MAKE ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE DIVINE PATTERN

     God has always demanded that men follow His direction in matters 
of religion.  Taking as a text or starting point, Hebrews 8:5, may we 
all, as fellow travelers to eternity, study together our duty to
"make all things according to the divine pattern" as revealed in the
New Testament---not my pattern, nor yours, but God's. This is a very
practical line of thought for Christians and all men alike, seeing
that all men must mold their thinking, their speech, their life and
conduct in every way by this divine pattern. We are to be workers for
Him and must conform our work and worship to this pattern. It also
helps us to teach others the way of life and salvation more perfectly
and helps us to fight the "wiles" of error more efficiently.

     God says: "It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps"
(Jeremiah 19:23). Hence, man must have a divine guide to be saved.
God also says: "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the
end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12). Cain's way, no
doubt, seemed right to him, (Genesis 4:3-7), but not to God. Hence,
it was the way of death. Nadab, no doubt, did what seemed right to
him when he offered strange fire: but not to God, and was smitten of
God while in the very act of worship, because he did not follow the
divine directions (Leviticus 10:1, 2). NOTE: God did not tell him NOT
to offer this kind of fire; neither did He tell Cain not to offer the
fruit of the field as a sacrifice; nor did He tell Moses not to smite
the rock the second time. When God tell us how and what to do, that
forbids our substituting anything else -- His commands are both
inclusive and exclusive. You, too, may be well pleased with what you
are and what you are doing religiously, but you are not the one to be
pleased in these matters.

     You might please your own conscience, as did Saul of Tarsus in
Acts 9. Yea, you might please the whole religious world and yet be
lost if you do not please God. It is not possible for man to guide
himself and please God. We must surrender to God's will and follow it
as our only guide. God has given man a guide in religion in all ages
of the world and he has always demanded that man follow it and not
his own ways or the creeds of man.  He has pronounced a curse upon
all who change or alter His worship in any way. Listen to Christ,
"But in vain do they worship me teaching as their doctrines the
precepts of men. Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the
tradition of men. And he said unto them full well do ye reject the
commandment of God that ye may keep your tradition." (Mark 7:7-9). He
has forbidden men to alter or change His word, in any way in all ages
of the world.  Look closely at Galatians 1:8, "But though we, or an
angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that
which we preached unto you, let him be accursed." Deut. 4:1-3 states,
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye
diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your
God, which I command you."

     Giving man a guide and demanding him to follow it is a
manifestation of His love for man, seeing man could not direct
himself aright. Hence the need of this lesson, "making all things
according to the divine pattern."  God's word is our guide book, our
chart and compass, our pattern, our blueprint. The purpose of a
pattern, guide book or a blueprint is to direct people. And we are to
be directed by what the guide book, the pattern says, not by its
silence or what it does not say. Sometimes we hear someone say, "Well
the Bible doesn't say NOT to do this or that."  Can we take a chance
on eternity by appealing to the silence of the scriptures, what it
does not say?  Any guide is worthless unless we follow its
directions. If you give a man a blueprint by which to build a house,
you expect him to be governed by it and make the house according to
the pattern. If you give a woman a pattern by which to make a dress,
you expect her to be governed by it and "make all things according to
the pattern" -- not by her own wishes, seeing she is not the one to
be pleased in that case. Now, this is just what God has done for us
in matters of religion -- He has given us His words in the New
Testament as a guide book or pattern to govern us in all things that
pertain unto life and godliness. Listen to the apostle Peter in 2
Peter 1:3," seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all
things that pertain  unto life and godliness, through the knowledge
of him that called us by his own glory and virtue."  Peter says, "if
any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God" (1 Peter
4:11). It then follows, if God's word has not spoken, man is to be
silent. This, in all our faith and practice, is "making all things
according to the divine pattern."

     When Jehovah gave Moses the command to build the tabernacle in
the Old Testament, He said to Moses, "See, saith he, that thou make
all things according to the pattern that was showed thee in the
mount." (Hebrews 7:5). Moses has no choice as to how to make the
tabernacle, what kind of wood, how long, how wide, what kind of
covers, etc. He was given a divine pattern, a divine guide, to
follow. If Moses had been commanded to build several tabernacles,
would they not all have been exactly alike, seeing they were all made
by the same pattern? If a man builds you several houses by the same
blueprint, will they not all be just alike in their makeup? If not,
why not?  If a woman makes several dresses by the same pattern, will
they not all be just alike? If not, why not?  This seems to be too
self-evident to be questioned by sensible people.

     God, through Christ Jesus, established His church on earth, and
gave us the New Testament to guide us, as our pattern or blueprint,
in making this church. He did not give you nor me the right to just
build the church however seems right to you or to me. If we build
anything that pleases Him, it will be built according to the divine
pattern given by Jehovah.  Does it not follow, if the pattern is
followed, that each church will look alike and do things that are
alike? How can mankind escape this conclusion?  Hear Paul as he
speaks under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, "Now, I beseech you,
brethren, through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all
speak the same thing and that they be no division among you; but that
ye be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment"
(1 Corinthians 1:10-13). Does that sound like God is pleased with one
religious body doing one thing, and another doing something entirely
different?  That one church is called by one name, while another is
called by another name?  Is that what God meant when he said we are
to "do all things according to the divine pattern"?  It seems to me
that someone is not following the pattern. It may be that none are
following the divine pattern, but we cannot be following the pattern
and come up doing different things.

     Now, I am not being critical in this matter. But, in love for
God's word and the souls of men and in view of the Judgment, I must
plead earnestly with all within the sound of my voice to be satisfied
with God's word and it alone, as our only safe guide in matters of
religion. This is not a narrow view of the matter, but it is the
broadest view one can have. It is narrow to divide folks into sects
and creeds, with each group doing something different from the other
group. May we all go back to the Bible as our only guide, speaking as
it speaks, and remaining silent where it does not speak.  No two
truths can contradict each other. When we differ my friend, one of us
is wrong. Possibly both of us. But, two cannot differ and still hold
to truth.  Truth does not divide. Truth unites. Did not Jesus pray
for the unity of all believers? Listen to Him, "Neither for these
only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their
word; that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe
that thou didst send me" (John 17:20, 21).  A divided Christianity
breeds atheism, a divided Christianity is a slap in the face of
Jehovah. But a united Christianity will produce faith in Christ Jesus
in the lives of others? Don't you think that we should all speak the
same thing?  Who out there in radio land will affirm that we should
be divided religiously? Who will affirm that it pleases God for us to
speak different things?

     If all people hear and obey the Gospel now, as those people did
in Paul's day, then they will all be saved as they were then. If all
obey the same gospel now, will not all be members of the same church
--if not, why not? If you do what the people did on the day of
Pentecost in Acts 2, will you not be a member of the same church as
they were and be just what they were religiously. If not, why not?
If the same seed is planted, it will produce the same results. Jesus
said the seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11). Even the farmer knows
that the same seed will produce the same crop. If you plant corn, the
harvest will be corn, if you make a crop. But, the religious world
has developed the idea that we can plant the same seed and come up
with many different results.  That, my friend, is not God's
arrangement.  That is the work of men.  God says, "Speak the same
thing." Man says, "We speak different things." Whom shall we accept?

     There is one point that all of us MUST remember. God never sets
aside His law for anyone. This is one point that must be impressed
upon our thinking.  If man is saved, it will be according to the
Lord's arrangements; not mine nor yours. And since God is no
respecter of persons as Acts 10:34 so clearly states, we must all
agree with and obey the arrangements that the Lord has made.
Therefore, the concluding word and exhortation of this program is:
With a sincere, fervent, passion for lost and dying men, let us go
into the field white for harvest with no word to offer but the "Word
of God," with no requirements to make but the Bible conditions of
salvation, with no church to offer but the "church of Christ," with
no name to offer but the name "Christian," with no discipline to
offer but the New Testament. Let us all "speak as the oracles of
God." May we make all things "according to the divine pattern."
     May God bless you with this determination.

Jack Tompson