Daily Devotions: Helping Others

There’s a family in Knoxville that our church has been helping for years. They always seem to get hit with a crises, illness, or injury that makes it difficult for them to keep up with house payments, utility bills, and paying for groceries. Every time they move one step ahead, something happens to put them two steps back, which in turn makes them dependent upon charity.

Bible Verse of the Day

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Podcast version here

I’ve tried to get them to understand how important it is to be a part of a church. They live on the other side of the city and need to get involved in the fellowship of a local church. Each time I try to convey this to them, they put up barriers of being too busy, or they can’t manage transport, or they don’t know where to go. I’ve visited them at their house several times, delivering special food baskets and other needed items. I pass several churches that are very close to their home. I just wish that they would see how much their lives could positively change if they had a real connection to a neighborhood church.

This week, the church paid $100 towards their utility bill, but it will probably be the last time that we do this. There are many other families in our own area of Knoxville who are in need, so we have to concentrate on them. I also think that through the gifts and hundreds of dollars that we have given to this one family, we have actually made them co-dependent. Instead of helping their situation, we’ve actually enabled them to depend upon our support. It’s sad to see this, and it’s hard to let go of people in such circumstances, but unless they seek their own local church fellowship, I cannot see how our church can sustain them much longer.

Doing good for others makes us all feel good, but knowing when to stop helping others is very hard to do. Paul encourages us to help others, especially those who belong to the family of believers. Sometimes, because we help those who are outside of the church and who live far away, we don’t see those in need from our own congregation and neighborhood. It’s far easier to give with no strings attached and walk away feeling good; it’s much harder to deal with those whom we know because we will have to get involved in their lives, and invest time, resources, and energy to help them.

I guess the challenge for us today is this: who is it in our families, among our friends, or at our church currently needs our help? And what is God calling us to do for them?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You never said that having faith and doing good works would ever be easy. In fact, You called it “carrying our crosses.” You know how much it will cost us to really help others in our midst, especially those at our church. Grant us patience and perseverance; give us a loving faith to truly convey Christian compassion and fellowship to those, whom we know, that have great needs at this time. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Tertullian Revisited: Chapter 6: Heresy is sinfully chosen over the will of Christ.

To reject a heretic is to disarm him of any credibility. The task of the Church is not only to neutralize the ideas and opinions of heretics, but also to enhance and edify orthodox beliefs. The unity of the Church across the centuries depends upon its ability to confront heresy and maintain the authority of Christ’s message at the same time. Too harsh a condemnation will result in people rooting for the underdog and taking up with heresy. Too much indifference and heresy will grow like a theological tumor on the body of Christ.

A person chooses to be heretical and accepts false teachings because of the power, esteem and assurance it gives him. The teachings of Christ are diminished and His sovereignty is questioned. A typical heretic will not be able to give Christ the proper respect and authority that He has. Christ’s sovereignty is denigrated by the heretic through not being able to express Christ’s absolute power of salvation. The heretic chooses to not believe that Christ is the Only Savior of the world, despite what the Bible reveals to us. Rather than accept the traditions of scripture and the historical authority of the Church, the heretic chooses to accept the false utterances of his teachers, or his own voice.

Heretics are therefore self-condemned because they individually choose to defy God’s Word and accept their own understanding. They allow the secular culture to mold their views and will not accept the unchangeable truths of the Gospel values. Heretics contend with the church and advocate on behalf of the world. They have forgotten once again that the Church is not empowered by their wishes, beliefs or ideas. The Church is established and rooted in the total word of God.

Our example comes from the words of the first disciples and apostles of the Church. They chose to simply accept Christ’s words and ways. Their devotion to Him after the resurrection was absolute. Their words are witnesses to who Christ was and what He still is today. Heretics put themselves above the witness of the disciples. They believe that their own life experiences are more relevant to their beliefs today. They refuse to accept the simple truth – that the first apostles expressed an absolute confidence in the message of the Gospel and pledged their total allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Any gospel which is contrary to the true Gospel is heresy. Religious Universalism, prosperity gospel, divine entitlement and pluralistic salvation are common heresies in the Church today. And remember, heresy exists in the Church, not outside of it!

The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to reveal to us the truth of Christ’s Gospel. When we spurn the Living Words of Christ and denigrate His sovereignty, we oppose the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus heresy is a direct confrontation with God. The Bride of Christ needs to appear before Christ as worthy and unblemished. The rooting out of heresy has to come from within the Church.