BREAD & WINE
MARCH 2006
BREAD & WINE is
a monthly publication by Bethel Community Church of Sarasota, Florida,
USA.
Address: 5632 Gantt Road
Sarasota, FL 34232
Tel: 941 922 6007
Email:
bw@bethelcomchurch.org
Subscriptions:
Bread & Wine is available free of charge at the church.
$12:00 per year. All payments should be made to Bethel Community Church.
Address all correspondence to the Editor, Bread & Wine, 5632 Gantt Road,
Sarasota, Florida 34232.
Copyright © 2006 by Bethel Community Church.
Editor: Russ Atmore
Associate Editor: Jim White - Web
Editorial Assistant: Kaitlin Atmore
Additional Resources:
http://www.bethelcomchurch.org
http://bethelcomchurch.org/blog/
Cover Picture: Bethel
Community Church (as drawing)
March 2006 ● Vol. 1, No. 1
EDITORIAL – Russ Atmore
Happiness & Holiness ………………………….… 4
THEOLOGY - Russ Atmore
Plurality, Unity & Trinity………………………….. 5
CHURCH HISTORY - Russ Atmore
Robert Murray M’Cheyne ................................... 8
PRACTICAL MATTERS – Russ Atmore
The Discipline of Struggle ……………………… 10
CURRENT ISSUES - Russ Atmore
The Right to Live ……………………………….. 12
FAMILY CORNER
Bible Quiz ……………………………………….. 15
_____________________
“He that is never on his knees on earth shall never stand upon his
feet in heaven”
C. H. Spurgeon
EDITORIAL
By Russ Atmore
Happiness & Holiness
These two attributes should not be thought of as being mutually
exclusive. True happiness is found in true holiness, and true holiness
is found in happiness. The person who is holy will be happy and the
person who is happy will be holy.
It was our Lord Jesus Christ who spoke of this in the Sermon on the
Mount as recorded in Matthew 5 – 7. Happy are all those to whom the
Beatitudes apply. The word, ‘blessed’ can simply mean ‘happy’. It is not
happiness as this world views happiness. The blessedness that Jesus
refers to is that which is truly spiritual overflowing into earthly
character, yet rooted in heavenly reality. The holy person is concerned
with poverty of spirit, with mourning for sin, with humility, with a
hunger and thirsting after righteousness, with mercy, with purity of
heart, with making peace, with suffering and persecution.
The Beatitudes are the norm for those who live in God’s Kingdom. In
fact, the idea and reality of the Kingdom of Heaven is prevalent
throughout Jesus’ discourse. To be blessed by God is to be approved by
God. When we bless God, we render an act of worship to God, but when God
blesses man, He condescends to man and gives His approval. What a great
privilege for the Christian to be approved of by God.
True blessedness then comes from a spiritual condition before God. It is
recognition of who we are and who God is. Which blessing do we seek? If
we seek the approval of man we shall have it, but is shallow, hollow and
empty. If we seek the approval of God, it is blessed, holy and will last
for eternity.
THEOLOGY
Plurality, Unity & Trinity
The orthodox doctrine of the Trinity demands attention. The first
problem facing Christians is that the term ”Trinity” is not a biblical
term. Every time we use the term “Trinity” we are not using language
from the Bible to express what we believe. Well, what do we believe? We
believe that there is one true God, but that there exists a unity in the
Godhead that is coeternal, coequal, and coexistent.
This unity in the Godhead is the same in substance, but distinct in
subsistence. We can make these statements only as long as Scripture is
Scripture. The truth of Scripture ensures the preservation of the
doctrine. Sometimes the Bible expresses doctrine in broad terms, that
until we express it or seek to define it more clearly, it remains in
those broad terms.
So, we come to Scripture and see that the Bible teaches the Trinity, but
not in the terms that we use (i.e.; the Trinity). The doctrine of the
Trinity is therefore a revealed doctrine, not in the sense that it has
been hidden, but in the sense of language usage that expresses what is
in the Bible more clearly.
The Trinity cannot be discovered through reason. This means that you
cannot prove the doctrine of the Trinity by reason. There are no
analogies to it. You cannot look at nature and say that God is Three in
One (Three Persons, yet One God). Individuals, however, have attempted
to explain the Trinity by the use of reason. They put forward the
doctrine by way of implication, but this is not the way to argue for the
truth of the Trinity. If reason does anything at all, it performs the
negative service of attempting to promote a Trinitarian
viewpoint. It is agreed that the concept of Trinity is difficult, but it
by no means places added burdens to our intelligence. I know this,
because little children understand and believe the Trinitarian doctrine
as espoused in our Bibles as adults do. It might even be argued that
children accept and believe these deep truths far easier than some
adults.
The doctrine of the Trinity, at least to my mind, provides more
solutions than difficulties. It answers my questions regarding the
awesome conception of the Being of God as One, who is infinite and
absolutely moral. It enlightens my thoughts about God in that it
enriches me and elevates my comprehension of who God is. The human mind
is never satisfied with an abstract idea of God. If I am going to
believe in God, then God must be the only ever Living One in whom there
is fullness of life. Anything less just will not do.
The use of plural pronouns and plural verbs in the Old Testament allows
the conception of the Trinity to be seen. The divine name “Elohim” is
plural (Gen. 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isa. 6:8). There are repetitions of the
name of God that seem to distinguish between God and God (Psalm 45:6,7;
Psalm 110:1; Hos.1:7). The appearance of ‘the Angel of the Lord’ in the
Old Testament certainly raises serious consideration for a plurality in
the Godhead that is in perfect unity (Genesis 16:2-13; 22:11,16;
31:11,13; 48:15,16; Exodus 3:2,4,5; Judges 13:20-22). There are those
passages that put forward God, His Word, and His Spirit (Ps. 33:6; Isa.
61:1; 63:9-12; Haggai 2:5,6). In these passages the effects are
established as the result of co-causality arguing for plurality in
unity. B.B. Warfield states that the Old Testament is like a chamber
richly furnished, but dimly lighted. The introduction of light (the New
Testament) only makes clearer what always was there.
It has been said this way, “whatever becomes patent in the New Testament
was latent in the Old Testament”. The bottom line proof that God is
Trinity is supplied by the revelation of that Trinity in the incarnation
of God the Son, and
in the outpouring of God the Holy Spirit. All the evidence of the New
Testament is not in the form of allusions, but in concrete reality, and
it is overwhelming. If you examine the life of our Lord Jesus, you must
conclude either 2 things. He is not who He claims He was and is, or He
is precisely who He says He is. Ultimately, belief in the Trinity is
established by belief in the Bible as the Word of God.
The baptism of our Lord Jesus is powerful in presenting each member of
the Trinity (Matt 3:16,17; Mark 1:10,11; Luke 3:21,22; John 1:32-34).
The Lord Jesus provides, what I think is a powerful statement, when He
gives His great commission in Matthew 28:19 “…in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The unity for the Three is
established in the singular word “name”. Each Person stands separate and
yet, together in unity and equality. I urge you to worship our God in
the Trinity of His Holy Persons, being God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit.
_____________________
“A worshiping life must affirm the utter holiness of God…it is
essential to true holiness”
John MacArthur
CHURCH HISTORY
Life of Robert Murray M’Cheyne
The example left to us by Robert Murray M’Cheyne can never be stressed
too much. When he died on March 25, 1843 at the age of twenty-nine, he
left behind a legacy of beautiful holiness. He was born in Edinburgh,
Scotland on May 21, 1813 being the youngest son of the family. His
infancy and youth were characterized by a sweet and affectionate spirit.
He was blessed with a quick mind grasping concepts easily. At the age of
four while recovering from an illness he began to learn the Greek
alphabet and was soon able to name the letters and write them.
Sinclair Ferguson has made the comment that a Scottish boy aged 8 or 9,
who lived one hundred and fifty years ago would have known more theology
than seminary graduates of the 21st century. When one considers the
lives of John Brown of Haddington and M’Cheyne, it is easy to see the
truth in such a statement.
He entered Edinburgh University in November 1827 and subsequently, the
Divinity Hall in 1831 to study under the great Dr. Chalmers. M’Cheyne
loved singing, poetry and drawing. The death of his older brother David
left a deep impression on the young M’Cheyne’s life, and M’Cheyne always
viewed this occasion as the year when the first streaks of dawn appeared
in his soul.
He was ordained on November 24, 1836 when he was appointed to the
historic pastorate of St. Peter’s, Dundee. For the next 7 years he would
labor in this church seeing great revival come upon the church.
One of Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s great statement is this, “it is not
great talents that God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.” It
has been said that when he entered the pulpit the radiance of his face
was such that people would begin to weep. Andrew Bonar, who was
M’Cheyne’s close friend and would write his biography said of him,
“there was no friend whom I loved like him”. Bonar’s wife, Isabella
Dickson said that M’Cheyne was “a living epistle of Christ”
He used to rise at 6 in the morning and go to bed at 12 midnight because
he said that he liked to have the whole day alone with God. M’Cheyne has
left us some great hymns like “I once was a stranger to grace and to
God,” and “When this passing world is done”.
During March 1843, he fell ill and never recovered. It was said that
when he died all business was suspended, and the streets and every
window from the house to the grave were crowded with those who felt that
a Prince in Israel had fallen.
It is the life of godliness that marks Robert Murray M’Cheyne as a saint
of God. He being dead yet speaketh. If you can, you should obtain “The
Life of Robert Murray M’Cheyne” by Andrew Bonar. In addition the “Memoir
and Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyne” is excellent. Mr. Spurgeon said
of this volume that, “this is one of the best and most profitable
volumes ever published.”
_____________________
Soli Deo Gloria – To God be the Glory Alone
PRACTICAL MATTERS
The Discipline of Struggle
The title of this letter could quite easily have been reversed to read
“The Struggle of Discipline,” for surely the whole issue of discipline
is important. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 1:1-7 that discipline is
fundamental to life itself. Discipline is necessary in the physical,
emotional and spiritual realms. Without some discipline we would be
completely weak and life would probably cease to be.
Solomon says that his proverbs were important for “attaining wisdom and
discipline” (vs. 2), and for “acquiring a disciplined and prudent life”
(vs. 30). Only “fools despise wisdom and discipline”, says the great
king (Proverbs 1:7)
As Christians, we know the significance of discipline, but few of us
realize that even in our weakest moments, and amid our greatest
struggles, discipline is necessary. There are a number of points that we
should keep in mind.
1. Struggle is normal in the Christian life.
If you are serious about your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you
should expect an intense struggle. This struggle is not with “flesh and
blood” as the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, but against all
the schemes of Satan. It is clear that we are involved in a struggle –
it is actual warfare. The believer is to make war against these foes. He
must put on all the armor that God provides. No warrior goes into battle
without his sword. Our sword is the Word of God. Would you want to fight
the devil without your Bible – you would have no chance. Even
our Lord understood the power of the Word of God when he destroyed the
temptations of the devil (Matthew 4:3 -11).
2. This struggle is life-long.
The writer to the Hebrews understood this. He urges the Hebrew
Christians in Hebrews 10:19 – 39 to persevere in their faith. He tells
them to not shrink back because the Lord, who is the Righteous Judge, is
indeed coming, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
Living God. We are to continue all our days in this struggle.
3. This struggle will have failures and victories.
The struggle centers in the flesh. As long as we are still in our bodies
we will have this struggle. We do sin (1 John 1:10), but sin is not to
have dominion (mastery) over us (Romans 6:11,14). It is possible, God
helping us to overcome sin on a daily basis. We must use the principles
of Romans 6 to help us.
Conclusion: It seems to me, (and we have not exhausted this theme) that
even in our struggles we must exercise discipline.
There is a discipline necessary to struggle. It is the discipline of
constant recognition of the above issues. It is the discipline of
continual pursuit of God. It is the discipline of concerted dependence
upon God. We will always struggle, but we can be strong in faith, strong
in trust, strong in dependence, and ultimately we will receive from our
Lord that reward that He promises to His servants who are faithful. So,
be disciplined even in your struggles. Give them over to God. Trust Him.
_____________________
“Till men have faith in Christ, their best services are but
glorious sins”
Thomas Brooks (Puritan)
CURRENT ISSUES
The Right to Live
The tragic saga of
abortion is all around us. While we sit in our comfortable homes, it is
probably true to say that we never give a thought to the millions of
unborn who tragically lose their lives on a daily basis. The truth is
that God is exceedingly sorrowful at the wickedness of men and women.
The truth is that God is exceedingly angry at the wickedness of men and
women at the same time. We live in days like the days of Noah (Matthew
24:36-42). Men and women do as they please. They ignore God. This is
even more tragic when it is Christians who do as they please and ignore
God.
If God defends a cause we are expected to defend a cause. There is no
option to debate with God. His standards are His standards. He does not
negotiate His laws. They belong to Him because they are an expression of
His character. When it comes to the murder of innocent unborn children
we are strangely silent. Oh, yes, we disapprove, and mutter about the
tragedy of our times, but who will defend the unborn? They certainly are
unable to defend themselves. What are their rights? Can we defend the
rights of the unborn? Here are some guidelines to use in defense of
their rights.
Abortion is sustained today by the argument that without access to
abortion, women are exposed to the experience of untold suffering,
sometimes death, especially in poverty stricken countries of our globe
where they have no access to contraceptives. This kind of defense seems
to promote this line of reasoning. The bottom line is the right of the
woman not to be pregnant, and certainly not to endanger
herself with an unsafe abortion. Justice, reasons against this way of
thinking in a number of ways.
1. Justice moves on the assumption that if one person’s legitimate right
must be limited to protect another’s legitimate right, the limitation
that does the least harm will be the most just. This raises the question
of what constitutes injustice. Injustice is the denial of the greater
right to preserve the lesser right. John Piper says that “denying rights
that protect lesser values to maintain rights that protect greater
values is what good laws are supposed to do.” We refuse the right to
drive at a speed of 120 kilometers through a school drop-off zone
because the value of life is far greater than my value of being on time
someplace else. In very few cases, pregnancy does not threaten as much
harm to the mother as abortion does to the child. Harm to the child is
beyond understanding. It is a violent death. Harm to the mother is
significantly less. She continues her life as normal, thankful that the
ordeal is over with the least amount of fuss. It is therefore, just to
deny the mother the right not to be pregnant at the cost of killing the
unborn child.
2. Justice states that when either of 2 people must be inconvenienced or
suffer hurt to ease their predicament, the one who has the greater
responsibility for the situation must bear more of the inconvenience or
suffering. If I take my son to rob a bank and we are arrested for the
crime, I must bear greater punishment because my responsibility is so
much greater. Except in few cases, pregnancy is owing to the free and
conscious choice that the mother made in engaging in sexual relations,
whereas the unborn child’s situation is through no choice whatsoever of
that child. It is therefore, just to require greater accountability from
the mother, and not to require any penalty from the child.
3. Justice further works on the assumption that persons may not force or
coerce another person into doing harm by threatening voluntary harm on
themselves. If you threaten to commit suicide in order to force someone
to do what you want,
you commit a great injustice. Women who threaten to harm themselves with
unsafe abortions, if society refuses them a safe and legal abortion, are
using unjust coercion of harm toward another person, namely; the unborn
child.
Therefore, we can say the following:
Since the right of an unborn child to live is greater than the right of
the woman to use abortion as a means of birth control, and since, the
woman’s right to be free from pregnancy is not as great as the unborn
child’s right to be free from life-threatening violence, any law,
therefore, that reverses the order of these rights is unjust.
How do you feel about your rights now? They are insignificant compared
to the rights of the unborn child. Let us pray that God will open our
hearts and eyes to the plight of these unborn children who suffer
violent and vicious death every day in this our country. Right now, in
the nearby vicinity, some precious unborn child is being murdered, so
that someone else’s life or lives might not be inconvenienced. When
Jesus returns, will he extract justice from His enemies? You bet He
will!
It is also necessary to say a word to those who have suffered abortions.
God provides complete forgiveness for those who confess their sins.
Abortion is sin, but God will graciously heal all those who have
suffered in this way. All you have to do is look to Him alone for
healing, forgiveness and restoration. This applies to all of us for we
all are sinners.
“While we were yet sinners Christ died for us” Romans 5:8
Open our eyes, Lord, to the danger that surrounds us.
I am indebted to John Piper for these thoughts that have
stimulated my own thinking
FAMILY CORNER
Across
6. “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit
which is of God; that we might know the things that are _______ given to
us of God” (1 Cor. 2:12).
7. “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well ________” (Matt. 3:17).
8. “Saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen
his star in the east and are come to ________ him” (Matt. 2:2).
10. “But when the fulness of time was come, God ________ forth his Son,
made of a woman, made under the law” (Gal. 4:4).
11. “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his
angels; and then he shall ________ every man according to his works”
(Matt. 16:27).
12. “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the ________ of
God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest
have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John
4:10).
15. “And the ________ was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth” (John 1:14).
16. “And being found in fashion as a man, he ________ himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).
17. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, ________ toward
men” (Luke 2:14).
19. “Unto him that loved us, and ________ us from our sins in his own
blood” (Rev. 1:5a).
20. “Seek the LORD, and his strength; ________ his face evermore”
(Ps. 105:4).
21. “For there is one God, and one ________ between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).
22. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name ______” (Isa.
7:14).
Down
1. “And without controversy great is the ________ of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached
unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1
Tim. 3:16).
2. “Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall ________; thou shalt cry,
and he shall say, Here I am” (Isa. 58:9a).
3. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the ________, the Son of
the living God” (Matt. 16:16).
4. “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a
________, and was made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7).
5. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the ________ of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
9. “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast _______
before the face of all people” (Luke 2:30-31).
11. “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no
________ for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
13. “For unto us a ________ is born, unto us a son is given” (Isa.
9:6a).
14. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a
son, and shalt call his name ________” (Luke 1:31).
17. “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord
Jesus Christ, who ________ himself for our sins, that he might deliver
us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our
Father” (Gal. 1:3-4).
18. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and ________
his people” (Luke 1:68).
19. “Saying with a loud voice, ________ is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12).
_____________________
“It is not a question of changed conditions. The teaching of Jesus
Christ does not vary from age to age.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
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