Lay By...In Store
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. (1 Cor. 16:2 KJV)
This popular proof text is, I believe, at the heart of many of the problems encountered among God’s people today: especially in this country. It is a classic example of taking a specific admonition to a specific group of people in specific circumstances and turning it into a new law. Let’s apply some of the principles of interpretation we have been learning and see what we can glean from this passage.
First, let’s consider the context. We haven’t quoted the full context by any means, but you will remember that the rapid expansion of the church in Jerusalem resulted in great financial needs. Paul appealed to the assemblies in Galatia and Corinth to help meet those needs. This verse contains his instruction about how they were to prepare to help.
It is reasonable to assume the Corinthian believers would assemble when Paul arrived since he was coming to see them. The "gatherings" mentioned in the text does not refer to assembling but is intended to avoid individuals running out to the ATM at the last minute to get their contribution.
Read the passage again carefully and realize why the ellipsis appears in the title above. The text doesn’t say that they are "to lay by in store" on the first day of the week when they come together. It says that each one is to "lay by him in store" so collections won’t be necessary when he comes. Doesn’t it?
The New American Standard is clearer in this instance, "On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come." In other words, everyone was to save what they intended to give to the effort weekly as individual households. There is no support here for a common treasury of believers which they are commanded to fund on a weekly basis!
This is the only place in the New Testament where this word for collection is used. Nowhere do we find believers regularly bringing money into a church treasury on the first day of the week. Yet, it is commonly taught that we are commanded to do just that. If you find that command in scripture, please send the reference to me and I’ll print the correction.
Scripture provides us numerous examples of believers giving and it is obvious that Christians will give, even sacrificially. But the abuses that have been wrought under the guise of doctrine need to be addressed.
In my early Christian training, I was taught that giving was one of the essentials of Christian "worship." That is true if we understand that worship (latreuo) means ministry or service and not a weekly assembling of the saints. Nevertheless, we were warned that if you didn’t give to the "church" as you had been prospered, your worship was in vain.
Of course, worship services other than Sunday morning did not require giving because they were different. You still risked hell fire if you missed those meetings, but all giving was reserved for the first day of the week (except for special occasions like revivals).
Are you beginning to see how the misapplication of a single verse gives rise to legalism? What was recorded in scripture as addressing a singular need has been capitalized upon (literally) by church leaders to sustain an institution that would be unrecognized by first century believers.
Church assets and property ownership came much later. The resources of early believers were kept under their personal control and given directly to those in need. If you remember the context of Paul’s instructions you know that he would not even deliver the Corinthians’ gifts to Jerusalem.
They were to choose someone local who they would authorize by letter to deliver their gifts for them. Paul was willing to go along if necessary, but he had no intention of taking the money and delivering what was left after he deducted his overhead and kept a portion to support himself.
This is a critical issue because it is money that ultimately leads to the splits and division we have in the family of God. We are happy to discuss scripture with other believers who see things differently, but we refuse to worship with them because we are putting our funds in a common pool and we disagree about where those funds can be used.
Before you reject that analysis, spend some time thinking about it. Most people I know will attend "worship" services of other denominations and, if they are honest, they even find they actually learn something occasionally while doing so. Some are so stuck in their own traditions they see worship other than their own as vain, but we’ll address that another time.
The point is money is the real issue behind many of the divisions we see among believers. That should sadden us because it certainly isn’t pleasing to God.
If you want an eye-opening experience, just study the budget of the church you attend. What percentage of the contributions make it outside the church doors? If your congregation is typical, it is a club that largely uses the resources to provide for its own comforts and needs.
Is there anything wrong with this arrangement? Not inherently. We have liberty in Christ to use the resources entrusted to us according to the dictates of our conscience guided by scripture. Contributing to a joint effort with other believers is certainly permissible and frequently desirable.
The problem comes when we make a specific use of those resources a matter of command. At this point, we overstep scriptural authority and bind on others what God has not bound.
We are free to associate with others and free to pledge ourselves to support a common meeting place and even a paid staff to see to the affairs of that organization. But let us not confuse that organization with the ecclesia of God.
We shouldn’t deceive ourselves into thinking that the assets we acquire as an organization represent giving in the biblical sense. They are largely a matter of our own comfort and have little to do with giving to those in need. Let’s quit playing games.
Having those resources is fine, just don’t count that as giving. For the most part, our giving is a lot like that of Ananias and Sapphira. We put our offering in the church coffers knowing full well that much, if not most, is going to be used on us. I will assert that keeping a portion corporately is no better than keeping it individually.
We are the only ones deceived in the process. If you don’t believe it, talk to non-Christians and see how they view our clubhouses. If we are going to use our resources in this way let’s be honest enough to recognize that we are feathering our own nest.
Folks can talk about how the clubhouse is an outreach ministry to the community, but just try to install new carpet in the fellowship hall and watch the battle over the style, quality and color ensue.
We sell bonds to build mausoleums to flabby faith, but when was the last time you heard of a congregation going in debt to help those in need?
Buildings are just the beginning of the problem but you should get the idea. We’ve institutionalized what God established as relational. Then, to fund the enterprise we latched onto a handy text we could use to squeeze contributions from people to build bigger barns and attract more people who will keep the process alive.
The bottom line is that by introducing the acquisition of assets and the accumulation of wealth by congregations of Christians, we have created something not found in scripture. In many cases, we have gone much farther by compelling people to support that institution through an abuse of God’s word. That ought not to be.
Bible 101
The introduction of dispensationalism has created considerable problems in terms of interpreting scripture. While it is obvious that God has expressed Himself in various ways throughout history, the story is one singular message. As Hebrews 1:1-2) says, " God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son...."
There is one story and hence one overarching context for understanding everything contained in scripture. This understanding leads us to the principle of allowing scripture to interpret scripture. As we mentioned before, this makes tools which enable you to cross-reference words and phrases invaluable.
It is a simple matter to take the word or phrase in question and look it up in an exhaustive concordance. Then, by studying each reference in its immediate context, we can quickly tell which ones are relevant to understanding the passage before us. Don’t try to force every reference to apply to your text!
Simple enough?
Now let’s introduce the idea of figurative language. The Bible is full of it. That shouldn’t surprise us, our daily speech is too! Just for fun, commit one day to writing down all the figures of speech you use. You’ll quickly see why it is important to recognize them when studying scripture (or a foreign language for that matter).
A biblical figure of speech is a word, phrase, or expression used in figurative or spiritual sense rather than a physical sense. Don’t make the mistake of calling spiritual language figurative! Though it is not physical in nature it is literal in meaning. Spiritual and figurative are two different things and even many fine teachers fail to make this distinction.
Let’s start by recalling the different types of figures of speech. (If you can come up with an acronym to make them easy to remember, let me know and I’ll pass it on.) We’ll group them by types for now.
Figures of association include metonymy (meh-tah-no-mee) and synecdoche (sih-neck-doh-kee).
Metonomy is the substitution of one descriptor for another related person, object or concept. "And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." In this text from Matt. 2:3 "Jerusalem" is used to refer to the people of the city, not the geographic territory itself. Get the idea.
Synecdoche is a figure of speech where the part can refer to the whole or vice versa.
(If you’re like me, you’ll find these two the hardest to remember!).
Figures of comparison include similes and metaphors.
A simile is the use of connecting words to draw an expressed comparison between two different things. The most common are like and as, but you’ll also find such as and occasionally a phrase like, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him." (Psalm 103:11)
A metaphor is an implied comparison between two different things. Jesus rebuke of the Pharisees as a "brood of vipers" and "whitewashed tombs" are good examples of this kind of comparison. Scripture is full of this kind of language; be alert to it.
Next are figures of humanization: personification and anthropomorphism.
Personification is language which gives human characteristics to objects. The Psalms are full of statements like, "The heaven’s declare the glory of God" and trees that "clap their hands." You’ll find this type of figure throughout scripture.
An anthropomorphism is a specific type of personification that ascribes human attributes to God: "God stretched out His arm...."
Then there are figures of illusion: exaggeration and irony.
Exaggeration (or hyperbole) is a deliberate overstatement for effect and they are very common in Semitic languages. If you remember Elijah’s lament, "I alone am left..." you might be tempted to believe that in all Israel he was the only one who hadn’t forsaken his God. He didn’t mean that and it certainly wasn’t the case. He is simply emphasizing the dire nature of the situation by stating it in the extreme.
Irony stresses the meaning by stating the opposite of what is actually meant. It is a chiding sort of response that parents use occasionally with their teenagers: "You’re so grown up that...."
Lastly, we have idiomatic expressions. This is something of a catchall reference to things like riddles, fables, understatements, euphemisms, etc. They are common in all languages and you’ll find many in scripture.
Next time we’ll devote our study to a special group of this category, the parables. Until then, search the text you are studying this year and look for examples of figurative language. Happy hunting!
9-11 Revisited
By the time the next issue of CA comes out, we will have passed the first anniversary of the events of last September. I want to speak to that now in order to be timely in regard to the matter.
My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives in the horror that we witnessed last year and I would do nothing to diminish the memory of the loved ones lost or the wake up call we received.
At the same time, I think it improper to make more of those events than they merit by comparison to other considerations. While many Americans will drape themselves in red, white and blue, and engage in nationalistic activities they consider patriotic. I will remember the day with a special sense of sobriety and reflection on what it really tells us about our culture.
The vast majority of those who will stand up and wave the flag will return to their routine the following day and support (either by their vote or by their silence) the very forces which allowed the horror to happen in the first place.
The vast majority will close their eyes to the horror that, since September 11, 2001, a million innocent Americans have been killed in the most dangerous place in the world, an American mother’s womb.
Instead of mourning that loss and repenting of the horror we continue to visit on our country, even well-meaning Christians will continue to defend our elected servants who enable the annihilation of our posterity. How very sad it is we have come to this place in history.
A recent email from a Christian friend sought to counsel me to abandon my "anger" before it erodes my relationship with my wife and my Lord. This brother perceives my concerns about where we are as evidence that there is no joy in my life. In fact, he takes my sharing of facts about where we are as "complaining."
While I take his admonition in the spirit with which it was given, I take umbrage at the notion my diligence in ruling over our servants somehow makes me void of joy in all areas of life.
I share this with you, because this brother has read some of the same things I share with you here and you may have the same perception. If so, please understand that my concerns about our civil government comprise only a part of my life and that part does not determine who I am as a person.
My life is caught up in Christ, and my joy/contentment is in Him, not the circumstances in which we live. If I am to be faithful to Him in all of life, I cannot ignore the duty which God gave me as a birthright. To do so would be to despise a sacred gift and responsibility. My conscience will no longer allow me to do that.
My brother is of the opinion that since God is sovereign we shouldn’t concern ourselves about these things because they will all work out according to His plan. I agree that His will, will be done, but the issue is where will He find us standing?
Not one person is going to be lost that God would have saved: not one. Does that mean we shouldn’t concern ourselves with sharing the gospel? No. We are the instruments through which God has chosen to work and our faithfulness is not optional.
Can this principle be any less true regarding the stewardship of citizenship we have received? I don’t think so. Because God is sovereign, we have no viable choice but to accept the responsibility with which He has charged us and to discharge our duty as He grants us strength. To do less, dear friends, is sin.
I pray that the untold millions of Christians who have abandoned their duty as rulers in this country will repent and take up the mantel God has given them. By God’s grace, we can become the instruments through which He heals our land.
Regardless of the course our history takes, I remain confident in the faithfulness of God to His children, including me. Whatever comes, I can be content in the knowledge that I have tried to be faithful to the duties He has given me as a citizen of this country. In spite of past failings and deep regrets, I can by His grace alone stand in His presence having done that which He called me to do. Nothing gives me more joy in life than that.
So, while others join the masses in nationalistic demonstrations on September 11th, I will be rejoicing in the celebration of a special event that occurred on that day 75 years ago. Happy birthday Mother!
The Apprentice’s Journal
It has really been an unusual year weather-wise here. I was late getting my garden in because of the rain but it grew like crazy once I could finally work the soil. Then June came and the rains continued. Almost everything cooked in place when the sun came out and steamed the whole garden.
We NEVER get rain in July but the rains have continued and at least the okra is doing well. We rarely get rain in August but it’s raining as I write this on the 14th.
I’m not complaining mind you. It has been nice not to have to water the yard every few days (and a lot cheaper!). The grass is green, the flowers are thriving and the frogs are loving it.
Did I say frogs? Now there’s a subject. Back in 1999 I put in the first of three small ponds in our backyard. It is located just a few feet from our bedroom windows.
Now, I know everyone loves the sound of frogs but there is lot of truth to that old adage about too much of a good thing! Sleep would be really nice.
Sharon (who can sleep through anything) doesn’t understand the problem. She just thinks they are cute and eat bugs. She doesn’t understand the effort it takes to keep this enterprise from turning into a plague of biblical proportions.
Just this morning I spent close to an hour scooping toad eggs out of the pond (toads are the Hell’s Angels of the amphibian world). The come in herds, especially around the full moon and, you guessed it, during rainy weather.
For Star Trek fans, understand that "resistance IS futile." You can win a few battles but you lose the war in the long run.
On many nights, I can quickly capture six to ten of the offending critters and haul them off to the creek down the street (or the dumpster that is presently residing at the house across the street). However, there are nights when carrying off thirty to fifty of the beady-eyed intruders won’t get the job done.
By the time I return from the creek, others in the pecking order have stepped up to bat just to see if I’ve had enough exercise for the night and will leave them alone. Some nights it is simply get out the ear plugs or move to the front room.
I’ve pretty well adapted to the tree frogs, leopard frogs, green frogs, and bull frogs. Even the sheep frogs are okay. Yes, I said sheep frogs. They bleat like sheep. Who’da thunk it?
Toads are another matter. Their long guttural calls go on for hours with no respite. One pair was still enamored with each other at seven o’clock this morning. Where is that rod of Moses when you need it?
Since the creek is a couple of blocks away, I resort to filling coffee cans with toads and driving instead of walking (I get enough exercise trying to find and catch them). I figure any toad in the street is fair game and have managed to reduce the population on those trips.
Fortunately, other residents of the neighborhood help out in this task and I see more flat toads than living ones in the street. I’ve considered hanging those flat, dried figures around the fence to see if that would discourage the living, but I don’t think toads are that smart (Sharon probably wouldn’t approve of the idea anyway).
All in all, the ponds are still a plus. I love sitting under the gazebo and listening to the water flow from pond to pond. It’s a real delight to see the other forms of life that have appeared as well. Butterflies and dragonflies, bees and even wasps seek refuge and sustenance in the foliage and rocks. Varieties of birds we’ve never seen before have arrived and, of course, the hummers are a welcome sight.
From the smallest inhabitants of the sludge on the pond bottom, to the brilliant palette of color on the painted buntings, all are a constant reminder of God’s grand design and purpose.
In the midst of life’s concerns, it is indeed refreshing to stop for awhile and just marvel at the wonder of it all. "What is man that Thou art mindful of him...?" In a mystery that defies us all, God chose us out of all creation to be made in His image and charged us with keeping the garden.
Sometimes it is tempting to desire the simpler life of a bird or even a toad. The higher view reminds us that we are co-workers with God and that is indeed a high calling. May we ever be faithful to it. Jim