According to the history of the "Church of Christ," God used certain men to "restore" the New Testament church in the early 1800's.  Where was the true New Testament church before then?  Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18).  What happened to the church, and where was the truth it was responsible for preaching before God restored it?

 

Sincerely,
History Buff

Dear History Buff,

Your question brings up a common misconception.  Most churches of Christ in America can trace their roots back to a movement in early American history commonly known as ‘the Restoration Movement’.  It is called the Restoration Movement because those spearheading the movement wanted to restore worship back to the ways of the New Testament.  They wanted to go back to the Bible for all of their answers and practices.  This is exactly what the Lord calls us to do (1 Cor 4:6, Josh 1:7, Jhn 14:6, Rev 22:18-19).

The misconception is that these were the first men to do this.  That is a myth.  America is not the first country to contain people who wanted to go back to God’s Word for all that they said and did.  Even within the Bible, we see people seeking to restore Bible-based worship.  King Josiah found a copy of the Law and told the people to return to God (2 Kgs 22:10-13).  Jesus told the Jews to go back to the Scriptures and understand what God was telling them (Mk 12:24).  Jesus warned against making traditions that usurped the authority of the Scriptures (Mk 7:10-13).

The church has never been destroyed, and throughout many, many ages (including the darkest ages of Catholicism), there have been people who have sought to honestly and humbly serve God.  The Restoration Movement in America is merely one story of people that have sought to put God’s Word back into its rightful place.  The Bible is the seed of the church (Lk 8:11).  When a group of people commits itself to do what the Bible says – no more and no less – a church is formed.  Many of these congregations in America use the name ‘church of Christ’ because it is a Biblical name (Rom 16:16), and it is a recognizable name to other christians who are looking for faithful churches… but make no mistake, the Restoration Movement in America wasn’t the first (and it won’t be the last) group of people that wanted simple Christianity.

At what point in the Bible did God begin limiting how long man would live?

Sincerely,
Time’s Running Out

Dear Time’s Running Out,

The shortening of human life began to happen after the Flood, but there is no specific answer as to why God allowed the age of man to deteriorate down to seventy to eighty years (Ps 90:10) from the hundreds of years that people lived during the pre-Flood era.  However, many creation scientists attribute the drop to genetic degradation.  As mankind’s genetic pool has deteriorated from the perfect specimens of Adam and Eve, the length of our lives has suffered.  At least, that is one theory.

Think of it this way, Adam and Eve were the most healthy, well-made humans ever.  They were genetic royalty!  Everyone since them has been just a little less perfect.  That is the way genetics work.  Slowly over time, genetic mutations (like hemophilia, Down’s Syndrome, etc.) have crept into the genetic code of mankind, and other genetic traits have been lost.  This slow process of erosion has brought us to the point where we are today.  Our bodies are genetically inferior to the earlier generations of mankind, and consequently, can’t survive as long.  Another factor may simply be that the post-Flood world is harsher than the pre-Flood world, and that has added to our shortened lifespans.

    I realize it is becoming more politically correct for our nation to take the word "Christmas" out of the holidays (like the governor of Rhode Island calling the tree at the capital a "holiday" tree).  Since we don't celebrate Christ during the holidays as a church, would it be better for me to be in favor with the secularization of the holidays, or should I defend "Christmas" because removing the name is an attack on faith in Christ in general?  I am really confused where I should stand on this issue as a Christian.  I don't celebrate Christ at Christmas time, but I really dislike the attack on religion.  Please help.

Sincerely,
Mixed Feelings

Dear Mixed Feelings,

We here at AYP really feel your pain on this issue.  On the one hand, Christmas is not a biblical holiday (read “A Silent Summer Night” for more details on this issue), but on the other hand, we hate to see the constant attack upon the religious freedoms we enjoy in the United States.  The best way we can find to handle the issue is to be clear on both points.

1. You don’t personally celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday.
2. You have a problem with those who want to remove “Christ” from Christmas because of their hatred for Christianity.

Standing by the truth is always harder than just picking one of the popular positions, but in the end, we think it makes an even stronger case when someone who doesn’t personally celebrate Christmas as a spiritual holiday still respects the name of Christ enough to oppose those who fight against it in any arena.

What I'm concerned about is the direction of our nation of Christians. My wife and I have studied Esther and Daniel recently and read about how Mordecai resisted Haman.  Also, in Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; they resisted their king also.  In both Scriptures, these men stood up to the wicked leader and king because of their steadfast belief in God.

Do you think today that our church leaders should be teaching more about the end times, persecution of christians, and how to deal with the wicked government?

Sincerely,
Viva La Resistance

Dear Viva La Resistance,

The Bible is clear on what christians should do under all governments: pray for the leaders (1 Tim 2:1-2), honor rulers (1 Pet 2:17), pay taxes (Matt 22:21), and obey the laws (Rom 13:1-5).  All the examples you gave of rebellion against government were when the government asked righteous people to do something sinful.  Mordecai was asked to worship Haman (Est 3:2).  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were told to worship Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 3:12).  If the government ever asks christians to do something that is wrong – we must resist it.  When that happens, christians will be persecuted for their morals.  Preachers need to preach on those things, but it is important to know that wicked governments have always existed.  Corruption in a government is not a sign that the end of the world is coming.

I am wanting to know what you think of "Bible Codes".  I have heard some things about them, and they seem to be very good at predicting events.  I can’t help but think that we are not supposed to be doing stuff like the “Bible code” and that we should just read the Bible the way it was written.  What do you think?

Sincerely,
Cracking The Code

Dear Cracking The Code,

Yup, you got it right on the money.  When people try and decipher “secret” codes and hidden messages from the Bible, they are missing the point (as well as creating some ludicrous false prophecies!).  Paul said that the Bible was written, so that all could understand it, not just the intellectuals.  God wrote the Bible to be so straightforward that it almost seems foolishly simple (1 Cor 1:18-19).  Peter said that the Bible isn’t a matter of private interpretation (2 Pet 1:20).  There is no trick or fancy mathematical algorithm needed to decipher God’s Word.  God isn’t trying to confuse us (1 Cor 14:33).  When we read the Bible the way it was written, paying attention to context, and accepting it at face value, we are doing what God intended.  God wrote the Bible, so we might understand His will and have hope (Rom 15:4).