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Jesus, My Lord
Composed by Don Morris on March 12, 1976

Jesus, my Lord.
How difficult it is to say those words!
When singing them, often I must stop and listen to those around me,
Lest I be uttering a lie.
I see this simple phrase as an ideal;
But Satan and self have strong holds on me.
It is not easy to live as my Lord directs,
And, so often, it seems I give up the attempt altogether.
Thank God for His love!
It is scarcely believable that He can love one enthralled by sin,
But the Word of God declares it true.
Help me, Lord, to live always in the realization that I have a new Master,
That Beelzebub’s bonds are broken,
That I have been bought with a price, O glorious Purchaser!
In this way, make me ready for my new home,
Where I can dwell forever with the Father of all.

Copyright © 1976, 2012 by Don H Morris. All Rights Reserved.

Specific Instructions for Orderly Worship

 ²⁶ Therefore what should you do, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things must be done for edification. ²⁷ If anyone speaks in a tongue, it must be on one occasion two or at most three, and one after the other, and one must interpret. ²⁸ But if there is no interpreter, he must be silent in the church, but let him speak to himself and to God. ²⁹ Let two or three prophets speak, and the others evaluate. ³⁰ And if something is revealed to another who is seated, the first must be silent. ³¹ For you are all able to prophesy in turn, in order that all may learn and all may be encouraged, ³² and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. ³³ For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, ³⁴ the women must be silent in the churches, for it is not permitted for them to speak, but they must be in submission, just as the law also says. ³⁵ But if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. ³⁶ Or has the word of God gone out from you, or has it come to you only?” 1 Corinthians 14:26-36 (Lexham English Bible on Bible Gateway)

1 Corinthians 11-14 gives instructions for the use of spiritual gifts in the church. The section starts with instructions for women to pray or prophesy with their heads covered (1 Corinthians 11:1-16, note verses 5 &13). Whether the head covering is actual or figurative or applied only in ancient churches or is in force today are important considerations, but I will not address them now. The key point to notice is that women were presumed to be both praying and prophesying, and presumably were endowed with all the different spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12.

In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Paul gives instruction on how to partake of the Lord’s Supper in a proper way. In 1 Corinthians 11:17, 18, 20, 33 Paul talks about the church “coming together” or “assembling” to eat the Lord’s Supper, but they were acting so selfishly that it was not the Lord’s Supper at all.   The same appears to be true for the other reason the church came together, to be instructed in the will of God (1 Corinthians 14:26).  The Corinthians were more interested in using their spiritual gifts for their own selfish reasons than for building up the body of Christ (as described in 1 Corinthians 12). Accordingly, in 1 Corinthians 14:28 Paul says that if a man who has been given the gift of speaking in a tongue has no interpreter present, he “must keep silent and speak to himself and to God” (see earlier in 1 Corinthians 14 for a discussion of tongues).

Paul’s instructions for orderly worship were that each person who has a song, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation of a tongue was to “speak” (laleo) one at a time and only two or three on a given occasion (1 Corinthians 14:26-33). The first two to impart a message containing God’s will for the hearers, admonishing in song (psalmos) and giving a word of instruction or teaching (didache) did not involve miraculous spiritual gifts. These serve as a model of the appropriate use of spiritual gifts in the church — even though speaking in tongues is more flamboyant, unless there is an interpreter so that a clear message from God can be communicated, speaking in a tongue has no value in building up the listeners.

But who did Paul intend to include in the rotation of people who gave instructions to the assembled church? 1 Corinthians 11:5 says women prayed and prophesied, but does not specify a setting for this activity. 1 Corinthians 14:34 says the “women are to keep silent in the church.” Note that this is the same phrase used in 1 Corinthians 14:28 for a person speaking in a tongue when there is no interpreter available; such a person can speak to himself and to God, but not to the assembly. Is the same true for women? It appears that the instruction is not for women to make no sound or to say nothing at the meetings, but rather that they are not to be among the speakers presenting lessons. It has been suggested that instead the directive refers to not allowing women to discern or evaluate what others present, which may imply an authoritative leadership role, not to using their gifts in prophesying or speaking in tongues at the assembly.

So what do you think? Are women allowed to present a teaching when the church comes together? Was the directive in 1 Corinthians 14:3 a tempoary cultural requirement, or is it still in force today? Are women allowed only to use a miraculous spiritual gifts (to prophesy) but not to teach without a gift?

And what about women praying? It is clear that hey do, but when and where? Prayer is not mentioned as an element in the gathering of the church in 1 Corinthians, but in a related passage in 1 Timothy 2:8 Paul says he wants “the men (aner, males) in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger and dispute”.  Did Paul mean only men should pray in the public assembly, just as he says only men are permitted teach or exercise authority in 1 Timothy 2:12?

I know this is a hot potato topic that stirs up strong emotions on both sides. Yet it is an important issue that warrants diligent study and careful handling of God’s Word. I’d love to hear your take on it. What do you think and why?

Please leave a comment, but remember to be respectful to those who disagree with you. May God bless the reading of his Word.

Elmwood Cemetery Chapel Memphis, Tennessee

If I asked you what a church looks like, what would you say? What picture comes to your mind? How can you spot a church?

The small church I attend meets at the chapel of the historic Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, on Sunday mornings and in members’ homes at other times in the week. It’s a very nice building — my wife Nan says it’s like going on a retreat every week,  because the surroundings are so peaceful and beautiful — but it is not “our” building. We just rent the space. The cemetery director could choose to cancel our rental agreement at any time, or we could decide to meet somewhere else.

Nor are we called the “Elmwood Church” just because we meet there. We actually have a joint bank account with the name “Sledge Avenue church of Christ” (note the small “c” in “church” — it’s not a typo).  We met at the home of one of our couples who live on Sledge Avenue when we first started in 2006. We still meet there for our bi-weekly Sunday night Reach Groups once e very month or two, rotating with other couples who host the Reach Group in their homes. We could just as easily be called the Young Avenue church or the North Parkway church, because we meet there, too. We are keenly aware that the church is not the building where we meet, but the people who meet together, wherever that is. The name is just a convenient legal fiction.

(What about the little “c”? I’ll tell you about that a later post. It’s a way of saying our churches are not a denomination, even though we share a common heritage and set of teachings, for the most part.)

The churches of Christ have made the distinction between the meeting place and the church itself a central tenet of teaching since the beinning of the American Restoration Movement in the early 1800s. You may have seen buildings all over the country, but especially in the South, that have a sign that says “The Church of Christ Meets Here” (for example, here, here, and here). This is a way of emphasizing that the building is only a building, and the church is the people who meet at the building (and other places).

So when those of us who belong to the churches of Christ say we are “going to church,” we mean we are going to a meeting of the church. Many would habitually say “going to meeting” or “going to the sasembly” instead. If we go to the building when there is no scheduled meeting, such as to talk to the preacher or to do some chores to maintain the building and grounds, we say we are “going to the church building.” Technically, we are going to the “church’s building” if they own one. And most do, for some reason.

That’s a funny thing. How can a set of unrelated people, that changes over time, own property? But at least here in the U.S. all the laws are set up to allow that. You can give money to the church, most of it goes for buying and maintaining a building, and claim it as a charitable donation. How is paying for a building charitable?

Some of the money goes to feed the poor and to help rebuild after natural disasters and similar things. That’s true charity. But how is paying for a prestigious building, ornate decorations, and the salaries of a professional staff what God wanted us to do? The line between the church and the church’s building has been blurred over the centuries.

How do we get away from equating a church and their building? Why is it important that we do?

Share your ideas in a comment.

 ”Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”” Mark 5:9 (NIV)

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:12-133 (NIV)

Legions by Don H. Morris

Copyright © 1976-2012. All Rights Reserved.

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It is hard to see the good in all.
Some are quiet, some are often heard.
Some are happy when you see them,
Some seem more often sad instead.
Some criticize and complain always;
Some see the sunny side of life.

I am Legion. Many men live inside me.
At times a happy man peeks out,
If only momentarily, before the
Grouch, the Glum, or the Grim suppress him,
Hiding his smile from the world.
The Critic and the Cynic aid them.

The Arrogant elbows his way forward at times.
He blends his voice with the Critic and the others,
Making of me the Fool,
Who speaks words without knowledge,
Belittles the efforts of others,
And steps on the feelings of friends maliciously.

But these men need not rule my heart.
One has come from heaven to free me
From the power of such as these.
A cruel death he suffered, willingly.
He asks little in return, but he asks that
Each day I crucify all these men,
Who prevent my enjoying life.

Legions live within everyone I meet.
The companies inside are not all the same,
For their master knows which soldiers
Are needed at which battle.
When I see the actions of those all ‘round,
I am reminded of my legion inside.

I can then perceive the raging war,
And am not concerned that, at any given time,
A Dark One seems to be the victor.
A cornered rat fights with cunning ferocity,
Hoping to intimidate his opponent,
And thus become free to infest the land again.
I know that resolute resistance will beat him down.

For indeed, I am Legion in two ways.
The Happy, the Compassionate, the Investigator,
The Acceptor, the Joyous, and many more
Also dwell within my being.
Though a struggle for supremacy ensues
At the prospect of every deed or thought,
Realizing that many battles will be lost,
I know already the end of the war,
That it is even now already won,
For none can stand before the power of
The Soldier who lives within me.

*Do you have a legion inside? I composed this poem on March 12, 1976, as part of my Diary of Poems. For a month I tried to write at least one poem a day. It was a big help in getting me through a very difficult time in my life. As I read it today it stirs many of the same feelings I had then. Let me know your impressions in a comment. Enjoy!

If you had only five words to say to instruct an inquiring unbeliever or a fellow believer when you are meeting with the church, what would you say? How could you communicate the essential message of the Gospel in so short a sentence?

Early Christians facing persecution are thought to have identified themselves safely using the familiar Christian fish symbol. Ichthus, the Greek word for “fish” has five letters: Iota, Chi, Theta, Upsilon, and Sigma. We get the word ichthyology from it, which means the scientific study of fishes. The Greek letters in ichthus form an acronym for the phrase Iesus Christos Theou Huios Soterion, and means “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” Here it is in the original Greek.

This makes an excellent choice for the five words, don’t you think?

Here’s another five words I considered: “Jesus is Lord, My Redeemer.” (Great song, too.)

What are some other five-word sentences you might use for building up one another? Leave ‘em in a comment!

¹ “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. ³ This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. ⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-7, New International Version 2011)

Split into Thirds

When our little group gathers for Sunday morning worship from 9:00 – 11:00 AM at the Elmwood Cemetery Chapel here in Memphis and in our homes at other times in the week, prayer is always an important part of what we do. Many of us are committed to private prayer in our daily devotionals as well.

We spend about a third of our time together singing. Many of our favorite songs are about prayer, such as “Ere You Left Your Room This Morning, Did You Think to Pray?” or are prayers in their own right. Anyone can request a song, and more than half our members lead songs well.

Another third of our time together is usually spent in interactive Bible study led by a different person each week. We are striving to practice “one-another ministry” (mutual edification) in our group in “teaching and admonishing one another” (Colossians 3:16).

The remaining third of our public time together is spent in prayer or related activities. We always open with a prayer, and close with one. We have thoughtful prayers about Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, which we do every week. Sometimes we engage in “conversational prayer” (or chain prayer) where anyone who wishes may pray for a specific need, praise God,, or give thanks for answered prayers and other blessings bestowed by God. At other times someone volunteers to lead the intercessory prayer and is given a pen and a pad of paper to write down prayer requests. Then the designated person, and it’s someone different every time, prays for each item on the list in a long prayer. Okay, so maybe a fair amount of time is used in talking about what we want to pray for instead of actually praying, but I still count it. While sharing prayer requests, our minds are focused on the needs of others. This sharing is a way to get to know each other’s deepest needs and desires. We draw closer as a community the more we pray for each other.

We pray for all sorts of things. We pray for our members who are out of work to get jobs, for people we know who are ill to be healed, for comfort for the bereaved, for everyone to be brought closer to God and to come to a knowledge of His will, and for our leaders both locally  and nationally, and for all those in authority around the world. We believe this intercession is pleasing to God, not just a command we dutifully complete. For us, prayer is not an after-thought or something we do if we have time. We usually do it before the lesson; if anything can afford to be cut short, that can. We can pick up a lesson later, but we want to pray both now and later.

One time, spurred on by 1 Timothy 2:2, we made a comprehensive list of “those who are in authority over us,” by name and position, so we could pray for each of them specifically.  We started with the President, the governor, and the mayor, whom of course we knew by name without asking. We then looked up our individual city council, state legislature, and U.S. Congressional representatives by name (we are not all in the same district, and one couple even lives in West Memphis, Arkansas, and has a different governor, mayor, and city council, as well as different U.S. Senators than the rest of us). Most of us did not know all of those people by name. We pray regularly for the upcoming elections, too. A list of people in authority we want to pray for needs to be updated frequently. I think I’ll suggest we spend a whole morning in prayer for all our leaders again soon.

Soon after we started meeting together in the fall of 2006, I presented a lesson on the Greek words for prayer. You may not know this, but there are 18-20 different words for praying and prayer in the New Testament alone. God wants us to talk to him, in a lot of different ways. He has promised that he will hear our prayers and answer them (it’s just that the answer is “No” or “Wait” sometimes — prayer is not a letter to Santa).

As I recall, we spent three or four weeks on this study. I updated a handout I had made on this topic many years before for that study in 2007, and I updated it again this morning while composing this post. One thing I’ve learned to do is to always note the translation you are using when quoting Scripture. I didn’t do that back then, and now I can’t tell for sure which one(s) I used. So check each verse in your own Bible. Each Scripture reference on this page has a popup window where you can read the passage in the New English Translation (NET Bible) as a convenience.

Feel free to use my handout in your own Bible studies, or just use it as a starting point for a more detailed examination of the Scriptures. You can download a PDF version at the link below. It uses the Symbol font for the Greek words; nowadays I would use a Greek font that allows me to put in the breathings and accents. Sorry ’bout dat.

Greek Words for Prayer (PDF, 90KB)

I show both the verb and the corresponding noun forms of each word, where they exist. Examples of where each word is used in the New Testament follow (page 2 of he handout). This is where you can really expand this study — several of the words are used quite often. And noting the ones that are used in only once or a few tunes is also insightful.

Here is the chart of the Greek words for prayer. Selected illustrative Bible passages are provided below the chart. The same information is available in printable form in the PDF handout.

New Testament Words for Prayer

New Testament Passages on Prayer

© 1990, 2007, 2012 by Don H. Morris. Permission is granted to use this handout freely without reference to me.

My prayer is that you will grow in your understanding of God’s Word and in your love and service prompted by knowing how much he loved you first. May God bless the reading of his Word.

Interestingly, Alan is a Ph.D. student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of several pastors at a recently planted Baptist church, and a web developer. In addition to reading the archives on his blog, I watched a video on YouTube where Alan advocated the use of WordPress as a content management system for developing your website (which is something I do already, by the way).

In addition to making tons of provocative observations and asking important questions himself, Alan is generous in featuring other bloggers’ articles and even invites guest bloggers to post on his blog. One thing I like is that Alan does not come across as someone who thinks he has all the answers, but is willing to explore the Scriptures from many different angles. Yet he remains committed to the authority of God’s Word for belief and practice, not embracing change for its own sake.

Alan has lots of series on The Assembling of the Church. One of the most interesting is Scripture… as We live It, which has 205 installments to date. (see the first post here). These are “Scripture remixes,” where a familiar Bible quote is rewritten to reflect what the modern church really does as a general rule. Here is a reprint of Scripture Remix #1 from May 11, 2008:

“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation find a place to sit, sing along with the band or choir, and listen to the preacher. Let all things be done for building up as prescribed by your leaders. (1 Corinthians 14:26 remix)”

Cool, huh? There’s lots more cool stuff on Alan’s blog. I recommend you check it out. In addition to reading the recent posts, do a little digging through the archives.

I don’t promise you’ll agree with everything you find there. I don’t expect you to agree with everything you read here on Extraordinary Journey either. But I trust you will be encouraged to seek God’s will for yourself, and not blindly follow the traditional church model without examining it. Here’s the link to Alan’s blog again, or you can always find it in the blogroll in the sidebar.

May God bless you on your spiritual journey.

I was planning to write a series of posts on various aspects of Biblical translation, extending my article on the difference between Greek and English document styles (and I still will). But I came across this half-hour video interview of Dr. Gordon Fee, who co-authored How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (available at Amazon), and decided there is no need for me to reinvent the wheel. Gordon gives an excellent overview on different literary types found in the Bible and how to approach them properly, so I don’t need to cover the same ground again.

Dr. Gordon Fee: How Should We Read the Bible?

You need to be able to read the Bible before you can study it. Reading and studying are not the same thing. The biggest impediment to reading the Bible is treating each verse like a separate paragraph, the way older translations often present it. The chapter and verse system we use today was developed over the course of a few centuries beginning about 1227 and finalized around 1551 (see a history of the process here at Wikipedia). Some proposed systems were not widely adopted, although they might be better in some ways than the system we do use now.  Chapters and verses are useful for finding a s0peciic passage easily and quickly, but should be ignored when reading the Bible to understand its meaning.

Next,  be aware of the type of literature of a particular passage you are reading. You will not read a poem the same way you would a short story or a letter. The Psalms, Proverbs, and many other books of the Bible are poetry, even though Greek and Hebrew poetry does not follow the same rules as English poetry. Genesis and the Gospels, as well as several other books, are narratives or short stories. The epistles are letters. You don’t read these books the same way. In a future post I will discuss some of the features of a Greek letter that are different from modern English letters.

Finally, choosing a translation for your primary Bible is an important decision you must make. Some translations try to duplicate the sentence structure of the original Greek or Hebrew book. This results in a stilted reading that Gordon calls “Greek-lish”–it is neither Greek  nor English. No one talks like that. Yet some people seem to think this sort of “literal translation” is better than a free translation. It’s not. Gordon recommends choosing a translation that is about in the middle of a list of Bible translations sorted from most literal to most free. Some free-wheeling “translations” are more like commentaries, and while useful for getting a feel for the meaning of a passage are not your best choice for your primary Bible.

When studying a specific passages, I like to read it in as many translations as I can find in order to see how a particular word or phase can be best understood. Some Bibles have better scholarly notes or cross references than others.  This is especially helpful for people who cannot read the original Greek or Hebrew. Many different translations are available online at sites like BibleGateway.com or Biblia.com, so you don’t have to buy  a lot of books to be able to consult them when needed. I use the New International Version as my primary Bible for reading through a particular book. I also like the NET Bible, the New Revised Standard Version, and the New American Standard Bible. I’ll review some other good choices later, too. Pick one you like and read the Bible. A good translation is one you’ll read.

Hope this video is helpful. More on good Bible study methods later.

Take care and God bless. May Go bless the reading of his Word.

Don

In case you’re wondering, the “what” is loving, serving, accepting, forgiving, bearing with, showing hospitality to, and all the other things we do in our relationships with other believers. As Jon says, you might have your theology 100% correct, but if you are not showing love to one another no one will know (or believe) you are following Jesus.

Update: The “How One Another” article has been posted, as of April 24, 2012, completing the series. Jon has lots of other provocative ideas on his blog, such as the notion that helping fix a friend’s car is an act of worship on a level with meeting to sing and pray together. See the latest posts here. The link is also in the blogroll in the sidebar where you can find it any time.

Here are links to each of the 5 W’s posts in Jon’s series.

Part 1: Five W’s of One Another – intro and verses showing what the one anothers are
Part 2: Who One Another
Part 3: Where One Another
Part 4: When One Another
Part 5: Why One Another
Part 6: How One Another

May God bless you on your spiritual journey, too.

Paul usually identifies himself as an apostle. Is this a title of distinction, like the credits on the inside covers of modern books? Our twenty-first century glasses cause us to look at the term in this way. But it’s actually a statement of humility. An apostle is one sent by a superior on a special mission. The word marks that the author is not speaking on his own authority.

It also notes that the author is task-centered, seeking to discharge an official obligation. The dignity of the completing a task comes from the one who appointed the task. The status of the commissioner determines the standing of the commissioned. The king’s messenger is given more attention than a peasant’s messenger. The New Testament writers all affirm that they have been commissioned by the highest authority of all—God the Father and Christ Jesus his son. Their message does not spring from human thought; its origins lie in the eternal mind of God himself. Nowhere is this point made more clearly than in Galatians 1:1. “Paul, an apostle, sent not from men or by men, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead.”

In eight of his twelve letters Paul identified himself as an apostle, and twice more affirms his subordinate position by calling himself Christ’s slave. He was keenly aware of the importance of his message, and took great pains to deliver it accurately. He asked the Colossians to pay that he could have opportunities to “proclaim the mysteries of Christ and that he should do so clearly, as I should” (Colossians 4:3-4). He admonished the Galatians not to accept any other message than the what he had already told them, and surprisingly included himself as one who could face eternal condemnation if he distorted this message (“but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned” Galatians 1:8).

What is the source of your message? We all proclaim a message in every word and action of our lives. What is it that you are proclaiming? What is at the center of the task you are engaged in? To his chosen people, God has entrusted a message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19). How keenly do you sense that the message you have to share is not your own?

I am seeking to have no single belief or practice that is not supported by the authority of G9od’s Word. Can you afford to try to stand on anything else? Though no one today can claim to be an apostle (those so designated in the New Testament were eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus), we do have a responsibility to transmit their message accurately.

Be faithful with the commission you have received.

Note: This article first appeared in the short-lived CSC Communicator, the newsletter of the Christian Student Center at the University of Memphis, on November 6, 1981. Tom Vail was the CSC Director and newsletter editor at that time, and I was a student contributor. -Don