Sesser church of Christ

07/01/2015

In John 12:49-50, Jesus says, “I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

In his earthly ministry, Jesus spent vast amounts of time passing along these teachings to His disciples. He knew the day was coming that He would no longer be with them in a physical presence. After His resurrection, He told the Apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) This transmission of teaching is a vital part of making disciples.

The Holy Spirit insured that the Apostles would accurately teach future disciples the things that should be observed. Jesus made the promise directly to the Apostles in John 14:25-26, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

We see in Acts 2:42 that the first ‘crop’ of church members “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.” In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul instructed the young preacher, “The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Let's retrace the line of communication: God the Father—God the Son—Apostles with the help of God the Spirit—first generation of disciples—every subsequent generation of disciples. Isn't it amazing that we can be links in the same chain today?!

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1) "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26) "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

Our faith must be based firmly upon the word of God, the same teaching that has been passed from God the Father to Jesus to the Apostles and to all disciples. The same thing that made a disciple in the first century still makes a disciple today: nothing more, nothing less. (See Matthew 28:19-20 above.)

-Michael Nix

06/22/2015

You may have noticed the small “c” when I write church of Christ and thought it was a typo. I try not to be persnickety about it, but it is intentional, and here’s why.

1. It’s not a title. The Lord’s church in the New Testament didn’t have a name in the way that we understand names today. Followers of Jesus are referred to in several ways: temple of God (1 Cor 3:16), bride of Christ (Eph 5:21-32), body of Christ (Col 1:24), kingdom of God’s Son (Col 1:13), house of God (1 Tim 3:15), church of God (1 Cor 1:2) church of the firstborn (Heb 12:23), church of the Lord (Acts 20:28), the way (Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4, 24:14,22), and churches of Christ (Rom 16:16). We could just as easily have chosen any of these “names” and put it on the sign out front.

2. There’s nothing special about the word “church” itself. While it is true that the Greek term translated “church” by most English versions literally means “called out”, in Bible times it was not used exclusively to refer to groups of Christians. In Acts 19:21-41, an angry mob is stirred up over the commotion created by “the way”. The same Greek word that is usually translated “church” is used in verses 32, 39, and 41 to refer to the angry mob. However, most English translations have chosen to use the word “assembly”. It is just a generic word for any group, assembly, or gathering of people.

3. What sets us apart from an angry mob, a gardening club, or an athletic team is the One to whom this “church” belongs. All who truly submit to the will of Christ comprise the “church” (group/assembly/gathering) that belongs to Him. Thus, the term “church of Christ” merely means a group of people that belong to Christ.

-Michael Nix

06/15/2015

It’s easy to read through the New Testament shaking our heads and thinking, “Those silly Jews. Why didn’t they get it? The Old Testament was obviously prophesying about Jesus!” We have to remember that we are approaching Scripture after 2,000 years of knowing the rest of the story (Colossians 1:26). Hindsight is 20/20, but first century Jews didn’t have that luxury.

For example, Isaiah 9:6-7 says, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder...Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” We approach Isaiah only after knowing that Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36) Without that insight, who’s to say that we wouldn’t have some of the same misconceptions about the Messiah?

As we read through the New Testament, we need to be careful about assuming that every Jew who had a hard time accepting the Suffering Servant was a willfully ignorant hypocrite, and thinking that we are so much more enlightened because we believe that Jesus is the Christ. We need to read with an understanding attitude toward their misunderstandings, and realize that Jesus was willing to meet them where they were and lead them to a more accurate knowledge; sometimes gently (Mark 12:28-34), sometimes sternly (Matthew 23).

God is the protagonist. Satan is the antagonist. The rest of us are just caught in the middle of that spiritual tug-of-war. That includes those first century Jews. They, like us, were just trying to make sense of the hand they were dealt. Many of them came to the wrong conclusion about Jesus, but that doesn't mean that we should write them off as the bad guys in every story without attempting to understand how they came to those faulty conclusions. Adopting an attitude of understanding will help us in two major ways today.

1. We will be more patient with those who believe error. Not everyone who falls for false doctrine is a willfully ignorant hypocrite. We have to realize whether we are dealing with a wolf in sheep’s clothing or a deceived sheep. In the case of the latter, we need to “convince, rebuke, exhort, WITH ALL LONGSUFFERING.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

2. We will be more aware of our own misunderstandings. We are not immune to preconceived notions and selective reading of scripture. Case in point: most of us know the first half of Isaiah 9:6-7 above, but few could quote the second half. We need to be teachable like Apollos. (Acts 18:24-28)

-Michael Nix

06/10/2015

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23

Whether we realize it or not, the influences that we let into our minds will have an impact on our mood, the way we view the world, and our relationship with God. If we allow negativity in through our “lamps” then there is nothing about us that is not affected.

Recently it was reported that Facebook had been playing a social experiment, so to speak, on unsuspecting users. The goal was to see how people’s moods were altered by the stories that they read on their newsfeed. When a person’s newsfeed was manipulated in such a way to only let negative posts be displayed, then that person was more likely to post a negative status.

It’s a dirty trick, but is seems easy enough to see through, right? We have to realize that we have a choice over the information that we put into our brains. Satan wants to fill the newsfeed of our lives with discouragement, but we have to make the conscious decision to see through his ruse and rise above it.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy– meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8

If we are meditating on these things, it doesn’t leave time to dwell on the negative things.

Michael Nix

05/26/2015

In John 13, Jesus gives us one of the greatest lessons in servant leadership by washing the feet of the disciples. Peter, however, tries to forbid the Lord from serving him in such a menial way. Peter thinks he is doing a noble thing by rebuffing the offer of Jesus, but we see from the rest of the account that such is not the case.

How do we respond when someone offers to do something for us? Do we think we are taking the high road by refusing them the opportunity to serve? Think of all that we miss out on by passing up the chance to let someone help us.

1. We miss out on fellowship. Acts 2:42-47 describes the closeness of the early church. They shared everything! Whenever we spend time together accomplishing daily tasks, we become more like the 1st century church and less like our privacy-fence-loving culture.

2. We cause the other person to miss out on a blessing. Acts 20:35 says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We surely want to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters in Christ! One of the easiest ways the make sure he or she receives a blessing is to afford him or her the opportunity to serve.

3. We hinder the healthy function of the body of Christ. Our stomachs would never say to our mouths, “Don’t bother sending me any more food.” Nor would our muscles say to our hearts, “You don’t have to work so hard to send me blood.” Sometimes a person is desperately trying to find their role in the work of the church, and they reach a dead end at every attempt.

This is especially true in situations where it is not clear what would be most beneficial. So the next time we hear a vague statement like, “Just call if there’s anything I can do to help!”, let’s not assume that the person saying it is insincere. They may be racking their brains to come up with something they could do, ANY way to be of service.

We’re not doing anyone any favors when we say “no” to a sincere offer to help, even if it is something that we could do on our own. We are a church family. It’s not “imposing” if it’s a family member.

-Michael Nix

05/21/2015

http://www.plainsimplefaith.com/2015/05/a-first-century-church-well-sort-of/

It isn’t uncommon for a website or church bulletin to have an italicized slogan like, “A 1st Century Church In A 21st Century World.” Cool, right? It’s catchy. It’s fresh. It’s non-confirmative. In a confused ‘community church’-packed world, where staunch denominationalism is increasingly unfashiona…

05/18/2015

In Acts 2:47 we read that the early Christians were continually “praising God and having favor with all the people.” What were they doing to receive such good will from people outside the church?

A big part of the favor enjoyed by the early church had to do with the way they took care of one another. Look at verses 44-45. “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”

The took seriously the words of Jesus in John 13:35. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is not a social welfare program or even benevolence toward unbelievers. It is simply Christians taking care of other Christians.

The type of fellowship that the world witnessed in the early church caused them to stop and take note. It made people stop and think, “I’d like to be a part of that.” Is our behavior toward one another today just as attractive to the outside world?

Let’s endeavor to be so intimately involved in one another’s lives that we will recognize and meet all physical and spiritual needs as soon as they arise. Let’s actively love one another so that the world will see us as that city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.

-Michael Nix

05/11/2015

Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” This is in a context speaking of the spiritual burdens placed on Christians to restore our wayward brothers and sisters to a right relationship with the Lord. Each of us ought to be more than willing to go out of our way to help a brother or sister in need.

Just three verses later, in Galatians 6:5, we find the seemingly contradictory statement, “For each one shall bear his own load.” So which is it? Are we to bear our own load, or are we to wait for a fellow Christian to swoop in and help us bear our burdens? Again, the context is spiritual (Gal 5:3-4), and it deals with examining one’s own standing with God to ensure the integrity of that relationship.

Of course, both statements are true and do not contradict one another. They directed toward individuals on different ends of a given situation. According to verses 3-5, it is incumbent upon each of us to maintain our own relationship with God in a way that is not dependent on another human being as a crutch. We ought not rely on the insistence of a family member or a visit from the preacher to motivate us to attend worship services.

On the other side, though, we should never look down our noses at a brother or sister who is in need of a little extra encouragement. Far be it from us to make disparaging comments about a fellow Christian’s attendance record. Instead, let’s make every effort to spur one another on to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).

We are a church family. Let’s each endeavor to bring more to the table than the drain that we place on the family (Gal 6:5). May we never become complacent concerning brothers and sisters who are struggling in their walk with the Lord (Gal 6:2).

-Michael Nix

05/05/2015

http://www.radicallychristian.com/is-your-church-inward-or-outward-focused

I hear a lot of talk about inward-focused vs. outward-focused churches. In fact, the latest trend is to harshly criticize inward-focused churches for being consumer-minded and just existing to plea...

05/04/2015

Acts 1:1 says, “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” This one little verse, that is easily skipped right over as introductory material, packs a lot of significance.

1. BEGAN Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). He began the kingdom of God by building His church. He set the wheels in motion, but the Great Commission is in our hands now. He will always be with us as we seek to take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20).

2. TO DO The ministry of Jesus is characterized by a high level of activity. He was busy healing and serving at every opportunity. He always found quiet time alone to pray to the Father, but He was never too busy for people. He didn’t just talk the talk, He walked the walk.

3. TO TEACH Jesus was always willing to live out His message, but He never shied away from engaging people in spiritual discussions. He didn’t sit back and wait for other people to begin the conversation, He actively sought out opportunities to teach people about the kingdom. Just because we’re walking the walk doesn’t make us exempt from talking the talk.

If we want to continue what Jesus began, we have to be doing AND teaching.

-Michael Nix

04/24/2015

https://youtu.be/_AfqLqG2s3A

www.forwardisbackward.org How many different churches meet in your area? More than one? Is that the way Jesus wanted it? Imagine a world where the word "Chri...