God's plan for the first relationship involved perfect unity. After awaking from sleep, Adam looked at Eve for the first time and uttered beautiful words that few men have since been able to match in beauty or simplicity,

“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman, ‘
for she was taken out of man.”

God immediately decrees, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." The first relationship involved unity of a man to his wife. In their sinless world they enjoyed perfect unity. Yet after they sinned, this unity was shattered. The first result of sin Adam and Eve felt was shame as they realized their nakedness. Immediately after this we see that their unity had been disrupted as Adam tries to blame the sin on his wife saying, "The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Since then all human relationships have been marred by disunity. Yet God's plan for his people still involves communities that are united.

Of the four categories of "one another's" we have identified in the New Testament, unity receives the most attention, for the others are simply not possible without it. There can be no true hospitality where there is no unity. How can one man edify another if they fighting against each other? How can we be devoted to people with whom we do not have unity? Evidently unity is the foundation for a godly community.

Before we look at unity we must first understand what it is. Or perhaps it is best to understand what it is not. Unity does not necessarily indicate that everyone believes exactly the same thing. A person who believes in infant baptism (the Protestant form, that is) can be in harmony with someone who believes in believer's baptism. Unity does not mean that one person has to lower his standards of doctrine or theology so they come into line with another person's. What unity does entail is a singleness of purpose or action. It is a sense of harmony and agreement in relationship. Unity is only possible where there is humility and a willingness to esteem others higher than oneself.

Let us turn to the Word of God to learn what our Lord has to teach us about unity.

1 Corinthians 1:10 reads, "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." God calls us to agree with each other, laying aside differences so we can remove any type of division. We are to "stop passing judgment on one another" (Romans 14:13), allowing us to live in true harmony. This unity serves as a powerful witness to unbelievers as they see evidence of God's redemptive work in the lives of Christians.

Five times in Scripture Paul and Peter tell the readers to greet each other with a holy kiss (or a kiss of love as Peter terms it). At the time and in the culture the Bible was written, a kiss was a form of greeting. The early church adapted this form of greeting and give it wonderful meaning. Though the kiss of greeting is no longer practiced in our culture (thankfully, I might add, since I am not a big fan of physical contact beyond a friendly hand-shake), the principle holds true. We are to greet one another enthusiastically and meaningfully. The early church adapted the holy kiss as a symbol of their unity. Similarly, our greetings today should reflect the unity we have as a community of Christians. The greetings we are accustomed to in our post-modern society really have lost any real sense of meaning. What is really conveyed in the following typical exchange?

"How's it going?"

"Not bad. You?"

"Pretty good."

And we walk away content in our knowledge that we have just fulfilled our duty by greeting another believer.

That is just a typical exchange that might occur any number of times on a given Sunday morning. What sense of unity does this convey? What interest does one person show in another in such a conversation, if it can even be called that? We do not show true unity, true concern for each other, unless we know each other and unless we are willing to be known by others. There can be no unity where there is no concern.

God gives us the ultimate example of unity in the Scripture. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, though one God, are three separate persons. These three persons work together in perfect harmony. While distinct in function, they are united in purpose. And in the Trinity we see how different Christians, each with their own functions and their own identities, can be united. 1 Peter 3:8 says "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." Christ's humility before His Father is the ultimate example of godly humility and submission. Just a couple of chapters later Peter says "Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'"

Community begins with unity and unity begins with humility. Until we esteem others as better than ourselves and until we learn to "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21), we can never have unity.

This series will continue tomorrow.

I am cast upon a horrible, desolate island, void of all hope of recovery. I am singled out and separated, as it were, from all the world, to be miserable. I am divided from mankind - a solitaire; one banished from human society…I have no soul to speak to or relieve me.

We have all heard the story of Robinson Crusoe. Once an exciting and original story, it has now become little more than clich. Modern media has been plagued with movies and television shows that have adapted the theme first presented in Robinson Crusoe. They seek to answer the question of what happens when a person is cut off from society and from all luxuries and is forced to survive on his own?

Robinson Crusoe tells the story of an obstinate Englishman who ignored his father's wish to become a member of the clergy, opting instead for a life at sea. No sooner had his career started than he suffered a shipwreck and was cast ashore alive but alone somewhere on an uninhabited island off the coast of the New World. With only the supplies he salvaged from the wreck of his ship he managed to build a house, a boat and something of a life for himself. Despite living in a beautiful, idyllic location Crusoe was never truly happy in his setting. The reason for his unhappiness was his solitude. It was not the climate, the food or setting that made him so desperately unhappy. Rather, it was the fact that he was alone, "singled out and separated, as it were, from all the world, to be miserable." The island itself is not "a horrible, desolate island." It became horrible because of Crusoe's unbearable solitude.

This story speaks to a basic human need - that of community. Humans were created to be in community, both with each other and with God. Seven times in the story of creation (Genesis 1) God looked at what He had created and saw that it was good. What follows in Genesis 2 stands out in contrast. In a perfect and sinless world, where man enjoyed perfect community with his Creator, God, looking at His creation, said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." The only thing in all of creation that was not good was man's solitude. Though perfect, sinless and in perfect harmony with God, humans still needed to be in community with other humans. Thus God created woman to be a companion to man and to allow him true community. Though the world has changed since the advent of sin, the need for community remains.

We have seen that community is a foundational part of God's design for humans. It should then come as no surprise that it is also foundational to the church. By studying redemptive history we come to see that the church is not something God invented because all His other plans had failed. Rather, the church was the culmination of all of God's plans for His children. Church, when done the way God intends, gives us just a taste of the perfect community we will experience in paradise.

The Bible, and the New Testament in particular, have many teachings on the importance of community. By studying two simple phrases that appear time and again in the New Testament, we can learn of the requirements and beauty of true Christian community. The phrases "each other" and "one another" speak to relationships. They do not address a relationship to God or a relationship to oneself. Neither do they speak to a relationship with the universal church. Rather, they address interpersonal relationships within a community of believers. The teachings can be divided into four categories. They are Unity, Hospitality, Devotion and Edification.

Over the next few days we will take a look at each of these categories and the Bible passages from which they are drawn.

Here is a list of many of the passages that include the words “one another” or “each other.”

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
John 13:14

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another
John 13:34,1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:11 (etc)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves
Romans 12:10

Live in harmony with one another
Romans 12:16

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law
Romans 13:8

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way
Romans 14:13

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God
Romans 15:7

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another
Romans 15:14

Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Peter 5:14

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought
1 Corinthians 1:10, Phillipians 4:2

serve one another in love
Galatians 5:13

bearing with one another in love
Ephesians 4:2

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you
Ephesians 4:32

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
Ephesians 5:19

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ
Ephesians 5:21

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you
Colossians 3:13

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God
Colossians 3:16

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing
1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:25

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness
Hebrews 3:13

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds
Hebrews 10:24

Brothers, do not slander one another
James 4:11

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble
1 Peter 3:8

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling
1 Peter 4:9

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble
1 Peter 5:5

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin
1 John 1:7

Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other
Mark 9:50

so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other
1 Corinthians 12:25

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other
Galatians 5:26

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ
Galatians 6:2

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you
1 Thessalonians 3:12

Therefore encourage each other with these words
1 Thessalonians 4:18

Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other
1 Thessalonians 5:13

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else
1 Thessalonians 5:15

Keep on loving each other as brothers
Hebrews 13:1

Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door
James 5:9

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective
James 5:16

“I didn’t expect the truth about the Spanish Inquisition.”

“NOBODY expects the truth about the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is dishonesty…dishonesty and revisionism…revisionism and dishonesty…. Our two weapons are dishonesty and revisionism…and your reckless apathy…. Our *three* weapons are dishonesty, revisionism, and your reckless apathy…and an almost fanatical devotion to deception…. Our *four*…no… *Amongst* our weapons…. Amongst our weaponry…are such elements as dishonesty, revisionism…. I’ll come in again.”

“I didn’t expect the truth about the Spanish Inquisition.”

“NOBODY expects the truth about the Spanish Inquisition! Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as: dishonesty, revisionism, your reckless apathy, an almost fanatical devotion to deception, and nice red uniforms…”

“You are hereby charged that you did on diverse dates believe that the Holy Church would reveal the truth about the inquisition. Now, how do you plead?”

“We’re innocent.”

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

“Now — you are accused of naivety on three counts — naivety by thought, naivety by word, naivety by deed, and naivety by action — *four* counts. Do you confess?

“I don’t understand what I’m accused of!”

“Ha! Then we’ll make you understand! Fetch…THE EVIDENCE!”

Vatican ‘dispels Inquisition myths’

The Vatican has published a new study on the abuses committed by the medieval Inquisition and come to a rather surprising conclusion - that in fact the much feared judges of heresy were not as brutal as previously believed.

According to the 800-page report, the Inquisition that spread fear throughout Europe throughout the Middle Ages did not use execution or torture to anything like the extent history would have us believe.

In fact the book’s editor, Professor Agostino Borromeo, claims that in Spain only 1.8% of those investigated by the notorious Spanish Inquisition were killed.

Nonetheless, as the report was published, Pope John Paul II apologised once more for the interrogators’ excesses, expressing sorrow for “the errors committed in the service of the truth by the recourse to non-Christian methods”.

Hunting heretics

After the Roman Catholic Church consolidated its power across Europe in the 12th and 13th Century, it set up the Inquisition to ensure that heretics did not undermine that authority.

It took the form of a network of ecclesiastical tribunals equipped with judges and investigators.

The punishments meted out for wrongdoers ranged from being forced to visit churches and make pilgrimages, to life imprisonment or execution by burning at the stake.

The report is the result of six-years of investigation

A key component of the Inquisition was that it did not wait for complaints and accusations to be made, but actively sought out so-called heretics, who included witches, diviners, blasphemers and members of other sects.

The accused did not have the right to face and question their accuser and it was acceptable to take testimony from criminals and excommunicated people.

The Inquisition reached its peak in the 16th Century as it battled the Reformation, but its most famous trial was that of Galileo in 1633, condemned for claiming the earth revolved around the sun.

Death by burning

The Spanish Inquisition which became independent from the Vatican in the 15th Century, carried out some of the most infamous abuses under its “autos da f” or act of faith, shorthand for death by burning.

They zealously tortured victims, held summary trials, forced conversions and passed death sentences.

“There is no doubt that at the start, the planned procedures were applied with an excessive rigour, which in some cases degenerated into true abuses,” the Vatican study simply says of this dark period.

But the Vatican report, the product of a six-year investigation, insists that the Inquisition was not as bad as often believed.

Professor Borromeo says for example that for 125,000 trials of suspected heretics in Spain, less than 2% were executed.

He says that often mannequins were burned to represent those tried in absentia and condemned to death and heretics and witches who repented at the last minute were given some sort of relief when they were strangled before being burnt.

Source: BBC News

What can we say? The Vatican is once again downplaying the inquisition. Until they admit to the full extent of the terrible acts done in the name of the Church and until they prove their sorrow in changed doctrine, their apology amounts to nothing. Their apology means as much as if a man beats his wife until she is black and blue and then apologizes for raising his voice at her. It means nothing!

We will, of course, never have completely accurate numbers for the lives lost in the various inquisitions and crusades. The Church continually persecuted Protestants (even in the pre-Protestant era - groups such as the Waldenses), Jews and Muslims alike. Traditionally, and based on some careful (though biased) research, the number of lives lost in the inquisitions was placed in the tens of millions. John Dowling who wrote History of Romanism did years of research and arrived at a number close to 50 million. In recent years the numbers have fallen from millions to thousands and in some cases even to the hundreds.

Do not allow yourself, your children, your church to lose sight of history. We absolutely must continue to allow ourselves to remain students of history.

Hang on to your hats, because I am about to spiritualize (and very possibly trivialize) one of the great laws of physics. Newton's Third Law of Motion states, in its simplest form, that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Take a look around and you will see this law in action every day.

Have you ever seen a slow-motion replay of a big boxing match where the broadcasters show the punch that finished the match? A gloved fist flies towards a face and at the moment of impact you can see the law in effect. As the glove meets the face, it reacts according to the amount of force applied to it. When the fist meets flesh, the point of impact is compressed inwards - perhaps a cheek is pressed into the boxer's mouth. As that happens, the force of the punch pushes the entire head in the same direction as the fist is travelling. The opposite cheek sags eerily outward and a spray of sweat flies off the man's body. The action of the fist striking with stunning force produces an equal and opposite physical reaction.

While this law is true in the physical world the framework of this law applies equally to Truth. Through history we have seen that for every Truth God reveals about Himself, there arises an equal and opposite error. Whenever God has chosen to reveal new Truth about Himself, an opposite falsehood has arisen to lead people astray from the Lord.

The history of Truth's progressive revelation to mankind is not constant. Through history we have seen that for truth to progress, God must first reveal it in an objective sense. There must then be a combined effort on the part of God and men to subjectively reveal that Truth to church or society. Where the objective revelation may take place in a moment or a day, the subjective revelation may take years or ages. Consider God's revelation of His Law to Moses. In just a short while He wrote the Law on the tablets, objectively giving His Law to a particular man. It was then the combined task of God and Moses to subjectively integrate these Laws into society.

History, then, when viewed through a wide lens, is a series of these great epochs as God first makes an objective revelation and men then slowly integrate this Truth into society. The first is an action on God's part and the second is a reaction on the part of men. While there is always a positive action in reaction to Truth, there is also an opposite negative reaction that arises in direct opposition.

J.A. Wylie describes the waves of action and reaction as being similar to the tide rising on a beach. A great wave crashes down on the beach, and for a moment it seems that the beach and the land beyond must be flooded. But in a moment the ocean's fury is spent and the wave retreats, washing back towards the sea. But a careful observer will see that not all the ground that was gained by the great wave has been lost. Before long another wave crashes on to the beach and more land is gained by the ocean. And thus, by a series of advances and retreats the tide flows in and the beach is gained. And so it is with Truth.

I want to briefly consider this in the contexts of four of the great epochs in history: God's original revelation, God's revelation to Moses, early Christianity and the Reformation.

Revelation After Creation

At the close of Creation God created a man in His own image and placed him in the Garden of Eden. The crowning achievement of His Creation, man was given a position of great honor and responsibility. Man was given dominion over the earth and entrusted with the responsibility to tend it. Everything was given to him but a single tree - the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Man walked in perfect communion with God. We do not know what Truths God revealed to man at that time, but we can presume that it was just exactly what he needed - no more and no less. God told man what he needed to know to thrive in a perfect world. It was in this beautiful world that there arose the first error as Satan convinced man that He could be like God. In opposition to the Truth that man is limited and God is infinite, arose the opposite error. Satan convinced man that he could be like God. The waves receded so that by the time of Noah the Bible tells us everyone on the earth, with the exception of Noah and his family, hated God and sinned continually.

Truth gradually progressed in society. But as Truth had progressed, so had error. Paganism took root as the opposite of the pure worship of God. The tower of Babel arose as men reached to the heavens to usurp the glory due only to God. We see that paganism, though in a primitive form, arose and thrived as the evil alternative to God.

Mosaic Revelation

Many years later God's children found themselves in bondage to the Egyptians. It must have seemed like the world contained nothing but darkness and surely the Israelites must have felt that God had abandoned them to their sin. But this was not so. Just when it seemed that things could not deteriorate any further, God providentially raised up Moses. After leading the people from their slavery, God gave Moses new revelation about Truth. Over the course of many years, this Truth was subjectively integrated into the Israelite society. The tabernacle and later the temple were built as places to worship God. The feast days were integrated into the calendar and the ceremonies into times of worship.

During this time error also increased in direct opposition to the pure Truth of God. Baal worship progressed in its influence and in its evil. The ceremonies of pagan worship grew in proportion to match the ceremonies of god-ordained worship. God's people were continually led astray by more developed forms of pagan idolatry that directly contradicted true worship.

The Early Church

Jesus' death marked the end of the Mosaic era. The ceremonial and judicial laws were fulfilled in the Savior. In place of law and ceremony God planted a church - a church that was not merely an extension of His plan for His people but was the fulfillment of His plan. His plan all along led to this church, composed of men and women, Jew and Gentile, black and white - a church of people from all races united in their love of God. But the laws of truth were in effect even then, and there quickly arose opposite errors. The simplicity of the early church was polluted as jealous men fought for rank and position. Whatever God instituted was quickly matched by a corrupt opposite. Simplicity gave way to symbolism, free grace to man's work and sacrament to ritual. The early church gave way to a Roman religion that for over a millennium seemed to hold back the tide of Truth's progress.

The Reformation

Once more the waves receded so that the beach again appeared to be bare. Once more it seemed that God had allowed the shadow to cover the earth. But there, in the 16th Century a light flickered. God allowed one man, Martin Luther, to take a stride forward in Truth. Following in Luther's footsteps other men came to rediscover great truths that had seemingly been lost since the time of the apostles. Within just a few years this Truth had been integrated into Christianity in the movement that came to be known as the Reformation. Similarly, within a few years, there had arisen errors to match these ones. As truth unfolded in a more complete form, so more complex errors were invented. Arminianism arose as a means of lessening the terrifying prospect of God's absolute sovereignty. Catholicism continued its corruption, attacking the principles of Protestantism - Christ's sufficiency, His completed work and God's free grace.

And So On

And so it continues. Even in our present day, hundreds and thousands of years after these great revelations, Truth marches on. The truths God revealed to Adam, to Moses, to the apostles and to the Reformers continue to challenge the church. There is little reason to doubt that more epochs will unfold, or perhaps are unfolding even now, as God more fully reveals Truth. As Truth progressively unfolds, error continues to oppositely assert itself.

It is of foundational importance to note that while each Truth further strengthens its position, each error further corrupts the attempts to undermine God's revealed Truth. Each truth draws closer to perfection while each error draws closer to destruction. Just as a child lies to his parents and as his ficticious story progresses it becomes less and less plausible, so error upon error progressively undermines the position of those who fight against Truth. God's Truth must and shall prevail. In the end error will be destroyed; Truth will reign supreme and shall be fully revealed. We will know Truth even as Truth knows us. There will be no more equal and opposite reactions to the Truth.

Several years ago the "big thing" in the Christian world was the WWJD movement. If you were attending a church during that time (and even if you weren't) you probably remember people wearing the little WWJD bracelets. There were also WWJD bibles, albums, videos, books and every other type of marketing material. Though associated with the 1990's I have seen references to WWJD as early as the 1970's so the term has existed for quite a while.

While I have no real issue with the movement, and while I realize that it did make an impact on many people, I find it amusing that it really is built on some poor theology. The question of "what would Jesus do" is not as relevant to our lives as some people would have us think. I am going to give three reasons for this:

Jesus lived and died at a different time in redemptive history. Jesus was born under Law and was subject to the law. Jesus was required by God to perfectly keep all of the Mosaic laws and ceremonies. He had to keep each feast day and was responsible for holding to the smallest jot and tittle of the law. It was not until His cry of "It is finished" that He freed us from these obligations. You and I, of course, have been born under grace and have to obligation to observe the Mosaic law. We live in a whole different era.

So what would Jesus do on the Sabbath? What would Jesus do on the day of the Passover? The answers to these questions would be vastly different from what you and I should do.

Jesus had a different purpose. Jesus came to the earth for a specific purpose and with a specific God-given mission. Needless to say, you and I have an entirely different purpose and mission. Where Jesus' purpose was to live a perfect life and then take our sin upon Himself in death, our purpose is to live for God's glory. We are to be God's ambassadors to a fallen and dying world. Jesus lived to die for this fallen world.

"As a lamb before its shearers is dumb" Jesus refused to allow Himself to be tried before the authorities of the day. Does this indicate that we are to follow His example?

Permissible versus obligatory. There is another point which is important to consider. While everything Jesus did was, at that time permissible, not everything was obligatory. Not everything Jesus did applies to us today. Jesus ravaged the tables of the merchants and money-changers in the temple, but does this give us an obligation to do the same at our local Christian bookstores? Would it even be permissible for us to do this? Before you do it, I recommend asking your local police about the possible ramifications of destroying the merchandise!

What Jesus requires of us is different from what God required of Him and what He required from Himself. So perhaps the more pertinent question to ask yourself is this: what would Jesus have me do? If you saw that Jesus was looking over your shoulder while someone blasphemes His name, what would Jesus want you to do? If you were having a bad day and yelled at your child when he made a childish mistake, how would Jesus have you react if you knew He was standing in the room with you?

While your answers to "what would Jesus do" and "what would Jesus have me do" may be the same, at least one is more theologically correct!

J.A. Wylie was a pastor and author who lived in the nineteenth century whose greatest work is the three volume masterpiece "The History of Protestantism." The first book spends a small amount of time examining early Christian history and how the purity of the original church gave way to the corruption of the Catholic system. Wylie says "This change [making God less free in His gift of salvation] brought a multitude of others in its train. Worship being transformed into sacrifice - sacrifice in which was the element of expiation and purification - the "teaching ministry" was of course converted into a "sacrificing priesthood." When this had been done, there was no retreating; a boundary had been reaching which could not be recrossed until centuries had rolled away, and transformations of a more portentous kind than any which had yet taken place had passed upon the Church." (Volume 1, Chapter 2, page 8).

In short, Wylie believed that the downfall of the church began with assigning too much power to the clergy. When the office of pastor changed from a teaching office to a mystical, sacrificing priesthood, the clergy gained too much power and immediately passed the point of no return. It would take hundreds of years and a world-changing event for the Church to regain the original beauty of the office of pastor.

After the Protestant Reformation, the Protestant clergy no longer held the mystical power of converting a simple piece of bread to the body of Christ and they no longer had the power to forgive sins. The primary role of the minister of the Word was to exposit the Word of God to the people. It was an office of honor and respect. The title "reverend" was often used to convey respect to those men who had the awesome privilege and responsibility of preaching God's Word.

As the Protestant church has changed and evolved since the time of the Reformation, so has the office of pastor. Where in times past the minister wore a robe, collar or both to differentiate himself from the laity, it seems that today the pastor is often the person wearing shorts and sandals. Where a pastor once wore clothing that conveyed dignity and displayed the uniqueness of the pastoral ministry, today the pastor often tries to be the most unnoticeable person in the church. Where the term "pastor" was once largely reserved for the minister who led his flock, today we have pastors of every type - music pastors, counseling pastors, administrative pastors, and even lay pastors (which seems to be a contradiction in terms). Where pastors and office-bearers once held the keys to the kingdom and had the privilege of administering the sacraments, today the laity is permitted and even encouraged to do this themselves.

I sometimes wonder if we have thrown out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak. I wonder if we've reduced the office of the minister of the Word to such an extent that it no longer carries with it the respect and uniqueness that God intended. Surely pastors are called to a high office and are blessed with unique privileges and responsibilities. When we take those privileges and dispense them liberally throughout the Church, I wonder if we are elevating the role of the laity or reducing the role of the clergy. Either way, I suspect we are not honoring God or the special role He created for the minister of His Word.

Last Sunday was Father’s Day. My son spent his morning in our church’s preschool program while my wife and I enjoyed the service. When the service was over, my son came bounding into the auditorium just overflowing with excitement, holding something behind his back. He came to me and told me he had a surprise for me. With a flourish he presented to me a little pencil holder he had made for me that very morning. It was made of an orange juice can covered with bits of road map. A sticker on the read “Nick’s dad must ‘Obey God’ and follow his directions. Acts 5:29.”

If I were to look at my son’s creation purely objectively I was see a monstrosity - something that made a mockery of pencil holders. The bits of paper covered only a portion of the can and most of them were loose. The liner on the inside of the can was peeling away because of the moisture it was exposed to. Had I seen nothing but a pencil holder, I would have thrown it away in disgust.

But I see more than a pencil holder. I see an expression of my son’s love for me. I see the effort he put into it and know that he did the best he could. He is incapable at only four years old of making a work of art worthy of a gallery. So while this gift may be a monstrosity, to me it is beautiful. I have never met a parent who would throw away such a gift, expressing disgust at the flaws in it. Every parents understands the joy of receiving such gifts.

I love to bring gifts to God. Whether it is a portion of the finances He has blessed me with or whether it is my time or talents, I love to present my gifts before my heavenly Father. I know that if He viewed these gifts objectively, he would see little more than the monstrosities they are before His perfect standards. He would see the selfishness in my heart as I give money to Him, knowing that I could just as easily use that money to buy myself something nice. He knows that my heart is not perfectly pure as I bring my gifts of worship to Him. He knows who I am. Yet God accepts these imperfect gifts. As a loving Father he accepts the ragged, misshapen little pencil holders I bring to Him and gives them a place of honor on His desk. He knows my imperfections, He knows I am only dust, and He knows that through my gifts, faulty as they may be, I seek to bring honor and glory to Him.

When you pray, petitioning God for something, do you really expect results? Do you pray as one who is already defeated, expecting before you even pray that God will not grant your prayer? Or do you pray with confidence that God hears and answers prayer?

Acts 12 contains a wonderful story that shows how even the giants of the faith and the pillars of the church had trouble putting their confidence in God through prayer. In that chapter we read about Peter’s arrest and imprisonment by King Herod. Having just had James the brother of John put to death, and seeing that this pleased the Jews, Herod sent his soldiers to arrest Peter and put him in prison, intending on having him killed after the Passover. We read in verse five “prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” Other translations choose to interpret fervent as earnest or constant. The point is clear: God’s people were praying with great zeal, great emotion and great sincerity, asking God to save the life of their beloved brother.

While the people were on the other side of town praying for Peter, God saw fit to rescue him. He sent an angel to Peter who led him from the prison and to the gate of the city. Peter seems to have believed this was a dream, for verse 11 says “When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’” He immediately went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, knowing that the church at Jerusalem would be gathered there. He no doubt realized that they would be gathered together to pray for him.

And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

Do you see what happened there? Believers who had been with Jesus and had learned from His disciples were gathered together to pray for Peter. These were people who should have had great faith, yet when they heard that their prayers had been answered they did not believe it. You can almost imagine them snarling to the poor servant girl “You’re crazy! It can’t be Peter! He’s in prison and we’re busy praying that God will save him!” The situation is almost comical, isn’t it?

You have to ask yourself, is there any purpose in praying if you do not really believe God is capable of answering prayer? Why pray if you do not believe that God is willing to hear your prayer? God is not only capable of answering prayer, but He is also willing to answer prayer.

Pray to God with your expectations set high. Exercise faith through prayer, trusting that God hears your petition. As a father loves to grant what his child requests, so our heavenly Father loves to answer sincere, godly prayer. God may not answer your request at the time you expect or in the way you expect, but trust that He will answer.

I know so little about love. This thought occurred to me just a few weeks ago and I began to look at love to see what it is and how I can learn to love more and love better. It is no great mystery that the Bible places great emphasis on love. The word "love" appears hundreds of times through the Scripture as God tells us not only how much He loves His children but also how we are to display God's love to others.

It did not take me long to learn about the unbreakable link between love and humility. Love is impossible without humility. If I want to excel at love, I first need to learn to be humble; to learn to count my own joy and pleasure as less important than the joy and pleasure of someone else. Perhaps the key to love is learning to derive pleasure from someone else's pleasure. Selfless love is to find pleasure in another person's pleasure.

I think of my daughter and how much she loves it when I blow on her tummy. I derive no pleasure from the act of blowing "raspberries" on her stomach, but I derive nearly endless amounts of pleasure from hearing her squeal "stop!" and then "again!" I receive pleasure from her pleasure. While I could be reading a good book or surfing the Internet, thus deriving pleasure directly from my actions, I choose instead to find pleasure through my daughter's pleasure. I put myself first by putting her first, finding pleasure in her pleasure.

I wish I could say that this was the rule rather than the exception, but far more often I seek to find pleasure selfishly.

I found in the Bible that there are two types of humility, and though they are related, they are distinct. God tells us to first to be humble before Him and then to be humble before our fellow man.

Humility before God is a humility before His Word. I need to approach the Bible with humility each time I open its pages. I need to acknowledge that the Word is the teacher and I am the student. I need to allow the Bible to tell me who I am and describe my condition as a human being. I need to accept the Bible's solution to my condition. Psalm 25:9 says "The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way." If I approach God's Word to humble myself before it, God will guide and teach me. If I approach His Word with pride and with a haughty spirit, God will oppose me, for "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

When I read God's Word with an attitude of humility I can learn from the tragic times faced by characters such as Samson or David. I know that I am as human as they were and as prone to sin as they were. I see myself in the words of Genesis 6:5 which says "the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." When I read Jeremiah 17:9 I know that it describes my condition; I know that it is my heart that "is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." If I approach these same passages with an attitude of arrogance, feeling pride in my own abilities, I will learn nothing.

I believe this attitude of humility is what separates those believers who really "get it" from the masses of professed believers who never do - those people who continually show an attitude of arrogance before God do not allow Him to change and mold them. They make gods of themselves, believing that they are capable of doing God's work in their own lives. They deny the truth and gravity of their situations. I can think of so many people I have known who never humbled themselves before the Word. When they read about sin, they saw other people. When they read the passages of Scripture that demand changes to their lives or that went against what they believed, they refused to humble themselves. I have been in that position and have refused to change and I am sure you have been too.

God forgive us for our arrogance and give us humble hearts.

When we have humbled ourselves before God, we are able to show His love to others by humbling ourselves before them - by esteeming them better than ourselves. Without first humbling ourselves before Him, we merely show our own love which is fatally flawed and full of sin. I think of Mother Teresa, a woman who outwardly showed love to so many, yet just a brief look at her life will show beyond any dispute that she never humbled herself before God. Think of the good her life could have accomplished had she been able to show God's perfect love to the world rather than only her own selfish love.

Imagine how my life would change and how your life would change if we were truly able to derive pleasure from the pleasure of others. Imagine if we dedicated the time we spend deriving pleasure from television to gaining pleasure from the joy of helping others and esteeming them better than ourselves. Imagine how Christians could impact the world around them if we really understood the value of humility.

Many months ago I studied the book of Proverbs and learned the absolute importance of wisdom. Since then I continually pray that God will help me grow in wisdom. I have recently begun to pray that He will also grant me humility before His Word, so that He can change me and so that I can then show His love to the world around me.

Matthew 18:19 and 20 are oft-quoted verses that most of us know by heart. Verse nineteen is the favorite of the Word of Faith so-called Christians. It reads “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” Just about anytime you choose you can turn on your television and find people abusing this verse, offering to “join their faith with yours” or “agree with you in faith” so that you can have the selfish desires of your heart. They believe this verse gives Christians license to demand anything from God and that He is beholden to provide us what we want when two Christians believe in faith for the same thing.

The following verse is quoted just as often. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” This verse is often used to indicate to Christians that where two or more believers get together, Jesus is somehow more present in that situation than He is when a Christian is alone.

Students of the Bible know that when it comes to Bible study, context is king. I believe both these passages have far different meanings than we may think when they are examined in context.

To find the true context, we need only look a few verses above them. There we see Jesus discussing the method of properly dealing with a believer (or a supposed believer) who is sinning. He tells us first to address that person on our own. If he does not turn from his wicked ways we are to take two or three witnesses and try again. If he still does not listen we are to take it before the church and if he will not heed the warnings of the church he is to be cast out of the church and considered as an unbeliever.

Verse eighteen then says “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Clearly God gives the church extraordinary power here. When the church decides that someone is living a sinful lifestyle and excommunicates that person on Biblical grounds, that excommunication is binding in God’s eyes. God has given the “keys of the kingdom” to the church. You can read Matthew 16:19 for more information about this.

Verse nineteen follows this instruction saying that where two or three agree on earth concerning a matter of church discipline, God will do it for them. So why is it that many Christians choose to tear this verse from its logical context? Clearly it is a further application of verse eighteen. God is affirming that where the church makes a decision based on Biblical precepts, God will agree with it.

Verse twenty follows logically as an extension of verse nineteen. Where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there. What this means is that Jesus is present spiritually to validate the decision that has just been made. Jesus will help guide the church officials and give them peace that the decision they were forced to make was the right one. I see no reason to expand this verse to mean that whenever two Christians are in the same geographic location, Jesus is somehow more present there than when they are apart.

Now the improper interpretation of verse twenty is not dangerous and in a sense is not even unscriptural, for God is present where people are gathered in His name. However, I do not think that is the meaning of the verse in question. Evidently an improper interpretation of verse nineteen can lead to many false teachings.

I would be interested in hearing some further opinions on my interpretation of these verses.