanna and Susanna (Lk. 8:3), and Martha (Lk. 10:38) who ministered to the Lord Jesus Himself. When the Lord’s workers are away from home and family, they depend on the hospitality of the Lord’s people. A woman with a heart for the ministry of hospitality can make a tremendous difference to the worker’s stay, affecting the entire character of his ministry.

In some cases, it might even be the difference between a worker extending his stay to continue to bless with his ministry, or leaving early to return to his family. The importance of this ministry cannot be exaggerated.

Lastly, we should consider some of the traditional ways women have ministered. These include child care, Sunday School, DVBS, and food groups. While listed last they are certainly not least, and nobody should dismiss the value of these ministries. Many a young mother needs a break and a chance to hear the Bible taught on a Sunday morning, and the opportunity comes through other women who lovingly staff the nursery. It is no exaggeration to say that most churches would not have Sunday Schools if it were not for the women who volunteer to teach the children. Before I was saved, I was blessed to attend a DVBS run by a couple of young ladies in a Baptist church. They had it on their hearts to help win us for the Lord, and though my decision came later, I believe their ministry was one of the means by which the Lord reached me with the gospel.

And while some politicians may disparage women who “bake cookies,” the women’s food groups help foster fellowship among the Lord’s people between meetings, at fellowship meals, and at conferences. Frankly, we can have a profitable conference without a guest speaker (through Bible readings), but it’s hard to have a conference without somebody feeding us!

Some may wonder why we don’t have women ministers. But from this short list it should be clear that we do have women ministers in a biblical sense. The sisters among us have a fruitful and valuable ministry, which is as the Lord intended.

What would the foreign field be like if the sisters were recalled?

Bleak indeed!

Think of medical workers, teachers, translators, correspondence course workers, those who work in women’s prisons, orphanages, senior care homes…

DARE TO THINK Love God With Your Mind

Practical Ways to Support Missionaries How can we help?

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few months ago, I e-mailed several missionaries asking for their ideas about assembly support of missionaries. Their ages ranged from missionaries in their first year of service to one sister in her 90’s.

I received 47 pieces of e-mail in response. This is a summary of some of their suggestions. Most of the ideas below were echoed in more than one letter.

Keep in contact

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We need to honestly assess our personal and corporate interest in missions and ask the Lord to burden us as needed. • Missionaries especially want to hear what ways people are praying for them.

• Send pictures, church bulletins, and prayer chain e-mails. • Getting copies of ordinary assembly news (births, marriages, deaths, dinners, who spoke on what, etc.) is very much appreciated. • Technology (e.g. Skype, phone cards) makes regular phone calls inexpensive, if not free. Appoint someone to make regular calls to the missionary. • Replace prayer newsletters with a monthly recorded phone call or a live phone or internet discussion during the prayer meting.

• Have someone in the assembly visit the missionary once every few years to observe the work personally. • Get to know the country the missionary is serving in, and the work they are doing. • Send a card and stamped envelope around the assembly. Have someone new write the card each month.

Minister to missionary children Send birthday cards and presents. One brother said that the most touching gift they ever received was a birthday card with $10 in it for their daughter. • Have assembly children write missionary children. • When children reach high school age, they will need a computer. • How will missionaries pay for college? (CMML has a fund that believers can contribute to for this purpose.) • Mission-

ary children may not get a chance to see family members and grandparents regularly without assembly help. • The level of support and attention a missionary receives from home assemblies has a powerful effect on their children’s esteem of God and His people. • Help missions children reintegrate into “home” society.

Think about drivers licenses, bank accounts, and who the MK will stay with during the weeks between returning from the field and going off to college. • Just because parents are missionaries does not mean their children will be. Moving “home” to a country where they did not grow up is a major struggle for many missionary children.

Stay in tune Someone in the assembly should maintain regular contact with the commended worker and help the assembly keep aware of urgent prayer requests, victories, and challenges. • Missionaries should not become free agents, disconnected from assemblies. They need accountability and input, like all believers. • Missions work needs to be regularly presented to and praised before assembly children.

Some missionaries mentioned fearing to be honest and open with the believers back home. • Several missionaries recommended that families be encouraged to “adopt a missionary.” Encourage each family in the assembly to communicate with, pray for, and support a missionary on a regular basis. • Everyone in the assembly should make a point of speaking to missionaries when they visit. • Be aware that missionary work can be very lonely for a variety of reasons. • It is a false assumption that believers will simply catch-on to the need to support missions. Missionary projects, support opportunities, and fellowship in the gospel need to be repeated frequently. • Replace the old assembly missionary bulletin-board map with something that will help saints keep in tune with missions work. • Buy everyone a copy of the Missionary Prayer Handbook UPLOOK / N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7

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and show them how to use it. • Get the assembly to pray for the missionaries’ needs regularly.

to support retirement homes that serve missionaries.

When they come home

Know their cost of living

Just because missionaries return home on furlough does not mean they do not need financial support at that time.

Let them rest. Putting things in order in a foreign country prior to a long trip home can be exhausting. A couple of weeks in one place without any engagements can be extremely refreshing. • Have a designated home gathering or lunch where everyone can visit the missionary for a time of sharing and catching up, rather than having the missionary travel all over town. • Provide a furnished place for missionaries to stay on furlough, along with a vehicle. • Who ministers spiritually to missionaries if they are constantly putting out?

Encourage the missionary to honestly share about the cost of living and inflation in their region. (e.g. gas is about $7-10 a gallon in some countries.) • Know the exchange rate and what your currency will buy in the missionary’s country. Your gifts may not be buying as much as you imagine they could. • Remind believers that some missionaries live in huge cities, not jungle huts. In some cases, their expenses are higher than yours. • Visas for missionaries in Asia and the Middle East may be very costly, especially when they must be bought regularly for a full family. • Help the missionary purchase a specific item or expense on a regular basis: travel, auto insurance, outreach literature, home repairs, tools, car repairs, clothing or furniture.

Outreach and ministry tools Does your missionary need translation equipment, books, computer software, medical equipment, vehicles, printing materials, textile materials, well-digging, or construction equipment? • Some missionaries can be funded to set up clinics, schools, and training centers that will draw vast numbers of locals to their doors if believers back here are willing to fellowship in that type of work.

Medical issues Some missionaries simply skip health care for financial reasons. Is your assembly willing to purchase it for them? Assembly Care can help in this area. • Medical coverage when missionaries return on furlough is a big concern for many. • If missionaries are in primitive areas, look into what you can do to make phone-based medical advice available to them from a doctor friend or an actual service.

Older missionaries Most missionaries have no retirement plan and are unsure what will happen to them during this period in their life.

Assemblies should not overlook the support of retired missionaries. • Elders should be ready to talk with the missionary to see if the assembly can or should help with the work once the missionary retires. • Help the missionary learn in advance about what living arrangements are available to them when they come home in their old age.

• Contact CMML or Assembly Care about what you can do

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Giving As assemblies change leadership, some older missionaries are being forgotten because new leaders don’t know them. • Brand new missionaries may be less well-known and less supported. • If second-hand offerings were not pleasing to God in Leviticus, then we should be careful before developing the mindset that missionaries should always receive hand-me-downs. • Preach about giving to commended workers as much as you preach about the need for them to trust God for support. Scripture teaches both sides of the same coin. • One brother mentioned that another worker’s children had said that they never wanted to be missionaries because it meant “you had to be poor.”

• Some missionaries publicize their needs; others would never dream of doing so. Consider carefully which of these two courses of action you want to reward. • A helpful question is, “What does this worker need to be effective in doing what God has called him/her to do?” • Some believers think CMML or Bible colleges pay missionaries.

Teach new believers and growing children about their responsibility to support workers. • While it is fine for elders to coordinate giving with missionaries, this should not result in ignorance on the part of believers as to missionaries needs or how their gifts are being used.

(CONTINUES ON PAGE 24)

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DARE TO THINK continued

IN THE SANCTUARY by Warren Henderson

Worship Leaders Who will help us worship?

Three things were forbidden in OT worship: “strange gods” (Deut. 32:16), “strange fire” (Lev. 10:1) and “strange incense” (Ex. 30:9). In this article, the author warns against the NT counterparts.

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ontemporary terms such as “worship team,” “worship pastor,” and “worship leaders” have crept into many church gatherings. Are these terms found in Scripture? The answer is “no.” In fact, the concepts are foreign to Scripture. If there is any “worship leader” in the local assembly, it is the Holy Spirit. His role is to guide believers into a deeper understanding of truth concerning the Lord Jesus and the overall greatness and goodness of God. Only through Spirit-led worship, which will be completely founded on divine truth, can the believer offer any acceptable sacrifice of praise to God. “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:23-24).

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Worship words Reviewing how the word “worship” is used in Scripture provides helpful insights into what God expects from those He created for His good pleasure.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words shows the following Greek words rendered “worship,” along with their associated meanings. They are listed here by their type of speech along with the number of occurrences of each.

Verbs Word proskuneo sebomai sebazomai latreuo eusebeo TOTAL

Meaning Occurrence to make obeisance, 60 do reverence to to revere 10 to honor religiously 1 to serve, to render 21 religious service to act piously towards 2 94

Nouns Word Meaning Occurrence sebasma an object of worship 2 ethelothreskeia will-worship 4 (voluntary worship) threskeia religion (a ceremonial 1 observance) TOTAL 7 Probing beyond the meanings of “worship” to the context of the seven instances in which the noun form of worship is used, we find that believer’s worship is not the focus. Most of the references are negative in connotation (i.e. relating to false worship or man’s religious rote): • Acts 17:23 speaks of idol worship.

• 2 Thessalonians 2:4 relates to the antiChrist during the Tribulation period.

• Acts 26:5 refers to the religious sect of the Pharisees.

• Colossians 2:18 faults the worship of angels.

• James 1:26 talks of man’s religion.

• James 1:27 clarifies what “pure religion” is in the form of a test.

• Colossians 2:23 addresses legalism as religious showmanship.

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WORSHIP LEADERS continued

there should be worship, praise, and adoration for the Lord at all meetings. We should never be conscious of a time when the Lord is not at the center of our attention.

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As there are no adjectives to evaluate, and the above nouns do not relate directly to the believer’s worship, we are left with an abundance of verbs confirming that “worship” is something that we do; it does not describe what we have done for God, nor does it describe who we are. So the entire concept of someone standing up before a congregation of the Lord’s people as the “worship leader” is unknown in the Bible. As believer priests, all Christians are to be worshipping God, and the Holy Spirit will guide and lead the activity. Introducing worship as an adjective or to formulate a title for men is in opposition to the clear usage of the word in Scripture.

What about the worship meeting?

In light of how worship is spoken of in Scripture, it must be concluded that referring to the Lord’s Supper as the “worship meeting” is not actually correct. That is not to say that worship doesn’t happen during this meeting, or, for that matter, at any other meeting of the church. Certainly God’s people in the Old Testament worshipped God while Ezra was teaching them from the Scripture (Neh. 8:1-8). The Lord’s Supper is an appointed time for the local church to remember the Lord Jesus and to proclaim the value of His death (1 Cor. 11:24-26). It is a remembrance meeting in which the believers will certainly worship the Lord, but it is more specific than a worship meeting. The danger of the change in terminology is that, in time, the worship meeting will become an opportunity for offering “strange fire” to the Lord in the name of Christ, while neglecting what Christ commanded His supper to be. It has happened before, and it may happen again. Adhering to the biblical name of the meeting helps protect against drifting away from the biblical intent of the meeting.

The idea of the Lord’s Supper being the worship meeting has already influenced the conduct of some. For example, some sisters only wear a headcovering during the breaking of bread and not during the other church meetings. Why? Because, in their thinking, that is the only meeting in which the assembly worships God. In fact,

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The reality for the believer-priest is that he or she can offer worship to God at any moment in time. Every time we yield to God’s truth instead of pursuing our desires and selfish will, we offer a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1-2). It is the pagan that works to induce or force worship.

This is often attempted through disordered music (Dan. 3), but the Lord’s people may be, and should be, prompted to worship from a joyful heart at all times, not just at one particular meeting. So let us be careful that we worship God without worshipping our worship!

Let us be careful that we worship God without worshipping our worship!

SCIENCE & YOU Visible creation showing the invisible God

Fish Food

Beware the Cartoon Diet.

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here are often news stories promoting causes like animal rights, whaling bans, or vegetarian diets.

The tone of these reports attempts to place advocates of these issues on a higher moral and ethical plain than those who believe that both plants and animals have been given to people as food. But using plants and animals for food isn’t only supported by the Bible (Gen. 1:29; 9:3), but by biology as well.

The biological truth is that all animals live off the death of other living things, be they plants (herbivores) or other animals (carnivores). Death is essential for life because death provides the building blocks and fuel for life. Unlike the Disney version of nature, where animals speak English and eat only fruits and nuts, real animals routinely kill and eat each other just as they are designed to do. And whether they are a cat or a shark, they kill without any ethical or moral anxiety over the rights of their prey. This was sharply illustrated when I watched our pet cat catch, kill, and devour a wild rabbit, something he does instinctively and regularly.

Evolutionists typically view people as just another type of animal. Oddly, some of them also believe it is ethically and morally wrong for people to kill and eat animals when this same practice is essential for the survival of all animals on earth. In its place, some suggest that people eat only vegetables and grains—as if this practice does not involve the death of a living organism.

It is possible to live a healthy life on a vegetarian diet.

However, one must be careful to eat the right combination of vegetables because particular vegetables lack some of the amino acids people need. By contrast, red meat and fish are the richest, most complete individual sources of all essential amino acids in the human diet.

Fish are a particularly healthy dietary choice because so-called “oily” fish like tuna, sardines, salmon, mackerel, and herring contain an abundance of polyunsaturated fats called Omega-3 fats. The American Heart Association currently recommends eating oily fish at least twice a week for the prevention of heart disease.1

“And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them” (see Lk. 24:42f).

Despite the health benefits of eating fish, Disney continues to promote a fictitious view of nature. In the animated film Finding Nemo, Bruce is a great white shark with a “problem”—he eats other fish for food. To change this unacceptable behavior he attends a self-help group with two other sharks. Together they repeat the mantra “fish are friends, not food” and support each other on the seven-step road to recovery. But real sharks are designed to eat other fish, and one wonders what Bruce would eat if he did not eat fish.

While humans are not animals, human life is dependent on the death of plants and animals for survival and this is consistent with both biology and the Bible.

So we—and Bruce—can eat up with a clear conscience because fish really are food, not friends.

—Michael G. Windheuser, Ph.D.

1 W.S. Harris, “Fish oil supplementation: Evidence for health benefits,” Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, vol. 71(3), 2004, 208-221.

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REPORTINGLive A World in Need

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men…” (Gal 6:10)

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ur world is rightly described as a “groaning creation.” It brings with it a flood of mixed emotions: compassion for the needy, frustration at our seeming helplessness to make much of a difference, and gratitude for the relative calm and safety of our own lives (and perhaps a tinge of guilt in even thinking that!).

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: The ravages of AIDS UNICEF has stated that last year 12 million children age 18 and younger lost one or both of their parents because of AIDS. This creates a tremendous need among world youth, especially in Africa. The organization estimates that by 2010, more than 20 million children will be orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Evidence for that is becoming visible already. In many areas there are no middle aged; everyone is very young or very old. In some places, the average life expectancy has dropped from somewhere around 60 and 70 years old to younger than 35. What vast need! What opportunity!

BANGLADESH: Cyclone Sidr Assessments are still being made of the damage of Cylcone Sidr which struck the vulnerable country of Bangladesh on November 16. Early estimates say that 60 to 70 percent of the houses in the affected area were destroyed. Nearly 95 percent of the rice crops that were ready for harvest were also destroyed. Sidr came in at 150 mph and killed at least 1,100 people. With communication lines down, it has been difficult to give and receive information. Pray for this needy country.

PERU: A new type of missionary Peter Hocking reports in MSC Canada News of being in the jungle city of Pucallpa where he was teaching at a retreat of tribal missionaries now reaching out to other tribes. Several are seeking uncontacted tribes hidden in the jungle. How thrilling to see the evangelized become the evangelists! Especially pray for these workers whose names will not appear on any formal missionary list.

SPAIN: Six million in Zaragoza Les Frey reports that their city of Zaragoza will host Expo2008 there next summer. Preparations for evangelism are well under way. They are told to expect 6 million visitors. Plans include campaigns and mass distribution to assure that all hear the gospel. Interested in helping? Contact Les at freyfam@teleline.es

TURKEY: Trial to resume in January Five men accused of murdering three Christian workers have gone to trial in Malatya, central Turkey. The trial resumes January 14. The defendants face life sentences for torturing and slitting the throats of Necati Aydin, 35, Ugur Yuksel, 32, and German Tilmann Geske, 46, on April 18. Despite government reforms to aid their bid to join the European Union, there is no indication of increasing religious freedom. While the Turkish constitution includes freedom of religion, worship services are only permitted in “buildings created for this purpose,” and those who dare to profess Christ face harassment, threats and prison. Evangelism is difficult.

WILLING AND ABLE TO HELP? If you wish to help in getting aid to assembly workers in countries where natural disasters occur, contact: CMML: PO Box 13, Spring Lake, NJ 07762-0013 USA phone: (732) 449-8880 e-mail: cmml@cmmlusa.org MSC Canada: 509 - 3950 14th Ave, Markham, ON Canada L3R 0A9 phone: (905) 947-0468 e-mail: msc@msc.on.ca ECHOES of Service: 124 Wells Road, Bath, England BA2 3AH phone: 01225 310893 e-mail: echoes@echoes.org.uk

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REPORTING LIVE

CROSS CANADA CRUISERS: Now is the time Thanks to you who are praying for the new gospel venture to begin, Lord willing, in Canada shortly after Easter of 2008. A group of evangelists from across the nation are eager to begin!

We have been able to acquire four cars so far and a few young men have sent in their applications.

Others have inquired, but we are praying for enough men for two teams (one travelling west from the Atlantic, one travelling east from the Pacific). The Lord is greatly blessing the Good News on the Move teams in the U.S. and we long to see the same encouragement spreading across Canada. Interested? Contact Grant Canfield at gandscanfield@pei.sympatico.ca

A NEW MAGAZINE: North American Pioneering Uplook magazine was founded in 1927 and originally named Look on the Fields because the burden of the editor was to bring the need of the North American evangelistic work and workers to the prayerful attention of the Lord’s people.

In the spirit of that original vision, a new special edition of Uplook will

A 1957 Pontiac Super Chief with a classic ’50s style gray and coral paint job. Looking for people lost in the ’50s.

be published in the will of the Lord on a quarterly basis. Called “North American PIONEERING,” it will appear as Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall issues.

Uplook will be published eight times per year in its present format, meaning those on the mailing list will now receive twelve magazines per year, eight of them labeled simply as Uplook and four of them as Uplook: North American PIONEERING. Both formats are published by Uplook Ministries and Uplook Ministries (Canada).

Brother Jamie Martin will continue as editor of the eight regular issues of Uplook and Jabe Nicholson will take responsibility for the four Pioneering issues. We hope to include introductions of pioneer workers, gospel tips, reports from the North American field, outreach possibilities, current testimonies, suggestions for helpful evangelistic materials, and answers to commonly asked questions.

These four issues will be produced in a fairly plain fashion with a common cover and few graphics. We will hope to include maps and photos, but the intent is to provide a handbook for prayer, gospel strategy, and the practical support of evangelistic endeavors in North America.

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THE ULTIMATE FAMILY by Colin Anderson

His Father and Ours

These are relationships based on God’s abounding grace.

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“...but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.” (Jn. 20:17)

hese words should be very precious to us for they expose the depths of His love for those whom He redeemed with His own blood, and they expound the great blessing into which He has brought us.

Notice how He addresses His own. We are, He says, His brethren and, as such, united with Him. “For both He that sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of One, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Heb. 2:11). So all-encompassing is His work that He is not embarrassed to include us with Himself as He describes His relationship with His Father.

But this was a new relationship for Him as well as for us. That last sentence might sound strange, but think for a moment. During His ministry prior to the cross, He could rightly

and uniquely speak of His (very own) Father.

Because of this claim to an exclusive relationship, His brethren after the flesh were determined to crucify Him (Jn. 5:18). They understood that this was a claim to deity. And it is clear that no one else could ever share in His essential relationship as the only begotten Son. But now, we who believe are His brethren,

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for He embraced true humanity at Bethlehem, entering into our condition, apart from sin.

We are now united to Him who has been raised from the dead (Rom. 7:4). Where He goes, we go. What He is, we are. That glorified Man is a sample of what we are before God: “The firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20), “As He is, so are we in this world” (1 Jn. 14:17). So, He ascended to His Father and to ours, to His God and to ours.

Not that the relationships are identical, of course. He does not say, “I am ascending to our Father and to our God.” Nonetheless, there are lessons to be learned and blessings to be enjoyed from these new relationships.

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, in their Commentary On The Whole Bible, put this very neatly, but their comment is obscure if you do not take time to meditate on it. They quote from the Church Fathers: “His Father essentially, ours not so; our God essentially, His not so; His God only in connection with us; our God only in connection with Him.” I have tried to make this a little clearer in the thoughts expressed above. I hope I have succeeded. If not, think on His words rather than mine or theirs—you will surely be blessed as I have been.

We need to think much on this grand truth. True faith lays hold not of what we are from a natural perspective, but on what we are in Christ. When we pray, we ought to think more of the holy and precious relationship we now have with His Father and ours, His God and ours. It is one of those verses that will enable us to come, not irreverently, but nevertheless with great boldness to the throne of grace. It is then that prayer becomes communion and we find it easy to ask according to His will, for we are so conscious of His grace and our hearts are full of praise.

FOUNDATIONS by Steve Batts

A Statement of Faith What do we believe?

Everyone has his own belief system. What matters is what that belief system is based upon. The foundation must be reliable.

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n the 1990’s, the trend for businesses was to have a company “mission statement” to clearly state what your overall mission was, as a corporation. I always considered it somewhat silly. The company I worked for had executives spend time summing up what we did in politically correct corporate jargon.

Instead of simply saying, “We sell widgets,” a company’s mission statement becomes, “To provide the highest level of customer service by providing outstanding products at a reasonable price.” Isn’t that stating the obvious?

Shouldn’t everyone do their best at their work to move the company product?

The same holds true of the church. Every denomination has its own statement of faith. Down through the ages, many creeds and documents have been issued stating what various groups of people believe.

Many local churches have statements of faith, and it is even popular now to write a personal statement of faith.

It is usually a summary of what a group believes, particularly on key points. I am not saying there is anything inherently wrong with this.

It is just that, like a mission statement, it should be obvious what the church believes: the Bible.

for you in technical jargon! But all this means is that the Bible is God’s inspired Word, that every word is inspired, and it contains no errors. It also means that we take it seriously.

The Bible is the Christian’s handbook from God through the men that He moved to write it. In 2 Timothy 3:16f we read, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works.”

Peter looked to the Word of God as his sole source for truth. In 2 Peter 1:3, he says, “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”

Peter is saying that God has given us everything we need through “the knowledge of Him.” Where do we get the knowledge of God? In the Bible. Peter goes on to say that the Scriptures are the surest thing we have, even more certain than his own personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 19).

This is because the Scriptures speak of Christ, and the prophecies concerning Christ corroborated his own experience.

I realize that this is being somewhat simplistic, but that is the point. If we claim to be Christians, then that means we are followers of the Lord Jesus and His teachings. Where do we go to learn all about Him and His teachings? The answer, of course, is the Bible.

God’s provision: the Bible

Other belief systems

We do have to pause here to explain what we mean when we say we believe the Bible. It means that we take the Word of God literally and believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture. Now there’s a statement of faith

Everyone has his own belief system. What matters is what that belief system is based upon.

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in the right places. It tells them to look within themselves, which is a bad place to start. Paul says in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.”

The only source of truth we can rely on is God, and the place we find His truth is in His Word, the Bible. But a difficulty arises when various people see things in Scripture differently and meet based on those differences. Sadly, some even add to what is found in Scripture and incorporate these additions into what they officially believe. This leads to their statement of faith becoming a statement of their personal belief system. The end result is many different denominations and gatherings of believers that meet around their common belief systems. This is why formal denominations often have titles: the believers have a common belief system and meet under a name that identifies it. Don’t get me wrong. There are many good believers in denominational churches. But this ought to prompt us to ask ourselves some important questions: what is our statement of faith and under what name do we meet?

Our beliefs We can get used to saying that we meet in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our statement of faith may even reflect the fact that we seek to solely meet based on the principles found in the Word of God. But, often, we start to boast of the fact that we try to follow the New Testament pattern, and we shift the emphasis off our

FOR YOUR STUDY

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Lord and onto our way of meeting. Or we start to consider ourselves as being part of the Plymouth Brethren or the Assembly movement, and can even become proud of that. When we do this, our non-denomination becomes its own denomination. To some degree, we have stopped following Christ and the Bible and started following men and their belief systems.

Our basis of meeting is Christ. Our statement of faith is the Bible. We, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, should look to Him only as our Head. We should seek answers in His Word alone. This only happens when we earnestly seek Him through the Bible; when we let the Scriptures speak to us and conform us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). We must not look to the Word of God to bolster our own personal beliefs, and we must avoid the trap of taking pride in a position we hold.

We need to follow Paul’s admonition in Colossians 3:16f: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” Let us allow God’s Word to live in us and through us. It is our statement of faith. We need to let it make its statement upon us.

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THE CHURCH’S STATEMENT OF FAITH continued

Let us allow God’s Word to live in us and through us.

The phrase, “…of the Lamb” - the wrath - Rev 6:16 - the blood - Rev 7:14; 12:11 - the book of life - Rev 13:8 - the presence - Rev 14:10 - the song - Rev 15:3 - the marriage - Rev 19:7 - the marriage supper - Rev 19:9 - the wife - Rev 21:9 - the twelve apostles - Rev 21:14 - the throne - Rev 22:1, 3

VITAL LINKS by Wesley Ferguson

The Church and the Name

Association and authority are joined in this blessed Person.

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” (Col. 3:17)

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n the New Testament, there is a close connection between the churches of Christ and the name of Christ. It may, however, be helpful to outline some ways in which the name of Christ—perhaps occasionally referred to simply as “the Name”—is associated with a wide variety of activities of believers, both individually and corporately.

Preaching in His name The divinely appointed way of drawing sinners into relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is through preaching. It is significant, then, to notice that in Acts chapter 4, the Jerusalem authorities perceived the apostles as speaking and teaching on the authority of the Name— “this name” or “the name of Jesus,” as they said.

The fact that they made this impression on the authorities tells us something about how they preached. It was the place given to the Lord Jesus by the preachers which alarmed the Jewish leaders and made them feel threatened.

The preaching of the apostles in the early chapters of Acts was effective, for it was perceived that power was evident in the name of the risen Christ. The case of the lame man in chapters 3 and 4 was the focus of attention.

He was helpless, unable to join the crowd who thronged to worship in the temple. Peter called on him, “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,” to rise up and walk. Peter’s explanation of what had happened is pointed: “[Ye] killed the Prince

of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know” (Ac. 3:15-16). Thus the Name is associated not only with the preaching but also with the power which made it effective.

Baptism in His name Upon believing, the hearers were baptized in the name of the Trinity, in accordance with the great commission of Matthew 28. There are slightly differing phrases used in this connection. Let it suffice to say that baptism was administered with divine authority and declared that those baptized were now connected with divine Persons. As the Israelites who went through the Red Sea following Moses were said to have been “baptized unto Moses in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:2), so those baptized now declare that they are committed to follow Christ. Association and authority are linked in this context.

Prayer in His name Before He went to the cross, the Lord Jesus promised His disciples that whatever they prayed in His name, He would do. Praying in His name is not just a matter of adding the words “in His name” to the end of our prayers so as to make them effective. If we pray so as to seek to get God to do our will, it is inconsistent to suggest that we are praying in His Son’s name. Our prayers are in His name only if we pray in a spirit of submission to His authority and for the glory of that name.

It is a great thing to be able to pray in His name, for apart from our association with Him, we have no standing before God, no ground to expect that we shall be heard. Once again, His name is connected with association and authority.

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Suffering for His name Acts chapter 5 introduces us to another context for our association with His name. The apostles had defied a ban placed on their preaching by the authorities at Jerusalem. When arraigned before the council, Peter spoke boldly about their reasons for insisting on obeying God rather than men. Only the wise counsel of Gamaliel prevented the council from executing the preachers. They called the apostles in and beat them, forbade them once again to preach in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The reaction of the beaten witnesses was impressive: they rejoiced that they “were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name” (v. 41, RV). Then they went on preaching as before.

The authority under which they preached overrode human authority, secular or religious, for it was the Lord’s commission. Their association with the rejected, now glorified Lord was of much greater import to them than the mere brief pain of a beating by scared human councils. In many countries today, the Lord’s servants have this experience of knowing the privilege of such association with the Lord, in suffering as well as in rejoicing. To such as suffer in this way, the Name demands a capital letter!

Gathered in His name But there is a context in which the Name is of great preciousness to the people of God. The contexts mentioned so far have been the experience of His people as individuals. God, however, has not designed that His own should be merely isolated individuals. He has instituted family life for the good of humanity, and, in a similar way, has arranged that His people should be united in the life of a local church. This is described by the Lord Jesus as “where two or three are gathered together in my name” (Mt. 18:20). This expression is in a context where problems need to be settled and discipline exercised. He speaks of “telling [something] to the church,” and then goes on to speak of “two or three,” so it is a local gathering, not a worldwide institution. The vital thing to notice is that He speaks of this small company as being

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associated with His name. This indicates association with Him and authority exercised by Him. Can we think of the connection with the Name in this instance as merely a naming exercise? Surely not! If His name is supreme in such a company then His will must be done there.

The people so gathered cannot decide to follow a cafeteria approach to divine truth, taking what we like and rejecting what we dislike. Nor is it possible to think of such a gathering as merely following the lines laid down by some religious movement, however worthy the originators of that movement were. Nor is it possible to base such a company on adherence to some doctrine or practice, however worthy that practice may be. It is most inappropriate that members of such a company should indulge in self-congratulation, as if we were “in need of nothing,” unlike other companies who do not measure up to our high standards! Laodicea in Revelation 3 serves as a warning to us.

Even if we could make a checklist of the deficiencies of thousands of other companies, this would not even begin to show that we were accurately described as “gathered to the Name,” for we might be just as wrong as they, if indeed they are as wrong as we suggest. “Jesus Christ is Lord” is a splendid starting-point for looking at the status of a New Testament church. But how careful we must be to seek to live this out, for lipservice will not do. His Word must be our guide, His glory our motive, His honor our priority.

There may be a temptation to seek to establish federations of little companies of like mind.

It may seem prudent to work towards a situation where we have influence with political powers by having powerful spokesmen who have audience with the mighty. The Lord speaks of His presence in the midst. This is greater security than any political association; it is association with the Lord of all. Humble conformity to the Word of God is a greater protection than manifestos or creeds. If we have the privilege of fellowship with a company gathered simply as He said, let us trust Him and humbly seek grace to follow His ways.

The people [gathered in His name] cannot decide to follow a cafeteria approach to divine truth.

FOR PREACHERS by Mike Attwood

Preaching on Church Truth Understanding the New Testament model

When should we teach it?

We need to be reminded of these truths regularly. One assembly I am acquainted with had an annual series of gospel meetings and an annual series on church truth, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. They did not want to forget the need to evangelize, but neither did they want to forget the reason why we meet the way we do.

Otherwise, these principles, which are already under attack in today’s church, will quickly be abandoned.

Why we need to teach it Why should we do this on a regular basis? First, over time, the assembly changes. Hopefully, new believers are added and they need to be exposed to these teachings. Ideally these truths should be addressed before someone new is received into fellowship.

Also, existing believers are prone to forget. It may even be that some have never really comprehended or embraced these truths, even if they have heard them before. Lastly, we all benefit from repetition in teaching (2 Pet. 1:12-13).

Why is it neglected?

In these politically correct days, warm bodies are deemed so valuable that there is sometimes a fear of scaring them off by teaching on New Testament principles. Or sometimes elders do not have these convictions themselves, so they are unwilling to deal with them.

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t is said of the Lord Jesus that, “Zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up” (Jn. 2:17). In the Old Testament, the house of God was the temple; in the New Testament it is “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Could we deduce then that it’s impossible to be Christ-like if we are indifferent to the house of God? “Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for it” (Eph. 5:25). Surely we ought to love what He loves! The saints need to be reminded of the importance of the church and urged passionately to be involved in its work and service.

“I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

(1 Tim. 3:15) New Testament principles without New Testament power can be cold and lifeless, so any such teaching must be balanced with an emphasis on dependence upon the living God as we seek to live out these vital principles. We also need to have our obedience to these truths wrapped in garments of love for Christ and for one another.

What then should we teach?

Key passages include 1 Corinthians 11-14; 1 Timothy 2-3; Titus; 1 Peter 2, 4-5; Acts 2, 20. There are also many Old Testament portions which deal with the house of God, and, although it is a different dispensation, many of the same principles apply. However, it has been humorously stated that some brethren can find church truth in the dedication to King James at the front of the Bible, so we must be careful not to go too far!

Topics include the headship and preeminence of Christ; Christ’s love for the church and, therefore, its great importance; the priesthood of all believers; baptism and the Lord’s Supper; membership in the univerUPLOOK / N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7

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What results should we be looking for?

sal church; fellowship and reception to the local assembly; spiritual gifts; church government and practical shepherd care; principles of giving to the work of the Lord; commendation; gospel testimony of the local assembly; church discipline and restoration; unity; being gathered to His name alone; headship and its symbolic practice, including the veiling of sisters; distinct roles of men and women in God’s assembly; the clear distinction between Israel and the church; and finally, although this is intended to be suggestive rather than exhaustive, the heavenly calling and rapture of the church.

Our preaching on this topic should be designed to strengthen convictions by giving the reasons why we do what we do. Our aim is to deepen involvement in the local church; to work, these principles demand committed people. We ask ourselves, “If everyone in the assembly was like me, what kind of an assembly would there be?”

Above all, we seek to honor Christ, who is not only the head of the church, but its gathering center. These principles of gathering all speak of Him. He is the only real attraction. There is nothing here to appeal to the flesh, but to the spiritually-minded saint, the subject is delightful!

Helpful resources •C hurch Doctrine and Practice, published by Precious Seed Publications • Christ Loved the Church by William MacDonald, published by Walterick Publications • The Christian Assembly by J.R. Littleproud, published by Gospel Folio Press

Our preaching should… strengthen convictions by giving the reasons why we do what we do.

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DARE TO THINK continued

General advice “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt. 6:21). • Do we have a heart for missions? • Local assembly leaders should regularly remind assemblies of helpful tools: the Missionary Prayer Handbook, Missions magazine, Voice of the Martyrs magazine, missions books and publications. • Do not allow your assemblies to develop a sectarian denominational approach about missionaries from other local churches.

• Pray and then inform the missionaries about how you are praying and what you are praying for. • Indifference to missions has much to do with ignorance. • Missionaries are human. They make mistakes. They get discouraged. Take their feelings into consideration. • Do not expect the missionary to accomplish that which only God

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can do. • Sending the missionary some solid Christian books can be a tremendous help and encouragement, especially for those missionaries who have no access to Bible bookstores.

• Assemblies need to take their commendation of the missionary or worker seriously and not forget about them after they have sent them out to the work to which the Lord has called them.

• One contributor sent a rich three-page letter outlined under these helpful categories: prayer support, financial support, e-mail support, care package support, support with your talents, visitation support, health and education support, sacrificial support.

—Jesse Gentile

www.cmmlusa.org www.echoes.org.uk

www.msc.on.ca www.assemblycare.org

Do we have a heart for missions?

Start today to pray for and encourage some fellow-workers in the gospel!

ENTERING IN TO ENTERING IN by R. P. Amos

Priests

There is a new and living way.

New Tribes Mission

Every believer in the Lord Jesus is now viewed as part of a holy and royal priesthood. The laity has disappeared, for all believers are priests.

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ld Testament Israel had a clergy-laity system. Only one out of twelve tribes, Levi, could function as priests. The Levitical priests were recognized by their special religious vestments (Ex. 28:40-43).

They alone could offer offerings on the altar and serve in the house of God. As males, they alone could eat of the memorial bread in the holy place (Lev. 24:5-9). A stranger that came near was to be put to death (Num. 18:7). The other eleven tribes were to pay (tithe) and obey. Only Moses could come into God’s presence to hear His commandments and Word (Ex. 25:22)—the laity could only hear God’s Word via Moses. The priests became priests by having the right birth, being washed with water, sprinkled with blood, and then anointed (Ex. 29).

In the “new and living way” of the New Testament, things have changed. Every believer in the Lord Jesus is now viewed as part of a holy and royal priesthood. The laity has disappeared, for all believers are priests. You will never read of instructions for religious vestments in the New Testament, for we are all priests. You will also never read of titles in front of a man’s name, for we are all equally brethren (Mt. 23:6-9). The only one to get a title in front of His name is Jesus: He is the Lord Jesus by exaltation by the Father in resurrection (Php. 2:9-11).

Orderly functions require authority, ability, and arrangement. For example, with a professional sports team, players needs authority (a contract) to show up to play. They

also need ability to remain playing. Finally, they must play according to the rules of the game (arrangement). Let us briefly consider the authority that makes us priests, the ability to function as priests, and the arrangement of how we serve as priests.

Authority It is not the amount of education or training or professional skill that qualifies the believer as a priest of God. Like the Old Testament priest, every believer has the right birth—born again (1 Pet. 1:23). Every believer is washed and clean through the Word of God (Eph. 5:26).

Every believer is loosed from their sins by the sacrificial blood of Christ and thus constituted a priest: “…Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father…” (Rev. 1:5f). Every believer has been anointed with the Holy Spirit (1 Jn. 2:27; 3:24).

Now every believer can be involved in offering up spiritual sacrifices unto God and showing forth His praises (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). Now “brethren” (the whole family of God, women included) have the right to boldly “enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19). This act was punishable by death in the Old Testament, but the gospel is a “new and living way.”

Ability It is one thing to be a priest, it is another thing to have the ability to serve the living Lord. The gospel not only cleanses us, it empowers us. The cleansed sinner receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is more professional or powerful than He. The Holy Spirit enables every believer to know the love of God (Rom. 5:5), understand the things of God (1 Cor. 2:9-16), sing in our UPLOOK / N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7

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PRIESTS continued

heart unto the Lord (no longer a special group of skilled Levitical singers, praise or worship team, 2 Chron. 29:25-30; Eph. 5:18f), pray according to His will (Rom. 8:26f), overcome indwelling sin (Rom. 8:13), and bear fruit (Gal. 5:22f). The Spirit also gifts every believer with supernatural ability to be involved in the church of God, the building up of His body. “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal” (1 Cor. 12:7). While the gifts are different, the possession of the Spirit’s power is equal.

To now make professional training the qualification of clergy to function in the church of God and call non-educated believers laity, is to defame the power of the gospel, the blood of Christ, and His living Spirit. It is to re-sew the veil that was torn in two when Christ died. It is to go backward into Old Testament legalism. It quenches the power of the Spirit of grace and life. It is to cut off at least 80 percent of the church’s ability.

Yes, today we all as clergy (priests) do more than pray, pay, and obey: we are all to worship and serve as His sanctuary, the church.

Arrangement Where there is group function, there is an order.

The tribe of Levi in the Old Testament had commandments to regulate their worship and service unto the Lord. There was the high priest and then the regular priests. The regular priests also had Levitical helpers. While they helped the priests, they did not do the same things. The priests also served in turn, etc. See the books of Leviticus and Numbers for details and regulations concerning their service.

Under the old covenant, the males (Aaron’s sons) were to eat the memorial bread once a week in the holy place (Lev. 24:5-9; 6:16-18). Now, both men and women believers as priests, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, eat the bread and drink the cup on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 11:17-34). This is new.

When the church comes together in one place (in assembly or “in the church”), there are some functions in which the women’s role is different than the men’s. The women are to be silent in the

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church and not permitted to speak or ask a question (1 Cor. 14:34f). This is because of God’s creative headship order (1 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:11-15).

The women can offer in their hearts silently unto God, and He does accept such from this holy priesthood through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:5).

Outside the church meeting, a sister can use her spiritual gifts in a variety of ways unto the Lord. However, in the meeting, she is to display God’s order of headship to the angels by putting a covering over her head (1 Cor. 11:1-16). God’s nature itself also shows this principle in giving women long hair as their glory which covers her naturally. When she then further covers her head she is hiding not only her own glory, but also man’s glory (the woman). So only the glory of the Lord is displayed.

As the male priests function orally in the church, there is liberty and order together. Liberty, in that all may use their gift in public assembly. “Ye may all prophesy one by one” (1 Cor. 14:31). Whether it is doctrine (teaching) or a psalm, etc., there is this freedom that displays the very gospel principles itself: priesthood purchased by the blood of Christ and sealed with His Spirit.

One may ask, won’t this be disorderly? Thankfully, no, for with this liberty, there is order. It is the risen Lord Jesus that gives the commandments of order (1 Cor. 14:37). One can sit down and hold his peace while another says something. One brother at a time, and others are to judge, thus creating accountability, responsibility, variety, and submission to the Lord (1 Cor. 14:26-40).

Yes, the gospel has radically changed things.

It gives the common person priesthood and full access into the holiest. And this is not only in our daily life, but also in the house of God, the church—the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). While we go out to preach the gospel, the church gathering is meant to practice the gospel.

[This priesthood creates] accountability, responsibility, variety and submission to the Lord.

AT THE TOP by James Martin

Church Headquarters

The church, like the tabernacle of old, may make a poor impression—until you enter in.

Rubberball

The notion that “perception is reality” only fools those who look at outward appearances.

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ecently, I toured the Canadian headquarters of a company that a friend of mine works for. The complex was impressive, inside and out—intentionally so.

The company had spent several million dollars on the lobby alone. Overall, a tremendous amount of money, planning, and effort had been poured into ensuring that their headquarters would impress visitors and clients, and I have no doubt that they have achieved the desired effect.

This is a tactic that we see all around us today. People are concerned that their offices, homes, cars, clothes, etc. all send a message to others, particularly outsiders. Sometimes, as in the case of businesses, it is motivated by a desire to increase sales. Often times, however, the motivation is pride; we want to impress others with our success and we know that people largely judge success in material terms.

Regrettably, this kind of thinking can infiltrate our hearts, too—even with regards to spiritual matters. We don’t want others to think us “unsuccessful”; we want to make a good impression. What better way to accomplish this than to have extravagant headquarters?

The bigger, the better. Let us show the lost how successful we are so they won’t be ashamed to join us.

It often comes as a shock, then, when we’re asked where our headquarters is and we reply that we don’t have one. People—even Christians—have come to expect that any truly reputable group will have a respectable headquarters, presenting a good image and

ensuring proper order. Without one, we just can’t be taken seriously.

The first problem with such thinking has already been addressed: it’s exactly the kind of superficial thinking an unbeliever engages in, so it’s unlikely to be correct. Moreover, it’s largely based on pride. But there’s another, more profound, misunderstanding.

The fact is that we do have a headquarters.

It’s just not on earth, for headquarters, by definition, is where the Head is. The Lord Jesus is the head of the church (Eph. 4:15; Col. 1:18), the head corner stone (Mt. 21:42; 1 Pet. 2:7), the head of every man (1 Cor. 11:3), the head over all rule and authority (Col. 2:10), and the head over all things (Eph. 1:22). He ascended to the right hand of the Father and currently sits in our heavenly headquarters, overseeing and directing all aspects of His church. As a result, all of the benefits we would hope to gain from an earthly headquarters are ours, only infinitely more so.

Safety One of the dangers of a typical headquarters is that it gives the enemy a focal point for attack. It allows him to concentrate his efforts on one location rather than dividing his forces and waging war on thousands of fronts. The devil used precisely this strategy in Israel, long before the church existed: bring down the king and the nation will fall with him.

And he has employed it effectively throughout church history when Christians relied upon earthly headquarters. All the enemy has to do is take down headquarters and the churches will fall with it.

But what can the enemy do against a heavenly headquarters? For such is ours—absolutely unassailable. As long as we are following UPLOOK / N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7

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a heavenly headquarters, the enemy’s only hope is to divide his efforts among the thousands of local churches around the world. That isn’t to say he will never have any minor successes, but it is infinitely safer than affording him the opportunity to bring us all down by one strategic victory. As the Lord Jesus demonstrated throughout His earthly life, He is utterly impervious to Satan’s attacks. The devil can attack our Head all he wants, but there is no possibility of success.

It is also worth pointing out that in times of persecution, an oppressive government can storm an earthly headquarters and quickly get a list of all the churches and leaders. How much safer when the names are written down in heaven!

Guidance There is another kind of safety that a heavenly headquarters affords us. Not only safety from the devil and safety from a hostile world, but also safety from ourselves. One of the purposes of a headquarters is to give guidance and direction. Instead of every church having to make decisions based on limited resources and intelligence, we have the privilege of depending, not on a group of men who have slightly more resources than we do, but on our omniscient Lord.

This entails responsibility on our part, of course.

One of the dangers of saying that we don’t have a headquarters is that we begin to act like we don’t—as if we were simply free to do whatever we deem best. But, in fact, if we want to enjoy the perfect safety and wisdom of Christ, we need to be sure that we are seeking His will at all times. The duty of elders isn’t to set policy for the church, but to discern Christ’s will. The church belongs to Him. He purchased it with His own blood and He alone has the right to set its course.

Fellowship and unity Since we are all vitally linked to the Head, we enjoy fellowship and unity that no human organization can duplicate. This is not simply a theoretical truth, but an intensely practical one. I grew up in a denomination that was extremely structured with all of the organizational links man could devise. Yet, if you had suggested that I might know a person in another city simply because they were part of the same organization, I’d have thought you had taken leave of your senses.

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CHURCH HEADQUARTERS continued

Yet now, without any of the visible, human, organizational links, I enjoy close fellowship with believers around the globe. Union with the Head results in practical fellowship than no amount of human organization can ever produce.

These are some of the advantages and blessings we enjoy as a result of our heavenly headquarters. Whether we realize it or not, every believer…every church has the same headquarters. But the benefits can only be fully enjoyed if we act in accordance with this fact. Practically speaking, this has several implications.

We need to recognize and appropriate this truth. This means not only acknowledging it as being abstractly true, but understanding that we are to depend on the Lord Jesus at all times for direction and protection. At every juncture—but particularly in times of decision— we should remind ourselves that Christ is the head of the church and that our role is to discover His will through prayer and study of the Scriptures. None of us have been assigned the task of running the church or setting its policy. We are His servants, here to implement His will. Are we in the habit of personally and corporately coming before Him in earnest, humble prayer about all aspects of the functioning of the church? Do we search the Scriptures, seeking to follow them as accurately as possible? Are we willing to dispense with our own ideas when the Word shows us a better way? Do we spend sufficient time before the Lord in fervent prayer, asking for His wisdom and seeking His blessing in all of our service, or do we proceed on autopilot once we get comfortable with a given task? Is it our habit to confess to Him our utter reliance upon Him for all of our needs, and consciously look to Him for His provision, care, and protection? Do we have a deep, inner conviction that without Him we can do nothing?

The more we understand and value the truth that our Head is in heaven, the more we will enjoy the advantages: safety, guidance, fellowship, and unity. Currently, we’ve been sent out with work to accomplish. One day—perhaps today—our time will be up and we’ll be asked to report to headquarters. And, if we’re still worried about appearances, we can rest assured that our headquarters is far more impressive and glorious than anything man has ever built.

COMING HOME by W. H. Burnett

The Post-exilic Revivals (part 2 of 2) Restoration and revival

One cannot help but be impressed with the way the Lord used a succession of solitary men to change the course of history.

Private preparation and conditioning is critical before public service.

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s previously noted, Zerubbabel was primarily concerned with laying the foundations. There were certain priorities that were critical to re-establishing the nation before God, and Zerubbabel concentrated on the altar and the temple.

Spiritual revival under Zerubbabel

The altar All spiritual revival must begin at the altar. We are a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices through our Lord Jesus Christ. God has saved us to serve Him, and the highest order of service is worship. The sad conditions that hindered the force of revival in the days of Zerubbabel were identified by the prophet Haggai, who pointed out that the poverty and frustration that they were experiencing was due to the fact that they had been ignoring the importance of giving to God, and therefore God was withholding from them. Doing things for God is no substitute for ministering to God. The temple After the altar had been built, Zerubbabel began to build the foundation of the temple, and thereafter to complete the structure. He realized that, if God were to dwell among His people, there must be appropriate conditions established in accordance with His mind.

Today, we live in a different age where God no longer dwells in temples made with hands but in a spiritual temple—the House of God. Paul, writing to the Ephesians, said, “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22). He wrote to young Timothy, “But if I tarry long, that thou

mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). God has certain expectations from those who form the house of God, and these expectations are given to us in the Pauline epistles. We must remember that it is God’s house and not man’s house, and that we must comply with His wishes for His house, rather than imposing our own ideas.

Spiritual revival under Ezra Some 58 years after the work of Zerubbabel had been completed, God brought Ezra to Jerusalem. Ezra was both a priest and a scribe.

He was uniquely fitted to this new phase of God’s dealings with His people. Not only was Ezra qualified by virtue of belonging to the Aaronic family, but he was qualified through his practical living. We read, “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezr. 7:10). Note the sequence: he sought it, He did it, He taught it. There is no shortcut that can be taken for any who would serve the Lord among his people. Dr. Luke tells us concerning the Lord Jesus, “of all that He began to do and to teach” (Ac. 1:1). Doing preceded teaching. When He stepped into the theatre of public service, He had power and authority because His life was seen to be in perfect alignment with His teaching. So it must be with us. Private preparation and conditioning is critical before public service.

The problem and its solution When Ezra returned, he found the altar in place, the temple rebuilt, and people going through the motions of the serving God. Positionally, they were correct, but, conditionally, they were in UPLOOK / N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7

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THE POST-EXILIC REVIVALS continued

An exposed section of Hezekiah’s broad wall, rebuilt by Nehemiah

a dreadful state. Ezra was deeply disturbed when found that priests, Levites, and scribes had engaged in illicit relationships with the surrounding tribes in direct disobedience to God’s Word.

Note how Ezra handles the situation. He sat down, a spectacle of misery and sorrow, until people began to take note and gather around. Then he lifted up his voice to heaven and interceded for the people. What a lesson in intercession he gives! He identifies himself with the sin of his people, although he himself was personally guiltless.

Here is the spirit of the true leader. He is not the critic, pointing out all their faults and failings, but he is a supplicant, pleading for them with tear-filled eyes. May God give us men who will plead our cause with Him, leaders identified with the people in all their shortcomings, yet willing to undertake the will of God with boldness.

The final stages of the book of Ezra are filled with painful scenes. There is repentance and confession on the part of the people. There was a settled purpose to abandon the ungodly relationships that they had come to enjoy. There was a purging of soul amongst the people of God. If we would see revival, there must be that spirit of collective grief and repentance. There must be a steadfast purpose of heart to have done with relationships that are not of God. There must be that readiness to put God and His Word first, whatever the cost. Are we prepared to return to God with all our heart? Are we prepared to set aside selfish pursuits and to establish spiritual priorities in our lives? Are we prepared to revisit Calvary? Are we prepared to face opposition and persecution for the sake of Christ? Are we ready to purge from our personal lives all that would hinder the blessing of God? He never promised it would be easy, but our God will pour out a blessing upon us that we cannot contain.

Spiritual revival under Nehemiah

Nehemiah’s exhortation Nehemiah led the final phase of the return from the Babylonian exile some 13 years after Ezra, and the book is configured similarlly to the book of Ezra. Both begin with reconstruction and move on to the restoration of the people. When he arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah went out alone by night and viewed the condition of the walls and the gates. With this personal experience behind him, he could speak with power, and he confronted the priests, the nobles, and the officials

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regarding what he had seen and exhorted them to begin the work of restoration. His clarion cry was, “Let us rise up and build!” (Neh. 2:18) and there was an immediate response. The work began and the walls were completed within a 52-day period.

Nehemiah reminds us that revival can happen very quickly where there is a desire to “rise up and build.”

Evidently, the leaders in Jerusalem had no desire to complete the work, and it took a Nehemiah to come amongst them and to get things moving for God. Thank God for men who can identify the ruinous conditions that are around and bring powerful exhortation to the people of God to be up and doing, and so see the work begun and brought to a completion.

Nehemiah’s prayers It is worthy to note that Nehemiah was a man of prayer. Nine of those prayers were ejaculatory prayers—prayers comprised of a few words directed to the throne in moments of crisis (2:4; 4:4; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22, 29, 30). There are other prayers that Nehemiah, and others with him, offered which were longer in duration (1:5-10; 9:1-38). Prayer was the daily recourse of this man of God and, it is not surprising that, with it, the walls and gates of Jerusalem were completed within 52 days.

Concerning the early church, Luke records that, “these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Ac. 1:14) and again, “they were all together with one accord in one place” (Ac. 2:1). Consequently, when they stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached the gospel for the very first time, about three thousand souls were saved. There can be no doubt that is a direct link between the exercises of the upper room and the success they experienced in the city. One feels that there is a need to get back to the example of these early pioneers. We bemoan the lack of results in the gospel, whilst our prayer meetings are the most poorly attended meetings.

One is conscious that we have only touched the surface of the revivals seen in Ezra and Nehemiah. There are so many other valuable lessons which we could learn from these precious books. Our prayer would be that these introductory thoughts, however brief, will stimulate us to have done with the lethargy that is so characteristic of our day in order to heed Nehemiah’s powerful exhortation: Let us rise up and build!

FINALLY, BRETHREN by Jabe Nicholson

Working with the Wind You can’t beat it; you might as well join it.

iStockphoto / Steve Dibblee

W “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists?

Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?” (Prov. 30:4).

e have a massive oak tree behind our house that lets loose its leaves in installments.

I imagine they wait until I have put away my leaf blower, hung up my jacket, and am reclined in an easy chair, seeking to recover from my vigorous labor. On that signal, the next contingent say their goodbyes, let loose from mother tree, and make their final journey (as they think) to more or less evenly distribute themselves across the landscape.

It happened like that this Saturday. I’m not fanatical about getting every last leaf up from the grass, but I take it personally when The Oak baits me like this. So, fortified by a cup of tea, I retraced my steps to the garage, primed my leaf blower, gunned its little engine, and stepped outside to do combat again. It was then I discovered that the climate had changed.

It was only a slight change, to be sure, but enough to confirm me in my conspiracy theory. The Wind had joined forces with The Oak. It was not a gale force; that would be too obvious. No, it was toying with me. Little eddies, gusts, here a puff in one direction, then a sudden momentary blast at right angles to the last—just enough to catch the leaves I was blowing and cause them to pirouette, dive and swirl about like well-made kites on a summer’s day. It was obvious that fallen nature around me was working on fallen nature within.

My scheme of working methodically from one corner of the back garden to the other— although it seemed the most efficient way to do the job—was not going to work. If I was going to make any headway, I soon saw I would have to work with the wind.

At that point a parable was born. I realized my little wind machine was no match for God’s. So I sought, albeit with waning agility, to keep the wind at my back. I remembered the words of the Lord Jesus to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather,’ and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern the times?” (Lk. 12:54-56). I wondered how well I understood the times and trends around me that significantly affect the farming work we have been called to do, in plowing and sowing and reaping.

But winds do not only speak of changing circumstances in our world. We also see in James 1:6, regarding wavering faith and in Ephesians 4:14, concerning “every wind of doctrine” that we are to stand firm against those contrary winds that would blow us off course.

But the lesson brought home to me under the oak on Saturday had to do with the double meaning of pneuma, the “wind” and the “Spirit.” As the Lord Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.

So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (Jn. 3:8). One shouldn’t draw from this that the Spirit’s working is capricious and completely unpredictable. While it is true He often surprises us, He always works consistently with the Word of God and the character of God. The key, then, is to seek the direction of the Spirit’s working and move with Him. But how is that done? Surely it starts by becoming familiar with the biblical record of His movements, especially in the book of Acts, and by becoming familiar with the character of God, especially through the One in whom dwells “the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).

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UPLOOK

If the outlook is dark, try the uplook.

All Depends on Our Possessing All depends on our possessing God’s abundant grace and blessing, Though all earthly wealth depart.

He who trusts with faith unshaken In His God is not forsaken And e’er keeps a dauntless heart.

When with sorrow I am stricken, Hope my heart anew will quicken, All my longing shall be stilled.

To His loving-kindness tender Soul and body I surrender; For in Him alone I build.

He who hitherto hath fed me And to many joys hath led me, Is and ever shall be mine.

He who did so gently school me, He who still doth guide and rule me, Will remain my Help divine.

Well He knows what best to grant me; All the longing hopes that haunt me, Joy and sorrow, have their day.

I shall doubt His wisdom never, As God wills, so be it ever, I to Him commit my way.

Many spend their lives in fretting Over trifles and in getting Things that have no solid ground.

I shall strive to win a treasure That will bring me lasting pleasure And that now is seldom found.

If on earth my days He lengthen, He my weary soul will strengthen; All my trust in Him I place.

Earthly wealth is not abiding, Like a stream away is gliding; Safe I anchor in His grace.

—Unknown Author, c.1673