by Mike Benson

Question: "Why do members of the church of Christ eat the Lord's Supper every Sunday?"

Answer: Thank you for this important question. Let's go to the Scriptures for an answer:

1. The apostles of Christ were guided into ALL truth. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13a).

2. They ate the Lord's Supper every Lord's Day (cf. Revelation 1:10) -- EACH first day of the week. Consider:

. The disciples were commanded to observe the Lord's Supper (Matthew 26:26-28; cf. Luke 22:17-19).

. Christians were commanded to assemble every Sunday (1 Corinthians 16:2; cf. Hebrews 10:25).

. The primary purpose of their assemblies was in order to partake of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20,33) and therefore remember His death (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:26,24).

. The first-century church observed the Lord's Supper according to the apostle's doctrine (Acts 2:42). NOTE: The Greek article (the) preceding "bread" is not present in the English, but is present in the original text. The article indicates that a special (unleavened) bread was under consideration.

. The apostolic practice was the first day of the week ("Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread..." Acts 20:7), the same day of Christ's resurrection (Luke 24:1-3,46,21).

3. Members of the church of Christ are only trying to follow the New Testament PATTERN. Since there is not a week that passes that does not have a first day, Christians partake of the Lord's Supper/Communion on this weekly occasion, according to the apostolic example, and in so doing, remember the sacrifice of the Lord on their behalf.

by Mike Benson

In his commentary on the book of James, Warren Wiersbe relates the following incident,

"Whenever I ride a bus or elevated train in the city, I often think of the man in Boston who was entertaining a famous Chinese scholar. He met his Oriental friend at the train station and rushed him to the subway. As they ran through the subway station, the host panted to the guest, 'If we run and catch the next train, we will save three minutes.' To which the patient Chinese philosopher replied, 'And what significant thing shall we do with the three minutes we are saving?'" (Warren Wiersbe, "Where To Get Wisdom," Be Mature, 105).

Dear reader, before you "break your neck" to try to catch a car, a bus or even a traffic light, it might be helpful to consider what you will do with those few extra seconds or minutes that you save.

The Bible urges, "See then that you walk circumspectly (i.e., carefully), not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time..." (Ephesians 6:15,16a). Think about it.

by Mike Benson

Question: "I am concerned about religious division. Surely the Lord isn't pleased with so many religious groups teaching different doctrines, wearing different names, and worshipping in different ways. What can we all do to become one in Christ?"

Answer: You are correct. Jesus is not pleased with religious diversity. In fact, nearly two thousand years ago He prayed, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one..." (John 17:20, 21a). To produce true unity we must:

1. Sow the SAME seed. In the parable of the soils, Jesus said the "seed" was the word of God (Luke 8:11). That being so, preachers must plant the same seed/word into the hearts of men in order to reap unity. "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10). As long as different seeds are sown, we can expect to reap a bumper crop of denominationalism and division.

2. Sow the RIGHT seed. Since the seed is the word, and the word of Christ is truth (John 17:17), preachers must plant the right seed (John 1:17; 14:6) into the hearts of men in order to enjoy oneness in Christ. Sowing the seeds of human opinion will never produce the kind of crop for which Jesus petitioned His Father. Only the seed of truth (John 8:32) will yield unity (Ephesians 4:3).

3. Harvest the SAME crop. If I plant "Big Boy" tomato seeds in my garden in the Spring, I should expect to reap Big Boy tomatoes in the Summer, right (cf. Galatians 6:7)? Tomato seeds will not produce cucumbers, cantaloupes, okra, corn, beans, onions, spinach, or potatoes; they will only produce after their own kind (Genesis 1:11). This same principle is true in religion.

"The seed of the kingdom will produce the kingdom; it will not produce anything different from the kingdom... It has never been known to produce anything other than the kingdom of God, the church of the Lord. The Word of God preached in this community always produced exactly what is produced in another community when preached there. But we see several hundred different religious denominations in the world today, differing from each other in name, doctrine and practice.

Why are all of these different bodies in existence? They have been produced by the sowing of the seed, the preaching of religious doctrines. Just as sure as there are bodies differing from each other, seeds differing from each other have been sown. If the same kind of seed had been sown in every community, the same results would have been produced... So the Gospel preached in Jerusalem which produced the kingdom of God, the church of Christ, will not when preached in America produce a hundred different denominations. The fact that the many denominations are in existence is positive proof that something different from the Gospel, the Word of God, has been preached."/1

When the apostles planted the seed of God into the fertile hearts of men (1 Corinthians 3:5), what kind of crop did they harvest (1 Peter 1:23; Acts 11:26)? Did Paul and Peter sow the same seed and yet reap radically different crops? Did they reap religious diversity (Philippians 2:2)? Did they reap different religious groups, who wore different names, and who worshiped God in different ways? Did they reap corn, beans, and potatoes (1 Corinthians 1:13)?

I appreciate this thoughtful question. May we all strive for the unity which Christ desires.

1/Roy H. Lanier, Sr., "Why We Preach the Word," Gospel Advocate, June 1991, 17-18.

by Mike Benson

Robert Fulghum, in one of his more recent books wrote,

"One of life's best coping mechanisms is to know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. If you break your neck, if you having nothing to eat, if your house is on fire -- then you've got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat, and a lump in the breast are not the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference."

What I hear Mr. Fulghum saying is that we need to learn perspective. I believe he is correct. The Bible says, "For our LIGHT AFFLICTION, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen" (2 Corinthians 4:17,18; emphasis mine--mb).

Was that problem you had today really a problem, or was it just an inconvenience (Hebrews 12:2,3)? Think about it.

by Mike Benson

Question: "What is the baptism of fire? Do you think Christians should pray for it?"

Answer: Let's go to the Bible for an answer. Please study the following:

John the Baptist promised that Jesus would administer two baptisms -- Holy Spirit baptism and the baptism of fire. "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier that I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:10,11).

The apostles would receive the overwhelming measure of the Holy Spirit's power on Pentecost (Luke 24:48,49; Acts 1:4,5; Acts 2:1-4); the unrepentant Pharisees and Sadducees would receive the penalty of hell at the final judgment.

The baptism of fire is "hell fire". "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12).

It is clear that John was referring to "hell fire" (i.e., eternal destruction) in this passage. H. Leo Boles observes:

"Is it credible that 'fire' should have one meaning in the first and third verses, and an entirely different meaning in the second? We must conclude that 'fire' has the same meaning in verses ten, eleven and twelve. With this conclusion, we must believe that two baptisms are mentioned here, that two classes are to receive the baptisms; that one class is to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the other class the baptism of fire. 'Fire' as used here cannot be taken as a symbol of the Holy Spirit; this would be a confusion to say Christ would 'baptize in the Holy Spirit and in the Holy Spirit.' Where fire is used in a literal sense in the Bible, it invariably sets forth God's divine judgment upon sin; where it is used in a figurative sense it represents this process by which evil is removed, and destruction. No sound principle of interpretation admits of representing the same truth under a literal and figurative form in the same connection" (H. Leo Boles, "Holy Spirit and Fire," The Holy Spirit — His Personality, Nature and Works, pp. 304-305).

Jesus will administer the baptism of fire when He comes again. "And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:49; cf. Revelation 20:14, 15; 21:8).

No. Christians should not pray for the baptism of fire. Rather, they should endeavor to avoid it.

For a further study of this subject, go to: www.christiancourier.com.