Edition 14 of the First Principles

Saturday, November 5th

Edition 14 of the First Principles

(The last edition of the First Principles)

Matthew 18:15-17
15 "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Gossip (verb):

1. Wag one's tongue; speak about others and reveal secrets or intimacies.


2. Talk socially without exchanging too much information.

Gossip (noun):

1. A report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people.


2. A person divulging personal information about others.


3. A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors or facts.

Note: “Just between the two of you.” How would I like it for someone to go get “advice” (which to me can be tainted with gossip) and then come to me and give their viewpoint? Is it right to do such a thing? I don’t think so. It’s all about justification. Someone sins against me, so I sin against them by spreading around what happened, all in the name of advice. This is the process of what we are supposed to do: 1) Talk to the person. 2) If no result, talk to the person with a third party. 3) Again, no resolution, address the church. 4) If no resolution still, then treat as a normal Joe.

Hebrews 13:17
17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Note: Obey George Bush. Obey your boss. Obey the elders. Obey God. By doing this, things go more smoothly. This doesn’t mean that if there is a question about things, you can’t ask it, and I definitely don’t think that being submissive means letting yourself being taken advantage of, but the heart is to do God’s work.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Note: “Go and MAKE disciples,” so to be a disciple, you make disciples… well, I think that is part of it. The heart is you want to “go forth and multiply.” When I think of making something, I tend to think about cake. I love cake. Again, I LOVE cake. So, making one from scratch, with the flour, sugar, eggs and such, it can be a daunting task. It’s not like one of those cake in a box things. To make a scratch cake, it takes a few hours (at least for me) and even then, it doesn’t turn out pretty. It will taste great but you couldn’t judge that from the looks of it. So when making a disciple, starting from scratch, it’s not “add eggs and water and then cook 40 minutes.” I don’t think there is a disciple in a box out there.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2
1 Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Note: Money, money, money: the one thing that builds bitterness in the U.S. would be money. Everyone wants more of it and nobody has enough of it. When we don’t give, that sends a message to ourselves that we are pulling back. Why wouldn’t I give? Why wouldn’t I sacrifice to God? Am I no longer grateful for what God has done for me?

2 Corinthians 9:6-8
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Note: You reap what you sow. Whatever is happening today, is the result of what was done yesterday. If your life stinks, did you plant a stink bomb? If life is good, did you plant roses? I, for one, have a black thumb. Whatever I plant, dies almost before it hits the soil. So that brings another thought, how much do I nurture the things I sow? When I plant something, for it to be reaped, I have to water and care for it as it grows. For it to grow, I have to care for the sow.

Acts 2:36-47
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Note: Do I want to save myself from this corrupt generation? The response should be: what do I need to do? And afterward, I need to be committed. Is commitment “punching the clock” every week? Is it getting to church late and leaving early, running to the car to get away from the fellowship? Is it not calling other Christians, only seeing them at church functions, and even then, it’s a passing by hello. What is devoted? Is that how we treat our spouse? We see our spouse once a week and try to keep it as brief as possible. That is not the way it should be, but it is so common place in churches all over the world. “What is love anyway? Does anybody love anybody anyway?” (song by Howard Jones). I think the question brings a good thought of “faith and deeds” and the “life and doctrine.” If you have the right doctrine, then that can lead to the right life. If you have the right faith, then that can lead to the deeds to prove that faith. The right doctrine leads to love, which would lead to action by that love. Anyway, this was a great study. I enjoyed it. More studies to come with the No Answer studies and the people pleasing studies.