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27
Feb
2023

Church Membership: Who Are My Sheep?

Sheep

All of Jesus’s disciples belong to the universal church which is composed of all Christians in all locations. God Himself adds each person to His church when he or she becomes a Christian. The book of Acts tells us that the early Christians were “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47 ESV). 

All Christians should also belong to a local church. By local church, I mean a congregation of Jesus’s disciples in a specific location. It is God’s intention that all Christians should gather together in person (circumstances permitting) for mutual edification and encouragement (Heb 10:24-25). There are circumstances that make this impossible. For example, health problems may prevent some people from meeting with the local church. 

Situations which prevent a person from being able to meet with the church in person, doesn’t mean they no longer belong to their local church. To belong to a local church, biblically speaking, is the same as belonging to a family. Not being able to see your family regularly doesn’t mean you are no longer part of the family. 

The meaning of “belonging” in today’s church has, unfortunately, become disconnected from the Bible’s meaning of belonging.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Church
20
Feb
2023

Biblical Church Membership

Church Membership

Nothing could be more biblical than church membership, right? Churches disagree with one another on a great many things, but there are a few things they all agree on. One of those is that attendees should officially and formally join the congregation by placing membership. This is such a common and accepted practice that almost no one questions it. 

Would it surprise you to learn that the New Testament says nothing about formal church membership? The Bible paints a very different picture of what belonging to a church looks like than what most of us envision. In fact, most Christians have a conceptual framework about church membership that has more in common with corporate legal entities than with the New Testament Scriptures.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Church
13
Feb
2023

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob's Ladder
Photo: freebibleimages.org

Jacob had bargained for his brother Esau’s birthright and then deceived his father to obtain the covenant blessing. The plan that his mother, Rebekah, hatched for him to receive the blessing had worked, but it came at a big cost. Esau was furious with his brother and planned to kill him once their father, Isaac, was dead. Jacob had to leave his home and seek refuge with Rebekah’s brother. On his way there, he saw a vision of stairs leading to heaven. In this dream, he saw what we call Jacob’s Ladder.

Sending Jacob to his mother’s family was more than just a cover story to protect him from Esau. Isaac and Rebekah wanted to make sure that Jacob did not marry a Canaanite woman. The fact that Esau had married Hittite women made life bitter for his parents (Gen 26:34-35).

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?” (Gen. 27:46 ESV)

So, Jacob was sent away to Rebekah’s family to find a wife (Gen 28:1). Something very strange, interesting, and special happened to him on his way to Paddan-aram.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
06
Feb
2023

Was Jacob Foreordained To Receive The Blessing?

Foreordained
Photo: freebibleimages.org

The story of how Jacob came by the birthright and blessing is more complex than it may first appear. It began in the womb with a struggle between brothers. It was such an unusual circumstance that it led their mother, Rebekah, to inquire of God about the situation. God told her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23 ESV). Was Jacob, the younger brother, foreordained by God to receive the birthright and blessing? Or, did God merely foretell how the future would unfold?

If the only Scriptures which commented on this situation were found in the Genesis passages, we might not be able to get an answer to our question. The language of Genesis 25 and 27 could reasonably infer either option. So, what Scriptures help us to find out if God foreordained Jacob to inherit the blessings?

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
30
Jan
2023

Birthright And Blessing – Are They The Same Thing?

Birthright

In Genesis 27:36, Esau laments that Jacob, “took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” The birthright usually belonged to the oldest male heir in a family. The oldest son, usually, received double the inheritance of his younger brothers. With this double portion came the responsibility of caring for the extended family which would include the widow of the deceased and any unwed sisters. Thus, the double portion of the material inheritance was to ensure that the recipient of the birthright had the means to take care of the family. 

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Ancient Customs, Genesis