Edited by

Warren E. Berkley & Jon W. Quinn

 

 

EF Front Page 2000

 

Welcome to EF 2000 –

and a word about Biblical Spirituality

Warren E. Berkley

 

It is our pleasure to welcome you to EF 2000. With this issue we begin our seventh year of publication. Jon and I continue to be overwhelmed with the fine reception this electronic venture has enjoyed. In our early days we kept close track of “downloads.” In the “old days” we were first offered only on AOL and CompuServe. Soon after we were “picked up” by ICLnet, Baker Book House Online and others (some of the big commercial servers picked us up or linked to us – then dropped us when they concluded we were not bound by denominational traditions). We started offering EF on the WWW with our own sites. Now there are six web sites Jon and I operate. For several years Alan Larue has helped us. Due to pressing church, job and family obligations he is turning that site over to us. We are so thankful for the good work Alan has done, using his own time and money to maintain an award winning site. Jon and I will meet in Florida next month and talk about the future of EF. There is little doubt in my mind how that will come out. We will continue to publish EF, try to do better in our technical skills and recruitment of good writers. We are committed to monthly presentations of clear and helpful expositions from God’s Word. Now to a matter I’ve had on my mind . . .

 

There is, in our culture, a popular, religiously-correct “spirituality” that is fashionable. You may be watching the Oprah Show or some other similar program, and hear people talk about being “spiritual,” having “spiritual feelings” or “spiritual concepts.” In all this talk there is never a word about obeying Christ, living for Him or dying for Him. Suffering for righteousness’ sake is not part of this “spirituality.” Conviction and godly character seems to have no prominence. It is a sweet, sentimental generic sort of religious feeling that is entirely subjective. It is a product of pop culture and is another illustration of appearance lacking substance.

 

Biblical spirituality begins with recognition of the Creator, the “one God” who is above all (Eph. 4:6). It is not self-serving but God-centered, so this disposition seeks to know and do God’s will. In the pursuit of God’s will, this spirituality involves more than mention of Jesus and it goes beyond verbal praise. Biblical spirituality means hearing and doing His Word (Matt. 7:21-27).

 

Displays of enthusiasm, joy and contentment may or may not reflect real spirituality. It depends upon the source of that passion and peace, the duration and expression of it. Biblical spirituality certainly has components of zeal, joy and peace – but all these are based on one’s relationship with God. They produce obedience, growth and hope.

 

It would be great if everybody who claimed to be “spiritual” had real, biblical spirituality. That should be our prayer and the object of our labor. To this end Expository Files begins another year.

 

Personal Gratitude, in 1 Tim. 1:12-17

 

Warren E. Berkley

 

 

The apostle Paul never forgot his past, his sin and who delivered him from all that he used to be. He believed he was forgiven and did not let remorse paralyze him. But he spoke and wrote openly of his past life of sin and the grace and love that reached him.

 

In his first epistle to Timothy, his first concern was to address the alarming conditions in Ephesus. Ambitious but ignorant men were teaching different doctrines, promoting their own agenda, tearing down the church in Ephesus and mis-using the law (1 Tim. 1:3-8). Timothy was charged to remain at his post and charge these men not to teach a different doctrine.

 

After that Paul writes very personally with these words:

 

^“12And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ¹⁶However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. ¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” {1 Tim. 1:12-17}

 

This is about Paul. It is much like a prayer (it begins with gratitude, includes praise and expressions of reverence to God, and ends with “Amen.”). The apostle is grateful when he considers that “Christ Jesus our Lord enabled me.” We actually have something similar to this in modern vocabulary, when we talk about “enabling” a person; helping someone, giving someone an opportunity or power to do something. Well Christ Jesus helped Paul; gave him the power and opportunity to do right, to preach the gospel, to influence young men like Timothy and fight the good fight of faith. In the NEB, Christ “made me equal to the task.”

 

The apostle was humbled and grateful that the Lord considered him worthy of this trust (the gospel being entrusted to him). Now “Christ considered me faithful” cannot mean that Paul demonstrated faithfulness before he obeyed the gospel – and because of that, he earned the right to serve as an apostle. No. Instead the idea is, it was an amazing thing to Paul that God would ever entrust him with such a great message – the greatest message of all time, the gospel! This is not a claim of personal merit, but a statement of amazement.

 

Especially so since Paul had not lived worthy of such a trust. “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor and an insolent man.” In these verses we continue to hear the tone of gratitude and amazement. It is like someone saying, “Wow. This is really something. This is incredible!” Paul wrote, “I was a blasphemer, a persecutor … an insolent man.” Even though he did these things ignorantly and in unbelief – yet he did these things. God showed mercy on an ignorant man.

 

Paul is not claiming ignorance and unbelief to excuse his sin; later in this passage he calls himself the worst of sinners. He doesn’t claim to be less guilty because of his ignorance and unbelief. He is just amazed that he became an object of God’s compassion rather than his wrath. {That ignorance does not acquit is affirmed by the apostle in 1 Cor. 4:4}.

 

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Here is a formula repeated throughout these two epistles, “this is a faithful saying.” It simply means, here is something you can count on! Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Two great truths are set forth here: the incarnation and redemption.

 

Christ Jesus came into the world – that’s the incarnation. “To save sinners” is a reference to His work of redemption. Notice how Paul personalizes the truth of redemption: he uses the expression “sinners,” but then adds, “of whom I am chief.” Like Paul, Christians today need to personalize the truth of redemption; Jesus died for ME. This is reflected in one of the songs we sang as little children: JESUS LOVES ME!

 

“However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal ,immortal , invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” Something was shown or demonstrated in the conversion of Paul and his appointment as an apostle. What was shown? The longsuffering of Christ. In Paul we have a living example of the worst of sinners being saved, responding to the grace of God by being baptized (see Acts 9:18). The effect of all this in the heart of the apostle? “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

 

May it be so with us.

 

The Manifold Wisdom of God

 

Mike Willis

“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:10-11).

This wonderful Scripture expresses a thought that staggers the mind’s ability to comprehend and appreciate. This Scripture states that the angels in heaven learn the manifold wisdom of God through seeing what God has accomplished in the church.

Paul previously expressed his deep feeling of indebtedness to divine grace that God had given to him and the other apostles and prophets the blessed privilege of revealing his previously concealed mystery, namely that the Gentiles could be fellow-heirs of the promises of Christ through the gospel. He was blessed with the grace of preaching to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, bringing to light to all men that mystery which God had kept secret since the world began. But now at the end of the ages, God revealed his mystery.

The “principalities and powers in heavenly places” are the various orders of angels in heaven. The angels see what God accomplished in the church and see through the church the manifold wisdom of God. The point is not that the church preaches the manifold wisdom of God when it preaches the gospel, although this is a true statement; rather, the church manifests the wisdom of God in the same manner as a beautiful painting manifests the skills of a painter, a bridge displays the skills of an architect, and a beautiful song displays the skills of its lyrist and musicians. When the angels see what God has accomplished in the church, they see the manifold wisdom of God that was concealed throughout the ages during which his divine plan was coming to fruition. Henry Alford quoted Stier as saying that to the angels, the church is “the fact of the great spiritual body, constituted in Christ, which they contemplate, and which is to them the theatron tes doxas tou Theou” (theater of the glory of God, mw) (The Greek Testament: Ephesians III:106). H.A.W. Meyer said, “To the angels, in accordance with their ministering interest in the work of redemption (Matt. xviii.10; Luke xv.7, 10; 1 Cor. xi.10; Heb. i.14; 1 Pet. i.12), the church of the redeemed is therefore, as it were, the mirror, by means of which the wisdom of God exhibits itself to them” (Meyer’s Commentary on the New Testament: Ephesians 416).

That the angels witness what occurs on earth is confirmed in other Scriptures (1 Pet. 1:12; 1 Cor. 4:9; Heb. 12:22). This passages says that their own knowledge of God’s divine wisdom is enhanced by what they see in the church.

Here are some things that angels saw that impressed them with God’s divine wisdom.

1. They saw how God saves men. How could God save sinful men without losing his divine justice? The angels witnessed a truly remarkable scene when they saw God the Son leave heaven and take upon himself a physical body in the incarnation. They witnessed his sinless life, despite the most assiduous assaults of Satan (Heb. 4:15). At the end of his life, this sinless man was crucified on the cross of Calvary, shedding his blood in atonement for sin. The just debt of sin was paid by the blood of God the Son. W.A. Criswell observed, “At the same time He pays the penalty for our sin thus upholding the righteous judgments of God and yet showing mercy, dying in love for our fallen souls. How the angels, looking upon that, must have been astonished! What we lost in Eden in the sin of the first Adam, we have gained and more besides in the second Adam, Christ. . . . Satan is stung by his own venom. Goliath is slain by his own sword. Death is destroyed by its own captive. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. As by one man, Adam, sin came into this world, and death by sin, so by one man, the God-man Christ Jesus, is sin destroyed, and life and immortality brought to life” (Ephesians: An Exposition 120).
2. They saw what God can do with sin defiled men. Every one of us was marred by sin (Rom. 3:23) and worthy of eternal damnation (Rom. 6:23). If one asked any member of the church, he would confess that his sinful conduct made him unworthy of eternal life or unfit to be used in God’s service. H.C.G. Moule commented on what the angels see in us: “They see in us indeed all our weakness, and all our sin. But they see a nature which, wrecked by itself, was yet made in the image of their God and ours. And they see this God at work upon that wreck to produce results not only wonderful in themselves but doubly wonderful because of the conditions” (Ephesian Studies 118). Think of what change was wrought in sinful men. Angels saw fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards and revilers changed into saints (1 Cor. 6:9-11). They saw the “chiefest of sinners” turned into an apostle (1 Tim. 1:13-16).
3. They saw Jew and Gentile reconciled to God in one body. Paul had declared that God “might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Eph. 2:16). S.D.F. Salmond observed, “The Church, therefore, that is, as is evidently meant here, the whole body of believes in the unity in which Jew and Gentile are now made one, is the means by which the Divine wisdom is to be made known and Paul’s commission in that respect made good” (The Expositor’s Greek Testament: Ephesians 309). The wall of alienation that had separated Jew and Gentile was broken down so that God could redeem all men in one church.
4. They saw the manifold wisdom of God in other facets of the church. S.T. Bloomfield observes that God’s manifold wisdom being made known through the church includes “the founding, propagating, and governing of the Church” (The Greek Testament II:271).

The founding of the church is an event worthy of a complete study. The Old Testament prophets foretold when the church would be established (Dan. 2:44, in the days of the fourth world kingdom [the Roman]), where it would be established (Isa. 2:1-4, Jerusalem), and by whom it would be established (the Messiah). When the gospel of Mark opens, it announces that the “time is fulfilled and the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mark 1:16-17). Jesus announced that the kingdom is the church (Matt. 16:18-19) and that it would be established within the lifetime of those who heard him speak (Mark 9:1). The kingdom would come with power, which power would come when the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles (Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8). All of these things occurred on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ. The Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and they spoke with new tongues (“as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance”). A sound like the rushing of a mighty wind drew together a massive crowd (Acts 2:1-4). Peter preached that these events were the fulfillment of divine prophecy (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-21) and proceeded to tell the audience how they could be saved by “calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 2:21).Three thousand responded to the gospel that day and were added to the church (Acts 2:47). The angels in heaven, like mortal men on earth, must have been amazed at the manifold wisdom of God when the church was established.

The propagating of the faith was also a display of the manifold wisdom of God. Jesus chose twelve men to take the gospel into all of the world. These men were without the formal training that rabbis generally received (Acts 4:13). Yet, Christ sent them into all the world to preach the gospel, working with them through signs and wonders (Mark 16:15-20). The number of the disciples began with 3000 on Pentecost, grew to 5000 in a short time (Acts 4:4), and was soon so large it was only described as “multitudes” (Acts 5:14). A persecution broke out against the disciples at the death of Stephen that drove out of Jerusalem all of the disciples except the apostles (Acts 8:4). In the providence of God, this persecution contributed to the spread of the gospel throughout the world, for they “went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). The angels in heaven, like mortal men on earth, must have been amazed at the manifold wisdom of God when they saw how the gospel was spread to all nations of the world within one short lifetime.

The governing of the church was also a display of the manifold wisdom of God. Each local church was organized independently of all others (Acts 14:23; 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-3). Local churches were overseen by a plurality of elders (Phil. 1:1) whose qualifications were revealed by the Holy Spirit (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Tit. 1:5-9). Special servants of the church, known as deacons, were appointed to do special works (Acts 6:1-7; Phil. 1:1) and their qualifications were also revealed by God (1 Tim. 3:8-13). The simplicity of the divine government of the church prevented wholesale apostasy. The apostasy of one local church does not destroy other local churches by necessity, as would be the case if there were inter-congregational government. The angels in heaven, like mortal men on earth, must have been amazed at the manifold wisdom of God in how he governed the local churches.

I suggest that the manifold wisdom of God is also seen in others aspects of the church, including its worship, its moral purity, its universality, its consummation, etc. Like a diamond that is turned in the light so that each facet can glisten, the various things about the church reflect the multi-faceted wisdom of God. If the angels praise divine wisdom and glorify him when they see the church, how much more such mortal man!

Conclusion

How sad is the circumstance that some gospel preachers have reached the conclusion that preaching the church is somehow “preaching ourselves” and emphasizing the identifying marks of the divinely revealed church is preaching “sectarianism” and somehow denigrating to Christ! Paul said that when the angels behold what God has done through the church they see the manifold wisdom of God, but some among us say that preaching what God has done in the church somehow detracts from the glory of God. How can one explain this significant difference of opinion about the church?

When men outgrow preaching about the divinely revealed church, they have moved away from preaching the whole counsel of God simply because the church is a part of the divine purpose in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:11). May we ever appreciate the importance of the church which was planned in the mind of God as a part of his eternal purpose, built by the Lord Jesus Christ, established on Pentecost, and will be delivered up to the Father at the Lord Jesus’ second coming (1 Cor. 15:24). It is a glorious church, having been sanctified and cleansed by the washing of water by the word so that it might be without a spot or wrinkle, but that it might be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:26-27). Who can refrain from telling others about what God has done in and for his church, which is “the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:23).

From Watchman Magazine - http://www.watchmanmag.com

 

“Unless The Father Draw Him” Jno. 6:44

By Jon W. Quinn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesus said, ``No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up on the last day.''  (John 6:44). Many refer to this verse in an effort to support a man-made doctrine which says that only those whom the Lord ``calls'' in some mystical way can be saved. They will say that this calling is some sort of direct operation of the Spirit.   Calvinism teaches that man is totally passive and cannot do anything until God zaps him with some special anointing, thereby enabling him to believe.  Such an idea is foreign to the scriptures.

          Our Lord does draw people to Him, and no one can come to the Lord apart from God's drawing power. But this is not a matter of God electing to save some of us and condemn others of us arbitrarily. Consider: God wants all to be saved, and the reason some are lost is not because God has unconditionally chosen them to be.

For Whom Does God Desire Salvation?

          The good news is that God does not desire anyone to be lost. No one! God is ``...patient, not wishing for any to perish." (II Peter 3:9). God is "compassionate" (Matthew 9:36; Psalm 86:15) God is "...just" (Romans 3:24-26). God is "Sorrowful" that many are lost (Ezekiel 18:23; 31,32; cf. Matthew 23:37). To suggest that man cannot respond to God's gospel apart from a special anointing or calling that God gives to them that He does not give to all others makes God responsible for the lost being lost. But that does not fit with the Biblical description of God's character and nature.

          God made salvation available to all.  Salvation is available for all men, not just a select few. Jesus died for everyone (Hebrews 2:9; John 3:16).  God wants all to come to know the truth (I Timothy 2:4).  The invitation is open to all, 24 hours a day.  There's no such thing as waiting on God's ``special call.''  (Matthew 11:28-30; Revelation 22:17). He has already issued His call, and it has gone out unto the whole world. Any of us can choose to answer it, or not.

How God Draws People Unto Himself

The context of Jesus' statement explains how God draws men and women to Himself. There is nothing mystical about it. The following verse in the context (John 6:45) reveals how God draws men unto Himself. "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."            Note the words "taught" and "every man" (all drawn the same way; by being taught) and "hear" and "learn" and "come". These are not mystical words. They are common, everyday words which are used to describe how it is that people are drawn to Christ.

          What is it that is taught and heard and learned? The means or method by which God ``calls'' or ``draws'' all men is the Gospel. "And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thessalonians 2:14).  There is no special, mystical anointing of the Holy Spirit, but rather, the Holy Spirit calls men through the gospel; and it is the gospel that is the power (Romans 1:16).

          God draws people unto Himself through the teaching of the gospel. The preaching of the gospel is God's power, his drawing power, to save (I Corinthians 1:18-21).  Therefore, all people, when they hear the gospel, at any moment, have the ability to respond to God's gospel call. They also have the ability to reject it (Acts 13:45-48).

          Sinners are saved by God's grace when they respond in faithful obedience to the gospel that draws them to God (Matthew 7:21).  God is always ready for men to repent and obey (Acts 17:30). It is those who will do so that God has predestined for salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9). This is an important concept to recognize. God has not predestined individuals to be saved or lost, but rather, has predestined the method by which we are saved. If we obey the gospel, we are baptized "into Christ" (Romans 6:3,4). God has predestined all those "in Christ" to be "blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3). But it is up to us as to whether we will obey or not.

How To Be Drawn To God's Son

And Be Saved

          There are not many ways to be drawn to God. In fact, there is only one way to come to the Father (John 14:6). One cannot get to heaven through Jesus apart from obeying Him (Hebrews 5:9). Those who attempt to enter another way are counted as thieves and robbers and will be unsuccessful (John 10:1).

     How does one answer God's call?  This is important for you to know because  God is calling you. Have you answered? If not, will you? Will you call upon Him? For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." (Acts 2:21). The people who heard this wanted to know how to do so (Acts 2:37)  They were told "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).  Men must believe and obey (Mark 16:16).  Saving faith is alive, not dead, and proves itself by obedience to the gospel. The gospel is God's call to us by which we are drawn to Him. Our obedient faith needs to be the answer we give His call.

 

Where Is Your Faith? Luke 8:22-25

William Sexton

 

Passage: "Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat

with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other

side of the lake." And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed He fell

asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with

water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him,

saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the

wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.

25 But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and

marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even

the winds and water, and they obey Him!" (NKJV)

 

Jesus being a man needed sleep, rest, and various things as we do.

Traveling from one side of the lake to the other, He "fell asleep."

 

As these disciple "launched" and traveling across the lake, there came

upon them a windstorm. Things began to happen, as in storks in our day,

out of the ordinary. These disciple began to lose their control, sensing

the danger they became fearful. Their lives were in jeopardy. They were

in fear of perishing, as the natural man would manifest itself in any of

us in similar circumstance!

 

In this excited state they came to Jesus and awoke Him and presented

their concept of reality, "Master, Master we perish, or we are perishing.

 

Jesus's reaction is amazing: First He rebuked the wind, demonstrating

His miraculous powers. This is just one of the many demonstrating of His

power to validate His claim and right to demand of man in his

relationship to the Creator, His Father, the Governor of the universe.

Anyone who will look at the various miracles He performed cannot deny

His claims. He demonstrated His power over nature here in this case, and

in other cases He demonstrated power over sickness of various kinds.

 

Secondly, he challenged the disciple: Where is you faith? This was to

them a critical challenge, and one that has validity in our lives: Where

is OUR FAITH?

 

1. Absence of faith that we can survive the storms of life?

 

2. Object of our faith --in Self to do what God requires of us, to

understand, obey, and thus serve Him faithfully?

 

There is a danger of thinking too highly of self (Rom. 12:3) to have

confidence in self to the point that such is destructive (Phil. 3:4-ff).

Yet, there is a NEED to have a certain amount of faith in self, that one

can do what God wants done, will be pleased with!

 

Faith in others, to keep the ship afloat, to reach the other side

safely. Surely, we are warned against thinking of others more high

(beyond) what is appropriate ( 1. Cor. 4:6). Yet, there is a need to have

faith (confidence) in others to the point that we'll not be sour on the

world, distrusting everyone. Paul had faith in the brethren to do what

was right, and he expressed it a number of time (Gal. 5:10; 2 Cor. 8:22;

Rom. 15:14).

 

Faith in God to keep His promises, etc. This, of course is the most

important of all. Without it we cannot possibly please Him (Heb. 11:6).

We must believe two things: 1) That He is; 2), that He is the rewarder of

them who diligently seek Him. One must have faith that He'll do what He

promises, to save those who render their lives to Christ. One must have f

aith that He'll see us through the storms (difficulties) of life, when we place

our trust in Him. All will come out ok, when we

love Him, having committed our life to Him, been justified, sanctified

and are known (approved) by Him (Rom. 8:28-30).

 

Yes, it seems appropriate to ask: "Where is your faith?" Where is my

faith? Is it in the wrong object? Is it so weak/strong we'll not be

moved? Is it strong enough to STAND the winds of false doctrine? The

appeals of the world? The storm of infidelity, immorality, and

indifference? Faith is the substance/assurance/ground of things hoped for

(Heb. 11:1), those things not seen with the physical eye, but are REAL in

the mind's eye!

 

 

EF Topic Section 2000

 

Electronic Gossip

Mark Roberts

 

 

 

The Bible contains strong warnings about gossip and slander. "A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends" (Proverbs 16:28). "Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases" (Proverbs 26:20). Yet gossip continues to be a plague upon God's people because, in all honesty, we enjoy it: "The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles" (Proverbs 26:22). Now technology has brought an entirely new way of gossiping. It is just as sinful as before, but now it is easier than ever to slander and lie about others. We can gossip electronically, via email!

 

Incredibly, such gossiping allows Christians to do things they would never do in a face to face fashion. We all know that repeating dubious reports to others is gossip and wrong. If someone told you "Brother so-and-so is a Satan worshiper" we all know that such a report would need to be personally checked before it was broadcast around. To do otherwise would be gossiping, right? How then does that change when the medium for spreading lies and slander becomes electronic? Is it right to gossip about people over email, when we would never do such "face to face?" Yet my email box brims with electronic gossip nearly every day.

 

For example, did you get the email about Proctor and Gamble's CEO going on the Sally Jesse Raphael show and announcing he is a Satanist? I received this email from no less than ten different people. Each email me assured me this was all fact, that I could verify P & G's ties to Satanism, that I could write Sally Jesse and get a transcript, P & G was changing their logo to a "666" to let everyone know they were a Satanic company, etc. The point of the email was to urge all Christians to boycott P & G products. Yet it is all a lie. No P & G executive has ever gone on any television talk show. P & G is not "coming out" on their satanic ties. Their CEO is not a devil worshiper. P & G has dealt with rumors about their logo (no, it isn't a satanic symbol either) for years. Several years ago this CEO rumor started, originally with the CEO supposedly going on the Donahue show. Now the rumor has mutated and says he went on the Sally Jesse show. But again, it is not true at all. There is not a shred of truth to any of it. How many people are boycotting P & G products based on these lies? How much harm has been done to this innocent company by well-meaning Christians who simply didn't check their facts before they clicked "forward?" As an extra word of caution, you should know that P & G is so tired of all of this that they are actively suing (and winning!) those who are participate in these malicious rumors!

 

Have you seen the rumor about Janet Reno? Supposedly she went on 60 Minutes and said "A cultist is one who has a strong belief in the Bible and the Second Coming of Christ; who frequently attends Bible studies; who has a high level of financial giving to a Christian cause; who home schools their children; who has accumulated survival foods and has a strong belief in the Second Amendment; and who distrusts big government. Any of these may qualify a person as a cultist but certainly more than one of these would cause us to look at this person as a threat and his family as being in a risk situation that qualifies for government interference." Guess what? It is a lie. Whether you like or approve of Janet Reno and her politics is simply not the issue. Does her political stand on some issues justify Christians spreading rumors and lies about her? Of course not.

 

These are just two of examples that could be multiplied over. Just because something shows up in your email box crying "wolf" doesn't mean it is true!

 

Let me make some observations about these multiplying urban legends and rumors. First, some folks are pretty gullible. What if the CEO of a major company was a Satanist? How stupid would he have to be to go on national televison and tell everyone? Does that sound very likely? Why then do we believe this kind of nonsense, falling it for "hook, line and sinker?" Most of these Internet rumors and gossip are transparently false. Have you seen the one about the American Cancer Society donating two cents for every person who gets a copy of an email plea? Honestly, how is the ACS going to keep up with that? Who checks the list? When will it end - if it were true ACS could go bankrupt off the deal! Further, where does the ACS get all this extra money to throw around based on email forwarding? Recently I received (for the twentieth time) the infamous Clinton Body Count email. It lists scores of people with some connection to Bill Clinton who all died under "mysterious circumstances." Most of it is just made up and not true. But even if it were, doesn't anyone find it amazing that Clinton can bump off minor players in his scheming but somehow couldn't deal with Linda Tripp and Monica Lewinsky? I'm not defending Bill Clinton by any means but just a little thinking ought to cause a person to say "Hey, wait a minute here!"

 

By the way, the supposed "Lost Day" that NASA computers found is also a hoax. Ditto for the Neiman Marcus/Bloomingdale's cookie recipe story, all stories claiming an email can infect your computer with a virus, and the repeated story that if you "forward this email 1000 times Microsoft will give you $1000." All are Internet hoaxes. All are obviously false. If we will just think before we click "forward" many times it will be apparent that we are being hoaxed.

 

Secondly, while some of the rumors on the Internet are silly and harmless (if not tiring and a waste of time) many are nothing but sinful gossip. The Janet Reno story and the P & G story cited above fall into this category. As Christians we bear responsibility for what we say and what we communicate to others. Slandering persons or companies is simply not right. Titus 3:2 reminds us to "speak evil of no one." 1 Timothy 5:13 warns about young widows who "learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not." Wouldn't being idle include wandering from Internet site to Internet site, emailing gossip about things we ought not?

 

To make it even worse, all this email gossip is just destroying the ability of a good medium to pass along real news and sound genuine alarms. So many untrue reports make it even more unlikely that anyone would believe a real report of danger if such arose.

 

Third, electronic gossip is a particularly sad sin because it is so easy to check out these rumors. P & G's web site has an area devoted to debunking these terrible lies (http://www.pg.com/rumor/index.html#sally). Several web sites are devoted exclusively to tracking urban legends and lies. Enter "urban legend" into any search engine and you will get a long list of such sites. I personally like the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society's site (www.snopes.com) because it is searchable. It took only a moment to go to this site, enter "Reno" into their search form, and receive a full page of information discussing this rumor and its origins. Since it is so easy to find the truth, what possible excuse do we have for spreading lies?

 

The Internet and email are wonderful technological innovations that improve the quality of our lives dramatically. We can use these tools to spread the Gospel of Christ literally all over the globe. Let us make certain that we are not falling prey to perverting these tools into something that spreads the kingdom of darkness. "Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue" (Psalms 120:2).

 

From Abundant Life, Vol. 32, No. 9

Sept. 1999

For other material by Mark Roberts and other writers, visit www.justChristians.com

 

EF Plan of Salvation Page

 

 

The Plan of Salvation

 

 

Plan #1

 

    Announced by the apostles, inspired by the Holy

Spirit, to new believers in Christ who had asked what they

must do:

 

     "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name

of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and you shall

receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  (ACTS 2:38)

 

Plan #2

 

    On the back page of a tract, sinner were urged to pray

this prayer to be saved. This prayer is not found in the

Bible; nor were alien sinners commanded to pray for their

forgiveness.

 

The Sinner's Prayer:

 

    "O' Lord, I accept that I am a sinner and that Jesus

died for my sins. I now accept Him into my heart as Lord

and Savior asking for your mercy and forgiveness in His

name. Amen."

 

The editors of Expository Files are happy with plan #1 and

thankful to the God of all grace for it. We cannot

recommend Plan #2 at all, but will change our minds when

 

 

EF Final Page

 

 

"I Survived Y2K!"

By Jon W. Quinn

 

 

            Well, we survived it, didn't we? Y2K came and here we are. Well, of course I am writing this before the fact. Since we generally get an issue out a few days before the issue month it could be that you are reading this before the new year actually begins. In that case, maybe you ought to go on to another article and come back to this one sometime after January first.

 

            As I write this, I do not know what kinds of glitches may occur. I do not know if terrorists will be successful at launching an attack on New Year's Eve revelers or on some more strategic target. I do not know what the year 2000 holds for our nation. Some of the things potentially out there are somewhat alarming.

 

            I do know that much of what I hear from TV preachers is hogwash. We have just concluded with the last issue a whole year's series on why so much of it is nonsense. See last year's series on the Second Coming of Christ for more information on that. Are you impressed with the messages of the TV preachers? If you will read the twelve articles in the series, the Scriptures they cite and think about them, you will be hard pressed to ever look at the "end of the world" Y2K pronouncements of these TV preachers with the same concern again. What they say is not what the Bible says.

 

            But suppose stressful times are ahead. What would happen if some of the enemies of our nation, internal or external, are successful? What does the man or woman of faith do in turbulent times?

 

            The exact same thing as they have always done. When Habakkuk the prophet learned from the Lord that his nation, because of its sin, would be punished and that much suffering would occur in the land, Habakkuk wondered about the faithful in the midst of all the upheaval. Would they not suffer as well? And were not the wicked would bring such destruction even worse that those who were being punished?

 

            The Lord's answer was that he was aware of the wickedness of the enemy, and the enemy would answer for it in due time. But concerning the few righteous of the land who would also face hardship, the Lord said, "... But the righteous will live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4).

 

The year 2000 may bring good times or bad times, or both. But in each and every circumstance, the righteous will live by faith. We do believe that our Lord will return one day. We do not know when, but His victory will be with Him, and He will gladly share it forever with those who live by faith.

 

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