The
Pillar and Ground of the Truth
by Pastor Ricky Kurth
“…the house of God…is the church of the living
God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15).
The word “pillar” should remind every Bible student of the
pillar that God gave Israel to guide them through the wilderness to the
promised land (Nehemiah 9:12). After the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea,
they needed a guide. They had been slaves for 400 years, and didn’t have
a clue as to where they were going! It’s not like Pharaoh let his slaves take
exploratory vacations. So God had to lead them every step of the way with
the pillar.
Once Moses had written the Book of the Law, however, the pillar
disappeared. Of course! Now they had a Book to guide them every step of
the way. No matter where they went in life, they had a reliable Guide to teach
them how to walk and please God. And now that Book has been completed and
resides in the local church! No wonder God calls the church the pillar of
the truth! God’s people should follow that Book as closely as the Jews
followed their pillar. How closely was that?
“…when the
cloud tarried… then the children of Israel…journeyed not… when
the cloud… was taken up… then they journeyed…” (Numbers 9:18-22).
When the pillar moved, they moved. When it rested, they rested.
In other words, they didn’t make a move without the benefit of its guidance.
Does that sound like a good way to follow the Book today? Beloved, God has
graciously given us a Guide that can help us navigate the most treacherous
paths of life. The One who steers the stars (Job 38:32) has deigned to guide
the lives of His people. May we never forsake His direction!
This great Guide has further equipped us with a place to meet to
hear His Book taught. If there is no church near you where God’s rightly
divided Word is taught in all its clarity, continue to share the gospel with
the lost and Pauline truth with the saved. The people with whom you share God’s
guidance just might want to start meeting at your house to discuss it. And God
has a word for such meetings—He calls it church (Romans 16:5; I Corinthians
16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2).
These references to churches that met in homes are especially
significant when we remember how small the homes were in those days. There’s a
reason the Lord had to send the apostles out to find a home large enough for
twelve men to eat the Passover (Mark 14:12-16). Such rooms are not that
uncommon today, but they were then! Thus Paul’s allusions to churches that met
in those humble homes tells us that the smallest of gatherings is a church
in God’s eyes, one that He will be pleased to call His house, the pillar and
ground of the truth community
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
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King James Bible
The Preserved and Living Word of God
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
https://www.facebook.com/cecil.spivy
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