by Phil Sanders

“Have you found honey? Eat only what you need,     That you not have it in excess and vomit it” (Prov. 25:16).

The children of Israel in the wilderness complained about the manna and wanted some of the foods they had in their slavery in Egypt (Numbers 31). The Lord gave them quail for a whole month, so much that they had it running out their nostrils. It became loathsome to them. Too much

Centuries later the people demanded a king from the Lord. They wanted to be like all the nations surrounding them. Samuel warned them of the heavy price they would pay to have a king (1 Samuel 8). Their sons and daughters would be taken for various services. Their money and crops would go to support the king. It didn’t matter, they wanted a king. Too much.

Writing about a heresy in his day, John said, “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9). The error of these false teachers was that they taught more than they needed to teach. They did not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. Separating fleshly Jesus from a spiritually pure Christ, they thought to go beyond the teaching about Christ to a new level of knowledge. Going beyond God’s teaching cost them a relationship with God. Too much.

In an entertainment-driven society, some are clamoring for more than God offers. Not satisfied with the manna of singing a cappella, they want to be like all the religious groups around them and go beyond the teaching of Scripture. To justify their desires they substitute the word “praise” for “worship” and call their praise a “concert.” Since they have their praise concerts on days other than Sunday, they figure it must be all right. They want too much and will not be denied.

Too much is still too much. Going beyond is still going beyond. “Transgression” (parabasis) is “going beyond the prescribed limits” to do what you want, as you want, and when you want (Heb. 2:2). Transgression is disobedience. It is not listening to God to see what He desires; it is going too far to fulfill our own desires.

Too much.

by Phil Sanders

John McCain tells the story of Bear Bryant, former football coach at the University of Alabama. Bryant was a good man and a great coach. Before the start of every game, the Bear would walk his quarterback along the sidelines in silence for all but a moment of the ritual, the moment when he would turn to the young athlete and give him just two words of advice: “Be Brave.”

You could imagine why courage would be so necessary at such a time. The quarterback is bent behind the center ready to take the snap. He is looking into the faces of several men, larger, stronger, and probably tougher than himself. They are grunting oaths to do him bodily harm. When the quarterback touches the ball, they are going to have one thing on their minds, slamming him to the hard ground. They won’t mind hurting him. “Be brave.”

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1 Pet. 5:8-9).

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8).

Each of us must decide for himself who he is, what he believes, and what he will stand for. In a day where there are multiple voices all pleading to be heard, multiple religions all claiming validity, and multiple doctrines offered up, we must decide whether we will go with the crowd or stand strong with Jesus Christ.

Lucius Seneca (ca. 4 BC—65 AD) said, “’Tis nothing for a man to hold up his head in a calm; but to maintain his post when all others have quitted their ground and there to stand upright when other men are beaten down is divine.”

Let us determine to be brave when it is time to speak for truth. Let us hold up Jesus Christ for all to see. Let us not compromise to “get along” with sin or to please the crowd. Let us hold fast our faith.

by Mike Benson

I read about a French atheist who died and willed his house and farm to, of all people, the Devil. The courts deliberated on the curious case for quite some time. Finally it was determined that the best way to carry out the wishes of the deceased testator was to allow the farm to grow up in weeds and briars and to leave the house to decay and ruin.

It occurs to me that the same thing can be said about our soul salvation. It's not necessary to commit some terrible sin, nor to engage in great evil in order to be lost. All we have to do is nothing. "Allow the farm to grow up in weeds and briars and leave the house to decay and ruin." Dear reader, neglect, indifference, and unconcern will just as surely condemn us in the Judgment as murder, theft, or immorality.

The Bible asks, "How shall we escape (eternal punishment) if we NEGLECT so great a salvation...?" (Hebrews 2:3a). The answer is, "We won't."

Think about it.

by Stan Mitchell

One of the buzz words heard around religious circles these days is "accountability." Apparently the idea is that a group of Christians get together, and "hold each other accountable" for their actions. They urge each other to study the Bible, pray, stay off the bottle -- whatever it is that the other needs.

I believe that as a church we should be concerned about each other, and that when a brother is falling away we should do what we can to restore him: "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you may also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1).

Paul seems to be saying, "Help your erring brother, but do it with great care, do it humbly, recognizing your own weakness, and only when it is warranted." I would like to remind us that there is another word that should be added to the phrase "accountability." It is the word "personal," forming the phrase "personal accountability."

"So then each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10).

"For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son --both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die" (Ezekiel 18:4).

It is all too human for us to spot the weakness of others, and all too easy to forget that we each bear an awesome responsibility before God ourselves.

by Richard Mansel

Worship is an innate human trait. We will worship something even if it is ourselves, wealth, or fame. Whether we will worship is not the issue, but whom, and with what goal.

Worship is a centerpiece of the Christian life. Scripture is filled with admonitions to worship. In 1 Chronicles 16:29 we read, "Give to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!" (NKJV). Jesus said, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). Worship was joyously praised by David in Psalm 122:1 when he rejoiced, "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the LORD.'"

Understanding the concept of worship will be well served by examining the three main words used in the New Testament for worship. In doing so, we will discover some important truths and realities about worship.

The most often used word is "proskuneo," which is defined as "kissing the hand, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence."/1 "When the New Testament uses (proskuneo), the object is always something, truly or supposedly, divine."/2

Usage of this word does not mean that we must worship on our knees, but that we should have the same attitude expressed here.

The second most often used is "latrueo," which is to "render religious service or homage, to worship; to perform sacred services; to offer gifts; to worship God in the observance of rites instituted for worship."/3

The third most often used word is "sebomai" which stresses the "feeling of awe or devotion" toward the object of our worship./4

From these studies we learn that worship always involves action and reverence.

First, worship involves action. This stands in stark contrast to the attitudes of many during worship. Elton Trueblood said that "worship may be the greatest spectator sport in the world." Someone else has said, "Most evidently people do not enjoy coming to worship: they are so late in coming, so early in leaving, and so bored while there."

Worship cannot be boring if we are performing it as the New Testament prescribes. Worship always involves participation. We are not a theatrical audience surveying the scene with a critical eye. We are to be actively involved on a personal level.

Yet, this is rare, as evidenced by the frequent complaint, "I don't get anything out of worship." The studies above powerfully show that we must be fully engaged mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in order to worship properly. This disallows boredom.

We must plan for worship and be ready to begin, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We are coming before God when we worship him. Attendance must never be equated with worship. We draw near to God, not the building (Matthew 15:8).

Second, worship involves reverence, which means "an attitude of deep respect, honor and deference."/5 A reverent attitude also involves "obedient actions that naturally flow from it."/6

Reverence literally means, "to turn in upon oneself."/7 It requires deep thought and soul-searching. It is, therefore, never passive. We must seek to become a better person through worship, as we open our hearts and minds to God. We give God the respect due his Lordship, and nothing less.

/ 1. Joseph Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 548. / 2. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament 6:763. / 3. Thayer, 373. / 4. W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, 4:235-236 / 5. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia 4:177. / 6. Ibid. / 7. Vines, 3:293.