Preschool
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18).
An Early Conference
Memory Verses
Primary
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind (Luke 4:18).
Junior
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:18).
Background Scripture: Acts 15
Lesson Scripture: Acts 15:5-20
Introduction
Nearly eight months have passed since the 2022 General Conference. This has given us a good opportunity to follow through with the new resolutions made and to further support the ones already in place. Have we resolved to practice what we preach and live what we believe?
Key Verse
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 16:19).
Lesson Scripture
Acts 15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Studying the Lesson
Barnabas and Paul had been sent as missionaries by the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1-3). After approximately one and a half years, they returned and reported to the church. While traveling they stopped to visit the churches that had been planted earlier. They also ordained elders and confirmed the souls of the new converts.
While they were away, some well-meaning brethren, converted Jews, had come from Judea, who concluded all new believers needed to follow certain aspects of the law to be saved. This caused division and unrest in the congregation at Antioch. Paul and Barnabas, having seen the grace of God at work among the gentiles, tried to reason with these men without success. It appears that all had confidence in the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, so they determined to send a group of delegates to seek counsel.
Jerusalem was approximately 300 miles to the south. Again the brethren stopped to visit the various congregations on the way. There they told of the wonderful grace God was extending to the gentiles, giving joy to those who heard it.
Matthew 16 contains Peter’s great confession, stating that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus said that upon this truth He would build his church. Knowing that He would soon return to his Father, He gave to the church the keys to the kingdom. These we believe to be the Word and the Holy Spirit, both directly connected to heaven. Through this authority decisions are made by the church. The brethren at Antioch understood this truth and therefore wanted direction for their current problem.
The apostles wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, defining how the church of God should function. Leadership is ordained by the laying on of hands, giving brethren authority and continuity to take up this responsibility in humility and love. The laity is instructed to respect and obey their leadership. All are taught to submit one to another in the fear of God and brotherly love.
As the council at Jerusalem convened, the problem was presented, and discussions began. Viewpoints differed with strong convictions. When all had spoken, it was time to come to a conclusion or resolution. James, who seemed to be a pillar (Gal. 2:9), gave his judgment on the basis of biblical truth. This resonated with the rest of the assembly. It could well be that some were not totally in agreement, but it is obvious that a united message was sent back to Antioch. Notice the introduction of the message: “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us” (Acts 15:28). When this decision was shared with the church at Antioch, it brought peace to a divisive situation. Their trust and confidence served them well. May this be true among us today.
Practical Truths for Today
God’s plan from the beginning was for a separated people, those who would love and serve Him voluntarily. As time has passed, most people have chosen the path of wickedness. Noah and his family, along with the few faithful through history, chose to be separated from the world and to walk with God and ultimately were saved.
God raised up a people through Abraham who would bear witness to his love and mighty power. Through them, the promise of the Redeemer and a new kingdom was prophesied.
The time came when John the Baptist announced this new kingdom. Jesus followed by proving his heavenly origin with miracles and teaching. His death on Calvary was the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin, fulfilling the law and ending animal sacrifice.
Ten days after Jesus’s ascension, the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the believers. Those 120 souls in the upper room were endued with power from on high. As they went forth to preach the gospel Jesus had committed to them, 3,000 souls were added to the church on the day of Pentecost. They were of one soul and one spirit because they were born again. They had received the seal of redemption, the Holy Spirit of promise. This was the beginning of the united and visible church of God. Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against it. In other words, He will have a visible church continue to the end of time. Jesus will then return and claim her as his bride. All who have faithfully followed Him will be able to be part of that great heavenly wedding feast.
After Pentecost, the twelve apostles were the leaders and teachers, having received this authority and charge from Jesus Himself. Soon seven deacons were added to help in this great work of establishing the church; this also contributed to instituting church order.
In Matthew 18:15-18, Jesus established a pattern for the church to be maintained in purity. He confirmed how the keys of the kingdom give the church its authorization for disciplinary work. The church has the authority to admonish, discipline, and, when necessary, excommunicate disobedient members. As the apostles established the churches, they shared Jesus’s doctrine more thoroughly through the epistles. To this day, the church continues to find its direction through the New Testament body of Scripture as to how it should be a separated people and live a pure and honest life in the world. It is evident that the early church was a visible, identifiable people by the fact that they were first called Christians at Antioch.
As the church grew, it was necessary for the leadership to counsel together to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Paul writes about his visit to Jerusalem to consult with the apostles (Gal. 1 and 2).
The church has been persecuted almost constantly through the centuries, first by the unbelieving Jews, followed by civil powers, and then later by adversaries promoting false Christianity. Because of this, many of the written records of the believers were also destroyed. Incomprehensible numbers of brothers and sisters faithfully died for their belief. A major effect of the persecutions was that the true believers had to have their meetings in secret gatherings and little groups here and there. This left the church in rather a scattered condition.
In the 1530s, Menno Simons was converted from Catholicism to the true faith in Holland. After serious study and consideration, he chose to join the Anabaptist people, probably the Waldensians. After several years, this small group of believers asked him to take the leadership among them. God used him in an amazing way to preach and teach the full gospel. This had the effect of bringing these scattered groups of believers into a working, more visible church again. The leaders of these various groups began to have councils, reestablishing the doctrine and practice of Jesus and the apostles.
By the early 1600s, the church had written up a clear and thorough statement of its belief and doctrine. This confession is known as “The Thirty-three Articles of Faith.” In 1632 the “Eighteen Articles of Faith” were drawn up and signed by a large group of elders at Dordrecht, Holland. This confession was less detailed but written in the same spirit. We and many of the more conservative Mennonite groups continue to claim this as a confession of faith.
The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, had a General Conference in 1896, resulting in a twenty-six-point confession. This in no way was meant to replace these earlier two confessions.
It has been understood through the years that conference decisions were binding, not optional. General Conference Article 10 of the 1896 conference states, “We believe that the Holy Scripture is the guide whereby all doctrines and oracles must be governed; for they are given of God unto us as a guide for the way we should live.
“We believe that the Church of God is the supreme judge which God has here on earth for gospel matters; therefore, all elders, ministers, and lay members who at any time conceive anything different from the Church should place this before the Church of God, that it may be proved before they labor therewith.”
Members choosing to chart their own course will, out of necessity, come under discipline. If not, the united, undivided church would soon be in chaos.
Today, the vision of a one, true, united, and undivided body of believers is being challenged by deceptive spirits, such as a spirit that advocates a vertical relationship with God according to its own proving and minimizes the horizontal relationship of a united brotherhood. These spirits are opposed to being subject to the local brotherhood as well as to the church as a whole and sow discord among the brethren.
Are we submitting one to another in the fear of God? Do we respect and honor the discipline of our local congregation and our sister congregations? Do we have confidence in the ministers and deacons council decisions? Are we willingly following the conference decisions in our daily life?
When we find direction for our lives through conference decisions, it is a path of freedom, not bondage. We can have confidence that these were made under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They provide a way of safety for us. The Word, the Holy Spirit, and the church of God will always agree.
Questions
- What causes one person to feel his light on a given matter is superior to the General Conference? Example: the consistent wearing of the devotional covering.
- The 2015 General Conference decision on photography has been misinterpreted and not followed by all. What is the reason for this?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).