Does an elder "assume" the position of leader or is he appointed?

Should the oversight meeting be open to all elder brethren of consistent walk in life, or only to a few, who “assume” the care and rule of the meeting?

I think one qualified by God for such a work would be very slow to “assume” anything;

1 Timothy 3:1-7;" TARGET="_blank">1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1: 6-9;" TARGET="_blank">Titus 1: 6-9; and 1 Peter 5:1-5" TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 5:1-5 give us the qualifications of an overseeing elder: first, he must” desire” it (or “stretch forward” to it, as the original expresses). But that is not enough; he may even be “consistent in walk and life,” and yet fail to manifest the necessary qualification for eldership. Does he rule his home well for instance? or is it a matter of common knowledge, that he is ruled in the home? An overseer of this type is a great hindrance, for sometimes it is the power in the home that seeks to rule the church by his means.

Has he a “good report of them that are without”? Does he “hold fast the faithful Word”? Has he a pastor’s heart, to feed the flock of God?

I think one qualified by God for such a work would be very slow to “assume” anything; he would be apt to do the work, show fitness for it, and have a heart for the Lord’s people, but it would not be for him to push himself into a prominent position; rather his fellowship would be sought. Elders caring for the saints should be on the look out for brethren who are manifesting any spiritual activities, and seek to encourage such, remember that age comes on apace, and that soon perhaps their work will need other hands to take it up.

W.H.

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What is the sealing of the Holy Spirit?

THE SEALING
Is the sealing of the Holy Spirit in this dispensation, a sealing on the forehead, seen outwardly, or is it experienced inwardly?

Does not John Bunyan refer to an outward sealing in the Pilgrim's Progress?

The sign of the old covenant was circumcision, an outward mark in the flesh. It is said in the case of Abraham to have been the “seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcised” (Romans 4:9)," TARGET="_blank">Romans 4:9), which was of course exceptional, as infants of eight days old have no righteousness. The Lord seals His people as His own by giving them His Holy Spirit. “In whom having believed ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 1:13 R.V.; see also Ephesians 4:30;" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 4:30; and 2 Corinthians 1:22)." TARGET="_blank">2 Corinthians 1:22). This is not an experience subsequent to conversion, but at conversion; nor is it an outward mark on the flesh, but a spiritual reality, which no doubt will come out in life. John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” is an allegory: that is, a spiritual truth conveyed under the form of a literal story. We should get into no end of difficulties, if we interpreted the figures literally.

Are all sinners, for example, to wade through a literal “Slough of Despond” on their way to the wicket gate? Besides, even Bunyan must be checked by the Word of God, and no less, “experiences” that pious persons claim to have passed through. There is no such thing taught in the Bible, as a Christian “being sealed on the forehead,” and for anyone to claim such a thing is a mistaken pretension, which he should seek grace from God to abandon.

W.H.

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Who were some messengers sent from God?

Abel

Hebrews 11:3-5" TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 11:3-5 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Noah

1 Peter 2:25" TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 2:25 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.

Jacob

Genesis 49:1" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

Aaron

Exodus 7:1" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Moses Exodus 3:10" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Samuel

1 Samuel 3:20" TARGET="_blank">1 Samuel 3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

David

Acts 2:29-30" TARGET="_blank">Acts 2:29-30 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

Elijah

1 Kings 17:1" TARGET="_blank">1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

Elisha

1 Kin 19:16." TARGET="_blank">1 Kin 19:16. Elisha … shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. Isaiah Isaiah 1:1" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah . His (Isaiah) name means “The Lord Is Salvation

Hosea

Hosea 1:1" TARGET="_blank">Hosea 1:1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah His name means “Salvation”. Verse 1 divine authority and message source. He is the first of twelve minor prophets

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 1:3" TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 1:3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. His message was to the exiled people in Babylon He was a priest and about 30years old when God called him to be a prophet.

Daniel

Matthew 24:15." TARGET="_blank">Matthew 24:15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Malachi

Malachi 1:1" TARGET="_blank">Malachi 1:1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?

Zacharias the father of John

Luke1:67" TARGET="_blank">Luke1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

Anna

Luke 2:36,38." TARGET="_blank">Luke 2:36,38. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Paul

Romans 1;" TARGET="_blank">Romans 1;1-6 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

Peter

2 Peter 1:1-3." TARGET="_blank">2 Peter 1:1-3. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour

Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

John

Revelation 1:1-2" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 1:1-2 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

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Does the example of women publishing tidings about the Ark give weight to the idea of preaching?

The R.V. of Psalm 68:11" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 68:11: “The women that publish the tidings are a great host,” has been used in favour of public preaching of the Gospel by women. What is its real meaning?

Psalm 68" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 68 is primarily connected with the bringing up of the Ark by David to the “resting place” (Psalm 132:8," TARGET="_blank">Psalm 132:8, R.V.) which he had, in accordance with his boyhood’s vow, prepared for it; though, of course, prophetically it looks forward to events far beyond that. It begins in v. with the words uttered by Moses on the occasions when the Ark was being taken up to move onward through the wilderness (Numbers 10:35);" TARGET="_blank">Numbers 10:35); and in its earlier verses it recounts in few words the bright side of Israel’s past history, as connected with what the Ark symbolised—the presence and power of God with His people. Their march through the desert; their arrival in the promised inheritance; and their victories over the nations that dwelt there, and those others that surrounded it; are pictured as won by the Presence of God with them. On various occasions these were celebrated in song, especially by their women-folk; and it is to such celebrations that the words quoted in the question refer.

See examples of them, in Exodus 15:20, 21," TARGET="_blank">Exodus 15:20, 21, after the Red Sea crossing; in Judges 5:1-3," TARGET="_blank">Judges 5:1-3, after Barak’s defeat of the host of Sisera; and in 1 Samuel 18:6, 7," TARGET="_blank">1 Samuel 18:6, 7, after David’s own victory over Goliath. Also compare the rejoicing on this occasion of the bringing up of the Ark as described in 2 Sam. 6. 15-22." TARGET="_blank">2 Sam. 6. 15-22. It is worthy of note that in many respects our psalm may be compared with the above-mentioned Song of Deborah. Those who advocate that women should do what in the New Testament they are forbidden to do, must be hard bestead for proof, if they have to come to Psalm 68:11" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 68:11 for it.

W.R.

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If a Christian commits suicide, will he / she still go to heaven?

Is the sin of suicide a special, unforgivable sin?

If a Christian commits suicide, will he / she still go to heaven? The brief answer is "yes". A person who is saved will be in heaven when he dies regardless of what kind of sin he has committed, including suicide. But there are several objections and misunderstandings about the nature of salvation that need to be explained in order to clarify the matter.

Salvation is not a result of any work that one might do to counteract sin or gain favor with God. Neither is salvation the result of avoiding sin. The Bible says that salvation is not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9)" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 2:8-9) and that nobody, except Christ Himself, has ever avoided sinning (Romans 3:1-23)." TARGET="_blank">Romans 3:1-23). The only action God expects from us is that we acknowledge our guilt from doing wrong and trust Christ Jesus for what he did on the cross (John 1:12-13)." TARGET="_blank">John 1:12-13). Once a person is saved, "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1)." TARGET="_blank">Romans 8:1).

The idea of suicide being unforgivable comes from Catholic teachings dating back to the earliest days of the Roman Church. Saint Augustine taught that suicide is tantamount to self murder and therefore leads to an eternity in hell. The Catholic doctrine states that confession leads to forgiveness of sins. An unconfessed sin is an unforgiven sin and therefore a person who kills himself dies in an unforgiven state since he has no opportunity to confess his crime.

The problem with his view is that it represents a misunderstanding of the nature of salvation and eternal security.

First, a person who trusts in Christ's death for the fogiveness of his/her sins is saved. All sins are forgiven including those from childhood to old age, from small seemingly trivial mis-spoken words to grave violations of the law.

Second, the person who is saved did nothing to neither earn forgiveness nor pay for his salvation. Christ the Savior made himself answerable to God for every crime ever committed by human kind including the crime of murder. He finished the work to save completely and with finality at the cross.

Third, the saved person is secure in having eternal life. God doesn't revoke salvation based on our behavior.

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Should a person who is being disciplined by the assembly be present at the discipline meeting?

Should a person who is being disciplined by the assembly be present at the discipline meeting?

Yes. Not every form of New Testament discipline involves putting an individual away from the fellowship. How could an assembly rebuke a fellow-believer (1 Timothy 5:20)" TARGET="_blank">1 Timothy 5:20) who is not present? In the case of excommunication, an individual remains part of the assembly until the assembly has acted to put him away Silently attending such a gathering might indicate submissiveness to and concurrence with the assemblys action. It may also convince a person of the sensuousness of his sin and of the saints concern for him. No one can force a person to attend; advising him to do so would be wise.

D. Oliver
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We can't have children, but my friends are hinting that it is time. What should I do?

How can a couple who is unable to bear children respond to well-intended hints that it is time for them to be parents?

Those who cannot have children will know how devastating such a comment can be. The example of the Lord and the statements of Scripture teach us to respond to evil with blessing, not responding in kind (1Pe 3:9)." TARGET="_blank">1Pe 3:9). This person probably meant well and was attempting to express interest, encouragement, maybe even confidence. Depending on the Lord to give help, the couple could simply express appreciation for the concern expressed and ask for the help of that person in prayer. The Lord will know how to answer the prayer in ways the person praying may not understand.

For the benefit of the well-intentioned individual who thrust a knife into the heart of this couple, many passages, if heeded, would have sealed his lips. One will do. Christians are to consider the effect of their words on others and to limit their communications to what is beneficial ("good"), strengthening ("edification"), and enabling ("ministering grace to the hearers," Eph 4: 29)." TARGET="_blank">Eph 4: 29). None of us is perfect (James 3:2)," TARGET="_blank">James 3:2), but Christian grace will increase our sensitivity to others.

D. Oliver
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What are the marks of the Spirit

What are the marks of the Spirit’s leading in a meeting?

In light of the foregoing principles, our participation should make it easier for and encourage others to participate. What we have contributed should often become a building block that amplifies others’ contributions. If a deadening silence follows our participation, quiet submission to the Lord may produce an awareness of a wrong condition in the soul. If there is honestly no awareness of wrong, then we commit this to the Lord with a humble admission that we have tried to please him. A feeling of depression or elation that follows our participation may not be the most reliable guide. Being willing to wait God’s time for encouragement is essential. He will give the needed encouragement in His own way as well as through others, which is most valuable when it comes from respected believers.

We must move in the presence of God and not live for or by the praise of men. We nonetheless value others and want to move in fellowship with them.

D. Oliver
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Is it appropriate to give out a hymn between partaking of the bread and drinking from the cup?

Is it appropriate to give out a hymn between partaking of the bread and drinking from the cup?

Making rules for conducting our gatherings is inappropriate. But so is creating confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33)." TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 14:33). Our singing together and our worship lead to the time when we remember the Lord by breaking the bread and partaking of the cup. The first three gospels give us the specific model for this sacred rite. Mark tells us, "Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, . . . And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it" (Mark 14:22, 23)." TARGET="_blank">Mark 14:22, 23). Paul tells us how the Lord conducted this, "after the same manner" (1 Corinthians 11:25)" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 11:25) and records His instruction, "This do ye . . ."

This is the order: thanksgiving for the bread, then all break the bread; thanksgiving for the cup, then all drink from it.

D. Oliver

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How should an assembly communicate the desicion to send out a full-time evangelist?

How would elders approach and communicate this decision to the assembly?

Elders encourage spiritual growth in the flock entrusted to them (Acts 20:28)." TARGET="_blank">Acts 20:28). They will therefore look for those whom the Spirit has gifted for service. Further, as did the leaders in Antioch (13:1-3), so elders promote a concern for the work of the Lord locally and further afield. Others gave Paul a good report of Timothy’s activities, so that elders could well encourage a trusted worker to mentor one of their promising young men.

Having encouraged a younger brother, elders unitely seek the Lord’s will (13:2, 3 - fasting, prayer) for that brother. When they are together convinced that God has called him and that he is fitted and sufficiently mature to be "sent forth" (13:4), elders consult with him to determine if he is already convinced of God’s call. Having thus determined the will of God for this brother, they guide the assembly in commending him.

D. Oliver
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