Pointers on Finding THE RIGHT ASSEMBLY
You’re a believer and understandably want to connect with other genuine believers, not to mention learn from the Word of God and grow spiritually, as well as find opportunities to serve according to your gifting. Where do you go?
First, keep in mind the three basic essentials of what the believer needs in hooking up with an assembly:
- A place for productive fellowship with other believers and the encouraging relationships that develop (Romans 1:12).
- To learn from the Holy Scriptures, which the Bible calls the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:1-4).
- To participate in praise & worship with others.
Secondly, here are ten points to consider in your search:
- In light of the three essentials, try not to focus on the type of building/place where the gathering occurs. Over and over in the New Testament we observe evidence that the early church met in people’s mundane houses (e.g. Colossians 4:15 & Romans 16:5). Speaking of which…
- You might find a worthwhile fellowship that meets in a house, coffee shop or what have you. In other words, don’t limit your search to conventional churches.
- Look for a fellowship that honestly tries to teach truths from the Bible, which naturally enables the believer to grow spiritually and purges erroneous ideas about God and spirituality (2 Timothy 3:16). If an assembly doesn’t do this, keep looking.
- Colossians 3:15 gives a good word of advice: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart.” As you are looking for an assembly, let the peace of the LORD be the deciding factor. Do you feel at “home,” like you belong there? Look for “golden connections,” such as profound favor with key people. Go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re tolerated or disdained. Stay away from any ministry that shows red flags of abuse, e.g. manipulation. Abuse is the misuse of power.
- Some sects/groups should be removed from your list of possibilities out of hand due to false doctrine, cultish-ness, libertinism (e.g. being pro-“gay“) or legalism in one form or another, like being weighed down by unbiblical traditions. Some obvious examples include Jehovah’s False Witnesses, the Mormans, The United Church of Christ and Catholics.
- What options are available within reasonable driving distance from your home? If the fellowship is too far away it will get old fast. I speak from experience.
- If there’s a Christian individual you come into contact with and you have a good vibe about him or her (their “fruit”), consider visiting their assembly. In other words, look for “golden connections” to the fellowship God wants you to attend at this time.
- The reason assemblies try to appeal to the average citizen with modern accouterments is due to Paul’s statement “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). It’s not a bad thing as long as the core truths & practices of Christendom are present.
- Keep a spirit of faith in your search by speaking in faith rather than doubt or unbelief. I say this because Christ instructed, “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours” (Mark 11:22-24). You see, words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21) and, as such, speaking negative words can cancel out your faith and you won’t receive what you’re praying for because faith is what God responds to (Hebrews 11:1, 11:6 & James 1:6-8).
- I wouldn’t limit your options to just those groups who officially adhere to a pet doctrine since that would drastically limit your choices, not to mention you could end up in an assembly that technically supports this perspective, but they’re woefully lacking in more important areas, like faith, spiritual growth, love, gifts of the Spirit and so forth.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, just because the Spirit leads you to a certain assembly, it’s possibly going to be a seasonal thing, even if it’s as long as ten years. In other words, it’s not necessarily a lifelong thing, although it could be. When you understand this, it sets you free. Usually, it’s just older believers who know their calling who will say things like “This is where I’m going to go & serve for the rest of my life, unless the Spirit leads me differently.”
The best fellowship I went to for ten years in my 20s officially embraced a doctrine or two that I now know are unbiblical, but they were otherwise exceptional in regards to outstanding teachings from the scriptures on walking free from sin, spiritual growth and faith, as well as gifts of the Spirit and cell groups i.e. a small group of members meeting at a house or what have you, which helps to really get to know the people thereof, as opposed to a large group meeting in the pews where you say “Hi” and “Bye,” but this is pretty much the extent of the (shallow) relationship. In short, look for an assembly that is spiritually healthy and will benefit your all-around spiritual growth and service.
While the LORD’s Way is perfect and God’s Word is flawless (Psalm 18:30), there’s no such thing as a perfect assembly or sect. People are imperfect and local churches are made up of people, so every assembly will be imperfect, one way or another. When you or I start attending, it’ll be even more imperfect. In short, remove from you mind that you’re going to find the perfect fellowship. It might be the perfectly fitting assembly that the LORD wants you to attend at this time, but it probably won’t be perfect in doctrine or practice.
Remember, no one agrees with anyone on everything. However, all believers regardless of their preferred ‘tag’ can meet at God’s Word since it’s the blueprint of authentic Christianity as long as it’s rightly-divided (1 Corinthians 4:6). If you cannot prove a pet belief through multiple clear passages, it’s likely not very biblical. For instance, someone I know cited Isaiah 19:19-20 to support his belief in so-called Christian pyramidology, curiously saying it was a non-negotiable item. It’s never a good idea to base a doctrine on a single, obscure verse in the Bible — milked for details that aren’t there — with zero additional support from the rest of the God-breathed Scriptures.
When Carol & I were attending and serving at a ministry in the 2000s I also attended a home-styled church group for a couple years on off-nights, and also taught there occasionally. So, even if you join a particular ministry, it’s not like you can’t visit other ministries and serve accordingly. Beware of groups that try to stifle your freedom and look down on, say, attending another group in your free time. That kind of controlling spirit is unhealthy.
Finding an assembly can be challenging and even frustrating. In 2003, Carol & I were led to check out a local church one Sunday. I went out back behind the garage that morning and actually argued with the LORD over the matter because I was weary of attending an assembly for like 2 years and eventually having to leave for one reason or another. But it worked out in this case because we stayed at this fellowship — which had two local facilities — for seven years and it’s where I had the opportunity to do more sermons than anywhere else, by far. Plus, we developed close relationships with several people.
Related Topics:
SECTARIANISM — What Is It? What’s Wrong With It?
Church of Christ — What Is It?
What Makes a Believer a “LEGITIMATE CHRISTIAN”?
Defining PSALMS, HYMNS and SPIRITUAL SONGS
When the apostle Paul was under house imprisonment in Rome, he mentioned “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” in two separate passages that he wrote between the years 60-62 A.D.
Here’s the passage from Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus:
17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:17-20
Observe how singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is linked to being filled with the spirit and thus being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled and the benefits thereof (Galatians 5:16-23). The New Testament describes this in different ways. When believers are spirit-controlled:
- We “walk by the spirit” (Galatians 5:16),
- We “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14),
- We “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4),
- We “put on the new self” (Colossians 3:10).
(For details on walking in the spirit go here).
How does singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs apply to being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled? Simple: Praise is celebration and includes thanksgiving, raving and boasting; whereas worship is adoration. Praise naturally attracts God’s presence and is in accordance with the law of respect: What you respect moves toward you while what you don’t respect moves away from you. Worship, on the other hand, is adoration or awe, and is the response to being in God’s presence. See Psalm 95:1-7 and Psalm 100 for verification.
(For more insights on praise & worship go here).
The passage from Ephesians somewhat parallels Paul’s instructions to the believers in Colossae:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
Observe how this verse reveals two essentials for when believers meet together:
- Sharing/teaching the Word of God.
- Participating in Scripture-based praise & worship.
While psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are arguably interchangeable, what did Paul mean by each term in this particular context?
- ‘Psalms’ in both of these passages is psalmos in the Greek, which refers to the psalms contained in the book of Psalms, many of which involve praise & worship;
- ‘Hymns’ is humnos in the Greek and refers to established “sacred songs or songs of praise to God” in one’s culture;
- ‘Spiritual songs’ or ‘songs from the Spirit’ is pneumatikos ódé in the Greek, referring to songs given to believers present by the Spirit, whether at the time of the assembly or prior.
In one fellowship I was involved in for a decade the bulk of the songs we sang were written by the praise & worship leader. These would be spiritual songs, which would likely become hymns over time.
Related Topics:
Praise & Worship—What’s the Difference? Why are they Important?
Support for PRAISE & WORSHIP in the Bible
Can Christians Listen to Music other than Praise & Worship?
Is Christianity a “RELATIONSHIP With God”?
Support for PRAISE & WORSHIP in the Bible
You hear a lot about praise & worship in Christian circles, but what support does the Bible actually provide for praise & worship being a regular part of the believer’s life?
Let’s start with the New Testament since we’re under the New Covenant. The New Testament consists of four categories of literature:
- The Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
- The Book of Church History: Acts.
- The Epistles (Letters): Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Jude.
- The Book of Prophetic Vision: Revelation
Fittingly, each of these genres address praise & worship one way or another, as follows…
Praise & Worship in the Gospels
The following parallel verses reveal that Christ & his disciples sang praise & worship songs together.
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
In addition, Christ explained the nature of worship in the New Covenant era:
23“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
John 4:23-24
Also, notice what the disciples/apostles did when Christ ascended to Heaven:
52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Luke 24:52-53
Praise & Worship in the Book of Acts
Despite heavy persecution due to exorcizing a demon from a slave girl, Paul and Silas practiced praise & worship even in the dungeon of a prison:
22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods. 23And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely. 24On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.
Acts 16:23-26
Truly, praise attracts God’s presence and the life-giving power thereof! This is in accordance with the law of respect: What you respect moves toward you while what you don’t respect moves away from you. Worship, on the other hand, is adoration or awe, and is the response to being in God’s presence. See Psalm 95:1-7 and Psalm 100 for verification.
Praise & Worship in the Epistles
The apostle Paul encouraged singing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” in two separate passages that he wrote when he was under house imprisonment in Rome between the years 60-62 A.D.
Here’s the passage from his letter to the believers in Ephesus:
17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:17-20
Observe how singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is linked to being filled with the spirit and thus being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled and the benefits thereof (Galatians 5:16-23). You can read details about how to walk in the spirit here.
The passage from Ephesians somewhat parallels Paul’s instructions to the believers in Colossae:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
Observe how this verse reveals two essentials for when believers meet together:
- Sharing/teaching the truths of the Word of God.
- Participating in Scripture-based praise & worship.
This explains why these are the two prominent practices at Christian services.
While psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are arguably interchangeable, what did Paul mean by each term in this particular context?
- ‘Psalms’ in both of these passages is psalmos in the Greek, which refers to the psalms contained in the book of Psalms, many of which involve praise & worship;
- ‘Hymns’ is humnos in the Greek and refers to established “sacred songs or songs of praise to God” in one’s culture;
- ‘Spiritual songs’ or ‘songs from the Spirit’ is pneumatikos ódé in the Greek, referring to songs given to believers present by the Spirit, whether at the time of the assembly or prior.
In one assembly I was involved in for a decade the bulk of the songs we sang were written by the praise & worship leader. These would be spiritual songs, which would likely become hymns over time.
Praise & Worship in the Book of Revelation
The prophetic epistle, Revelation, contains several passages relevant to praise & worship. For instance, the following three reveal how angelic beings in Heaven regularly practice praise & worship:
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”
10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Revelation 4:10-11
12In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
14The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 5:12-14
There are similar passages later in Revelation, like 11:15-18 and 19:1-8.
Believers can also be observed participating in praise & worship in Heaven:
9After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
13Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:9-14
2And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Revelation 15:2-4
As you can see, praise & worship is repeatedly addressed in every genre of literature in the New Testament.
Old Testament Passages on Praise & Worship
All of the above passages from the New Testament are laid on the foundation of what is written in the Old Testament about praise & worship, which includes the book of Psalms. This book just so happens to be the largest book in the Bible by far. It contains no less than 150 songs (the lyrics anyway), most of which feature praise & worship, at least partially. Psalm 100 is a well-known example.
Other relevant verses in the Old Testament include Exodus 15:1-2, Deuteronomy 32, Judges 5, Isaiah 5:1, 26 & 42:10 and the book Song of Songs, which is an epic love song, figuratively referring to the love of God and the saints (believers).
I’d say that’s more than enough support for praise & worship being a part of the believer’s life, how about you?
Related Topics:
Praise & Worship—What’s the Difference? Why are they Important?
Defining PSALMS, HYMNS and SPIRITUAL SONGS
Can Christians Listen to Music other than Praise & Worship?
Is Christianity a “RELATIONSHIP With God”?
God’s PERFECT Will vs. God’s PERMISSIVE Will
God’s general will is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. For instance, does the LORD want you to live a life of fornication or adultery? Obviously not. Theologians call this God’s preceptive will, based on the word ‘precept,’ which means rule, mandate, guideline or principle.
God’s more specific will is revealed to the individual believer by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26 & John 16:13), which would also technically be the LORD’s preceptive will.
Both of these would fall under the category of “God’s perfect will” for the individual.
Since our Creator reigns supreme, God is sovereign, but within that sovereignty he allows humans freewill, which opens the door to the LORD’s permissive will. In other words, God permits humans to make decisions or conduct themselves in a way that isn’t in accord with God’s perfect will.
In addition, the LORD permits humans to make decisions about things that are of little concern to the Almighty. For instance, the color of the socks/shoes you are wearing today are up to you, depending on your resources.
To complicate matters, Yahweh’s permissive will can involve:
- Decisions/behaviors that are not sinful.
- Decisions/behaviors that are sinful.
An example of the former would be the Israelite’s wanting a king in order to be “like all the other nations,” which was against God’s perfect will, yet the LORD permitted it (1 Samuel 8:4-22). An example of the latter would be God permitting David to commit adultery with Bathsheba and indirectly murder her husband, which of course had negative repercussions (2 Samuel 11-12).
An attack by the enemy or human enemies would fall under God’s permissive will. For instance, it was Satan’s idea to attack Job, God just allowed it (Job 1-2). Also, it was Joseph’s wicked siblings who captured & sold their young brother into slavery, the LORD merely permitted it and ultimately brought about good from it (Genesis 37 & 50:20).
Consider some examples from the New Testament. Mark 3:35 and 1 John 2:17 would (presumably) refer to God’s preceptive will whereas 1 Peter 4:19 refers to God’s permissive will.
A small book could be written on this topic, but these are the basics. Chew on the ideas and you’ll gain further insight in your studies.
Related Topics:
Human FREEWILL and God’s SOVEREIGNTY
Should You “PUT OUT A FLEECE” to Determine God’s Will?
How to Keep BALANCED in Every Area of Life
What Is FAULTFINDING? What’s Wrong With It?
Jude warned believers in the 1st Century about false teachers; notice how he describes them:
These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
The one description we want to focus on is ‘faultfinder.’ A faultfinder is someone who tends to find fault in others — usually a rival — and then murmurs & complains about it to others, which naturally poisons the minds of listeners against the victim and thus creates division. This is something the LORD “hates,” as observed in Proverbs 6:16-19. Such criticisms are usually of a vague, petty nature voiced in a mocking manner; that is, with a vibe of scorn, condescension, insult and chortling.
James commented on faultfinding in his epistle:
Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
Wow, impenitent faultfinding draws divine judgment! Beware.
Of course, when a brother or sister sins, they should be confronted & corrected as led of the Spirit, which you can read about here, but that’s not what we’re discussing in this article. We’re talking about the tendency to pick out the faults in others — typically a person the critic is envious/jealous of — and then regularly murmur about it in a mocking manner to other people, which spurs division and strife.
Observe how negatively the biblical book of wisdom speaks of this kind of behavior:
…whoever spreads slander is a fool.
With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor…
A person who lacks judgment derides his neighbor…
A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
According to these verses, a murmuring faultfinder is:
- A fool
- Godless
- A person who lacks judgment
- Perverse
I’m sure you don’t want to be any of these things, neither do I. So let’s not be mocking faultfinders. Amen?
Everyday Examples of Faultfinding
People can easily slip into a faultfinding spirit, usually influenced by a carnal ringleader. For instance, Carol & I were camping out with some friends/relatives several years ago and one person started mocking a certain man not present who happened to be involved in ministry. We all ended up joining-in with mocking comments, except for my wife Carol, who later said she didn’t feel right about it. It was easy for me to get in on the act since I was at odds with this particular man at the moment (a former best friend). The next Sunday I was scheduled to give a sermon and had no anointing; it was a struggle from beginning to end. Convicted by the Spirit, I knew what the issue was and humbly repented.
A more recent example took place on Twitter yesterday. A man posted a video of a well-known minister and ridiculed him as a con man. I’m not a big fan of this particular minister, but I’ve read a couple of his books and have heard a handful of his sermons. While I believe he’s biblically off in a couple of key areas, he’s a formidable man of God and I respect him. Dozens of others on the thread joined in with disparaging comments regarding the preacher, all trite criticisms.
So I watched the video to see what the issue was and all it depicted was the minister illustrating how to put on the armor of God and, specifically, use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God implemented as an offensive weapon, spiritually speaking. I pointed this out to the man who posted the video and he responded, “Did you see the look in his eyes? He’s obviously demon possessed. The Bible says the ‘The eye is the lamp of the body’ (Luke 11:34).”
I replied, “He was simply illustrating how to conduct spiritual warfare, which you shouldn’t approach like Howdy Doody. You have to mean business.” I then asked him: How did Christ look when he astonishingly cleared the temple of fools (Mark 11:15-18)? How did Paul look when he radically confronted a meddling magician on Cyprus (Acts 13:8-12)? These were mere physical confrontations; consider Jesus and Paul’s demeanor in serious spiritual confrontations.
A couple of others chimed in, but I pointed out how all the criticisms on the thread were vague accusations regarding the minister’s eyes or what have you. There was no meat to their carping. So I asked, “Since he overtly preaches against sin and hasn’t been involved in a scandal, the issue must be doctrine. What doctrine do you think he’s teaching falsely? Be specific.” One person — only one — said that he preached giving and receiving back. I pointed out how the Bible actually supports the principle of giving & receiving (Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6; Philippians 4:17), not to mention God’s provision (Philippians 4:19; Proverbs 10:22).
I asked again, what specific doctrine does this minister embrace that unquestionably makes him a “false” believer? The only thing the critic could come up with was to say that there are videos about the man that prove he’s a false teacher. In other words, backed against a wall she couldn’t even voice the particular doctrine that proved he was a false believer, such as denying Christ as LORD.
An additional criticism of the minister was that he supposedly preached that believers will experience nothing but peaches and cream on Earth. I countered by pointing out how I’ve never heard him say that; on the contrary, he plainly taught that believers will face persecutions and trials — and all the more as you mature — but, thankfully, he also instructed how to overcome by fighting the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).
All I got back was crickets, which is good. The believers on the thread were hopefully ashamed of their faultfinding and penitent.
This article is available in book form as part of chapter 14 of…
- The print book is available here for only $12.50 (303 pages)
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Both links allow you to “look inside” the book.
Related Topics:
Why GOSSIP & SLANDER Are So Evil
Why Wasn’t God Pleased With CAIN’S OFFERING?
How to CONFRONT & CORRECT (and How NOT to)
What Is the ELIPHAZ SYNDROME?
The “Eliphaz Syndrome” is the tendency to formulate vital doctrine based on visions/experiences rather than the rightly-divided Word of God. If you’re not familiar with Eliphaz, he was one of Job’s three “friends” whom the LORD accused of folly in what they said to their suffering friend (Job 42:7-8). Eliphaz was the one who made claims based on mysterious visions/experiences, as observed here:
12“A word was secretly brought to me,
my ears caught a whisper of it.
13Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
when deep sleep falls on people,
14fear and trembling seized me
and made all my bones shake.
15A spirit glided past my face,
and the hair on my body stood on end.
16It stopped,
but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
and I heard a hushed voice:
17‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?
18If God places no trust in his servants,
if he charges his angels with error,
19how much more those who live in houses of clay,
whose foundations are in the dust,
who are crushed more readily than a moth!
20Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
unnoticed, they perish forever.
21Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,
so that they die without wisdom?’
Job 4:12-21
Observe Eliphaz’ glaring sensationalism to make his point. We can extend mercy to Eliphaz since there wasn’t much, if any, Scripture for him to rely on back then. But modern-day believers have ready access to the entire canon of God’s Word for the purpose of determining proper doctrine and correcting false doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So we have no excuse.
This is in line with the apostle Paul’s doctrinal rule: “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6), which means that we are to stick to the Word of God to support doctrine, especially core doctrine. Those who must go outside the Judeo-Christian Scriptures to “prove” their pet doctrine must be viewed with serious skepticism. After all, if what they teach is truly biblical, they wouldn’t have to go beyond the Bible to prove it.
A Modern Example
Are there examples of the “Eliphaz Syndrome” today? Yes. Take, for example these people who claim to have gone to Sheol/Hades in a vision or literally in the spirit, like Bill Wiese and Mary Baxter. Please note that they don’t claim to have gone to the lake of fire — the real hell — since no one has been cast there yet, but rather Sheol/Hades, which concerns the intermediate state of the unsaved dead between physical decease and resurrection on the Day of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
While evangelizing and genuine repentance are always good, these people who have supernatural experiences about Sheol/Hades beg the question: Why did the LORD wait almost 2000 years after the biblical canon was completed to reveal these horrifying details about the nature of Sheol? If their visions (or experiences) are to be believed, why aren’t there similar such descriptions of Sheol in the Bible, the Word of God?
Everything God wants us to know about Sheol — the intermediate state of the unsaved between death and resurrection — has already been clearly revealed in the Holy Scriptures, as detailed at length here. This, again, is in line with biblical rule concerning doctrine: “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6).
To prove any doctrine we must rely on what God’s Word says on the subject from Genesis to Revelation and not on the dubious testimonies of people who claim to have sensationalist visions or experiences that just so happen to disagree with what the Word of God plainly teaches. It doesn’t matter if they go by the respectable label of “Evangelical” or not, nor does it matter if their intentions appear good, if their visions/dreams don’t line up with the Holy Scriptures, they must be rejected as error. It’s the Eliphaz Syndrome.
Let me leave you with a couple of relevant passages that come to mind:
Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.”
How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?
Related Topics:
What Does “Do Not Go Beyond What is Written” Mean in 1 Corinthians 4:6?
What Can We Learn From JOB’S “FRIENDS”?
Hermeneutics — Proper Bible Interpretation
The “Berean Spirit” — What is It? How Do You Cultivate it?
RICH MAN & LAZARUS: Fantastical Parable or Literal Account?
What Does It Mean to Be “BAPTIZED FOR THE DEAD”?
Let’s read the verse in question:
Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?
The topic is the resurrection of the dead, which some believers in Corinth doubted due to the spread of false teaching.
While there are a few theories on what being “baptized for the dead” means in this verse, the most obvious one is that some in Corinth were concerned about the salvation of believers who had passed away without being water baptized; as such, these Corinthians were baptized in their place.
This was a religious belief that some believers in Corinth embraced yet Paul never endorsed it because it’s not biblical. So why does he recognize the practice in this passage? Because he was revealing an inconsistency in their logic: If they didn’t believe in the future resurrection, there was no point in their proxy baptisms.
Again, Paul didn’t sanction this belief — which isn’t mentioned anywhere else in Scripture — he simply used the religious practices of his opponents to make a persuasive point concerning the scriptural doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.
Related Topics:
RESURRECTIONS: Firstfruits, Harvest & Gleanings
What is the “Better Resurrection” Noted in Hebrews 11:35?
What Will the Believer’s GLORIFIED BODY Be Like?
Is CHRIST’S BODY After Resurrection PHYSICAL or SPIRITUAL (or Both)?
Q&A on SHEOL / HADES, the Intermediate State of the Unsaved
The Believer’s INTERMEDIATE STATE (Between Physical Death and Bodily Resurrection)
The Six Basic Doctrines of Christianity
What Is the Significance of 153 FISH in John 21:11?
Let’s read the full passage in question:
1Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. a It happened this way: 2Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
John 21:1-14
Verse 14 reveals that this was Jesus’ third appearance to the disciples after his resurrection. Five of the disciples were fishing in the Sea of Galilee, but caught nothing all night. This changed the next morning, however, when the resurrected Christ saw them from the shore and instructed them to throw their net on the right side of the boat whereupon they miraculously caught the huge load of fish. The technical number they netted—153 fish—is merely a historical accounting of their take.
Yet consider the last two verses of the previous chapter:
30Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30-31
This reveals the reason why the book of John documented the many miraculous signs of Christ, including the large catch on this occasion—that people might believe Jesus is the Messiah and, by believing, have life in his name (John 3:16). So you could view the fish caught in this chronicling as 153 reasons to believe that Jesus is the Christ.
Related Topics:
Seven Proofs That JESUS CHRIST IS GOD
Miracle or Divine Providence — What’s the Difference?
When You Should ASK and When You Should SPEAK IN FAITH, aka DEMAND
Why did Christ decline to give “Signs on Demand”?
Do Believers Need a SPIRITUAL COVERING?
Anyone who takes the initiative to step out in faith and do something in service of God’s kingdom will inevitably hear criticisms like:
- “Who’s your covering?”
- “Who are you accountable to?”
- “You’re not one of us!”
Those who voice such criticisms are curiously upset that someone’s actively doing the work of God. In some cases they’re obviously rivalrous and envious. The diligent apostle Paul was familiar with these types of people in the early days of the Church (Philippians 1:15).
Such a faultfinding spirit can be observed with the disciples when Christ was on Earth:
49“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
50“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
Luke 9:49-50
38“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us.
Mark 9:38-39
The disciples saw someone exorcising demons in the name of Christ, but instead of praising the LORD for people being delivered from satanic oppression and the advancement of God’s kingdom, they tried to stop the man because… he wasn’t one of them.
In other words, he wasn’t part of their group, their sect. Thus they assumed that he didn’t have the authority to do God’s work and thought the Lord would agree with them, but they were wrong. Christ plainly instructed them not to stop the man since he clearly wasn’t working against the kingdom of God, but rather for it.
When someone’s knee-jerk response to your sincere service for the LORD is because you’re “not one of them,” it’s an indication of the infection of sectarianism, which is a work of the flesh and a form of religious legalism. (The list of works of the flesh in Galatians 5:20 includes “factions,” which is hairesis in the Greek, which refers to a religious or philosophical sect and the resulting factionalism or contention).
Those who cop such an attitude are spiritually immature and tend to view people outside their group with a suspicious, rivalrous eye. What’s absurd is that this man was doing an incredibly good work—driving out demons—but it didn’t matter to John & the other disciples because they were blinded by their fleshly factionalist spirit.
Christ put an immediate stop to this nonsense. His response was simple: “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.” Obviously it didn’t bother the Lord that the man was operating outside their group. It didn’t irk him in the least that this guy didn’t go to Jesus’ “seminary.” The man was doing a good work in bold faith and he was obviously on their side, so what was the problem? There wasn’t one, but those infected by sectarianism will always create a problem when it concerns someone who operates outside the box with which they’ve put themselves and God.
Now please notice that…
Christ Did NOT Stop the Man on the Grounds That “He Had No Covering”
I point this out because sincere believers who are actively serving the LORD and advancing the Kingdom of God one way or another might occasionally hear the criticism: “Who’s your covering?” The implication, of course, is that they (supposedly) have no covering or perhaps the critic doesn’t approve of their covering.
So what do these rivalrous faultfinders mean by “covering”? The term can be traced to the Shepherding Movement of the 1970s-80s, aka the “Discipleship Movement,” which taught that submission to an elder authority—usually a fivefold minister—provided spiritual ‘covering’ for the believer by being aligned with God’s delegated authority in the Church. Their support texts for this concept include 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, 1 Corinthians 11:3 and 1 Peter 5:5.
While this principle is good and healthy to a degree in light of Paul being Timothy’s mentor (Acts 16:1-3; 1 Corinthians 4:17) and Elijah being Elisha’s mentor (2 Kings 2), at some point the mentee should be mentored enough to strike out on his/her own in the field, like Timothy did. (This isn’t to say that every protégé is called to the fivefold ministry, of course). The biggest problem with the Shepherding Movement is that it emphasized total submission to one’s spiritual ‘covering,’ including getting permission for major decisions in life, such as career options and spousal choices, which, needless to say, is unhealthy, not to mention absurd.
There was a large assembly in my area back in the ’80s, that subscribed to heavy shepherding wherein the congregants required permission to purchase major items, even a refrigerator (!). In these types of assemblies, if one family member decides to leave the fellowship, the remaining members are often instructed to cut all ties with him/her. While there may be times in your Christian walk where you might have to cut ties with someone for legitimate reason (like stubborn impenitence), such a strict, family-destroying attitude is Christianity-gone-wrong. In short, it’s toxic religion.
Carol & I experienced this a dozen years ago after we decided to leave a certain assembly that we seriously considered joining for two months. We didn’t do anything wrong, of course (in fact, we did everything right), but the pastor was evidently so offended by our decision that he instructed the congregants to shun us if they ran into us in public (!).
So the Shepherding Movement was marked by cult-ish authoritarianism and the corresponding abuses—excessive oversight, absolute obedience, manipulation and intimidation—which explains why the movement justly fell into disrepute. Leaders of the coalition, like Derek Prince and Bob Mumford, publicly apologized for the harm it caused.
We shouldn’t be surprised when abuses like this occasionally rear their ugly head in the Church today since the New Testament plainly warns of slick authoritarians in the ministry who are obsessed with “drawing away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30; Galatians 1:7; Galatians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 11:3-4). Abuse, by the way, is the misuse of power.
To Whom/What Is Each Believer Accountable?
New Covenant believers are accountable in three ways:
1. Accountable to the LORD
All believers are ultimately accountable to God and will thus stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat to give an account of what we did in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10-11). We’ll even have to give an account for our words (Matthew 12:36). Unbelievers are also accountable to their Creator and will thus undergo the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
It is the Mighty Christ who is the worthy infallible Head of the worldwide Church (Colossians 1:18, 2:10 & 2:19), as well as its Foundation (Acts 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 3:11). Thus the LORD is the “Chief Shepherd” while fivefold ministers—e.g. pastors and teachers—are under-shepherds who are to lead in a servant-like fashion, not as pompous authoritarians (1 Peter 5:1-5; Galatians 2:1-14; Ephesians 2:19-20; 4:11-15). Yeshua spoke against authoritarian-styled leadership in the Church in no uncertain terms (Matthew 20:25-28).
Hence we are to seek the Lord’s approval above human approval (2 Timothy 2:15). Remember, there’s only one mediator between God and people and that’s Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). While fivefold ministers, like pastors and teachers, are strategic to the spiritual growth of believers, they do not share this position with the Lord. We should certainly respect diligent, fruit-bearing ministers (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13), but we need to be careful about giving them too much weight—as if they’re God Jr.—since doing so is foolish and will create strife or division in the Church, as observed in 1 Corinthians 3:3-9.
2. Accountable to Fellow Believers
In the worldwide Church—regardless of sectarian label—all genuine believers are to be submitted to one another (Ephesians 5:21), which means we’re accountable to each other—young and old, male and female, spiritually mature and immature, minister and congregant. Holding each other accountable is relevant to (1) how we’re living and (2) the accuracy of the doctrines (teachings) we spread (James 3:1). The effectiveness of this corrective principle is explained in the book of Proverbs, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
While believers are accountable to those over them in the Lord, accountability naturally works both ways (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13). For instance, if your pastor or worship leader is committing adultery or sneaking finances from the ministry fund, should you remain silent? Obviously not. Anyone who thinks these types of things never happen is naïve; I know pastors who have done both (but thankfully repented).
Speaking of pastors, it should be emphasized: The true ministerial spirit that fivefold ministers (should) have is for building believers up and not tearing them down (2 Corinthians 10:8 & 13:10). Paul also stressed this in Ephesians 4:11-13 wherein he detailed the purpose of all ministers: “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
3. Accountable to God’s Word
Believers are accountable to the LORD and each other based on what? Obviously God’s Word, which informs us (1) how to live and (2) what to believe. All Christians—whatever sectarian tag they choose to go by (or not go by)—are to honestly meet at the blueprint for Christianity, the Word of God, regarding all matters of morality, practice and doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 4:6). We all must be humbly willing to concede to the authority of the God-breathed Scriptures and what they clearly & consistently teach from a New Covenant perspective based on sound hermeneutics, such as “Scripture interprets Scripture” and “Context is King.”
We can all legitimately claim ignorance now and then—and the LORD deals with us according to the light we currently possess (as elaborated here)—but once scriptural revelation is provided we are obligated to make corrections accordingly.
Examples of Accountability
Not long ago, a minister from America who was working on the other side of the world wrote me in response to one of our extended articles and asked by what authority I’m doing this teaching ministry. Isn’t this reminiscent of the disciples’ criticism in Luke 9:49?
I humbly answered that I gave the article in question (and our other works) by the authority of the rightly-divided Word of God. He then had the opportunity to respond by explaining what he specifically disagreed with and proving his case from the Holy Scriptures, but all I got back was crickets. I’m assuming he investigated the topic further and saw that the article wasn’t in error, as he initially thought.
On another occasion a minister from another state wrote and corrected me on a biblical theory featured in the footnotes of one of my books. I examined his scriptural support and realized that he was correct and so immediately changed the info in the corresponding articles but, unfortunately, couldn’t change the footnote in the book since it was already in print. However, I will fix it if the book is ever rereleased in revised form.
These are examples of two believers meeting at God’s Word to settle a matter.
In light of all this, please be careful about denouncing certain believers because they’re teaching something you might never have heard before, or their calling is different, or they’re not part of your group (Romans 14:4). One minister I know was actively trying to reach ‘gays‘ and was criticized for it—even slandered—by seasoned believers in ministry positions. Wow, God forbid that anyone would try to reach those most lost amongst us! (Obvious sarcasm). Remember what the Messiah said to his judgmental disciples: “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”
Of course you should correct sin or false doctrine, as led of the Spirit, assuming you can scripturally back up your case. Yet there’s a right way to confront & correct and a wrong way, which you can read about here.
‘What About Hebrews 13:17?’
This is an understandable question in light of what the verse says:
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
Submission to spiritual authority is good assuming the minister in question consistently bears fruit of the spirit (Matthew 7:15-23) and walks blamelessly before the LORD, which is different from being sinless, since no one on earth is sinless (1 John 1:8-9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 Kings 8:46). In other words, there’s healthy submission and unhealthy submission to a spiritual authority, which is explained in the article Should You “Obey” Your Pastor?
So Do Believers Need a “Covering” or Not?
If having a ‘covering’ means believers need to receive from mentors in order to learn to minister effectively then, yes. After all, a ‘disciple’ is a learner since that’s what the word actually means, as explained here.
Take the man from Luke 9:49 who was driving out demons and thus stirred up the disciples’ envy/rivalry, he obviously heard Christ’s public teachings on the believer’s authority & faith and so took the initiative to go out and minister to people suffering from demonic oppression. As such, the Messiah was his mentor and this shows that you don’t have to know someone personally to be mentored by them. Learn from the person and put what you learn into practice as you have the opportunity, led of the Spirit.
However, if having a ‘covering’ means to submit to a human being in ministry in the absolute sense then, no, the Bible does not support this. To do so wouldn’t just be questionable, it’s unhealthy since it fuels arrogance in the mentor and paves the way for potential abuse. Believers are only to submit to the LORD in the absolute sense (Acts 5:29).
Unhealthy submission to a human mentor can result in overreliance and a dependent spirit, which will actually hinder the disciple’s productivity and prevent him/her from fulfilling their God-given call. For instance, an associate minister in the Midwest informed the senior pastor of his fellowship that he had decided to leave and pursue other ministerial endeavors, led of the Spirit. The pastor sternly told him that it wasn’t God’s will for him to go and, if he did, he’d “come back crawling on his hands and knees!” Can you believe it? No wonder the LORD was calling him out of that shepherd’s ‘covering.’ He followed the Spirit’s leading, rather than this pastor who was obviously infected by arrogance, and ended up producing way more fruit in ministry in the years to come.
The lesson? Don’t allow a flawed human ‘covering’ (mentor) to prevent you from fulfilling your God-given calling and the many fruit-bearing works thereof. Be led of the Spirit. Amen.
This article is available in book form as chapter 16 of…
- The print book is available here for only $12.50 (303 pages)
- The Kindle eBook is available here for just 99¢!
Both links allow you to “look inside” the book.
Related Topics:
Ministerial Pitfalls and Abuses