A NEWSLETTER FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE GREENWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

VOLUME 1 NO. 39                                        NOVEMBER 14, 2004

“DENYING SELF”

PART VII
BY STEVE NIEMEIER

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24).  This statement also applies to us today.  The question that we must answer is this, “Am I willing to deny myself and take up my cross and follow after Jesus?”  This week let us look at the thought of us denying self and humbling ourself in the sight of the Lord.  There is a sign out in front of a denominational building near us that says, “There is a God and you aren't Him” all of us would do well to remember this saying.

James 4:10 states:  “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”  What does “humble” mean?  Summarizing several dictinaries “humble” basically means that one will recognize a lowliness of mind.  Jesus stated in Matthew 25:18; “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”  Who had the right to grant Him this authority?  Genesis 1:1 reveals; “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth.”  As we walk through the Old Testament we read of the promise (i.e. Daniel 7:13-14) of One coming that would have a kingdom that would not be destroyed.  In the New Testament we read of the life, death, burial and resurrection of one Jesus Christ and the establishment of HIS church which is HIS body (Eph. 1:22-23).  Since the scripures teach that Jesus has all authority, shouldn't we be willing to jumble ourselves to His authority as the scriptures (James 4:10) teach?

Jesus having ALL authority instructed His apostles on what should be taught and sent the Holy Spirit (John 16:5-15) as a Helper to guide them.  As we continue reading in the New Testament and the teachings of these apostles we find instructions on such things as the plan of salvation, proper partaking of the Lord's Supper, how we should sing, the scriptural organization of the church, proper discipline methods, and numerous other teachings (whether directly or by example).  Now let us ask ourselves are we “humbling” ourselves to the authority of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the apostles who were guided by the Holy Spirit?  Before you answer let us look at some issues.  Are we designing our worship services to be conducted in “truth and spirit” or to attract physical numbers?  Are we teaching the plan of salvation from our pulpits?  Many today feel that it is “threatening” to folks to extend an inviatation to obey the gospel of Christ by giving the steps of the plan of salvation as taught in the scriptures.  How many times do we make a statement that all the passages dealing with baptism are controversial?  Of course their controversial, when we do not humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord ALL of His teachings become controversial.

Let us also ask ourselves if we are relying too much on the thoughts of men instead of the word of God.  Recently books written by John Mark Hicks, F. LaGrade Smith, Rick Warren, Cecil Hook, and others with titles such as “Come to the Table”, “Radical Reformation”, “The Purpose Driven Church”, “Free in Christ”, etc., have tempted those of our brethren to abandon the practices and the teachings of the apostles resulting in a lack of humbleness to the authority of Christ.  It is not a sin to question what we do as a congregation after all we are to be able to give an answer to what we are doing according to the Holy Scriptures.  However, trying to make “wholesale” changes because of the writings of some men creates concern and most certianly will lead to apostasy.  Why?  Could it be that we are not “humbling” ourselves to the Lord?  “There is a God and you aren't Him”