Did Alexander Campbell Start A Church?

Jarrod Jacobs 

                   When discussing the subject of the church of Christ, we sometimes hear the comment made that the church of Christ was started by Alexander Campbell. Mr. Campbell was a well-known preacher in America in the 1800’s; but did he start the church of Christ or any other church for that matter? The answer is no. Yet, the teaching that Mr. Campbell established a church is made because people do not know the simple teaching of the New Testament concerning the church.

                   To begin, Alexander Campbell could not have started the church of Christ. This is because folks like Mary, Peter, James, John, Phoebe, and Paul were among the members of it (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; I Cor. 12:28; Rom. 16:1, 16; Heb. 12:28; Rev. 1:9). Saved people were added to the Lord’s church beginning in Acts 2:47, and continue to be added to it to this day. Alexander Campbell did not live in the first century. Nor did he die to purchase a church (Acts 20:28). Mr. Campbell lived from 1788 to 1866. In other words, he was born almost 1800 years after the Lord’s church was established in Acts 2.

                   Have you ever been to Paris, Kentucky and visited the Cane Ridge meeting house? If not, you need to go there and look at one of the grave markers in the cemetery. In the cemetery, you will find the grave marker of William Rogers. Mr. Rogers’ headstone looks like many others of that era except for the inscription found upon it. William Rogers’ headstone reads as follows: “Born in Campbell Co., Va., July 7, 1784, removed with his father to Cane Ridge, Bourbon Co., April 1793. United with the Church of Christ at Cane Ridge in 1807.”

                   A significant date mentioned on the headstone is 1807. This is because 1807 was two years before Alexander Campbell came to America from Ireland and three years before he preached his first sermon in America. How could Alexander Campbell have started the church of Christ if William Rogers was already in it in 1807?

      Further, in Celina, TN, there is a church of Christ who can trace the congregation’s beginning back to 1805. How could this be possible since Mr. Campbell wasn’t even in America at the time? The answer, of course, is that it is possible because Mr. Campbell didn’t start the church of Christ (Rom. 16:16). The church of Christ began in this country when Christians came here simply preaching and teaching about the church found in the Bible! As was noted above, such things happened long before Alexander Campbell was in this land.

                   Mr. Campbell did much in his life to spread the gospel, but there is nothing the church of Christ does or practices that had its beginning with Mr. Campbell, or any other man (Gal. 1:6-9). The church of Christ follows what Christ has revealed in the New Testament (Jn. 12:48). If you’re interested in knowing more, contact me.

Keep It Simple …

Jarrod Jacobs 

                   The above statement is the “motto” of a friend of mine. When it comes to the preaching and teaching of God’s word, he tells me often, “Keep it simple.” This sentiment was impressed upon my mind even further when a lady said she had learned that the main problem that high school students have today is not which church to go to, but whether or not to believe in God in the first place. Think about it: We live in a society that has so pushed God aside that the lady who talked with me said she knows high school students who need to be convinced about the very existence of God!

                   This sister’s observation told me that, yes, it is necessary to “keep it simple” as I preach. It also tells me that I need to be preaching and teaching these “simple” sermons not only to the teenagers but also to the PARENTS of those teenagers! After all, children are the students of their parents. Therefore, if parents are not doing their job and exposing their children to God, the Bible, to truth, etc., then how can we expect them to know these things? God has placed the responsibility of teaching primarily with parents (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:6-9, 11:18-21; Eph. 6:4; II Tim. 1:5; etc.).

                   Furthermore, when I think about the statement, “Keep it simple,” I find that this does not mean make things simplistic, or speak down to people. Rather, it places responsibility on the teacher to make sure things are said in such a way that folks can understand. One does not need to be a “Greek scholar” to go to Heaven. We do not need to have Ph.D. degrees in order to understand the Bible! The apostle Paul said, “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:4). Jesus encouraged the reading and searching (studying) of Scriptures, for He knew that in so doing, mankind can understand the truth and can follow it (Jn. 5:39, 17:17; Rev. 1:3). Not only did He state this truth, but He lived it (Acts 1:1)! Bear in mind, that when Jesus spoke, “the common people heard him gladly” (Mk. 12:37). Those who listened to Jesus were often the “unknowns,” the “rejected,” and “the general population.” In contrast, the social “elites,” and their ilk like the Pharisees and Sadducees, did not like Jesus. In fact, they conspired against Him to keep Him from preaching (Jn. 11:47-53). After Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, the apostles continued preaching His simple message (Acts 2, etc.). When they preached that simple message, the “elites,” and “educated” people marveled, at their words, noting, “...they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

                   Therefore, to “keep it simple” means to do as Jesus and the apostles did. Can we think of any better examples to follow than Christ and His apostles when one today wants to communicate God’s will in the best way? I can’t! Generally speaking, men have a tendency to complicate the things they are involved in, whether it be a physical or spiritual endeavor. Yet, our Lord knows how to “keep it simple.” Let us follow that example!

Do You Know My Friend?

Jarrod Jacobs

• I have a friend who is interested in my spiritual welfare and has been even at times when I have not been.
• I have a friend who wants the best for me, even at times when I did not want what was the best for me.
• I have a friend who loves me and has loved me at times when I was his enemy.
• I have a friend who will forgive me of my sins when I repent and return to him. He does this consistently.
• I have a friend who does not fail, and who can comfort and help me when no one else cares for me.

                   Who is my friend? My friend is the Lord Jesus Christ. How do I know He is my friend? I know this because He said to the apostles (and by application to me), “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (Jn. 15:14-15). He loves me and I love Him (I Jn. 4:19; Jn. 14:15).

                   That this love did not begin with me first loving God, but with God first loving me is a beautiful, and humbling truth (I Jn. 4:10, 19; Rom. 5:8; Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:4-5; Titus 2:3-5). He did not demand that I first do something so as to be found “worthy” of love. Instead, because God loved me, He sent His Son into the world. This Son, because He loved me, died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins (I Jn. 2:2; I Tim. 2:6; Matt. 20:28; Jn. 1:29)!

                   Therefore, for those who belong to Christ, having submitted to the Lord’s plan for salvation (Acts 2:38), and continuing in His word (Jn. 8:31; Rev. 2:10b), we have a friend that will never fail. We have an “Advocate” who is always on our side (I Jn. 2:1). We have a “High Priest” who “always lives to make intercession” for us (Heb. 3:1, 7:25-28). We have a “Mediator” between us and God (I Tim. 2:5). Yes, we have Someone who truly cares for us when the world turns its back on us!

                   Do you know my friend? Is He your friend? If not, why not? Make Him your friend by following the Lord’s plan of salvation (Mk. 16:16). Then, live for Him all of your life (I Cor. 15:58). You’ll be blessed by having such a friend!

Jesus’ Mother And His Brethren

Jarrod Jacobs

                   In Matthew 12, our Lord stood before the people and taught great things to them. As He was teaching, one said, “Behold, your mother and your brethren stand outside, desiring to speak with you. But he replied to the man that told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother, and sister, and mother’” (Matt. 12:47-50). In this passage, Jesus was making a point that would be indelibly marked on the peoples’ hearts from this time forward.

                   Christ was saying that he considered spiritual relationships more important than physical relationships. Though Christ loved His earthly family, He knew their acceptance was not as important as the acceptance of God (Matt. 10:35-37). Though Christ’s family wished to speak with Him, the people needed to know that earthly relationships paled in comparison with being in the right relationship with God!

                   Paul understood this and said that his family lineage and ancestry could give him reasons for boasting. However, he counted those as “loss” and “dung” so that he might win Christ (Phil. 3:7-8). Paul was a “Hebrew of the Hebrews,” but earthly ties and relationships meant nothing to him if it meant losing his eternal home (Phil. 3:13-14). Do we consider our eternal home more important than anything else?

                   Christ’s statement in Matthew 12 shows that man’s obedience to Christ means he can enjoy God’s blessings. Paul taught this to the Romans in Romans 8:16-17. How do we become children of God? By being born again (Jn. 3:3, 5)! This spiritual birth takes place after one has believed in Christ, repented of his sins, confessed Christ, and been baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:36-38). Jesus describes it as being “born of water and the spirit” (Jn. 3:5). Paul compares it to our Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4, 16-18). The book of Acts records several who followed this plan (Jews, Acts 2; Eunuch, Acts 8; Paul, Acts 22:16; Corinthians, Acts 18). When we do as the Lord says, we become spiritual heirs of the promise (I Pet. 1:4). How can we place anything before the Lord and His blessings? Christ taught on this occasion (Matt. 12:48-50) that nothing should come before the Lord!

                   Finally, Matthew 12:47-50 shows us that not everyone is in God’s family. Notice that when Jesus said certain ones were His “brother, and sister, and mother,” it was those who do “the will of my Father.” What of those who do not do the will of the Father? They have no relationship with Him! Jesus made it clear that “not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Therefore, doing the will of the Father is required for going to Heaven, as well as being a brother or sister of Christ. This is why we do not call just anyone “brother” or “sister” in that spiritual sense. Not everyone is Christ’s brother and sister (II Jn. 9-11). Christ’s “brother” and “sister,” those that will see Heaven, are those who live faithfully according to the will of the Father!

                   Are you in the family of God? Can Christ call you “brother” or “sister”? If not, do not delay from becoming a Christian while you still have the time to do so.

Jesus Marveled At The People

Jarrod Jacobs

                   It is not uncommon to marvel. We might marvel at a great feat of God or man. However, to think about the Son of God marveling at something merits our attention. It is twice recorded that Jesus marveled at men. The first time is in Matthew 8:5-10. “When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ But the centurion replied, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I say tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.’”

                   The second time we read about Jesus marveling is in Mark 6:1-6. “And he went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, and Joses, and of Judas, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.’ And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.”

                   As Jesus looks at us, does Jesus marvel at our belief or our unbelief? Faith is produced through hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17). Therefore, do we accept God’s word, or reject it? Do we believe what has been taught? Do we respect the man who stands before us and preaches the Truth, or do we want our “ears tickled” rather than the truth preached (II Tim. 4:2-4)? When reading articles like this, do you cast them aside, or do you sincerely read them and read the Scripture references with the intention of learning what the Bible says (Jn. 5:39; Acts 17:11)? Our answers to these kinds of questions reveal whether or not Jesus marvels at our belief or our unbelief.

                   Do we believe Jesus’ words when He says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:16)? Do we believe the words of Colossians 3:16 which say, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”? Do we believe the Bible when it teaches there is only one church mentioned in the Bible — the church of Christ (Matt. 16:18; Rom. 16:16)? Friends, the truth of God’s word must be believed and obeyed! When you leave this world, it will be too late. We only have here and now (II Cor. 6:2). Why will Jesus marvel at YOU?