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Julie and I went to Martha Banning’s funeral In Houston yesterday. Robert and Martha were some of the best friends of my parents. They had four kids that we grew up with… Angie, Kathleen, Dorothy and David. Of course David was just a pup but those three sisters… oh my!
We all attended Spring Branch Church of Christ which is no more. The Elders moved the congregation to Frey Road. The Banning’s with others from Spring Branch started the Klein Road Church of Christ where Robert became an Elder.
Turns out David Banning is one of the preachers at Kleinwood and he officiated the ceremony for his mother. He was amazing. Among the Elders were two kids that I grew up with… John Cogdil and Mark Richardson. Don Cantrel another one of the Elders is a guy that was friends with my mother. Small world.
When we went in the first familiar face was Beverly Cogill. Her dad was Vernon Goss. I remember when we first moved to Houston the men would go outside and smoke cigarettes between services. Vernon was an Elder at Spring Branch and was at D-Day in World War II. I guess he can smoke a cigarette.
Julie and I were sitting on a pew and a woman came up to me and said are you Scott Perkins (my deceased brother). We look alike.
I ran across Richard Besselman who drove down from the Fort Worth area. He looked at me and said… I figured you would be here. Richard’s family was at Spring Branch but I didn’t really know him because he was younger. What I did remember was a lot of talk about Patsy Besselman his mother because she passed away when he was young.
I caught up with Richard a few years ago ay a New Mexico Elk hunting trip that Ray Torno organizes every year. Richard and Tim Torno came. We had the best time visiting and playing “42” and Richard and I have kept up with each other. We get along like Peas and carrots.
He had reminded me that he was at a young peoples gathering at the Bannings and my brother Greg and cousin Mark were there and he took a bottle rocket in the eye and has no vision out of the eye. I introduced Richard to my brother Greg and blamed him for Richards eye. Richard dead panned… its okay I have another eye.
We saw former members Daniel and Julianne Baker and had a good visit with them.
We saw Richard and Joyce Bruce and her sister Nancy. Nancy recognized me immediately I have no idea how. They were great friends of my parents and are from Sinton, Texas just down the road.
My old friend Brent Clanton had a part in the service. I don’t know where he attends but I’ll bet he is an Elder.
I was hoping to see Paul Thornton and didn’t until after I had got to our car taken off my boots, jacket, etc. and my brother Greg texted me that Paul was looking for me. I had not seen Paul since about 1971. His dad preached for us at Spring Branch. Paul was very athletic and drove a VW Beetle. He was always gathering the young people together to go do things… basketball, bowling etc. In hind sight its good for young people to step up and take a leadership role. Fond memories.
Anyway I put my tennis shoes on and went back in and found him and had the best visit with him.
Whenever I would see some of my old friends I would say… looks like you have had a lot of birthdays or if I saw someone who looked familiar but I wasn’t really sure who they were I would go up to them, shake hands and say… you look like an older version of someone I used to know.
It was a big city funeral, a lot of coats and ties, etc. I did my best to represent South Texas casual. So did Richard Besselman.
Before the service Julie and I stood in the line to talk to Robert Banning and when we got to him he got a big grin on his face and mentioned a few stories like the time there was a big clap of thunder at out house and me and my brothers dropped down in the yard and pretended to be dead knowing mother would be worried and watching. Sure enough she ran out crying but when we popped up she started laughing. And they time Dad had drained the oil out of the truck and left it to do something else and mom ran out, jumped in and drove it to the grocery store. Robert remembered those things.
I wouldn’t have missed that funeral for anything for one thing because Angie said our mom was like a second mother to them and because they all came to my dad’s funeral and my brothers funeral.
One thing about Martha, she said don’t do anything to keep me alive longer because I’m ready to go.
This is pretty long and if you’re still reading I just have one more thing to say. I’m a better person for having attended that funeral.
We’ve been studying early Christian practices prior to and around the time of the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. One fascinating practice associated with baptism was insufflation—the act of breathing upon a baptismal candidate or upon the water he was about to be baptized in.
Why would Christians do such a thing?
In the New Testament, pneuma can mean breath, wind, spirit, or Spirit. So when the New Testament speaks of being “baptized in the Holy Pneuma,” there is imagery contained in the Greek that you may not see with our english word “spirit”
Think about it: baptizō means to immerse, and pneuma belongs to a family of words associated with breath and blowing.
They were baptized in the Holy Pneuma—immersed in the Divine Breath.
Look at Genesis 2:7…
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”
And look at John 20:22…
“And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit”
Perhaps those early Christians were simply mimicking what they saw God do in creation and Jesus do with His disciples—breathing upon new believers as a symbolic representation of God's life-giving Holy Pneuma.
Maybe those early Christians understood—or at least could hear—something that we easily lose in translation because we don’t have an equivalent English word that carries all of those different meanings.
We read “Holy Spirit"
They heard Pneuma—Spirit. Wind. Breath.
Without physical breath you can’t live
Without the Breath of God… you never really experience true life.
Take a deep breath and thank God for giving us both kinds.
I’ve started riding my bicycle up and down the new harbor bridge. This morning when I reached the top I noticed a truck and dump trailer pulled over with a flat tire… my worst nightmare that ranks right up there with being trapped in a crowded elevator on a cruise ship.
Anyway as I was headed down the bridge I noticed what I thought was a young woman lying down on the walkway. Of course going down hill you’re moving pretty fast and I didn’t stop figuring she was a drunk sleeping it off. But when I got to the bottom I worried that she might be injured or even dead so I called 911.
The operator got all my information and asked if this was about the truck/trailer stuck on top of the bridge. I said… no this is about a young woman who is either dead or asleep. There was a lot of foot traffic on the walkway but I guess no one had phoned her in.
As I was going back to the bridge I saw an emergency vehicle with lights on coming slowly down the bridge but I guess they didn’t see her and turned off their lights and moved on. I thought they might be coming back so I stopped my bicycle and could tell she was breathing.
Another passerby stopped and we were talking about the situation and the woman stirred and got up. I asked if she was okay and she didn’t answer she just stumbled off. Turned out she was not a young woman but a thin older woman.
Now I’m not one to judge but if I was my judgment would be that she was a drug addict of questionable moral character.
The 911 operator asked me when I called if I had stopped and I felt a little guilty but said… no. And I’m not sorry for that because you never know what you might get into in this kind of situation.
I’m sure if the Good Samaritan could have called Jerusalem 911 he would have.
The flat tire on top of a busy bridge would be one of my worst nightmares… but this woman laying on the bridge was living a nightmare. I hope she can find the strength and help to wake up
Consider Ezekiel 37 and the translation of “Ruach”
Ezekiel 37:5–6
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto these bones: Behold, I will cause RUACH (breath) to enter into you, and ye shall live.
And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put RUACH (breath) in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
Ezekiel 37:8
And I beheld, and, lo, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no RUACH (breath) in them.
Ezekiel 37:9
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the RUACH (breath), prophesy, son of man, and say to the RUACH (breath), Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Come from the four RUACHOT (winds), O RUACH (breath), and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
Ezekiel 37:10
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the RUACH (breath) came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
Ezekiel 37:14
And I will put my RUACH (Spirit) within you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it and performed it, saith Jehovah.
Notice with me that in the original Hebrew text the reader would consistently read one word “Ruach” while in our English translations we would read in the text “breath”, “winds”, “spirit” and “Spirit”
The Hebrew language had other words for “breath” and “wind”
“Neshamah” is a Hebrew word for “breath” and in fact is used in Genesis 2:7
“Neshev” is a Hebrew word meaning “wind” and in fact is used in Psalms 147:18
Both those words could have been substituted for “ruach” to provide clarity in the text… but weren’t.
Unfortunately in the English language there is not one word that could have the meaning of “breath”, Wind”, and "Spirit". If there was we would have read the text like God’s people of old did and perhaps been better off for it.
God chose to express himself in a language in which “Ruach” could mean multiple things. Perhaps to use the relationship between those things to stimulate our thinking and better explain the nature of the Holy Spirit.
Wind is invisible, but we can see what it does.
Breath is invisible, but it is evidence of life.
The Spirit is invisible, but we can see what He does.
Maybe Ezekiel wasn't merely telling us that the Spirit gives life.
Maybe the very word RUACH was helping him show us.
Howdy! We got one of those kinds of messages you never want to get on Thursday. One of our members, Savannah White, had taken her life. Of course her mom and dad, sister and grandmother attend with us. Just horrific and there aren’t adequate words to describe what her family is going through right now. Of course on our private Facebook page people express comforting words, as they should, but still it just doesn’t seem like it’s enough (to me). I remember when I found out my dad only had 12 months to live (lung cancer) and I had it announced at services that I was barely holding it together. Many people said kind words to me but then Emilio Sanchez came up to me and hugged me and started crying and we both cried… I’ll never forget that.
After my dad died mom let me read the letters people had sent when Dad was alive things like what mom and dad had meant to them. I still have those letters and I cherish them. There is a pain that never goes away. It might become muted and under control for the most part but it never goes away. Sometimes I’m driving in my truck by myself and I start thinking about my family and I just break down and cry.
But I’m proud of my Parkway family because they are doing what they can do. There will be words spoken, food shared, hugs and tears because it could happen to any family. It will bring us closer together as a family.
This morning I prayed to God that if he had anything against Savannah that he would forgive it and let her spend eternity in Heaven. Knowing God… I expect to see her… especially if we all say the same prayer.
Of course the “Godhead”, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have existed through out the Old Testament and the New Testament and through out all eternity.
The Father and The Son are identified as being a masculine gender. What gender the Holy Spirit is more challenging.
The greek word “Pneuma” is translated as Spirit”, “wind” and “breath” and has grammatical gender. It is “neuter”. Except for in John 14 where the Holy Spirit is referred to in the masculine form as "The Comforter” and because of that defenders of the Godhead concept refer to the Holy Spirit as being of the masculine gender. But everywhere else in the New Testament its (he’s) “neuter”
Jesus consistently speaks of the Spirit as a personal agent—the Spirit teaches, reminds, testifies, guides, hears, speaks, and glorifies Christ (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13–14)
Let’s look at the Old Testament. The Hebrew word translated “Spirit”, “wind” and “breath” is usually grammatically feminine. Hmmm.
Does the Bible identify the Holy Spirit as male or female?
Well the Holy scriptures do not explicitly tell us. What it does tell us is that the Holy Spirit is represented three ways grammatically: Feminine, Neuter and Masculine.
I don’t really have an answer or explanation for all this. But as good Bible students we need to know things. Sometimes when we’ve had time to think we’ll find an answer. Although I suspect in Heaven there will not be any genders, but that’s just a guess.
There are two primary prophets who foresaw the events that would take place on Pentecost… Joel and John (the Baptist). And as expected they have remarkable parallels with each other. Let’s take a look.
1. The Spirit. Joel says the Spirit would be poured out while John states that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
2. Fire. Joel says fire (and other wonders would occur). John states that Jesus would baptize with fire.
3. Judgement Day. Joel predicts a “great and terrible Day of the Lord” John predicts a “winnowing” judgement.
4. Salvation. Joel says that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. John states that the wheat will be gathered into the barn.
5. Fate of the wicked. Joel’s Day of the Lord includes God’s judgement on his enemies. John states that the “chaff” will be burned.
Remarkably parallel and a consistent message prophetically from the Old Testament to the New with a clear message… when the Messiah comes he will bring both Salvation and Judgement.
These prophecies explain each other and their fulfillment in Acts 2 gives absolute clarity to their meaning
What is also clear in these two prophecies and their fulfillment is that the prophecy was not complete on the Day of Pentecost but is progressive until the final Day of the Lord.
The coastal bend of South Texas has been under a historic drought for about the past three years. We didn’t have a Spring… everything was dead and dry. The reservoirs got as low as 8% total capacity and Corpus Christi was under severe water restrictions.
Of course as Christians we prayed for relief… for local rain and rain in our watershed which feeds our reservoirs.
Of course there was no answer to our prayers and for me personally I just kind of gave up on the prayers. I would still mention the need for rain in my prayers but after a while futility and disappointment set in and it didn’t seem too much like God cared about it one way or the other.
Finally we got some local rains and it greened up and the flowers bloomed and the birds started singing and we began seeing butterflies again. Hope started stirring in my heart but the reservoirs were still almost empty and we couldn’t water our plants because of the water restrictions.
And then something crazy happened we started getting historic rains. Where? Right where we needed it, in our watershed. The Frio river caused Lake Choke Canyon to to raise to about 25%. The Nueces river looks like it is going to fill Lake Corpus Christi to 100%.
We almost never see that kind of rain in our watershed. My personal opinion is that this rain was from the hand of God.
Things to learn; trust in God, his actions might not fit our timetable but he is all we have. Satan sure isn’t going to help us. Keep praying no matter what. God always answers the needs of his people.
I’m reminded of the old joke told in West Texas that when God flooded the earth West Texas only got four inches.
I’m also reminded of when our daughter moved to Houston and worked in a corporate office and a thunderstorm brewed up and she walked to the window to watch it. Her co-workers asked her what she was doing. She said you don’t understand where I’m from. When it rains we stop and watch God’s wonderful blessed gift.
Deep South Texas has spells of drought and always will but God can break a drought. Just pray.
The word “spirit” occurs 388 times in the Old Testament. Out of a total of 592,000 words it occurs 0.12% of the time.
The word “spirit” occurs 379 times in the New Testament. Out of a total of 176,000 words it occurs 0.28% of the time… over twice as much.
Obviously the New Testament emphasizes “spirit” more than The Old Testament does.
That was fun and revealing but lets check another word. The phrase “eternal life” only occurs one time in the Old Testament (Daniel 12:2).
The same phrase occurs 42 times in the New Testament.
Colossians 2:16-17…
"Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ”
Let me suggest that in the Old Testament we were introduced (foreshadowed) to and learned some things about the Holy Spirit. However, in the New Testament the concept of the Holy Spirit was more fully developed (substantiated) and especially his role in our eternal destiny.
The concept of eternal salvation for all of mankind was almost completely a foreign concept in the Old Testament. Imagine the surprise of God’s people Israel when they learned that all people of faith could share in God’s Holy Spirit and His free gift of eternal salvation.
Brothers in Christ,
My name is Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria. I have devoted my life to shepherding the Church and preserving the faith that has been handed down to us by the apostles. I never imagined that one of the greatest threats to that faith would come from one of my own presbyters.
Arius was an intelligent and persuasive teacher. I respected him and hoped he would become a faithful servant of Christ. But when he began teaching that there was a time when the Son of God did not exist—that Jesus was the first and greatest of God's creatures—I knew the Church faced a danger greater than persecution. False doctrine has a way of quietly dividing the Church from within.
I did not immediately condemn Arius. As his bishop, I met with him and pleaded with him to reconsider his teaching in light of the Scriptures and the faith the Church has always confessed. I wanted reconciliation, not division. But when he refused to repent and continued spreading his doctrine, I had no choice. Together with the bishops of Egypt, I excommunicated him—not because I hated him, but because I loved Christ, His Church, and the truth. A shepherd must protect the flock.
Unfortunately, the matter did not end there. Arius found influential bishops willing to support him, and the controversy spread throughout the empire. That is why we have gathered here at Nicaea.
As I speak with each of you, I am not asking you to follow Alexander. I am asking you to follow the testimony of Scripture.
John begins his Gospel by declaring, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He then tells us that all things were created through Him. If all things were created through Christ, then Christ Himself cannot be a created being.
Thomas worshiped Him, saying, "My Lord and my God." Paul teaches that in Christ all the fullness of deity dwells bodily. The writer of Hebrews calls Him the exact representation of the Father's nature. These are not descriptions of the highest creature. They are descriptions of God Himself.
But allow me to ask a question.
If Jesus is not truly God, then what makes His sacrifice different from any other man who has ever lived?
For centuries our Jewish fathers faithfully offered the blood of bulls and goats upon the altar. Yet the Scriptures teach us those sacrifices could never truly take away sins. They pointed us toward something greater.
Now Arius tells us that Christ is merely another created being.
If that is true, then what has really changed? We have simply replaced the blood of animals with the blood of another creature. How can one created life accomplish what countless sacrifices under the Law never could?
No, brothers. The New Covenant is greater because the One who established it is greater. The value of Christ's sacrifice is not merely that He died. Many righteous men have died. The value of His sacrifice is found in who He is. He is the eternal Son of God who took on flesh and offered Himself for us.
Only God can fully reveal God. Only God can reconcile mankind to God. If Christ is not truly God, then I fear we have no better sacrifice than those who still await the Messiah. But if Christ is God in the flesh, then God Himself has provided the perfect and final sacrifice for sin.
That is why this controversy matters. It is not about pride. It is not about politics. It is not about winning an argument. It is about preserving the very foundation of our hope.
Please understand my heart. I do not seek to embarrass Arius. I seek the unity of Christ's Church. But unity without truth cannot endure.
Brothers, I desire peace as much as any man in this room.
But peace purchased at the price of truth is no peace at all—it is merely pretense.
Truth first.
Then unity.
Then peace.
That is the faith I received.
That is the faith I have preached.
That is the faith for which I excommunicated Arius.
And by the grace of God, that is the faith I will defend.
Cats are natural carnivores. They are designed in nature to eat rats, birds, snakes and things like grasshoppers. We had a professor in Veterinary school who said the best diet for a cat would be to put a bunch of rats in the food processor and feed that mix… muscles, bones, intestinal contents, skin and fur.
We see a lot of cats with metabolic conditions… obesity, pancreatitis, diabetes and urinary crystal formation. All of these conditions are cause by feeding un-natural cat foods. Usually dry foods with grain based carbohydrates.
So why would we feed an un-natural diet verses a natural one? Because dry cat foods are cheap and most cats do okay on them. Emphasis on “cheap”
Christians have a lot of spiritual ailments caused by eating a diet of man made and smooth and popular and polarizing doctrines instead of those simple and understandable doctrines shared by God for his people.
I’ve never seen a “barn” cat who suffered from obesity and all the metabolic issues that I see in “house” cats. They have different diets… one is healthy and natural and the other is unhealthy and un-natural. I make my living on unhealthy pets and business is good.
Maybe just maybe if we are having moral and spiritual problems in our lives the problem is what we are “eating”
If you went to a diet center and no one ever lost weight but stayed obese you would look for help in another direction wouldn’t you?
Similarly, if you visit a church and no one has been married very long and the children are out of control or the prayers are shallow and the singing is on life support or the preacher never quotes from the Bible…
Maybe just maybe you should question the spiritual diet that is being offered. It might be an "okay" diet but it could be stunting or even killing you.
I found out a friend of mine had, had a heart attack and was in treatment for it. He didn’t tell me… his wife brought the subject up. I told the wife to be careful to not look or smell too good because her husbands heart might not be able to take it. Lol.
I observed that my friend still smoked. I mentioned that smoking makes the blood hyper-coagulable and he could stroke out. He said… I take an Aspirin every day to prevent that.
I asked him if he had changed his diet any. He said he had a little bit but his wife said he had not. Sheepishly he said the heart medications took care of that for him.
This typifies a common notion that is going around among many. They don’t want to put in the work to be healthy and to have true health they want to rely on medicine and doctors to manage their unhealthy life style.
That’s kind of like the guy who decides to become a Christian and has all his nasty sins washed away but then does nothing to grow. Just relies on “God’s grace” and “prayer” and wears those things like a Badge of Honor. Never truly maturing in Christ. Never trying to develop the image of Christ in their lives and never equipping oneself with the full Christian armor.
To truly have good health, both physical and spiritual, requires some effort.
We might need to put down the spoon and step away from the table and start feeding and nurturing others. Just like Jesus did. Do that and you can live forever.
God designated some animals to be clean and others to be unclean.
A hog for instance would be one example of an “unclean” animal. Sheep would be an example of a “clean” animal.
God’s people could only sacrifice and eat “clean” animals. For God’s people to sacrifice a hog on an altar would be totally unacceptable.
In addition, God wanted a “clean” people so they could only eat “clean” animals. It was part of their “cleanness”. I can tell you with absolute certainty that Jesus our Lord and Savior never ate Pork. To do so would have made him “unclean” and he wasn’t “unclean”… he was perfect.
Maybe clean and unclean animals foreshadow God’s creation under his new covenant. There are “clean” and “unclean” humans.
Those who have been baptized and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ have become “clean” and pure like the “clean” Sheep. Those who are not are “unclean” like the filthy swine. Totally unacceptable to God and unacceptable to live with Him in the Heavenly places.
The good news for us is that although we once were all “unclean” Hogs we didn’t have to stay that way we could choose through God’s grace to become “clean".
Remember… there won’t be any Hogs in Heaven or even Hogs who have had a bath and are outwardly clean. Yopu can bathe a hog and put a ring in its nose but its still a hog. Only the transformed “clean” will be in Heaven.
When Julie and I moved to Corpus Christi in 1982 the congregation had two Elders… Jack Young and Carl Miller. Who they might have had before that if any I am not aware. Later Joe Henderson was made an Elder but then he moved off and then I think Jack moved and the congregation was without Elders.
July 20, 1997 - David Smitherman and Rob Perkins were appointed as Elders.
June 18, 2000 - Gus Cargile and Bill Chambers were added as Elders.
July 3, 2016 - Ricardo Baca added as an Elder.
June 21, 2026 - Shane Torno and Larry White added as Elders.
Our current Elders are Gus Cargile, Ricardo Baca, Rob Perkins, Larry White and Shane Torno.
I was talking to a former member who moved away several years ago and as we were catching up I asked how the church was doing where they attended.
Among other things he said he and his wife are often thanked for what they do in the congregation.
He said he responds to them… “several years ago an Elder kept encouraging me to be more involved and eventually I did”
God has sheep all over the world. They are under one great Shepherd… Jesus Christ. They are one great big flock of sheep who Jesus shepherds through his written word and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The whole flock of sheep the world over assemble every Sunday as small flocks of sheep shepherded by earthly Shepherds in their various communities. They also are shepherded by the written word and by prayer.
The earthly Shepherds only answer to the great heavenly Shepherd Jesus Christ and to no one else.
The sheep in these local flocks only answer to two shepherds… the great Shepherd Jesus Christ and to their local Shepherds.
As a business owning Veterinarian who would you rather hire? An experienced Veterinarian with sky high productivity or a fresh new Veterinarian with outstanding book knowledge but no experience or the confidence that comes with experience?
I think we all know the answer to that question.
I have been a Veterinarian for over 45 years. I never see anything new anymore… vomiting dog, dog with diarrhea, dog with organ failure, dog with cancer, dog with neurologic disorders, etc., etc., etc. I can walk into a room with a panicked client and calmly make a diagnosis and and offer treatment and usually I don’t have to run a bunch of expensive diagnostics to do so.
Let’s talk about Elders in a congregation and who is best qualified to lead the congregation.
What if a young man went to a Bible college and graduated Summa Cum Laude and earned a bunch of letters after his name and could answer any question based on the Bible? And all his friends were scholars of the Bible? Would he make a good Elder?
What about an older man who never went to college who worked with his hands but studied his Bible every day and raised godly children and godly grandchildren. A man who worked among common people and was exposed to every kind of problem that comes with living and working with ungodly people. Would he make a good Elder?
You can have all the great teachers in the world but the greatest teacher is experience and that only comes with age. They say it takes 12 months to get a years experience. There are no short cuts.
God chose to have older experienced men to lead his congregations. Men who have experienced marriage and everything life has to throw at you.
I appreciate young inexperienced Veterinarians because after all that’s what I used to be.
I also appreciate young men who dedicate themselves to the study of God’s word. With age and experience they will make great leaders one day. It just takes time.
Placing membership in a local congregation is kind of a funny thing. We have people in regular attendance who may attend services three times a week but they don’t want to be officially known as members.
Of course as Elders/Pastors/Shepherds in a congregation we want attendees to “place membership” Why? Because by doing so they let the leadership and the congregation know that they are putting themselves under the leadership of the congregation to help them grow and mature spiritually as Christians which is what God expects of them.
Consider the congregation as a flock of sheep under a shepherd. What if some stray sheep wander in and start feeding and associating with the flock. After a period of time the rest of the flock thinks of them as members. They feel like members and act like members. Do they become part of the flock just by continual association?
Does the Shepherd ignore them because they are not “officially” recognized as part of the flock or does the Shepherd care for them like all the others in the flock of sheep? Does he let that visiting sheep wander off to be consumed by a wolf and do nothing about it and feel no remorse because he didn’t have that sheep listed in his official tally of the flock? Or does he act to protect?
And what would the great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, do in that situation? I think I know.
My guess is that some don’t want to place membership because they don’t want to be held accountable when they stray and follow after sin. Maybe they don’t want people calling them when they miss services.
For example they may want to occasionally party and get drunk and be sexually active (outside of marriage) and sleep in on Sunday mornings but, you can’t touch me because I’m not a member of the church (officially).
What a nice little game that is played by both sides. Elders who play the “wild card” of inaction and attendees who counter with the “wild card” of I’m free to do what I want because I’m not a member.
Ridiculous. Remember God will not be “mocked” and trifled with.
Some of the worst clients i’ve had to deal with at our Veterinary Clinic have been members of our congregation.
I had one church member who threw a fit in an exam room. I can’t even remember what they were upset about. When they had run out of gas, I asked my exam room technician to leave and shut the door. Then I calmly said… you’re not going to act like that in my clinic. If you can’t control yourself you can find another Veterinary clinic. I didn’t get an apology.
Another church member was not happy with one of my associates and complained to me about it. I told them to talk to my practice manager. They did. My practice manager said my Veterinary associate and staff acted appropriately. The church member went on to trash us on social media and stopped payment on a check.
My practice manager asked me if I wanted her to wave the charges since the client went to our church and I said absolutely not. Treat them like anyone else.
You see, I love all my employees and I am doing my best to convert them to Christ. Imagine the hypocrisy my employees would see in me if I rewarded poor behavior.
It’s embarrassing to me when an employee in disbelief says… “Dr. Perkins, that person goes to your church?”
There are Christians and there are Sunday Morning Christians. Be the right kind.
The first part of the letter to the churches in Galatia speaks to the different Gospel that Christians from a jewish back ground were trying to impose on Christians from a Greek or non-jewish background… namely circumcision.
In other words the Greeks would be baptized then there would be a knife and a minor surgical procedure waiting to be performed on them.
Then there seems to be a transition to the “works of the flesh” and the “fruits of the Spirit” Is it really a transition or is it a continuation of the same subject?
Let me suggest that the “works of the flesh” actually describes the works of the judaizing Christian teachers. The purveyors of circumcision.
Note the parallel beginning in Galatians 5: 16… the desires of the Spirit vs. the desires of the Flesh and if “led by the Spirit” not “under the Law”
It shifts from Flesh to Law and then defines the works of the flesh (implied Law)
Keep in mind under the Mosaic Law all those “works of the flesh” could be solved by merely sacrificing an animal. That would not be the case under the New Law. The New Law required and requires spiritual perfection because of the superiority of God’s perfect sacrifice… Jesus Christ. It starts in the mind and the heart.
If judaizing Christian teachers could require circumcision then as the holy text explains they would be logically obligated to practice the whole of the Mosaic Law and could continue to practice the “works of the flesh” claiming that the blood of Jesus Christ allowed it just like the blood of animal sacrifices did.
