Keeping It Simple
Have you not talked with people, who are members of a denomination, and they just can't see anything wrong with the way God's work is accomplished? In fact, many can't seem to see why sprinkling isn't all right for baptism -- after all, it doesn't matter in what way we do God's bidding -- just so that good for mankind is accomplished.
After discussing methods for doing the Lord's will with members of His church, the same conclusion is reached. It really doesn't matter how we get the job done -- think of all the good accomplished for the Lord! However, I am convinced many problems would disappear if each Christian would endeavor to do God's work in God's way.
I have attended business meetings which were long and tedious regarding matters to be accomplished, yet not once did any say: "Let's look to the Bible and see if we can discern God's will for doing His work". Usually, one member after another would present his "ideas" for doing this or that and the conclusion rested upon a majority vote -- God's will was ignored.
Now, how about the doing of God's will? What great and glamorous methods shall we contrive to get the job done on a national scale? Think of how much good can be accomplished if we all get together with national meetings and pool our resources to do Christ's bidding. It is this type of thinking that causes the rift in the church -- creating division and hard feelings. The poor Christian who just wants to do things as they were done in apostolic times gets the "pooh-pooh" for being "not with it" and "anti", etc... After all, he is against these great and glorious "good" works.
I am reminded of Paul's admonition to the Corinthian church: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. " (2 Cor.11:3) Many today make it difficult to do things right for the Lord. We will teach denominational people that Christ made obedience simple in order for a person to become a Christian, yet we'll turn around and make the accomplishment of His work difficult with involvements of many sorts.
In discussing religion with a friend, I asked him if a person could easily be a member of the church in which he belonged. This friend told me he'd have to ask his preacher, for there were too many things he could not tell me about -- the matter was too involved. Did Christ make the way of becoming a Christian simple or complicated? He made it simple -- hear, believe, repent, confess Him as the Son of God, and be baptized for the remission of sins. In that way a person after obedience is added to the Lord's church by Christ -- he can't join it.
In like manner, wasn't the way Christians did the Lord's work in New Testament times simple? They preached and taught the gospel. Each did his or her part. They sent help to people who were in "need" through no fault of their own. Wasn't this easy? These people were Christians -- brothers and sisters in Christ. Wasn't this simple to understand? Did they have involved, complicated methods and organizations in order to accomplish the spreading of the gospel and doing good works? They CERTAINLY DID NOT!
When it comes to the task of converting souls to Christ, much more has been accomplished by churches who follow the New Testament as a guide than by those who have nationwide methods for making the job complicated. As an example, the little church in Orting had eight baptisms in a period of three weeks through personal teaching and home Bible studies. Nationwide broadcasts have not had results in this manner. Do YOU WANT TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL AND GET RESULTS? If you do, then each Christian in the church should teach on a personal basis and the church will grow faster than in any other way. This is the simple, New Testament way to preach and teach the gospel. Concentrate on this and forget the national campaigns and big projects. Now in doing this, you'll know that the Lord will be pleased, for you're following the Bible example.
The simple way for doing things isn't good enough for many. They have to invent to themselves organizations, societies, big campaigns and such like. How pleasing is this to God? Ask yourself. How pleasing is the Catholic method of becoming a Catholic? It isn't simple by any means. And it's getting that way with the "Church of Christ" on a large scale.
When it comes to doing benevolent work, there arises the same condition of complexity in the church. It isn't satisfying to many to do as the early churches did -- simple manners and ways of relieving Saints who were destitute because of famine. No -- man has to go around creating man-made "wants" and "needs" and then asking other churches for help in meeting these man-created needs. What is done often is to take-on a project -- then ask for support and "pledges" to meet the needs of the project. The whole process becomes unscriptural and complicated. How simple it would be to follow the Bible in helping needy Saints. Quite often we're so involved with big projects and big ideas that we can't do anything about needy Christians in our local congregation or other congregations because the church funds are all obligated.
From the creation ideas and wisdom of men has been a plague to the human race -- out of accord with God's will and in accord with Satan himself. Today, after the Christian Church apostasy should have taught us a lesson, the modern Christian says: "Your way isn't good enough, God. I can do things bigger and better than the way they were done in the early church for which there is Bible example." No wonder Paul told the Corinthian church that the wisdom of this world was foolishness with God (1 Cor. 3:19).
I talked to some length with a brother that would do "bigger and better things" than have been done before for Christ. I asked him if he knew how the Christian Church evolved and where the error was. I asked him if he'd studied the apostasy and if he were concerned about it's happening again today. He said he hadn't and didn't see why these things were wrong. If they were not wrong, then why not be a member of the Christian Church, for it wouldn't be wrong. In other words, there are two churches acceptable in God's sight. Paul condemned divisions in 1 Cor. 1:10, yet this Christian wasn't convicted enough against division to see what led to the riff which resulted in the Christian Church. This man believes that the end result justifies the means -- after all, let's do good. "If the work is good, then the way of getting it done must be good, too." He doesn't even look to the Bible to see what works are authorized, how they were done and who did them for whom. Too many lack conviction for the purity of Christ's church -- they don't hate apostasy and what leads to it. They are willing to do anything that leads to good, even though the results may bring into being another Christian Church -- maybe this time it'll end-up being called the "DO THINGS IN A BIG WAY" Church, or something like that.
We would have our hands full with all we could do for the Lord if we'd look to the Bible for the simple, authorized way to get the Lord's work done. We would look around us for preachers to support directly so that new congregations could be started. We'd look for those needy Saints who need help. We wouldn't create a need beyond our control -- we wouldn't take on a "work" that would require support from other congregations. We'd preach the gospel through Bible studies and personal contacts. We'd do good to many on a personal basis. We'd search the scriptures to see WHAT WE SHOULD DO, and thus fulfill our responsibilities in a Bible way.
The simple way of religion is there -- the Bible way, if we would follow it. The results will amaze us, for we'll see the church grow and prosper. This will be pleasing to the Lord and to those who are really interested in obeying Him. Let's not make the doing of the Lord's work complicated. Follow the New Testament as we have scriptural authority. There is much to be done -- the harvest is ripe.
-121 E. Corrin Orting, Washington