The Christian’s Mission

By Jeff Curtis

When we consider Jesus’ final instructions to His apostles in Mark 16:14-16, we should be struck by both the completeness and the incompleteness of the Lord’s ministry. Jesus came into the world to fulfill the purpose that His Father had given Him. On the Thursday night before His death, His fulfillment of that purpose was so near completion that He could say to His Father in prayer, “I glorify You on earth, having accomplished the which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). He had been perfectly obedient to His Father. At the same time, we observe a glaring incompleteness that demands attention. Jesus began His ministry by preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt.4:17). This message was His continual proclamation for roughly 3 ½ years. When He approached the end of His ministry, He was still forecasting the coming of the kingdom (Mark 9:1). He told His apostles, as He led them to Mount Olivet, where He would ascend to the Father, that in a few days the Holy Spirit would come upon them and they would receive power (Acts 1:4-5). When Jesus blessed His apostles and ascended through the clouds, ending for all time His own earthly ministry, the kingdom still had not arrived. It was due to arrive soon, but it had not yet come.

What was Jesus’ ministry meant to accomplish? He didn’t come to end something, but to begin something. His ministry set in place the greatest of all missions. The greatest event of all time was Jesus’ earthly ministry. The Old Testament looked backward to it. It is the heart of the Bible, expressed in what we call the “Great Commission.”

When Jesus gave His final message to His disciples before His ascension, He told them that He had all authority and identified Himself as the designated head of the Christian Era that was beginning. He then commanded them to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt.28:19). He also indicated that, as the masses accepted the gospel message, the disciples were to baptize believers in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matt.28:19). Those being commissioned were then to teach the ones who had been baptized everything that Jesus had taught them that, as they carried out His commission, He would be with them and all the others who would come after them until “the end of the age” (Matt.28:20).

Meetings for 2023

March 12-16 – Paul Smithson

June 18-23 (Song service on Friday evening) - Jim Deason

October 22-27 – Jarred Jacobs

Our next meeting is quickly approaching. I hope you are already making your plans accordingly. Let’s not forget that on the Friday night of that week, Brother Deason will be leading us in a song service.

Distinguishing Between Traditions and Commandments

By Jeff Curtis

    More and more, the word “traditional” is applied to anything that has been around for a while – with the implication that it is old and outdated, it is of little or no importance, and can be cast aside with impunity. For instance, the phrase “the traditional family” (that is, a family consisting of a father, a mother, and their children) has recently been used in a derogatory fashion. “The traditional family” is under attack by those who advocate for “same-sex marriages” and other deviations from God’s Word (such as “living together” arrangements vs. getting married). However, the arrangement of the “traditional family” is from God and has been around since the early chapters of Genesis. To those who believe the Bible, the important question is not “How long has this arrangement been in existence?” by rather “Is it from heaven or from men?” (Matt.21:25).

    It is bothersome to hear of faithful congregations of the Lord’s church despairingly referred to as “traditional churches,” and what they believe and practice dismissed as “the traditional position.” Those who apply these labels tend to brand everything these churches do as “traditional” – making little distinction between what they do as a matter of faith and what is done as a matter of judgment.

    Lectures sometimes lump together every issue that has plagued the church in the past, indicating that all were just matters of opinion and of no significance. Looking back, some of the conflicts seemed unnecessary, but is it fair to dismiss every question with which the church has struggled? How would the inspired writers have reacted if Christians had so minimized the issues of Judaism and Gnosticism that threatened the early church?

    Let’s agree on this. A man-made tradition is bad when it is bound on others. Let’s also agree that we should not automatically classify any belief or practice as “traditional” simply because we think it creaks with age.

   We noticed earlier that the crucial question regards how to distinguish between the commands of God and the traditions of men. You know the answer to that question, and it’s already been hinted at several times; everything we believe, teach and do must be scrutinized in light of the what the Scriptures teach. The question isn’t “How have we always done it?” The question is certainly not “How would we like to do it?” The question of “What does God teach in His revealed Word?” (Acts 17:11). Let’s borrow Jesus’ phraseology (Matt.21:25); if a doctrine or practice is “from heaven,” it is bound upon every Christian, if it’s “from men,” we must not be guilty of binding it on others.

    In giving this answer, have we settled every dispute regarding what is “traditional” and what is not? Have we answered every question that can be asked? No and no. The purpose has been to plead with Christians to avoid extremes. Let’s not condemn others for not keeping our traditions, as cherished as they may be. At the same time, let’s never dismiss a religious teaching or practice as “traditional” just because it’s been around quite a while. After all, the New Testament has been in existence for centuries. Let us determine to make the teachings of God’s Word our standard for accepting or rejecting any religious teaching or practice.

    Long ago, Joshua gave the people of God this message from Him: “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law of Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you may have success wherever you go” (Josh.1:7). We might think of turning “to the right” as binding that which God has not bound (man-made traditions) and turning “to the left” as loosing what God has bound (His revealed will). Let us set our hearts to avoid either extreme. Let’s determine to “do according to all” the teaching of the New Testament of Jesus.

    We could close on that thought – but Christ wasn’t finished with His discussion. He had at least one more point to make regarding human traditions. This truth isn’t as clear but still important. It requires as much soul-searching as the previous two criteria – perhaps even more.