by Mike Benson

QUESTION: "Does God have one church or many?"

ANSWER: We must go to the Scriptures in order to address your question. Please read the following passages carefully and then answer the questions which follow:

1. "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22,23).

. God made Christ the head of many churches.

. God made Christ the head of one church.

Is it natural for one head to have many bodies?"

2. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25).

. The apostle Paul told husbands to love their wives as Christ also loved the churches and gave Himself for THEM.

. The apostle Paul told husbands to love their wives as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for IT.

How could Christ teach monogamy (Matthew 19:6; Romans 7:2,3) and then be guilty of polygamy? Can Christ (the husband) have 1) one bride/church, or 2) many brides/churches (Ephesians 5:23)?

3. "To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made know by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purposes which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:10,11).

. Many churches (plural) were in the eternal purpose of God.

. The church (singular) was in the eternal purpose of God.

Since only one church was in the eternal purpose of God, from where did the hundreds of other churches originate? From man or God?

by Mike Benson

QUESTION: "The Bible says that when Lazarus died he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom (cf. Luke 16:22). What does this mean?"

ANSWER: This is an interesting Bible question; thank you for submitting it. Note:

1. A good commentary on the passage you mentioned is John 13:23. Now there was leaning (reclining--mb) on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.".

2. To appreciate Luke 16:22, we need to understand the culture and customs during Bible times. "The Roman custom of reclining at meals was common among the Jews. Such positioning placed one in the bosom of the neighboring person."/1 "In that ancient culture, people did not sit in chairs around a table as we do today. Rather, the table was low to the floor and the guests 'reclined' on pallets by the table. If one was an especially honored guest, he reclined next to the host, and so, in the idiom of that day, he was said to be 'in the bosom' of his host."/2

3. Christ is described in Scripture as being "in the bosom" of the Father (cf. John 1:18); this suggests a close relationship. Thus, when the Bible says that Lazarus was carried into Abraham's bosom, it simply means that upon his death he was taken to a realm of great honor. "Because Abraham was the founder of the Hebrew nation, to be honored with his intimacy was the highest bliss."/3

1/ Holman Bible Dictionary, 10. 2/ Wayne Jackson, Notes from the Margin of My Bible, Vol. 2, 31. 3/ The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, 6

by Mike Benson

Folks in deep south probably think that the Weather Channel has something against them. It appears as though the gulf states are facing yet another violent hurricane. First it was Charles, then it was Frances, then it was Ivan (a category 5 storm with winds in excess of 156 m.p.h.), and now it is Jeanne.

This recent series of atmospheric events serves as a metaphor for life. While you and I try to pick up from the effects of earlier tempests, yet another one looms on the horizon (cf. Job 1-2). Impending emotional pressures look to drench us like a driving rain. Additional stresses promise to surround our hearts like rushing flood waters. Our spiritual resources are already depleted, and the thought of facing yet another climatic assault seems impossible.

So how do we prepare for Ivan when we're still reeling from his siblings (Psalm 55:8)?

It sounds simple, but it's profound. Remember that no storm is stronger than the Savior. Our personal hurricanes are never beyond His divine control.

The Psalmist wrote, "For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea ... He calms the storm, so that its waves are still" (Psalm 107:25, 29; cf. Psalm 83:15; 135:7; 147:18; Job 26:12; Matthew 5:45; Mark 4:35-41).

Dear friend, are you facing another hurricane in your life? Don't try to "ride it out" yourself. The wind and the waves obey the Lord's will. Let Him take charge (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 78:26). He can handle Jeannie and her family.

by Mike Benson

Teri Horton stopped in Dot's Thrift Shop to browse around. During her junket she stumbled across a bright abstract painting and decided that it might make a good gag gift for a disheartened friend. Teri shelled out $5.00 for the 66-inch by 48-inch canvas and then lugged it home.

Teri's friend, Theresa, got a big laugh out of the hideous present, but turned it down because it barely fit through her front door. Teri took it home again, but after a year decided it was taking up too much space and so she offered it to yet another friend who was an art-instructor. The work turned out to be an authentic Jackson Pollock worth millions!

Pollock (1912—1957) was a leader in the American expressionist movement of the 1940's. He employed large canvases and then "painted" by pouring liquid pigment out of a can and dripping color with a brush.

No one knows for sure how the masterpiece ended up at the thrift store. Some think it may have been purchased at an estate sale in Southern California; others believe it may have simply been given away by Pollock's brother following his untimely death. In either case, "Untitled 1948" found its way to the little store near San Bernardino where it sat for years until Teri Horton happened along.

Imagine. A multi-million dollar painting sold for only five bucks. The store owner had no idea what she possessed.

Maybe you've never thought about it before, but like Teri Horton, you have an incredible treasure in your home too. It is bound in genuine calf skin, printed on thin rice paper, and written in black Indian ink. It is the holy (Jeremiah 23:9), inspired (2 Timothy 3:16,17) and infallible (Psalm 19:7) Word of God (Psalm 33:4). Splashed across its pages are the thoughts of the greatest author in the universe.

Dear friend, where is your Bible? Is it lodged in some dusty crevasse of your home? When was the last time you sat down and really dug into Scripture (Acts 17:11)? The Word of God is a valuable find (cf. 2 Kings 23:24)! The Psalmist wrote, "I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure!" (Psalm 119:162).

"How precious is the Book divine, by inspiration giv'n! Bright as a lamp its precepts shine, to guide my soul to heav'n. Holy Book divine! Precious treasure mine! Lamp to my feet and a light to my way to guide me safely home." (L. O. Sanderson).

by Mike Benson

QUESTION: "Are we living in the last days?"

ANSWER: Carefully study the following passages:

1. The Old Testament prophets said, "the mountain of the Lord's house (i.e., the church) would be 'established' (i.e., built) in the LAST DAYS." "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it (Isaiah 2:2; cf. Micah 4:1).

2. The church Jesus promised (Matthew 16:18,19) was established on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection of the Lord (Acts 2:47), thus, the LAST DAYS (i.e., the Christian age) began in Acts 2, in fulfillment of Jesus' promise and Old Testament prophecy. Compare Joel 2:28; Acts 2:16,17. Hence, the LAST DAYS began on Pentecost.

3. Thus, we are now living in the LAST DAYS (i.e., the Christian age), and we have been living in them for nearly 2,000 years. The New Testament says, "God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in THESE LAST DAYS spoken to us by His Son..." (Hebrews 1:1,2a; emphasis mine--mb). Here the inspired writer makes it clear that the last days were currently in effect.

Review . The church was to begin in the LAST DAYS.

. The church was established on Pentecost; hence the LAST DAYS (i.e., Christian age) began on that occasion (Acts 2:17ff).

. Thus, the LAST DAYS continue to today and will not cease until Christ returns (Hebrews 1:1,2; 1 Corinthians 15:24-26).