We must avoid sin!

We can’t just claim the devil made us do it! Acts 5:3

Good doesn’t cancel out bad! Acts 5:2

God wants us to walk in the light and avoid sin.

We must fear God!

Acts 5:5

Proverbs 1:7; 3:7-8; 8:12-13; 14:26-27

Hebrews 10:26-27,. 30-31

Acts 5:5, 11-14 – After the incident with Ananias and Sapphira, multitudes came to God.

I Corinthians 5:6-7 – Sin spreads if it is not rooted out!

Don’t be discouraged by evil.

Acts 4:32-37

Galatians 6:9 – Don’t grow weary in doing well.

Attitude check: II Timothy 2:15 – We must accurately handle the word of God!

Didn’t Alexander Campbell start the church of Christ back in the 1800s? (continued)

Acts 24:5, 14

Alexander Campbell was certainly not the founder or restorer of Christ’s church.

Jesus Christ is the founder of the one and only church!

Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; Colossians 1:18 – The church belongs to Christ – not Alexander Campbell. Campbell didn’t restore the church; he restored the thinking of himself and those he reached. The church hadn’t gone anywhere!

I Thessalonians 5:21-22; II Peter 3:17-18 – Our job as Christians is to examine everything and cling to what Jesus has revealed as truth.

Worshiping according to the instructions in the New Testament was not an idea original to Alexander Campbell. Local churches were worshiping this way before Alexander Campbell was around.

Isn’t baptism an outward sign of an inward grace?

Notice what scripture says …

Mark 16:16

Acts 2:38 – Compare translation of Greek word for “for” in Matthew 26:28

Philip in scripture

Named among the twelve

In initial naming – Matthew 10:1-4

In Jerusalem awaiting the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:13

Included whenever apostles grouped

The twelve

The apostles

Throughout New Testament

John 1:43-46

Jesus found him in Galilee

He was from Bethsaida

Philip was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah

Familiar with the Law and the Prophets

Told a friend about Jesus

Took his friend to show him

John 12:20-23

Greek Jews come to Philip

Told Andrew

They told Jesus

John 14:6-10

Philip replies to Jesus

“Show us the Father”

Jesus declares His oneness with the Father

John 6:1-7

Jesus asked Philip how much bread it would take

Philip quoted a price – about $25,000

Said that would not be sufficient

Acts 6:5; 8; 21:8

Some believe this Philip to be Philip the apostle

Acts 6:4; 8:9-19 contradict that idea

No other mention of Philip in scripture

Philip in history and tradition

The name of Philip

Greek name meaning horse lover

Philip of Macedonia: horse lover

Philip the Tetrarch over Galilee

Resided in Caesarea some of the time

Rebuilt the city, named it Caesarea Philippi

Identity confusion

Many hold that Philip the apostle = Philip the evangelist

Makes tracking the traditions and history difficult

Why the confusion

Papias’ writings

Term “apostle” often used differently

The seventy of Luke 10:1, 17 often called apostles

Galatians 1:19; Acts 14:14

Some apocryphal writings

Gospel of Philip – gnostic in nature

Acts of Philip

Letter from Peter to Philip

Both martyred in Heiropolis

Much about Philip the evangelist confused as a result

At some point, went to Phrygia

Brought his sister Mariamne and Bartholomew

Healed Stachys, a blind man, and stayed in his house

By prayer, caused a serpent idol to die

Converted proconsul’s wife, enraging proconsul

All three condemned to die

Proconsul relented

Saved Mariamne and Bartholomew

Too late for Philip

Heiropolis mentioned by Paul – Colossians 4:13

Philip buried in tomb in Heiropolis

Excavations in 2011 found a tomb

Inscriptions and symbology indicate Christian

Name of Philip and indication of apostleship

No bones there

Taken to Istanbul in the 3rd century

Later taken to Rome

II Timothy 2:15

Miss Nora Yount conversing by mail with Mr. Clement, presiding elder and others

Error: Assuming

Acts 21:27-29

Stephanas – I Corinthians 1:16 – households don’t necessarily include infants!

Lydia – Acts 16:13-15

Philippian jailer – Acts 16:31-34

Cornelius – Acts 10:48 (10:24; 11:14, 18; 15:7-9)

Mark 16:15-16

Matthew 28:18-20 – Jesus said to make disciples of all the nations and baptize them. Infants could not be disciples, so they were excluded from this command.

Error: appealing to non-authoritative truth

Matthew 15:1-2, 9-14

Matthew 7:13-14

I Corinthians 1:20; 2:4-5

Error: Stretching an analogy

John 10:7, 9

Colossians 2:11-12 (see 2:8, 13; 3:9-10)

Hebrews 8:11

Attitude check: Luke 9:51-56 – Don’t be so trigger-happy! Have the attitude of Jesus, not of James and John. Our goal should be to help, inform, and encourage others.

Does the New Covenant authorize worship with instruments? (continued)

Does the Greek word psallo include instruments?

Psallo had previously been used in connection with instruments, but its meaning had changed by the time of the New Testament.

Ephesians 5:18-19 – If psallo does include instruments, that is part of the command and we all have to use instruments!

“They worshipped with instruments in the Old Testament.”

Yes, but we’re not under the Old Covenant.

Psalms 33:1-3; II Chronicles 29:25; Hebrews 7:18-19; 8:6-7

Acts 16:3; Galatians 2:3; 5:1-4 – It is wrong to do something as religious service that God did not authorize.

“Instruments are mentioned in Revelation 5:8; 14:2; 15:2 and 18:21-22.”

Literal? This is all figurative language.

Heaven is not the same as earth. Matthew 22:30

Didn’t Alexander Campbell start the church of Christ back in the 1800s?

Who was Alexander Campbell?

Alexander Campbell was a man born in the 1780s in Ireland who came to America in 1809. His father, Thomas Campbell, was a Presbyterian minister, but through independent Bible study Thomas began to see the error of human creeds and denominational confessions of faith. He began having clashes with his denominational peers and broke away.

Alexander Campbell followed in his father’s footsteps and encouraged people to use the Bible itself as a religious authority. Many people claim that Alexander Campbell founded the churches of Christ (see his Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Campbell_(clergyman)). Members of the church have been called “Campbellites.” Some say that just like Lutherans originated in Martin Luther, Methodists from John Wesley, etc., members of churches of Christ find their origins in the teachings of Alexander Campbell.

We can learn several things from Alexander Campbell and his contemporaries.

Philippians 3:17; I Corinthians 11:1 – It is good when we can look at others as examples in following Christ.

Thomas Campbell originally stated the motto, “Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” That is a good way to sum up some Biblical principles. Galatians 1:6-9; II Timothy 3:16-17; I Peter 4:11; II Peter 1:2-3; II John 1:9; Revelation 22:18-19

Like his father, Alexander Campbell tried to distance himself from reliance on human creeds and traditions. In his writings, he repeatedly called for people to simply stick to the New Testament.

In 1816, he preached a “Sermon on the Law” based on Galatians 4:21-31 that became well-known, and which changed his relationship with Baptist groups in the area who disagreed with his conclusions that the Old Law had passed away and that we’re under the New Covenant today.

Campbell declared in a public debate that “baptism was never designed for, nor commanded to be administered to, a member of the church.” In other words, we are “baptized into one body” (I Corinthians 12:13). We are not members of the body/church, then baptized.

While Alexander Campbell did some remarkable Bible study and teaching, he was not the founder of Christ’s church! In fact, we could list several beliefs in which he missed the mark.

Lesson eight:

John in scripture

Named among the twelve

In initial naming

In Jerusalem awaiting the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:13

Included whenever apostles grouped

The twelve

The apostles

In the gospel accounts and in Acts

Brother of James, son of Zebedee, fisherman – Matthew 4:21

Was he the “other” disciple in John 1:35-44?

No self-referral by name in his gospel account

Only “the disciple”

John 19:26-27

John 21:20-24

With Peter and James

Raising Jairus’ daughter – Mark 5:37

Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-13

Gethsemane on night of betrayal – Matthew 26:36-46

Ready to destroy Samaritan village – Luke 9:51 ff

Tried to dissuade one from casting out demons in Jesus’ name – Mark 9:38-41

Sat closest to Jesus at Lord’s Supper – John 13:21-30

Mary given into His care – John 19:26-27

Among the first to see the empty tomb – John 20:1-10

With Peter at temple gate when lame man healed – Acts 3:1-10

Persecuted with Peter for teaching of the resurrection of Jesus – Acts 4:1-22

Went to Samaria with Peter to give new Christians there the Holy Spirit – Acts 8:14-25

Scripture attributed to John

John’s gospel account

Written between 80 and 90 AD

Quoted by multiple early second-century writers

Irenaeus (130-202 AD)

Ignatius (35-108 AD)

Taught by John

Elder at Antioch

Polycarp

Taught by John

Elder of the church at Smyrna

Declared authenticity of all four gospels

Basilides

Taught from 117-138 AD

Quoted from John

Aristides

Muratorian Fragment

1 John (65 AD)

2 John (65 AD)

3 John (65 AD)

Revelation (68-69 AD)

Controversy on date for Revelation

Ancient references versus context

John in history and tradition

Spent several years in Jerusalem

Worked with the other apostles

Cared for Mary

Traveled to Ephesus

After Paul’s initial work there

Took Mary with him (or not)

Taught throughout Anatolia

Exiled to Patmos

Exiled by Domitian

Wrote epistles and Revelation at Patmos

Domitian dies in 96 AD

Returned to Ephesus

Died in 100 AD

John’s relics

John buried in Ephesus

Chapel build over his tomb

Emperor Justinian replaced it

Cathedral

Sixth century

Cathedral damaged over the years

Repaired in late ‘60s

Bones of John gone

Turkey blames British Museum

Current location of remains unknown

Authority is specified to a certain degree

Example #1: Transporting the ark

Exodus 25:14; Numbers 4:15; 7:6-9

I Chronicles 13:7-14; 15:2, 12-15

Example #2: Strange fire

Example #3: Priesthood

III John 1:9

“Please go buy me a dog.”

Genesis 6:14 – “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood.”

Singing – Colossians 3:17

Matthew 26:30

Mark 14:26

Acts 16:25

Romans 15:9

I Corinthians 14:15

Ephesians 5:19

Colossians 3:16

Hebrews 2:12

Hebrews 13:15

James 5:13

Work of local churches – II Corinthians 8:1-4; I Corinthians 14:26; Philippians 4:15

Provide for needy saints

Provide for worship and edification

Provide for preaching

Where is the authority for song books?

Where is the authority for the church building?

Attitude check: I Corinthians 13:4

How do I know the Holy Spirit is talking to me? (continued)

These promises to the apostles began to be fulfilled in Acts 1-2.

We might wonder if the phrase in Acts 2:38 (“the gift of the Holy Spirit”) means that all people receive some supernatural communication or power from the Spirit.

Numerous examples show that baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way were two separate things. Acts 8:16-18; 10:44-48; 19:1-7

So, what is the “gift of the Holy Spirit” that is received at baptism?

For centuries, the Holy Spirit had been saying (through prophets) that salvation was coming.

Hebrews 3:7; 4:7

Jeremiah 31:34; Isaiah 53:11; Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21

Salvation was the gift!

I should not be waiting for something miraculous to occur to either produce or confirm my salvation.

So, does God do anything today?

What God does in answer to our prayers is beyond our ability to know.

God is not going to contradict the written word. Galatians 1:6-9

God wants us to pay attention to the revealed gospel. Hebrews 1:1-2; 2:1-4

James 1:5

II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:3; Jude 1:3

Does the New Covenant authorize worship with instruments?

God has always been very strict about keeping His word exactly.

Acts 16:25

Romans 15:9

I Corinthians 14:15

Ephesians 5:19

Colossians 3:16

Hebrews 2:12

Hebrews 13:15

James 5:13

We have zero New Covenant passages authorizing Christians to worship through instruments.

It’s easy to see that singing is authorized, but there is no clear authority for instruments as worship.

Matthew 15:1-9; Colossians 3:17; II John 1:9 – God warns us about staying within what He has specifically authorized.

Deuteronomy 4:2; Galatians 1:6-9; Revelation 22:18-19

Are instruments just aids for singing?

When God authorized something, He narrows it down to a certain degree.

Instruments are not just aids – they add a new type of music.