Resources/Articles
Let's Make This Simple
If you are like me, every time someone starts talking about a “political platform”, it makes things more confusing and frustrating. You wonder if anyone knows what they are talking about. You may wonder as well whether or not those debating the issues really know what this country really needs. “Why can’t we make it simple?” is probably what you are thinking.
Jesus Christ had such a profound way of communication. Many believed “he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:29). Jesus gained the respect of a multitude, because He reached the heart of people with the simple, not with complex and confusing orations. He could see in a farmer sowing seed, a lily in the field, or a shepherd losing a sheep, a lesson where He could teach spiritual truth. He knew about the things of which He spoke.
From His teaching comes a simple means of worship. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them…” (Acts 20:7). Christians worshipped on the first day with a modest amount of unleavened bread and fruit of the vine.
Jesus authorized worship with singing. “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). This worship activity involves everyone. No Christian is excluded. Every Christian praises God.
Our Lord commanded a simple organization for His church. He is the head. Elders oversee local churches, and deacons serve within each church (Philippians 1:1). There were no denominational associations, conferences, or counsels meeting to decide what the church was to do. What is the reason for this simplicity? “That no flesh should glory before God” (1 Corinthians 1:29). The complex ideas bring glory to man, not God. Submit to what God wants. Our purpose is not to impress the world, but to please God. Let’s stick to the simple.
