Introduction

In the New Testament we read of
the formation of the Church, its unity, worship, ministry, government, and
discipline.  In New Testament times there was, in every sense of the word,
one body of believers.

Since New Testament days the
outward testimony of the Church has been smashed into several thousand pieces,
which we call denominations or fellowships. Given this sad state of affairs, what
is the Christian to do? Some counsel us, "Go to the church of your
choice." That is pretty poor advice because it suggests that we are
capable of coming up with reasonable criteria on our own for selecting the most
suitable church fellowship. It also suggests that the differences among
churches and fellowships are relatively trivial. This is not at all the case,
for some deny fundamental teachings of the Bible such as the deity, virgin
birth, and resurrection of Christ and salvation by faith alone; some wink at
serious sins that are utterly condemned by the Bible; and others seek to be
guided, in doctrine and practice, by the Bible alone.

Others give better counsel:Find a
Bible-believing church, one that teaches and seeks to live and operate
according to the Bible, the Word of God. But we still will find a great variety
of churches, assemblies, fellowships, and denominations that claim to be
Bible-believing, but differ widely among themselves in doctrine, practice, and
organization.

The best we can do is:

1. Study, study, and study some
more what the Bible teaches about the Church.

2. Pray earnestly that the Lord
will help us to understand rightly what the Bible teaches concerning Christ and
the Church.

3. Pray for a pure heart for
ourselves and a deep desire to know and do God’s will in all things in
our personal life.

4. Pray that the Lord will lead us
to others who "call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22),
thus forming the basis for church fellowship that is in accordance with
Biblical principles.

Is church fellowship really such a
big deal? Yes, it surely is. Here is Christ’s own attitude about the Church:
"Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word; that He might present it
to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:25-27). So Christ
not only gave Himself for individuals, He gave Himself for the Church
as a body of believers. The Church is precious in His sight. May
we, as those who are being changed into Christ’s image (2 Cor. 3:18), find His
Church to be precious in our sight as well.

 

In this series of articles we
shall briefly discuss the historical background of the Church—when it began and
of whom it consists. Then we shall study the characteristics of the early
Church, including:

1. Its being one body and a unity
of assemblies.

2. Its being the house of God, the
pillar and ground of the truth.

3. Its heavenly character and
hope.

4. Its members being gathered
together unto the Lord’s name often for the breaking of bread, prayer, and
ministry of the Word.

5. The priesthood of all
its members.

6. The equipping and
responsibility of all its members for ministry and service in the
assembly.

7. The existence and role of
overseers and guides in the local assembly.

8. Its carrying out of Church
discipline.

After this we shall tackle the
issue that is so controversial in the Church today, namely, how do we manifest
the unity of assemblies or express the truth that there is one body in an age
in which the Church is splintered into thousands of different denominations,
sects, and fellowships.

Finally, for those who truly
believe they are following Biblical teaching about the Church as best as they
possibly can, I shall offer suggestions as to how they can do it even better.
May it be the earnest prayer of each believer in Christ and member of the
Church that we not only improve, day by day, in our walk with and likeness to
Christ, but that we and our fellow members of the body of Christ will be
increasingly faithful to the plan, organization, and practical conduct of the
Church according to the Word of God.

As we anticipate the coming
articles in this series, may we all—writer and reader alike—be much in prayer
about this matter that is so important to the One who loved the Church and gave
Himself for it.

                
The Beginning and Membership

                        
of the Church

There are some Bible scholars who
teach that the Church consists of all believers in every age. John Calvin
taught that Galatians 4:1-4 refers to the Church in its childhood in Old
Testament times. Surely there were many true believers in the Old Testament (Rom. 4:1-8; Heb. 11:1-32). However, there is scriptural evidence to show that the Church
was not formed until the Day of Pentecost as described in Acts 2:

1. Jesus said to Peter, "Upon
this rock I will build My Church" (Matt. 16:18). The apostle Paul
declared, "That Rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4); and the apostle Peter
referred to the Lord Jesus as "a living stone" and "a chief
cornerstone" (1 Pet. 2:4-8; see also Eph. 2:20).

 

2. It is by the Holy Spirit that
we are "baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12:13). Jesus, after His
resurrection, told His disciples that they would "be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days hence" (Acts 1:5,8). On the Day of Pentecost
those disciples (about 120 of them, Acts 1:15) were gathered together when the
Holy Spirit came down and filled them (Acts 2:1-13). The apostle Peter preached
to the multitude gathered to celebrate the feast of Pentecost; about 3,000
received his word and "were added unto them" (that is, unto the 120
or so original members of the Church; Acts 2:41). At the end of the chapter we
read that "the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be
saved" (2:47).

The Greek word translated
"church" in the New Testament is ekklesia. The word ekklesia
literally means "called out ones" and was used generally by Greeks to
refer to "an assembly of the citizens summoned by the town
crier."  The early Church was made up of Jews who, upon believing on
the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, were called out from the Jewish religion
to be members of the body of Christ (Acts 2:44,46). Later on, when the gospel
came to the Gentiles, many of them also believed and were called out of their
pagan religions and joined with the Jewish believers in the same body, the
Church (Acts 15:14; Eph. 2:11-21).

In this series of articles, we
shall use "Church" with capital C to denote the Church of Christ in its entirety, worldwide (such as Eph. 5:23), and "church" with lower-case c
to denote a congregation or expression of the Church in a certain place (such
as Gal. 1:2). The Bible does not—nor shall we—use the word "church"
to designate a building where Christians meet together.

Clearly, the word ekklesia
goes far beyond simple membership in a body. As mentioned above, it expresses
the thought of an assembling of people. The chief activity of the local ekklesia
or church is being assembled together for worship, prayer, ministry of the Word
of God, or decision-making. We shall often use the word "assembly" in
these articles, especially in reference to the believers gathered together in a
particular place.

In the Old Testament the faithful
ones were primarily individual believers, vitally and eternally linked with
God. Their unity was that of the family or tribe and they were represented by twelve
loaves of showbread in the holy place of the tabernacle (Lev. 24:5). Since
Pentecost in Acts 2, the believers enjoy not only the vertical link with God as
their Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, but a horizontal
link with every other believer as "one body in Christ, and every one
members one of another" (Rom. 12:5). Believers are now represented by one
loaf (1 Cor. 10:17). Surely the unity of the different parts of a body is much
closer even than the unity of members of the same family.

In the next issue, Lord willing,
we shall consider the Church in its characteristic as one body, the body of
Christ.

 

The origin of the ancient city of Pergamos goes back into the shadows of time, even before Lysimachus received the old
Citadel of Pergamum from Alexander the Great when he divided his Empire among
his four surviving generals, as prophesied in Daniel 8.

The present city, now called Bergama in Turkey, lies about 20 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. With a population of
60,000, it attracts many tourists due to its ample accomodations and abundant
historic features. First-time visitors are surprised at the great number of old
ruins in and about the city, testifying to its once-magnificent status as the
capital of Roman-ruled Mysia in Asia Minor.

Those who know something of its
history can point out the remains of its Acropolis, once the site of the huge
Altar of Zeus, or to the vestiges of the Amphitheater, the Emperor Trajan’s Temple to Athena, and a Roman palace. There is still a great basilica dating from early
Christian days, now a mosque. They may also recount its years of bygone
splendor, rivaling even Alexandria in "almost outrageous luxury" with
its glorious gardens and imposing library of over 200,000 books which
Alexander, although not their owner, took away as a gift to Cleopatra. Pergamos
was famous for its superb cloth of gold, as well as for pergamena charta,
or parchment, named after the city. Rich merchants once mingled with the
throngs at its enormous market place. But, as an archaeologist has written of
Pergamos:"Of its ancient finery, only rags are left."

In the Book of Revelation the Lord
directed the apostle John to write to each of the seven church­es in Asia messages that were to encompass the past, the present, and the future (Rev. 1:11,19).
These messages apply not only to each individual church or assembly as
constituted in John’s day, but more importantly for our counsel and guidance
today. They set forth prophetically the consecutive epochs of Christendom’s
history. Pergamos is the third of the seven churches addressed by the Lord.

EPHESUS was the first church,
corresponding prophetically to the days of the apostles to the year 167 A.D.
when persecutions of Christians increased violently in the reign of Marcus
Aurelius. The Ephesian saints were commended for their labor and patience in
rejecting evil men and false apostles; nevertheless, they had left their
"first love" (Rev. 2:4).

 

SMYRNA was the second church
addressed. Its name means "myrrh," one of the gifts brought by the
Magi to the child Jesus after His birth. A "sweet smell unto God,"
myrrh was also used for the burial of the Lord after His death on the cross. Secular
histories record ten phases (compare Rev. 2:10) of cruel persecution of
faithful Christians by edicts of Roman rulers down through the reign of Emperor
Diocletian, ending in 305 A.D. Diocletian made a concerted effort, not only to
kill all Christians who refused to worship the Roman gods, but to destroy
utterly every written word of Holy Scripture.

The historian, Tertullian, has
written, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." And so
it was:the light of the gospel of Christ, far from being extin­guished,
continued to spread over the Roman world and beyond. Satan’s efforts, using
human tools, had failed. It was time for Satan to change his tactics.

PERGAMOS. Following the death of
Diocletian, Constantius reigned as Emperor for about a year. He and his wife,
Helena, were religiously inclined and favorable to the Christians. When
Constantius died, his son, Constantine, became one of six men who sought the
throne and the title of Emperor. Constantine’s mother strongly influenced him
and urged him to "accept Christianity" as she had done. Like his
father, he showed favor to Christians, but first and foremost Constantine was a
soldier, proud of his many victorious battles against his rivals.

In the year 312, Constantine was
leading his weary troops from Gaul toward Rome to face his most powerful enemy,
Maxentius. Greatly outnumbered, his battle-worn army approached the Milvian
bridge over the Tiber River. Deciding to attack the next morning, Constan­tine stood in the opening of his tent, considering which of the many gods to
supplicate for success in the coming battle. As the sun began to set, he saw a
strange apparition in its fading light, a foreboding figure that remained in
the sky even when the sun had set. This phenomenal event has been described by
the historian Eusebi­us who received the account directly from Constantine years later. There is also an account by Lactinius, a theologian and tutor of Constantine’s son, Crispus.

What did Constantine actually see?
The weight of evidence seems to favor a vision of intersecting rays over the
sun—a two-forked beam of fire, crossed diagonally to resemble the Greek letter chi
(χ). While he gazed at
the marvelous sight, he heard a voice saying, "In hoc signo vinces"
("In this sign shalt thou conquer"). Convinced that it was the voice
of Christ, he told his tired, dispirited troops of his vision. Eusebi­us writes
that the Saviour had instructed him to adopt his vision as a battle-cry and
victory symbol. Consequently, he superimposed the Greek letter rho over
the chi, thus making the first two letters (in Greek) of Christ’s name.
The soldiers made banners showing the chi-rho, and painted it on their
shields and helmets. Constantine’s army numbered 40,000; they faced an enemy
140,000 strong and rest­ed.

 

The ensuing battle resulted in a
great victory for Constantine and his army. The opposing leader, Maxentius, was
found after the battle, drowned in the river. Constantine gave all the credit
to Jesus Christ, and immediately sent for Christian teachers and re­quested instruction
about the true God and the meaning of Christ and His cross. He issued an edict
granting full tolerance and favor to Christians. Soon, a gradual transformation
began. Formerly meeting in secret, Christians started to hold services openly
in church buildings. Constantine ordered the erection of new church buildings
in many cities, including one "of wondrous beauty" in Jerusalem on the supposed site of the crucifixion of Christ. Huge cathedrals and basilicas
were built, employing the finest architects, artists, and artisans of many
crafts to adorn the lavish buildings with paintings and statuary. Singers and
musicians were hired to "praise God" in a "professional"
manner. Temples to Astarte, the fertility goddess, were converted to churches.
The substitution of Mary for the Roman goddess made little difference to many
of the congregants. Commerce increased as pilgrims came, often from great
distances, to visit the new shrines and "holy" sites. Jesus Christ
was made "popular." About eight centuries earlier, the Word of the
Lord came to Zechariah, saying, "For who has de­spised the day of small
things?" (Zech. 4:10). And the Saviour Himself said, "Fear not little
flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom"
(Luke 12:32).

The Emperor had offered—and the
church accepted—the patronage of the world, which is Satan’s throne (Rev.
2:13). An encyclopedia editor has written:"The beautiful influence of
Christianity spread through the earth until it became stronger than the Empire of
the Caesars, which fell to nothing while Christianity took possession of the
world." But was that the case? William Kelly wrote:"If the world
gains in some respects, the church loses in everything, because it is at the
cost of the will and glory of Christ." Satan looked on with satisfaction
as what had been a Spirit-directed organism became a human-directed
organization.

Ever since Paul’s message to the
Ephesian elders (Acts 20:28-31), unfaithfulness had been growing. The apostle
Paul had to deal with Hymenaeus and Philetus who "overthrew the faith of
some" (2 Tim. 2:16-18), and the apostle John exposed Diotrephes who
"loved to have the preeminence" (3 John 9), to name two examples of
false teaching early in the apostolic age of the Church. Paul’s prophesied rise
of "grievous wolves" and "perverse" teachers reached
fulfillment with the appearance of such false teachers bringing "damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them" (2 Pet. 2:1). The
scriptural gifts of "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and
teachers" (Eph. 4:11) were supplanted by a hodgepodge of "religious
orders" such as monks, nuns, cardinals, and the like, none of which are
found in the Bible. The Roman Emperor became the recognized "Protector of
the delivered Church." Paul wrote:"I fear, lest by any means, as the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). The true
citizenship of the believer is in heaven, not of the earth (Phil. 3:20).

 

The name Pergamos means "much
marriage" or "many marriages." The Lord said, "I know where
you dwell, even where Satan’s seat [or throne] is" (Rev. 2:13). Many
alliances were made between the church and paganism by Satan’s wicked devices.
The voice of the "god of this world" was heeded by professing
Christians rather than the voice of Him who had "the sharp sword with two
edges" (Rev. 2:12). Paul wrote:"If our gospel be hid, it is hid to
those who are lost; in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those
who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:3,4). Of the Pergamos
period, Walter Scott writes, "Heathenism reigned supreme."

In 325 A.D., Constantine, together
with Pope Sylvester I, summoned a Council at Nicea in Asia Minor to affirm the
primacy of the Roman Church and to settle the Arian dispute as to the eternal
Sonship of Christ. Arius was teaching that Jesus Christ was a created
being of God the Father, "inferior" to Him in nature but still
superior in power and glory to all other beings. But while fundamental
doctrines of the Christian faith were starting to be eroded, there were some
who held fast the name of the Lord and did not deny the faith (Rev. 2:13).
Alexander, the Bishop of Alexandria, judged Arius to be "the forerunner of
Antichrist," and Athanasius, who succeeded Alexander in 326 A.D.,
vigorously and scripturally defended the Saviour’s eternal Sonship against the
teachings of Arius. Constantine failed to realize the serious nature of the
diabolic heresy of Arius and called for moderation on both sides. (The Arian
heresy, sadly, has resurfaced and is very active today among the Jehovah’s Wit­nesses.)

Unlike the Church periods
represented by the letters to Ephesus and Smyrna, the "Pergamos Era"
did not come to an end:it is still with us today. However well-meaning he may
have been, Constan­tine allowed himself to be used by Satan to bring the world
into the Church. His aim was to unite the Christian Church with the secular
State. He gave favors and recognition to bishops as Counsellors of State, and
he gradually extended judicial rights to them, with legal force to their
decisions. When the devil took the Lord Jesus up into a high mountain, he
showed Him "all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and said
unto Him, All these things will I give Thee if Thou wilt fall down and worship
me. Then said Jesus unto him, Get you hence, Satan:for it is written, You
shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve" (Matt.
4:8-10).

By 326 A.D. Constantine’s only
remaining rival, Licinius, died, and he claimed the title he had long sought of
sole Emperor of the Roman world. Now no man exceeded him in power and
authority.

 

While many humble believers were
spreading the good news of salvation, other professing church members
had drifted away from their position as "strangers and pilgrims on the
earth" (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11). Satan’s subtle plan was to make the true
calling and purpose of the Church appear to be the opposite of the
Lord’s prayer to His Father:"I have given them Thy Word; and the world
has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world. I pray not that Thou should take them out of the world, but that Thou
should keep them from the evil" (John 17:14, 15). Had they forgotten so
soon? The apostle Paul wrote:"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world;
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:1,2).
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12).

There were those in Pergamos who
held the "doctrine" of that hireling prophet, Balaam. Although he
said some things that were true, his spirit was not in them; he also taught
Balak, king of Moab, to corrupt "the people who could not be cursed"
by tempting them to marry Moabite women (Rev. 2:14; Num. 22; 23; 31:16). Eating
"things sacrificed to idols" and "fornication" were not
unknown in "the church in Pergamos" nor in churches in the
"Pergamos Era." The mere profession of Christianity (real or
unreal) became a means to Imperial favor and even riches. At their religious
festivals great crowds, wearing white garments, thronged around the clergymen
designated to baptize them, while the Emperor presented each with 20 gold
pieces and, to the needy classes, new garments.

Andrew Miller wrote of Constan­tine:"As a statesman, he owned and valued Christianity; but God only knows
whether as a lost sinner he ever embraced the Savi­our." (Constantine did not request baptism until on his death bed.)

On first entering one of Con­stantine’s still-standing "temples of Christian worship," the visitor is
almost overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, the odors, the gold, silver,
precious stones, carved marble, statuary, the soaring organ notes, and choral
singing. But where in all this excess appeal to the fleshly appetites is the
humble Servant of Isaiah 53 and Mark 10:23-45?

 

Is there an application in all of
this for the Christian Church today? While the links between Church and State
that were forged by Constantine have largely disappeared in most countries, the
marriage of the Church and the world has only increased. The world’s methods
are used to increase church membership, the world’s entertainment is brought in
to keep the congregation interested, the world’s fund-raising methods are used
to keep the church financially sound, the world’s standards of morality are replacing
the Bible’s standards among members of many so-called Christian churches. To
the "over­comers" in "the church in Perga­mos," Christ
gives the "hidden manna," which speaks of Christ Himself and of our
appreciation of Him. He also gives a "white stone" that represents
His approval of us, with a name known only to the Giver and the receiver (Rev.
2:17). May the Lord help each of us to be true overcomers in this age of such
compromise of the Church with the world.

"Blessed is he who reads, and
they who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things that are
written therein; for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:3). "He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches" (Rev. 2:17).
"He who testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so
come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen" (Rev. 22:20,21).

 

"Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).

In order that the mind of Christ
may be formed in us, the apostle Paul presents Christ before us as our perfect
Pattern. We have a touching presentation of the lowliness of mind that was
expressed in Him in His marvelous journey from Godhead glory to the cross of
shame. Let us note that the force of the passage is to present, not simply the
downward path He took, but the lowly mind that marked Him in taking the
path.

First, Christ is presented as
"being in the form of God." No man could pretend to describe the form
of One "whom no man has seen, nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16);
nevertheless we are told what was the mind of Christ while yet in the form of
God. His mind was so set upon serving others in love that He thought not of
Himself and His reputation, but "made Himself of no reputation,"
and laid aside the outward form of God, though never ceasing to be God.

Second, He exhibits the lowly mind
by taking "the form of a servant." Not only does He serve, but
He assumes the form that is proper to a servant.

Third, still further does He
express the lowly mind by the particular "form of a servant" He
assumed. The angels are servants, but He passed the angels by. He was made a
little lower than the angels and took His place in "the likeness of men."
He passed by the higher form of servant to take the lower. He was made in the
likeness of men, a word that surely implies manhood in its full
constitution—spirit, soul, and body; however, let it be remembered that it was
not manhood in its fallen condition.

Fourth, still further is the lowly
mind expressed in Christ; for when found in fashion as a man, "He
humbled Himself." He did not take occasion by "being found in
fashion as a man" to exalt Himself among men according to the natural
thought of His brethren, who said, "If Thou do these things, show Thyself
to the world" (John 7:3,4). Rather, "He humbled Himself." He did
not claim His rights as man.

Fifth, yet further He expresses
the lowly mind by becoming "obedient." He might have become a
man and commanded, but He takes the place of obedience. This implies the laying
aside of individual will to do the will of another.

Sixth, the lowly mind is seen by
the measure of His obedience, for He was "obedient unto death."
This was more than obedience. In obedience He gave up His will; in death He
gave up His life.

 

Seventh, finally His lowly mind is
expressed in the death that He died. There are many forms of death, but of all
the deaths that man can die, He died the most ignominious of deaths—"the
death of the cross." This was more than an ordinary death, for while
in going to death a man gives up his life, in going to the death of the cross a
man gives up, not only his life, but his reputation before men. Thus it was
with the Lord. In going to the death of the cross such was His lowly mind—so
truly did He ignore self—that He gave up His reputation before men and was
"numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12).

(From Notes on the Epistle to
the Philippians.)

 

The following is a summary from
recent issues of Words of Truth of the lessons of faith gained from the
lives of men and women mentioned in the "Hall of Fame of Faith" in
Hebrews 11.

 1. Faith gives to God that which
reminds Him of the sacrifice of His Son (Abel).

 2. Faith does not give God the leftovers,
but rather gives to God the first and the best of our time and our possessions
(Abel).

 3. Faith walks with God, turns to
God in every circumstance, and pleases God well, even though not able to see,
hear, or touch God (Enoch).

 4. Faith is not influenced by the
philosophy of "everyone is doing it, why shouldn’t I?" (Noah).

 5. Faith is willing to be
separated from one’s earthly friends and relatives in order to be a friend of
God (Abraham).

 6. Faith persists in depending
upon the Lord even when trials and opposition seem to be hindering God’s plans
and purposes (Abraham).

 7. Even the weakest, tiniest bit
of faith in a child of God is recognized and appreciated by the Lord (Sarah).

 8. Faith is noted and honored by
God even when it comes at the very end of a life that is characterized by the
lack of faith (Isaac, Jacob, and Samson).

 9. Faith is not in bondage to,
but rises above, the cultural traditions of the day (Jacob).

10. Faith does not seek earthly
memorials or means whereby one’s name and reputation will be remembered by
future generations. Rather, faith looks on to "a better country"
where the eternal focus of attention will be the Lord Jesus Christ and the
marks of suffering in His hands, His feet, and His side (Joseph).

11. Faith does not become
discouraged or vengeful during times of adversity. Rather, faith prepares one
to do the very best—with the Lord’s help—both during the time of trial and when
it is over (Joseph).

12. Faith gives up worldly
pleasure, wealth, and fame for the promise of future reward and glory as well
as the present joy and satisfaction of pleasing God (Moses).

13. Faith is not surprised or
fearful at God’s providential and sometimes miraculous interventions on behalf
of His people (Children of Israel).

14. Faith is ready to walk with
God in whatever path He may open up for his children (Children of Israel).

15. Faith looks to God to reveal
His will in detail and is diligent in carrying out His will to the letter
(Joshua).

16. Faith is not concerned with
appearing foolish or with what other people may think while we are doing what
God wants us to do (Joshua).

17. Faith is willing to be a
traitor to one’s own nation or people if necessary to be true to the God of
heaven and earth (Rahab).

18. We must first prove our
faithfulness to the Lord in matters close to home before we are qualified to
serve Him far away from home (Gideon).

19. Faith is willing to give up
personal honor and glory in order to be certain of having the mind of God (Barak).

20. Faith does not depend upon
one’s natural or God-given strength, but upon the Giver of that strength
(Samson).

21. Faith does not depend upon
one’s natural or acquired abilities, spiritual gift, or experience, but still
depends upon the Lord for wisdom, help, and guidance in every endeavor of life
(Jephthah).

22. Faith does not follow the
example and pattern of man, but looks to Almighty God for wisdom and strength
to carry out His will (David).

23. Faith, in dependence upon the
Lord, does what needs to be done without waiting for someone better qualified
to do it (David).

24. Faith is not blind and
irrational, but takes account of previous evidences of God’s power and grace
when facing new challenges (David).

25. Faith does what is right
before God even at risk to one’s own personal safety and convenience (David).

26. Faith does not allow age
barriers or generation gaps to keep one from obeying God (Samuel).

27. Faith is willing to lose the
favor of others by bringing God’s words of reproof and correction to them
(Samuel and the

Prophets).