"The Master Is Come, And Calleth For Thee"
The grim hand of death had struck in little Bethany. The home circle consisting of a brother and two sisters had been broken and the mortal body of Lazarus, the beloved brother, lay in a cave sealed with a stone. The sisters, Martha and Mary, were overwhelmed with sorrow and grief and were being comforted by many Jewish friends who had come from nearby Jerusalem.
The sisters, Martha and Mary, had sent a messenger to tell Jesus that his friend, Lazarus, lay sick. About four days later Jesus appeared on the outskirts of the little village, and, hearing of His coming, Martha went out to meet Him. Shortly after she returned to Mary with the welcome news, "The Master is come, and calleth for thee." His presence brought great comfort to the sisters and filled their sorrowing hearts with great joy by raising their brother and His dear friend from the dead.
Today the world needs Jesus as much as it ever needed Him. He no longer walks on earth in the flesh as He did in the days when he visited that little home in Bethany. He speaks to us through the medium of His word and it has a very definite call which all would do well to heed.
It was at Caesarea Philippi that Jesus said to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my church." (Matt. 18:18) Paul tells us "That Rock was Christ." (1 Cor. 10:4) This means that the church would be built upon Himself. Christ is "the chief corner stone" (Eph. 2:20) and in 1 Cor. 3:11 Paul wrote, "For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." The church was brought into being on the first Pentecost following His resurrection from the dead. On that day, Peter, to whom the keys of heaven had been promised, stood up and proclaimed the deity of our Lord, announced the terms of admission into the church, and, before the day ended, three thousand people had renounced the old Jewish theocracy and were baptized into Christ.
1. Jesus calls us to defend His church against ALL unscriptural doctrines and practices. The battle against apostasy, false teaching, doctrines of men, sin and unrighteousness of every form, kind, class and description must be vigorously waged at all times. No soft preaching, teaching or compromising can be tolerated in Christ's church and things that cause divisions are forbidden. The night Jesus was betrayed, He prayed for the unity of His disciples and "for them also which shall believe on me through their word." During the lives of the apostles, they sought to forestall all attempts to apostatize and destroy the unity of the church. Paul wrote the church at Corinth "that Ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you." (1 Cor. 1:10) Jude urged the brethren to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints." Using the figure of metonymy, Jude uses the word "faith" as embracing the whole scheme of human redemption. It was not invented by the fertile mind of man; but was originated by the Father above and transmitted to man through the agency of the Holy Spirit by Christ's apostles here on earth. We must take our stand with the apostles. It is our task to restore the New Testament church in all its purity and simplicity. It is impossible to improve upon the pattern handed down to us by the inspired men of God. The Master calls us to the task of maintaining His church as developed by His apostles during the first century.
2. To accomplish this task, the Master calls us to accept His authority. His authority is the rock upon which the religious world is split. We are called to reject all human authority and go back to Christ who said, "All authority bath been given unto me in heaven and on earth." (Matt. 28:18) Paul wrote "(God) hath put all things under his (Christ's) feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church." (Eph. 1:22)
In Christianity, God is the source of all primary authority and the first delegation of authority was from the Father to the Son, Christ Jesus. The second delegation of authority was from Christ Jesus to His apostles. Here all delegation of authority ended and their teachings and writings are final. The New Testament is complete and all things pertaining to life and godliness have been given. Peter writes that God, "according as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." (2 Peter 1:13) With the death of the last apostle all revelation ceased. We are now directed to the New Testament as the sole source of authority in the following language, "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 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16-17) The Master's voice calls us back to the inspired Word as the sole and final source of authority.
3. The creed to which the Master calls us needs no revisions. Frequent revisions are made in creeds drawn by men. The creed of the New Testament church is a divine person — "God's only begotten Son." John writes, "God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4:9) John 3:16 reads, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Christ is the creed of His Church. He calls all men to get right with Him and promises them eternal life if they remain faithful till the end of life. They are at liberty to accept or reject Him.
4. The Master calls us to observe the ordinance of Christian baptism. What is this baptism? It is a burial; "We are buried with him by baptism unto death." (Rom. 6:4) A burial requires "much water"; "John was baptizing also in Aenon near Salem because there was much water there." (John 3:23) A burial in water requires "going down into the water" (Acts 8:38); then after the burial a coming up "out of the water." (Acts 2:39; Mark 1:10) Baptism is a burial of the penitent believer in water, in which he commemorates the death of Christ, and being raised from the water, he commemorates Christ's resurrection.
What is the purpose of baptism? To secure "the remission of sins." (Acts 2:38) To put into Christ; "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (Rom. 6:3) To put on Christ; "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:27) To receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
5. The Master calls us to observe the Lord's supper. It was observed by the early church during the lives of the apostles. Jesus commanded us to observe the supper when He said, "This do in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) The disciples, guided by the Holy Spirit, practiced this observance; "Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them...." (Acts 20:7) This was done at Troas under the supervision of the apostle Paul, who was guided by the Holy Spirit, and shows the established time for the breaking of bread. No particular "first day" is mentioned; hence, it was the practice of the early Christians to meet each first day as it came around. In Acts 2:42 we learn that the early Christians "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers." Nearly all denominational groups practice three of these items without a murmur, yet they refuse to accept the authority of the scriptures on the third item in this list.
6. The Master calls us to evangelize. To three fishermen Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matt. 4:19) Luke tells us "the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face in every city and place whither he himself would come." (Lk. 10:1) To the eleven disciples Jesus said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you...." (Matt. 28:19,20) This work of proclaiming the gospel, baptizing people and setting them to work in the church is the task God committed to the church. All members of the church should follow the example of the disciples of the first century, who when persecution arose, "Were scattered abroad and went everywhere preaching the word." (Acts 8:4)
The Master calls each one to bear fruit. He said, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bear more fruit." (John 15:2) To bear fruit the Master calls us to abide in him; "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." (John 15:5) In the words of a prominent political figure, "Where do you stand?"
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