DID THE FIRST CENTURY CHURCHES HAVE PROBLEMS?

In my nearly thirty-nine years of ordained ministry, I have met lots of people who longed to return to what they perceived to be the “simplicity” and the “purity” of the New Testament churches.  When I was presenting my missionary ministry in churches across the U.S. and parts of Canada, I once spoke in a church that called itself “The New Testament Church.” It seemed to be a fine local church, with members who cared about evangelism and missions.  Still, I doubt that it was any more exempt from problems than was the first century churches the Apostles had to deal with.

To ask whether the first century churches had problems is like asking if they had people.  As someone has pointed out, wherever there are people there are problems. There are no problems on the moon right now, but when there were people up there, there were problems! "Houston we have a . . ."

The Apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders that threats would come to the church both from within and without, as soon as he turned his back, so to speak:

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. (Acts 20:29-30 ESV)

Among the problems Paul addressed in his epistles were the following:

·       Sexual immorality

·       Drunkenness

·       Fraud and lawsuits among professing believers

·       Arrogance and favoritism

·       Personality conflicts

·       Doctrinal errors

·       Abuse of spiritual gifts

·       A servant’s theft from a Christian master

·       Lack of forgiveness by a church toward a repentant member

·       Disgracing the Lord’s Table

·       Et cetera

Many of these problems troubled the Corinthian church and damaged its testimony.  But even that precious church in Philippi, the only consistent supporter of Paul’s ministry, had problems with unity and interpersonal conflicts.  Paul had to exhort two women in that church, women who had helped Paul in his ministry of the gospel, to resolve their differences:

I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel . . . (Philippians 4:2-3a)

In reading again the Apostle John’s little epistle to Gaius (III John) I was impressed again by the presence in Gaius’s local church of a character all too common throughout church history: Diotrephes.  John describes this man pointedly:

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. (III John 1:9 NKJV)

The original Greek text is even more pointed.  The phrase “who loves to have the preeminence” is actually a translation of one word – philoproteuon – “lover of preeminence.”  And that phrase comes before the name in the original:  “. . . but the preeminence-lover among them, Diotrephes, does not receive us.”  There is no type of person who causes more grief, who more enslaves a congregation, than one who insists upon being preeminent, being first in everything, being in charge!  I have seen this kind of person paralyze a church. 

The name Diotrephes was rare, occurring in secular literature only twice and only here in the Bible.  At the time of Homer the name, which means reared by Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, was reserved for people of noble birth.  Commentator G. G. Findlay observes that Diotrephes was likely from a high-ranking family. Diotrephes’ sin was pride of position, and whether he exercised his power through the office of elder or by “personal force” and “social status” (Findlay), he was able to hinder the evangelistic and missionary outreach of the church, probably the church at Pergamos.  He did not welcome the traveling missionaries and forbid the church to do so.  One might wonder how one member could wield so much influence or power, but I have seen a number of churches, especially small churches, controlled by one or two powerful personalities, especially when they are big givers!

The early churches also had false teachers who disturbed their peace and undermined their spiritual life. Paul warned about legalizers who substituted rules and rituals for a vital relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit. (See Galatians, Philippians, & Colossians) On the opposite side were the libertines who “turn[ed] the grace of God into lewdness,” and in doing so “den[ied] the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4 NKJV).  The book of Revelation warns against this type of licentiousness in Chapter 2, when it warns against the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and of Balaam, as well as the twisted teachings of one Jezebel in Thyatira (Rev. 2:20-21). 

Along the mystical, falsely “spiritual” line, the abuse of spiritual gifts, especially by those who claimed to be receiving special revelation from God, greatly disturbed the peace of the church in Corinth.  The quest for higher knowledge (Col. 2:8) and “worship of angels” (Col. 2:18), and asceticism (Col. 2:23) threatened the church at Colosse.

Did the first century churches have problems?  Indeed they did, and the problems look just like the problems churches have today!  Disruptive people, controlling people, misguided people, immoral people, and heretical people in the local church are not a new phenomenon. And the remedy is the same today as it was in the first century: church discipline guided by the Word of God and prayer. 

LIGHT VS. DARKNESS

The New Year brings new light to the northern hemisphere.  After the winter solstice, days get gradually longer, just a minute or two a day at first.  A new year always takes me back to the Genesis account of Creation.  And it strikes me anew that the first Creation Day is occupied with darkness and light.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.  (Genesis 1:1-5 KJV)

More than any other expression of biblical imagery, darkness is used in a negative sense throughout Scripture, describing the nature of sin with its accompanying ignorance and folly and its inevitable consequence of judgment, gloom, and death.  At least sixty verses in the Bible contrast darkness and light.  Darkness also depicts the gloom of impending death and the grave. The Hebrew word for darkness (khoshek) occurs 23 times in the book of Job, as that godly man saw nothing but gloom in the midst of his trials.

Though Genesis begins with the earth in chaos and darkness, Genesis 1:2 affirms God's power over darkness: God speaks and there is light!  Only God can pierce the darkness of this world and bring light.  Only God can pierce the darkness in our lives and bring in the light of His grace.  The Apostle John, using the very imagery of Genesis 1, speaks of Jesus as the light:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)[1]

The darkness is no match for our Lord!  

Let me share some observations about the Bible’s use of light and darkness, along with Scriptures to support them. 

I.  God’s kingdom is the kingdom of light.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  (1 John 1:5)

Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:15, 16)

II.  Satan’s kingdom is the kingdom of darkness.

A.     Jesus called Satan’s power “the power (or rule) of darkness” (Luke 22:53)

B.     Paul called Satan’s kingdom “the domain (or rule) of darkness” (Colossians 1:13)

C.     Satan’s demonic cohorts are called “the rulers of the darkness of this age” (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV)

III.  The judgment of God is darkness.

A.    Judgment in This Life

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. (Psalm 107:10-12)

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. (Proverbs 4:19)

They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. (Psalm 82:5)

B.    Judgment in Eternity

These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.  (2 Peter2:17)

. . . wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:13)

IV.  Christ alone can deliver us from the kingdom of darkness.

A.    Jesus Christ took on the kingdom of darkness and defeated Satan on the cross.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

(Mat 27:45)

B.    Everyone who repents of sin and receives Jesus Christ by faith is transferred out of darkness and into the Kingdom of Light.

. . . giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  (Colossians 1:12-14)

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. (John 12:46)

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  (John 8:12)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

(God sent the Apostle Paul) to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' (Acts 26:18)

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

 C.    The natural man loves darkness rather than light.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:19-21) 

V.  Christians are called to walk in the light as children of light.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

. . . for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

Friends, have you been delivered from darkness and transferred into Christ’s Kingdom of Light?  If you are not sure, or you know you have not, call upon Him today! Turn now from the darkness of sin to His glorious light, and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

And Christian, are you walking as a child of light?  Are you letting the light of Christ shine through you? Let’s all make a new start this New Year!  Let’s commit ourselves to spending quality time in meditation on His Word and in prayer. 

 This present dark age is coming to a close.  The Apostle Paul declared, The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12) 

 (Note:  Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version. Alternate translations were chosen for accuracy to the original, in my judgment.  Bold print has been added in verses for emphasis.)

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[1] Although the Greek word katalambano can mean “comprehend,” in this context the idea seems to mean “overtake” or “overcome.”  The same expression is used in John 12:35:  "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you . . .” (Emphasis added.)

A MAN CHRIST TOUCHED

In my thirty-eight plus years of ministry, I have received many compliments on my sermons – some sincere, and some, well . . .  But the compliment that means the most to me came from a fellow missionary after I had preached at a missions conference.  The missionary said, “You remind me of a professor I had at San Francisco (San Francisco Baptist Seminary).”  I knew immediately who he meant because that same professor later took a position at Detroit Baptist Seminary teaching homiletics, practical theology, and church history.  It was there that I had the privilege of sitting at his feet: That professor was Eugene J. Petersen.
 Dr. Petersen was an inspiring teacher, but it was --and is -- his example more than his instruction that has had the greatest impact on my preaching.  Through my admiration for the man, his preaching style has rubbed off.  I'm not nearly the preacher Eugene Petersen is, but I'm moved that someone thought I sounded like him.

            Dr. Petersen, who is now 92, was born in southwestern Iowa to Danish immigrant parents. He was raised in Harlan, Iowa, and studied at the University of Minneapolis, the LeHavre School of Education in France, and Fuller Theological Seminary.  He received his Doctor of Ministry degree in homiletics from Fuller.

            As a young man, called to preach the Gospel, Eugene found himself caught up in World War II. He preached his first sermon in 1943 shortly before shipping out to France.  He fought in eastern France where, according to Paul Fussell, the average life expectancy of an infantryman in the front lines was 17 days.[1]  But Christ had his hand upon Eugene J. Petersen.

            After the war, Eugene continued his studies and his preaching, pastoring churches in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, and Michigan.  He also taught seminary for 30 years in San Francisco and Detroit.

            My favorite sermon by Dr. Petersen is curiously titled, "Christ Honors A Donkey."  It touches me because Dr. Petersen encourages guys like me that Christ uses the ordinary, the less than ordinary, and those who make mistakes.  The repeated theme in that sermon never fails to touch my heart and lift my spirit: “Whatever Christ touches, He dignifies.”  Christ touched Eugene Petersen and dignified his long, productive ministry. 

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[1] See The Boys' Crusade and Wartime by Paul Fussell. The horrific battle endured by Petersen’s 275th Infantry Regiment, 70^th Division, is recounted in a book co-authored by Eugene J. Petersen, titled Ordeal in the Vosges.

ANGELS BY NAME

Angels appear throughout the pages of Scripture, interacting with people on behalf of God.  It may come as a surprise to some that no heavenly angel is actually named before the Book of Daniel, and only two are named in all of Scripture!  Some facts of Scripture stand out because of their frequent mention, while others stand out even more because of the rarity of their occurrence.  The two angels mentioned by name certainly catch our attention.

The Angel Gabriel

The first angel to be mentioned by name in Scripture is Gabriel.  The name means “mighty man of God.”[i] Gabriel seems to be God’s messenger to impart understanding of what God has revealed or is about to reveal.  To Daniel, Gabriel interprets the dreams God had given the prophet.

And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, "Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision." (Daniel 8:16)

. . . while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.” (Daniel 9:21-22)

Gabriel disappears from the divine record until he returns in the Gospel of Luke.  From Luke we learn more about this blessed messenger of God.  Gabriel appears first to the aged priest Zacharias to announce that his wife, Elizabeth, would conceive and bear a child who would become a mighty prophet and prepare the way for Messiah.  The prophet’s name would be John, and he would be known as John the Baptist because of his ministry of baptizing repentant sinners.

The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. (Luke 1:19)

Six months later, God sends Gabriel on an even greater mission: To announce the conception and birth of Jesus, the Son of God, to the Virgin Mary!

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-35)

Later, when Mary’s fiancé Joseph discovered that she was pregnant and quite naturally assumed the worst, an angel appeared to him in a dream, explaining the holy and divine nature of Mary’s conception and of the child she was carrying (Matt. 1:20).  Yet the name of that angel is not given in Matthew.  To Mary, Gabriel appeared in person; to Joseph, some angel, perhaps Gabriel, appeared in a dream.  Still, Joseph believed that God had sent that message through the angel in his dream, and he took Mary to be his wife.

The Angel Michael

Michael, whose name means, “Who is like God?” is a very different angel from Gabriel.  Michael holds a high rank in the heavenly realm, and he is more of a warrior.  In Daniel, Michael is called, “one of the chief princes” (10:13), “your prince,” that is, of Israel (10:21), and “the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people” (12:1).  In Jude 1:9 he is called, “the archangel.” Michael is the champion on the side of other holy angels who do battle against demonic forces (Dan. 10:21).

In keeping with his role as a champion and warrior, Michael appears in the New Testament standing up against Satan himself and later waging a victorious war against him:

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"  (Jude 1:9)

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Rev. 12:7-9)

While the name Gabriel in the Bible is given only to the angel, the name Michael was given to ten ordinary men in the Old Testament.  Jewish traditions concerning the Archangel Michael go far back in Israelite history. 

It is appropriate that the only two angels to be named in the Bible figure prominently in the life and work of Jesus, the Messiah: Gabriel at the annunciation of Jesus’ birth, and Michael at Christ’s final victory over the devil.

We must always guard against any semblance of worshiping angels.  But we should thank God that He has provided these heavenly beings to be “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).

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[i] The Hebrew word geber has the idea of being valiant or mighty. The name Gabriel is a combination of geber (mighty or valiant) + el (God).

THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS OR BROKEN CISTERNS?

In reading again the Prophet Jeremiah, I was particularly struck by 2:12-13:

Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate," declares the LORD.  For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (NASB)

God calls upon the very heavens to be appalled at what His people, Israel and Judah, have done. What sort of sin could elicit such outrage?  They have forsaken God Himself.  But more than that, they have substituted something for God that they imagined would satisfy them in a similar way. The imagery is water, one of the most basic necessities of earthly existence.  Of course, God is not talking about physical water in this passage: but the image of what water does -- refreshes, replenishes, cleanses -- is applied to the spiritual life.  God's Old Covenant people had forsaken the LORD Himself, the fountain of living water -- that is, a virtual artesian well of spiritual refreshment, replenishment, and blessing -- in favor of man-made "cisterns," religious rituals and activities that could not really hold spiritual blessings.

The church today, especially in America, is doing the same thing.  Professing Christians -- I say "professing" because one cannot be certain whether these types are truly born of God -- are seeking to satisfy their spiritual thirst by hewing out three types of leaky cisterns.

The first type of leaky cistern is formality. This is the easiest, though it does intrude into some time the "worshipers" would like to devote to other interests.  Still, it is not difficult to participate in formal services, repeat formulas of faith, sing hymns, partake of sacraments, and go one's way. This may temporarily and superficially assuage one's spiritual thirst, but the leaky cistern soon runs dry.  The drought of real spiritual replenishment soon becomes evident.  The person's life is not changed, and everyone around that person feels the effects of the emptiness, the dryness, within.  The character of the formalist is no different from the non-believers around him. In John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, the man named Formalist is one who limbs over the wall of salvation, rather than entering by the strait gate and narrow way that leads to the Cross.  Formalist and his companion Hypocrisy inform the pilgrim Christian that they "were born in the land of Vain-glory, and are going for praise to Mt. Sion."  They explained that to go by way of the gate was too far out of their way, and their habit was to "make a short cut of it."  Reader, there is no "short-cut" to salvation and to nourishment and growth in the Christian life!

The second type of leaky cistern is legalism.  This is in some ways very much like formality, but it takes more effort and extends beyond the walls of the church.  While formality be based more on laziness, legalism is firmly rooted in pride. The legalist seeks to be justified and sanctified through his own supposedly righteous deeds, especially religious deeds, like tithing and charitable acts.  No heresy is so strenuously condemned in the New Testament as legalism, chiefly because it strikes at the heart of the Gospel: The sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins!  If we can be justified by our own works, the shed blood of Christ was in vain.  If we can be sanctified (made more holy) by our own fleshly efforts, then the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit is unnecessary.  Paul made both aspects clear to the Galatian Christians who were falling under the spell of legalists:

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?  Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—  just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.  (Galatians 3:1-7 ESV) 

It is by faith in the finished work of Christ alone that one is found justified in the sight of God.  And it is the fellowship with Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, again by faith, that we grow in the likeness of Christ.  Good works are the fruit of that relationship, not the root of it.  Paul wrote to the Ephesian church:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

The last leaky cistern is emotionalism.  This type of cistern is the most popular today.  Cisterns are being hewed out all over the world in an attempt to hold the water of emotional religious experience.  Professing Christians, instead of seeking a daily fellowship with Christ through faith and obedience to His Word, are seeking an emotional high, a physical sensation or audible revelation that will assure them that God is pleased with them.  A dream is of more import to these Christians than the clear revelation of God in the Bible.  These folks need to understand the finality of God's revelation in His Son, whom to know is life eternal (John 17:3).  The writer of Hebrews makes it beautifully clear:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.  (Hebrews 1:1-2  ESV emphasis added)

Only a personal intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, a walking, talking, loving relationship, will ever satisfy the spiritual thirst that God has put into the heart of every human being. Only sin will keep us from the fountain, the spring of living water.  Why drink from the leaky cisterns of formality, legalism, and emotionalism, when Christ offers you a never-ending stream of living water?

The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  (John 4:9-14 ESV)

Have you repented of you sins and received Jesus as Savior and Lord?  If so, are you cultivating your relationship with Him?  Or are you drinking from leaky cisterns?

Abel Bingham, The Soldier

In the spring of 1814, the war between the young United States of America and Great Britain was reaching a climax.  The now celebrated Battle of New Orleans (December 23, 1814 – January 8, 1815) would turn out to be anti-climactic.  Both sides knew the war was nearly over and they were fighting mostly for advantage in negotiations.  For instance, where would the border be drawn between Canada and the United States?  Who would get Lake Champlain, and who would control the Great Lakes?  Those questions made the Battle of Plattsburg, New York, of critical importance.

In the spring of 1813, Abel Bingham and his wife Hannah Olmstead Bingham sold their farm in Jay, New York, with the intention of joining Hannah’s father and other friends who had moved to Caledonia.  But Bingham’s militia company was called up for duty in Plattsburg.  Bingham was an orderly sergeant at the time, and though some militiamen in Bingham’s company paid the allowable bounty for being excused from service, Abel Bingham said, “I will go.” According to his daughter’s memoir, Bingham “wrote his friends at Caledonia that he must first serve his country before he could join them in their new and pleasant home.”  Though the tour of duty was supposed to be for three months, Bingham did not return home for a year and a half, and at one point his wife was convinced that he would not return home alive at all.

During the campaign in New York, Bingham’s company made several incursions into Canada, engaging the British and taking prisoners near Lake Champlain.  In the spring of 1814, Bingham was promoted to lieutenant, and when the company captain was granted leave, Bingham assumed command.  In early September, 1814, the British launched an infantry assault on the American positions across the Saranac River near Plattsburg.  On September 11, the naval assault began, and in a fierce two-hour naval battle, the American fleet forced the British to strike their colors, thereby cutting off all support to the British ground troops.  General George Prévost, seeing that any further military action would be useless, ordered a British bugler to sound retreat.  But the 76^th Regiment of Foot, which had been diverted from the main assault force by a fierce skirmish with the New York militia, did not hear the retreat signal.  The regiment was surrounded and captured by the militia, one detachment of which was commanded by Lieutenant Abel Bingham.

During the battle Bingham was struck in the forehead by a British musket ball and fell bleeding on the field of battle.  As his apparently lifeless body was being carried off the field, a militiaman cried out, “Lieutenant Bingham has been killed!” News of his death spread through the ranks before his real condition could be confirmed. Although the ball had fractured his skull, Bingham showed signs of life and was carried to a nearby farmhouse where his wound was dressed.  Soon after regaining consciousness, Bingham returned to the battle!

  

Hannah, still living in Jay, was near enough to the battle to hear the rumble of cannon shot, so news of her husband’s death arrived quickly.  She had hardly begun to grieve when to her joyous shock and elation, Abel showed up at the door!

Abel Bingham was a good story-teller, which undoubtedly contributed to his later success as a missionary.  In recounting his near-death experience in the Battle of Plattsburg, he mesmerized audiences to the point that some forgot who was telling the story. On one occasion, when he got to his vivid description of the ball striking his head, one spell-bound listener exclaimed, “Did it kill you?”  General Winfield Scott, upon hearing the account on another occasion, remarked, “Well, Mr. Bingham, you had your face the right way.”

The American victories at Plattsburg and Baltimore secured American rights to Lake Champlain and guaranteed shared access to the Great Lakes in the Treaty of Ghent, signed December 24, 1814.

Abel Bingham’s heroism at the Battle of Plattsburg would display itself in the years ahead as he followed in the footsteps of pioneer missionaries Adoniram and Ann Judson in taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to fields of spiritual battle.

Copyright 2014 by Thomas L. Jones

HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER: THE KEY TO SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING

The Ten Commandments were given to Moses on two tablets of stone, written by the Hand of God.  Whether the commandments were divided into five on one tablet and five on the other, we are not told, but it is clear that the first four deal with the relationship of God’s covenant people with Himself, and the last five with their relationship with their fellow man.  What about the Fifth Commandment?  There is good reason to believe that this commandment belongs with the first five: Honoring father and mother is linked with honoring God.  Leviticus 19:3 makes the connection clear:

Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the LORD your God.

It is striking here that reverence for one’s mother is mentioned first.  And the word translated ‘reverence’ is the same Hebrew word found in verse 14 and applied to God: “... but you shall revere (reverence) your God; I am the LORD.” Commentator C. F. Keil in commenting on Exodus 20:12 also makes the connection:

The Fifth Word, “Honour thy father and thy mother,” does not refer to fellow-men, but to “those who are the representatives of God. Therefore, as God is to be served with honour and fear, His representatives are to be so too” (Luther). This is placed beyond all doubt by Leviticus19:3, where reverence towards parents is placed on an equality with the observance of the Sabbath . . .

The 19^th century Methodist theologian Adam Clarke commented on this commandment:

There is a degree of affectionate respect which is owing to parents, that no person else can properly claim. For a considerable time parents stand as it were in the place of God to their children, and therefore rebellion against their lawful commands has been considered as rebellion against God. This precept therefore prohibits, not only all injurious acts, irreverent and unkind speeches to parents, but enjoins all necessary acts of kindness, filial respect, and obedience. We can scarcely suppose that a man honors his parents who, when they fall weak, blind, or sick, does not exert himself to the uttermost in their support.

The reiteration of the Fifth Commandment in Deuteronomy 5:16 adds an important phrase: “that it may go well with you . . .” The Apostle Paul quotes Deuteronomy in pointing out that this is the first commandment that carries a promise (Ephesians 6:1-3). 

The first key to true well-being is to honor the Lord God, and the second is like it:  “Honor your father and your mother.”