THE LORD'S DAY CONTRIBUTION

BEN F. VICK, JR.

Paul wrote, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 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. 16:1–2).

          Over the years, some have affirmed that the above passage is misapplied to our regular collection each Lord's Day. We are told it is a much-abused proof text because it only refers to a special contribution, not other works the church might deem necessary.  

Churches have used the above verses to support paying preachers and missionaries, buying literature, ordering flowers for funerals, building and maintaining church buildings, etc. It is also true that the verses applied to a special contribution. Have we been wrong these many years?

The apostle Paul, with others, was taking a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. When he arrived in Corinth, he did not want to be delayed by the gathering of the funds. By apostolic authority, he commanded them to give on the first day of the week (literally, the first day of every week) so "that there be no gatherings" when he arrived. Paul had also ordered the churches of Galatia to do the same. 

This collection was for the poor saints in Jerusalem but was not limited to them. Second Corinthians chapters eight and nine deal with this same contribution. In that context, Paul encouraged the church at Corinth to keep the promise they had made a year before. Paul wrote, "For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them [saints], and unto all men [non-saints]" (2 Cor. 9:12–13). In dealing with that particular contribution, Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia: "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith"  (Gal. 6:10).

It has been argued that there is an exclusive pattern in benevolence for how the church distributes funds. We have been told that churches can pool their funds to do a work of benevolence, as in   1 Corinthians 16:1-2, but they cannot do the same in a work of evangelism. In a passage dealing with benevolence, these brethren to our right can find the preacher's support and other things. On the other hand, brethren to the left of us argue that the above passage can only be used for a special need in benevolence. And, therefore, does not authorize a Lord's Day collection. Yet, those preachers to the left of us do not object to the church's paying them from the Lord's Day collection even though they argue it was only for a special need. I suggest those who affirm that the passage cannot be used for the regular collection on Sundays reimburse the church for the misappropriation of funds! They do not believe it when it comes to their support!

  Brethren argue that the Lord's Day contribution mentioned in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 was for a special need in Jerusalem, not for other needs. But what proves too much proves nothing. If Paul's words were to be limited to benevolence, specifically for the poor saints in Jerusalem, then the Lord's Day contribution cannot be used for any other benevolent need. It was limited only to that special need in Jerusalem at that time. So, it cannot be used for any benevolent need now. If not, why not?

There was a Scriptural need and requirement to help the church in Jerusalem. Paul wrote, "But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things" (Rom. 15:25–27).

  Paul shows how a Scriptural need was met by each giving as he had prospered on the first day of the week. Because the funds gathered each Lord's Day had to be kept somewhere till Paul arrived, this required a place for the money, a treasury. When Paul arrived, the money could be taken out of the treasury and given to Paul so he and others could carry it to Jerusalem. Jesus and his apostles kept a bag for their needs as well as the needs of the poor (John 12:6; 13:29). Evidently, the apostles in the early days of the church had a way of keeping funds until they could be distributed (Acts 4: 34-35).

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 shows us how the early church took up funds for a need. They did it by free will offerings on the first day of every week. The fact that there are ongoing needs of the church requires that funds be available to meet those needs. Those funds are made available from the Lord's Day contributions. Any scriptural need can be met the same way today.

Gospel preachers are to be supported by the church. Paul commanded, "Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things" (Gal.6:6). Paul argues for the support of preachers in 1 Corinthians 9. "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (1 Cor. 9:14). The church is obligated to pay the preacher for his work. So, how does the church do this? Should every Christian hand the preacher money following services? So, how can the church meet this responsibility?

Any authorized work or need of the church can be met the same way the churches of Galatia and Corinth met the church's needs in Jerusalem. Someone says: What about the early days of the church in Jerusalem? Luke says, "And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart" (Acts 2:44–46). They could have done this daily. How did they distribute the funds to those in need? I suppose each saint could have given to those in need. This was a particular situation. Luke records that many sold lands and houses, brought the prices of the things sold, laid them down at the apostles' feet, and distributed them (Acts 4:34-35).

What was the church's duty in the first century is the church's duty today. Let each give as he has prospered on the first day of every week, and let the funds be used as authorized by the Lord.

“WHAT LACK I YET?”

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          Perhaps the young man saw Jesus holding and blessing the little children and was hoping he, too, would get a favorable response from him. Regardless, the rich young ruler ran to him, kneeled before him, and inquired, “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”  Jesus said to him, “Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.” Whether or not the young man realized it, he admitted that Jesus Christ is God. Since no one is good in the purest sense of the word but God, and Jesus was not denying that he was good, then Jesus Christ is God.

The young man went to the right source for his question. He ran to Jesus. Too many go to the wrong sources to find answers to spiritual needs. They may go to their parents or their preacher for the answers. They may or may not give the correct answers. They may turn to cults or other false religions. Jeremiah wrote, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jer.10:23.) Naaman initially went to the Jehoram, the king of Israel, the wrong source, to be healed of his leprosy when he should have gone to Elisha, the prophet (2 Kings 5:1-14). Concerning matters of life and godliness, we must run to Jesus, who speaks to us through his word today (Heb. 1:1-3; 2 Peter 1:3).

The man, believed to be about the age of Jesus, was respectful. When he came to Jesus, he kneeled to him (Mark 10:14). We live in a world of irreverence. People take the Lord’s name in vain and think little of it. Even children are heard speaking the Lord’s name in vain. In the early days of the Mosaical Age, the son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed. He was taken out and stoned as the Lord commanded. The Psalmist said of the Lord, “holy and reverend is his name.” (Psa. 111:9.)  Jesus said to pray in this manner:  “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” Again, the Psalmist wrote, “O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” (Psalm 95:6.)

The rich young ruler asked, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16.) Jesus said, “…if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matt. 19:17.) It is the greatest question that one can ask. He was asking what he needed to do to enter that life, eternal life, that Jesus came to give (John 10:10). He, as well as Jesus, recognized that there was something he needed to do: Keep the commandments. Jesus enumerated the last six of the ten, putting the fifth one, Honor thy father and mother, last.

The man said, “Master, all these have I observed from my youth.” How commendable! The Preacher said, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” (Ecc.12:1.) Paul exhorted Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1 Tim. 4:12.) It is commendable that the young man had observed all of these commandments. 

He then asked Jesus, “What lack I yet?”  Mark records, “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21.) We are then read that the rich young ruler “was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.” It was amazing that the man had only one thing that stood in his way of entering eternal life, but that one thing would keep him out of heaven. I have known of individuals with whom I have studied the Bible who allowed one thing to keep them from obeying the gospel. It was an unscriptural marriage, a bad habit, ties to a loved one who led them down the wrong path, and many other things that stood in their way. However, in another place, Jesus said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26.) This life will end; eternity is endless.

Jesus loved the young man, but when he turned and walked away, Jesus did not go after him. He did not apologize for the truth. He did not compromise the truth, or as what used to be said, he did not soft-soap the truth. He loved him but told him the truth. Telling another the truth does not mean one does not love the individual. I once visited a young couple who had visited our services several times. The young lady said they did not want to come to services here because they felt so down after the services. I have had people get angry with me for the truth preached. I have tried to be retrospective about the lessons I have preached. There is a need for balance (2 Tim. 4:2-3). The one thing that stood in the young man’s life of going to heaven was his possessions. Jesus said, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15.) Who was to blame for the young man’s departure from the presence of Jesus? Was Jesus to be blamed? Certainly not! He told the man what he needed to hear. We need to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26-27). Let the chips fall where they may.

Question: Is there one thing that you lack?

FORTY YEARS AGO

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          The article below was written forty years ago, but it is still appropriate today. What brethren need to realize is what king Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way. The vision that he had was of a tree whose height reached the heavens and the sight of it to the end of the earth. The leaves of this tree were fair with a great deal of fruit on it. The beasts of the field took refuge in the shadow of it while the birds lived in the boughs of it.  But a watcher and holy one came down and cried aloud to hew down the tree, but leave the stump and let it be wet with the dew of heaven and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from a man’s heart to a beast’s heart until seven times pass over him. (Dan. 4:10-17). Daniel said, “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” (Dan. 4:17.) The pride of Nebuchadnezzar brought him down, but when he was restored after seven times, he praised, extolled, and honored the King of heaven, whose works are truth. 

What is my point? Whether you like this year’s outcome of the election or not, God rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will, and sets up over it the basest of men. God is in control. How does your zeal for the Lord compare to your zeal for your political party?  Let us put first things first.  Let us pray for kings and all who are in authority and be busy in the Lord’s kingdom.

PROUD OF HIS PARTY AFFILIATION

W. S. Cline

The heat and the enthusiasm of the political campaigns of 1984 bring to my memory an incident that occurred several years ago and suggest a lesson that needs to be learned by most of us.

A group of men, at a service station-sporting goods store, were heatedly discussing the good and bad points of several political candidates. One man was strong in his support of the republican candidate for President. In the deep south, twenty years ago, such a political position was not very popular; therefore, he was highly criticized and made fun of because of his support for the republican party. When nothing would stop the mouths of his critics, he finally said, “I don’t care what you say. I’m a Republican and proud of it.”

Well, why shouldn’t he be proud of it? He had weighed the evidence with sound mind and had decided to change his party affiliation. When some of his friends chided him for his act of “treason” to the Democratic Party, he simply let them know where he stood and with the firm announcement that he was a “Republican and proud of it,” he turned his back on the political discussion and went home.

And even now as I size up the situation, I see him coming from a mold that most of us were poured in. If we are Oiler fans, no matter the jokes that are told or what they say of us, we are Oiler fans, even if there is another team in Texas, whatever its name is. If we are Aggie fans, let them laugh and tell their jokes; we shall not be moved. And if we are Republicans, Democrats, or Independents we do not mind letting our feelings be known. As a matter of fact, we can get highly upset defending a position that we hold as valid, and we will endure the ridicule and scorn that goes with the position.

But religion? That is another matter. How many of us preach Christ as much as we preach politics? How many of us are as concerned about the church as we are concerned about our football team? And what about lost souls? There are brethren who get more upset over the loss of a pet than they do over the entire world that is lost in sin. There is something tragically wrong with a man’s religion when he gives more money, devotes more time, uses more talents, and is far more concerned about the things of this world than he is the kingdom of Christ.

You may be a Republican and proud of it. You may be a Democrat or an Independent and very proud of your party affiliation. I have no quarrel with you. But you are a Christian? Then be proud of that also. Live for Christ. Put the kingdom first. And as you become involved in the political campaigns this year, remember that the zeal you manifest for your favorite party or candidate should only be a candle compared to the bright light that should burn within you for the cause of Christ. Never be ashamed of your religion. Let the world know where you stand when it comes to matters of eternal value. The borders of the kingdom will never be broadened with any appreciable speed until its citizens, with a deep love for lost souls, go into all the world and unashamedly teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. May our hands be strengthened to that end.

—Firm Foundation. Vol. 101, No. 40, October 2, 1984.

TILL SHILOH COMES

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          As Israel prepared to be gathered unto his people in death, he blessed each of his twelve sons. Each blessing foretold what would come to pass in the “last days” (Gen 49:1). When it was time for him to bless Judah, his fourth son with Leah, he pointed to Judah’s future role in leadership in the developing country (Gen 49:8). The tribe would be lionlike in battle. Jacob continues, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen 49:10).

This verse, specifically the expression “until Shiloh come,” has challenged Bible students for literally thousands of years. Its difficulty can be seen in the various renderings of the versions, both ancient and modern. Some of the suggested meanings of Shiloh include “the son of the womb” (Calvin and Luther), “the Man of Peace,” “he who is sent,” and “ruler” (Kaiser, Hard Sayings, 135). Others see Shiloh as another name for the Messiah (New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, 108).

It has been my unstudied view that Shiloh had something to do with the town of Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle resided during the time of the Judges and Samuel. However, the verse indicates that this will be the end of Judah’s reign, not the beginning. Judah’s power begins with the anointing of David. Additionally, Shiloh (shi-loh) is spelled in Hebrew slightly differently than the town of Shiloh (shi-low). Whatever its meaning may be, it most certainly is not a town.

Some of the modern versions indicate two of the more prominent views of the verse. Because the exact meaning of Shiloh is unknown, the versions that do not transliterate the verse, as the KJV and NKJV do, are giving the translators’ interpretation of the word. The first view is brought out by the ESV, which renders it, “until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” The thought of tribute coming to the Ruler of Judah fits contextually, but it involves splitting the word Shiloh into two. The ESV’s footnote expresses the other option and is brought out by the RSV. It reads, “…until he comes to whom it belongs.” This view takes Shiloh as a relative clause (shel = whom, looh = belongs to him). This view seems to have the least linguistic gymnastics involved.

Whatever the exact meaning of Shiloh may be, most Biblical scholars agree that the passage points to the coming Messiah ruling over the nations. Ezekiel seems to allude to Genesis 49:10 when he pronounces judgment against Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (Ezek 21:25-26). Then in very similar language to Jacob’s blessing on Judah, Ezekiel proclaims, “I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is, and I will give it him” (Ezek 21:27). In other words, Zedekiah will be the last to reign until the Messiah, the rightful ruler, comes. Thus, in Israel’s final moments, he prophesied of the Seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16), who would bless and rule all nations (Isa. 62:1-3; 1 Tim. 6:15).

JESUS: THE TRUE FRIEND

Mark Day

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” A friend is there for you at all sorts of times in your life. A man who is a true friend will be there for you even when it costs him. We all need true friends. We need friends who will be candid with us when we are wrong. Proverbs 9:8 says, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” Perhaps one of the big problems we face today is few people will accept rebuke. Few have friends that are willing to tell them when they are wrong from a motivation of love desiring what is best for another. Many deem it too costly to risk angering another with the truth. However, true friends value what is best for us above a surface-level tranquility. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Jesus is the paragon of a true friend. His sayings are not always easy to hear, but they are what we need. He has the words of eternal life (Jn. 6:68). In John 15:12-17, Jesus said:

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Jesus is the greatest friend because He laid down His life for us. Being there for us when we could not save ourselves cost Him everything (Rom. 5:6-9). If the wounds of a true friend are faithful, how much more of a blessing are they if they are borne instead of inflicted? Isaiah 53:5 tells us that Jesus “was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” The wounds of our greatest friend were not inflicted on us but suffered by Him on the cross for us (I Pet. 2:24).

Jesus invites us into the fellowship He sustains with the Father, saying earlier in John 15 to His disciples, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (Jn. 15:9,10). The Father and Son are eternally one (Jn. 1:1-3; 10:30; 17:21). When we are baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we enter into fellowship with God (Mt. 28:19). As long as we continue in the teaching of Christ, we have both the Father and the Son (2 Jn. 9). God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—invite you to come into the love of friendship which unites the saved (Isa. 55:1; Mt. 11:28-30; Rev. 22:17).

—Herald. Vol.50, No.44, Nov. 3, 2024.

“IN DUE SEASON WE SHALL REAP, IF WE FAINT NOT"

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          Just as the laws of God govern sowing and reaping, seedtime and harvest, in the physical realm, so does he govern sowing and reaping in the spiritual realm.

          When a farmer plants a crop of corn, he knows that he is not going to reap a harvest in the fall unless he first prepares the soil to receive the seed and tills the ground or, in some manner, prepares the soil so that the weeds will not choke out the corn.

If we fail to prepare our hearts to receive the word of God, which is the seed of the kingdom, we may expect it to lie there and be devoured by the devil before it can germinate in our hearts and be fruitful, as we are told in the parable of the sower. (Matt. 13; Mark 4; Luke 8.) Neither can we allow the cares of the world to choke out the growth of the seed of the kingdom in our hearts.

Sometimes, due to drought or some catastrophic hindrance, such as hail, insects, wind, etc., there may be little yield in crops planted. But in such a case, we do not become weary and disheartened to the extent that the next year we refuse to plant again, thinking that the same thing might happen. We patiently go about our work, realizing that “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

We would not expect much of a yield if we planted only a handful of corn in a 20-acre field. It is also possible that our faintheartedness at the lack of visible results in the kingdom of God is resultant from the fact that we have sown “sparingly.” Remember that the apostle Paul said, “He which soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” (2 Cor. 9:6.)

In the plant kingdom we also expect to reap that which is sown. If we sow wheat, we shall reap wheat—not barley or rye. So it is in the spiritual kingdom. The apostle Paul told the Galatians: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal. 6:7-9.)

Sometimes in our work for the Lord we become discouraged and morose when we have done all that we think we can possibly do and yet we see no results; and as a result, we become so “weary in well doing” that we fall by the wayside. But think how weary the God of heaven would get at our slothful behavior if he were as we are. The prophet Isaiah said, “Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?...” (Isa. 40:28.)

Just as surely as we can expect to reap a golden harvest if we are obedient unto the Lord’s commands, we may be assured that we will likewise reap an evil harvest if we sow to the flesh instead of to the Spirit. We may think we are “putting it over” on our friends, our parents or our fellow Christians; but be assured that God has an all-seeing eye and that he is watching us in all situations. We are going to reap that harvest also. Speaking of the infidelity of the Israelites, the Lord spoke through the mouth of the prophet Hosea, “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind:…” (Hos. 8:7.) Also, when the Lord had dealt so patiently with the children of Israel from the time of their Egyptian bondage and when they had become so wicked, God warned them through the prophet Micah that they might expect to sow and not reap any benefits from their labors. He said, “Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but thou shalt not drink wine.” (Micah 6:15.) They had sown to the flesh and would of the flesh reap corruption.

If we would reap “life everlasting” with our heavenly Father, we must not be like Felix who sought a “convenient season” to hear the word of the Lord. We must let his word chasten us and not “faint when thou art rebuked of him.” (Heb. 12:5.) Our Lord himself while on earth taught his disciples that men ought “always to pray, and not to faint.” It behooves us as children of God to be “instant in season, out of season,” never fainting and falling by the wayside, for it is not for us to know when the reaping time will come.

—W. L. Totty

HOSPITALITY: WITHOUT GRUMBLING

The story is told of a young woman who invited friends to lunch one Sunday noon. When seated she asked her young son to say the blessing. He replied that he did not know what to say. She told him to just say what he had always heard her say. He bowed his little head and obediently repeated, “Oh Lord, why did I ask all of these people here on a hot day like today!”

This is not the kind of hospitality our Lord intended us to offer. The word “hospitality” is “to receive and entertain with kindness and without reward.” Paul said, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Heb. 13:2.)

—Selected