August 21, 2002 Volume 3 Number 33
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Young People,
Read The Bible! It is alarming to listen to younger Christians, not babes in Christ, but those who know better justifying sinful conduct or claiming ignorance of Scripture while engaging in misconduct. While it may be popular to keep looking at these young people as “kids” and not expect better behavior it does not make it right. They are old enough to be responsible for their actions and we who are older, have a responsibility to reprove, correct and instruct in righteous that they may grow into spiritual maturity (2 Tim 3:16-17). We need to urge our young people to read their Bibles because it is the only book in all the world given to us by the guidance of God. Earlier I wrote potions of 2 Tim 3:16 and 17. Let us look at the whole verse. “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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Every word God gave in Scripture is true and right. The Bible is the infallible Word of God. The Bible is the only book in all the history of the world protected and preserved by the providence of God. Both the Old and New Testaments contain God's promise that He will protect His Word. Peter writes quoting Isaiah, “because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you” (1 Pet 1:24-25). One needs to read the Bible to learn the way of salvation. That is its main theme. We learn in Genesis 3 that our greatest problem is sin. God promised to send a Savior through the seed of Abraham: "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” Gen 12:3. He also writes in Isa 53:4-6, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” The Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John teach us about the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John writes in chapter 20:31, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” To better understand the way of salvation, read the Great Commission and the book of Acts. Jesus said in Mark 16:15-16, “And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” The book of Acts records how the gospel was first spread and how men received it. Read Romans through Revelation to learn how we are to live, worship, and serve God in the way of salvation. There are many other reasons to read the Bible. Read Gen 2:24 and other passages to learn God's plan for true married love. There it says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” If you make God's word the foundation of your marriage, your home will be one of the greatest blessings of your life. Read Proverbs to learn words of wisdom which apply to every aspect of life. For example, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov 1:7). Or how about, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people”. (Prov 14:34). Should we drink alcohol? Turn to Prov 20:1 where it says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” What is the meaning of life? Read the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon writes, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (12:13-14). The Bible deals with any and every subject. The Old Testament contains 39 books, and the NT contains 27. Beginning with Moses and ending with John, the books of the Bible took about 1500 years to write. They contain a brief account of the creation of the universe. They contain a history of the human race with the existence of the languages. Other books will give you an accounting of the different languages, dialects, etc…but none give the origin. They also contain geographical locations of nations and peoples. They deal with moral issues. They give predictions of the future in the form of prophecy and as mentioned earlier they give God’s plan of redemption for mankind. I urge to read the Bible with confidence that you can understand the one book in the world given by your Creator to guide you through life and to give you eternal life. God designed the Bible so that when we read it, we can understand his word (Eph 3:4). Funny Ain’t it . . . Funny how a $20 bill looks so big when you take it to church, but so small when you take it to the market. Funny how long it takes
to serve God for an hour, Funny how long a couple of hours spent at church are, but how short they are when watching a movie. Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend. Funny how we get thrilled when a baseball game goes into extra innings, but we complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time. Funny how hard it is to
read a chapter in the bible, Funny how people want to get a front seat at any game or concert, but scramble to get a back seat at church services. Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a church event into our schedule, but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last moment. Funny how hard it is for people learn a simple gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and repeat gossip. Funny how we believe what
the newspapers say, Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, or to think, or to say, or do anything. CHURCH HISTORY: A
BIBLICAL VIEW The Reformation: Final Protestant Struggles I. Protestantism in Scotland The triumph of Protestantism in Scotland is largely attributable to John Knox. Because of complicity with Protestant Scottish rebels, Knox spent nineteen months in France as a galley-slave. Returning to England, he became a chaplain to the Protestant king, Edward VI, but was forced to flee in 1554 by the accession of Catholic Mary ("Bloody Mary"). He made his way to Geneva and there became a devoted disciple of John Calvin. The Scottish obsession with independence provided Knox with the opportunity to return and plant Protestantism in Scotland. Many Scots resented the efforts of their queen and others to bring Scotland into the fold of Catholic France, so that Scottish nationalism became more and more identifiable with Protestantism. With English help Scotland successfully revolted against France and Protestantism was firmly established. In 1560 the Scottish Parliament began to give the Calvinistic system legal status. Papal jurisdiction and the mass were abolished, and the Calvinistic creed was officially adopted. Knox also desired that the Calvinistic system of church government be adopted on a national scale. Known as "Presbyterianism," it directed that each congregation be under the supervision of a pastor and elders chosen by each congregation (Acts 14:23; Eph. 4:11), that pastors and elders organize into "presbyteries" and the presbyteries into larger "synods", and that all be under the "General Assembly" (Matt. 18:15-17; Acts 15; 20:28; I Pet. 5:2). Mary (Queen of Scots) eventually aroused the antagonism of her subjects, to the point that she was forced to abdicate in 1567, thus ensuring the final triumph of Protestantism in Scotland. II. The Counter-Reformation The Reformation caught the Catholic Church at a time of moral and doctrinal weakness. The popes in the early years of the Protestant revolt failed to appreciate its seriousness and did little to arrest it. However a new spirit which had begun in Spain began to pervade the Catholic Church It called for spiritual zeal and sincerity, correction of moral and doctrinal abuses, enforcement of strict orthodoxy, and suppression of heresy. This revival in Roman Catholicism has been called the Counter-Reformation. Thus, in 1542 Pope Paul III was induced to enact the inquisition on a universal scale, thereby extinguishing the small Protestant movements in Spain and Italy. Other results of this Counter-Reformation are noteworthy. (1) Ignatius Loyola organized the Company of Jesus (Jesuits), which received papal authorization in 1540. Loyola led a valorous military life until convalescence from battle wounds brought him to a closer contemplation of the life of Christ and a commitment to be a knight of the Virgin. He and his followers were to constitute a spiritual army for Jesus. The head of the Jesuits was a "general", and Loyola prepared a manual of discipline, entitled Spiritual Exercises, for the training of his spiritual soldiers. Militant devotion to Catholicism and almost unquestioning obedience to the "general" and the pope were to characterize the Jesuits. (2) The Catholic Council of Trent met in 1545-63 (except for an adjournment in 1552-62) to address matters raised by the Reformation. The result was a definitive rejection of Protestantism. Basic Catholic doctrines were reaffirmed. Tradition, as well as the Scriptures, was retained as a source of truth (Matt 15:1-9; Jn. 17:17; II Tim. 3:16,17; Rev. 22:18,19), and the Church alone had the right of interpretation (Acts 17:11; II Pet. 1:20). Works of merit and the seven sacraments were also upheld. Any compromise with Protestantism was made impossible by the decrees of the Council of Trent. (3) A renewal of mysticism - characterized by tranquility, deep contemplation, and sometimes asceticism - also resulted from this Catholic revival. Mystic practices were intended to bring one to a state of ecstasy in which he experienced inner revelation and a union in divine love (II Tim. 3:16, 17). (4) There was also a revival of the missionary spirit. Spearheaded by Jesuits, Dominicans, and Franciscans, it was responsible for the spread of Catholicism in North, Central, and South America, India, China, Japan, and the Philippines. III. Politics and War From the beginning Protestant advances had been closely tied to political expediency. This inevitably led to civil strife and war. In France the Protestants, known as Huguenots, were multiplying rapidly. Persecution of them by alarmed Catholics led to eight devastating wars (1562-1592). A noteworthy instance of Catholic violence during this period was the infamous St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre which occurred on August 24, 1572. Tiring of their efforts to undo Protestantism in France by other means, Catholics arose on this day and slaughtered 8,000 Huguenots in Paris alone and many times that number in all of France (cp. Esther 3). Ultimately, the Catholics were unable to exterminate the Huguenots, so -the Edict of Nantes, granted by Henry IV in 1598, permitted them basic religious freedom. 'However, this edict was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685, thus forcing many Huguenots into exile. During this period the Netherlands, or at least the northern portion thereof, were taken for Protestantism. Led by William of Orange, a Calvinist, the Netherlands revolted against Spain and finally declared their independence in 1581. Yet, strong Spanish military efforts held the ten southern provinces for Catholicism, and they eventually became modern Belgium. The seven northern provinces, the Netherlands, extended to their citizens a degree of religious toleration unusual in that age and which made the Netherlands a haven for religious refugees. Germany also suffered great turmoil after the death of Luther. The Lutherans themselves were seriously divided over some points of doctrine, such as Melanchthon's views on the free will of man and the non-physical presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper. Calvinist and Jesuit advances in Germany also aggravated the situation. The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), the ultimate military struggle between Protestantism and Catholicism, broke out in Bohemia but moved into Germany where it was fought out by German, French, Swedish, and Spanish factions on a scale which reduced the population of Germany from 19 to 6 million and left the land in ruins. The war closed with the lines drawn essentially where they were in the beginning. Germany was still divided between Catholics and Protestants with each territorial ruler given the right to determine, within certain limits, the religion of his subjects. SPEAK TO ME
GOD!!! The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a meadowlark sang. But the man did not hear. So the man yelled "God speak to me!" And the thunder rolled across the sky. But the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly. But the man did not notice. And the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!" And a life was born. But the man did not know. So the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!" Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man. But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on. Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect. We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study. 2
Sam 22:31
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