The Sovereignty of God

By Jeff Curtis

Paul wrote in Galatians 1:15 that God had “separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.” Did he have no choice in the matter? Can a person choose not to do what has been determined in the mind of God? Did God rob Paul of his freedom of choice?

In the logical words of Paul in Romans 9:19, “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” Many people have wrestled with such intellectual problems as God’s foreknowledge, predetermination, and predestination (Galatians 3:8; Acts 2:31; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:5,11). Paul didn’t take time to wrestle with such questions. He simply replied in Romans 9:20, “…indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” In essence, Paul was saying, “Let God be God!” AS God’s finite creatures, we need to reflect on the meaning of the term “Sovereign Lord.”

If God didn’t know the future, there could never have been such a thing as prophecy, which grants us precious promises that enable us to “become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2Peter 1:4). To whatever degree we advance in our spiritual understanding of God, there will always be questions that we cannot answer. Although we should continue our quest for Him, we must understand that He is God indeed and His thoughts and His ways will never completely be within our grasp (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Meditate on this:

1 Kings 2:1-2

Two Men Serve the Lord.

Robert F. Turner

     Two men serve the Lord. The first is motivated by his love for the local church as an institution. He enthusiastically supports its program of activities. He works diligently to get others to be baptized, for he is interested in this organization of which he is a part, and he wants to see it grow. He attends all the meetings, gives liberally of his money, and really does his part in support of the local church.

     The other is motivated by his love for the Lord. He too works to convert others, but he does so because he is concerned for their souls. He too attends all the meetings, for in doing so he is drawn closer to the Lord whom he loves, and has opportunity to glorify His name. He also gives liberally of his money, for he loves the Lord and is interested in doing his part in financing His work. He loves the church and rejoices when it grows I but his love reaches far more deeply than does that of the first man; in fact, he would serve the Lord if there were not another Christian on earth nor prospects that there ever would be another.

     The first man’s enthusiasm is dependent to a great degree on others. While the congregation is growing and active, his enthusiasm continues strong; but when problems arise, or his favorite preacher moves on, or some of his brethren don’t pull their weight, or someone criticizes him, or the congregation just generally faces a difficult period, his enthusiasm begins to wane, and he becomes unfaithful.

     The second man is stable and unwavering. Brethren come and go; the congregation of which he is part has its periods of growth and periods of depression; problems arise from time to time; but this man’s enthusiasm remains constant through it all, for it is centered on Him who never changes, the One who has promised, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

     Let us take heed, then, how we build (1 Cor. 3:10). Perhaps the title of this article should have read, One Man Serves the Lord, for it is very doubtful that the first man serves the Lord at all.                                                                      (1973)

Handling Conflict

By Jeff Curtis

In Acts 15 we read of how the first century church dealt with controversy. We read in this text of the elders and the church came together with the apostles (granted we don’t have apostles today), to discuss the issue. The problem of those going along behind Paul on his first missionary journey imposing upon the Gentile Christians circumcision. That they must be keeping one of the acts of faith in the Old Testament.

In Acts 15, we see how the church handled the issue and see the end result in the letter that was delivered by the hand of Paul.

Today, the way some “handle” conflict is to ignore it, maybe even denying that there is any conflict. Counselors call this “the withdrawal approach” and say that a person who uses this approach has little or no respect for himself or the one with whom they have a conflict. This approach seldom if ever, resolves an issue. When the false teachers came from Jerusalem (Acts 15:1), Paul and Barnabas didn’t just ignore the problem, hoping it would go away. Rather, they dealt with it (15:2). Controversy in a congregation must be dealt with sooner or later; and it’s much easier to deal with it sooner than later.

Some individuals take an extreme “withdrawal” approach to conflict, withdrawing themselves permanently from the congregations where problems exist. We find no indication that anyone in the Antioch congregation said, “If those church folks are to fuss and fight, I’m leaving!” Before we can help deal with controversy in a congregation, some of us need to first deal with our own attitudes toward controversy. Most of us don’t like trouble, but when it shows up in our congregation, we need to help resolve it, not run from it.

Believe it or not, but good can come from controversy (Romans 8:28); if we maintain positive attitudes and handle the matter in the right way. Controversy can bring into the open problems that should have been dealt with long ago. Controversy may also force us to restudy the issues, and bring us closer to an understanding of the will of God. Controversy may force us to work on relationships that we have neglected. Acts 15:30-35, tell of the positive results from the proper handling of the controversy: (1) There was rejoicing (v.30); (2) God’s Word continued to be preached (v.32); (3) Relationships between the Jews and the Gentiles were strengthened (v.33).

Meditate on this:

Psalm 16:7-8

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. ⁸ I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.