Our congregation Our nation, military, and leaders

Various friends, co-workers and relatives David and Leon in the Navy

The Stolte’s in Germany

REMEMBERING: Those who served and serve our country, and those who gave their lives for our

freedom.

"The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you…" (2 Chronicles 15:2).

The Bible has a number of things to say about seeking God. The books of Chronicles were written to a nation recently returned from captivity and the author emphasizes the blessings of seeking God and the consequences of not seeking Him. Jeremiah said some things about this as well. Jesus has two familiar sayings about seeking. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" and "seek and you will find" (Matthew 6:33 and 7:7). Paul speaks of God setting the national boundaries for the purpose of men seeking Him (Acts 17:27). Seeking God with all our hearts is an important aspect of our lives.

I was reading a article that I get through e-mail. At the end of each article there are comments given to the editor. One briefly explained the idea of an honest seeker that his congregation was participating in and four guidelines they follow. Let’s take a look at them and make some comments.

1. A seeker is willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads. The noble Bereans searched the scriptures to see what was said by Paul was true (Acts 17:11). We often ask others that we study with to do the same. How about us doing it as well? I’ve looked at the evidence on a number of topics and have changed my views on some subjects and have taken a fuller view of others. For instance, on the Lord’s Supper, I have come to see it as a family celebration akin to the Passover rather than a memorial service. Not that remembering is not important, for the Lord’s Supper tells us the story, but we celebrate the deliverance from sin we have because of the sacrificial death of Jesus. Another example would be that of the books of Chronicles. I use to see it as a series of historical events put together over a period of time but now I see it as written by one or more in a brief period with the purpose of emphasizing seeking God. As Christians we continue to study and learn; that is a seeker’s life.

2. A seeker is open to the possibility that he or she could be wrong. We ask others to admit so when we study with them, why not us? We are not flawless. Seekers keep seeking and when they realize that they are wrong, admit it and change. In churches of Christ, an idea has been implied that we must be right on everything in order to be saved, and that anyone who disagrees with a position, tradition, or view of scripture must be corrected, disciplined and, if necessary, disfellowshiped, to keep "the church" pure. Unfortunately this does not lend well to honest seeking. It leads to discouragement and a lack of trust and freedom. I’ve been wrong in actions, attitudes, and in how I viewed certain texts. There is nothing wrong in saying this and in being honest with ourselves, we can also be honest with others.

3. The seeker is open to the probability that new insights will sometimes alter previously held convictions. While similar to number one, further study often leads to new insights. Many times it is the result of pressures faced or challenges made to our lives that bring them about. As I read the Bible through each year, there are things I see that I haven’t seen before. Many times it is because of attitudes and actions that are affecting me at the moment. These are heightened in my reading. There are several areas in which new insights have affected many. Worship and leadership are two of those areas. Worship is directed toward God whether we do it individually or corporately. When we come together this should be kept in mind. But there is more to our coming together. We are a family that shares joys and pains in our assembly. We do it through study, song and prayer, and remind ourselves through the Lord’s Supper. It is a time to remind each other that God rules. Leadership has become a debated subject over the last few decades. Abuses abound when men become a board of directors making pronouncements rather than shepherds guiding the flock. I have moved from the idea that elders oversee the congregation to the idea that they should have no power to control anything but should be out among the flock visiting, encouraging, and strengthening the flock they are given the responsibility of shepherding.

4. The seeker is anxious to engage in God-honoring dialogue with gentleness and respect. Paul said it this way: "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction" (2 Timothy 4:2). We do not need to be labeling anyone, especially if we disagree with them. It leads to distrust. Our words need to be chosen carefully. The idea that the one who yells the loudest wins is ungodly. We are going to be judged by our words and actions so let’s be careful in using words. It also requires us to listen to others. While we all speak a common language, that doesn’t mean we understand words in the same way. We often come to discussion with our own definitions. In making a point that the Lord will return when He chooses, I said that it could happen this afternoon, next year or in a thousand years. It was just a figure of speech. One sister however thought that I was teaching that there would be a thousand year reign as found in some millennial teachings. She had her idea that she applied to what I said. We come from different backgrounds and that affects us in study. Our experiences, family, schooling, cultural events, what we read and any number of other things influence our views of scripture and church. In the sixties, members of the churches of Christ moved into the northeast to plant churches. One of the popular things they did was to have dinner on the grounds and invite people. But there were some problems. Some of those "Yankees" didn’t care for fried chicken, thick gravy, and okra. There were cultural differences even in foods. Had they adapted to northern foods, they would have found a better reception. It took longer to become part of the community.

It is often said that we can all see things alike. That sounds good until we realize that we have to overcome cultural differences and influences by communicating and defining what we say. Add to that "church language" and we now have another cultural influence that must be explained. One instance of this is the word "kingdom." To some it means the church, to others the reign of God. Some see it has already, others as not yet. An honest reading of the gospels will reveal a wide variety of meanings to the kingdom. We have the invitation song, autonomy, the song leader, separate and apart from the Lord’s Supper, and other things that an outsider just might not understand. Attend a Catholic or Lutheran service and you will hear things that are not familiar. An honest seeker seeking to dialogue needs to recognize this. It requires time and effort to work through this.

Hopefully the above helps as we deal with each other and those who visit.

George B. Mearns