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What I Say Unto One I Say Unto All Watch

by Dr. Henderson Ward  
3/05/2017 / Christian Living

One of the serious problems that believers are confronted with daily, as we study the scriptures, and try to get the true meaning of the passage or verse, is whether that scripture has application to me here and now. We read and study scripture, primarily, because we want to hear what it is saying to us now, because we need assistance, guidance and comfort now, today, so that we can progress in the faith once delivered to the saints.

Believers know how important it is that we fully understand, and apply, the scriptures to our present day, even though what we are facing is unlike what the saints faced in times past.

Very few Christians face real terror today, terror threats are unlikely to materialise, and Christians who are victims of terror are mostly those living in Muslim countries. Even in Muslim countries, terror does not come from the government of the day, but from rogue elements in society, extremists, dissidents, and those who are alienated from the mainstream. As far as I am aware, governments in Muslim countries condemn violence against minorities like Christians, even though they would prefer their country have all Muslims.

But it was not always so.

In St. Paul’s day, governments were as hostile to Christians as the Muslim group ISIS is today, and the general population thought nothing of wrecking the lives of believers willy-nilly. This translated into believers having to flee for their lives, many were made homeless, and many were destitute, relying on the local assembly for their survival. This was acutely the case concerning believers in the early Jerusalem assembly.

For this reason only, Paul told the church at Corinth to assist the church at Jerusalem in this manner: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.” (1 Corinthians 16:2-4)

So, was Paul teaching a new doctrine that was to be followed by all churches, and all believers, or was this a one off situation peculiar to the church at Jerusalem?

It was clear that Paul was dealing with a hardship situation relating to believers in the Jerusalem church. But when an apostle put forward a practice such as this, it becomes part of the Apostolic Tradition, and we need to remember what Paul told the Thessalonians, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

So how do churches apply this practice, and where do believers stand?

Let me do a bit of theology here, and I hope you see why. Everything that is done or instructed in the Bible is not doctrine, but everything in the Bible is capable of being used to sustain or establish doctrine. When we view a scripture and try to deduce doctrine from it (remember that the Bible tells us that, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine...” (2 Timothy 3:16), we are in truth trying to answer a theological compound question, i.e., are there ideas taught as truth, or principles offered for guidance, or actions commended for godly living?

What Paul told the church at Corinth to do, with respect to the suffering believers in the Jerusalem church, is not universally seen the same way by all mainstream churches today. Some churches collect money for the poor every Sunday, some do so once every month, some do so on special occasions, some do so for the church family only, and some do so only when a request is received.

This is the reason mainstream churches do not all follow the same doctrines; they interpret scriptures differently, and they cherry-pick what they regard as doctrinal and apply them as appropriate.

Mainstream churches differ vastly on issues (just to mention a few) like:

1. Women having their heads covered in church
2. Women leaders in churches
3. Water baptism
4. Infant baptism
5. Holy communion

All that leads to the inescapable conclusion that scriptures are often open to diverse understandings and applications. Brilliant, spirit-filled scholars are likely to differ with each other just as much as your average church member, because that is simply the way people see things.

However, some scriptures do not leave any wiggle room, and our topic is one of them. Note the specificity of the scripture, “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” (Mark 13:37)

Jesus was speaking here to his four closest apostles, Peter, James, John, and Andrew, and he finished the discourse by making it clear that he was not just talking to the four, but to all the other apostles, and to all the disciples in the region, and to all believers throughout time until his second advent.

Jesus was saying to his apostles, and to all believers everywhere, and to all of those believers not yet born, that their duty and obligation as part of their commitment to Jesus Christ was to always be in a state of watchfulness.

To the Jews, who believed on him and were alive, the coming events were going to be horrific, and deadly, and they were to be on their guard. They might know what is coming, but they did not know when they were going to come, nor the magnitude of the horrors, nor indeed when Jesus would return, or who would survive and in what state. So he cautioned them to watch.

This same caution Jesus gives to all believers, in all ages, throughout time and in all countries, because death, and the timing of the Second Advent, will be sudden.

”Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:42-44)

But watchfulness should not be limited to just the events surrounding the end of time, or the end of our life. Jesus did not tell us (Mark 13:37) what to watch for, although we can safely imply what he meant in this context, but we were told by him very clearly to watch.

The believer’s life is a life of vigilance, if you are not watching carefully there are pitfalls, booby-traps, and a variety of predators out there ready to do great mischief. Remember what we are told about Satan, he is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He can also appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), but his purpose is always the same – to destroy.

1. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)
2. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;” (Colossians 4:2)
3. “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6)
4. “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)
5. “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” (1 Peter 4:7)
6. “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” (Revelation 3:3)

Some believers think that watching is easy, but they are mistaken; watching is quite demanding. Jesus made a point of instructing us to watch because he knows that with the passage of time, the  inclination is to get tired, for us to be overcome with weariness and to let our attention lapse.

Often with the word watch, another word is linked. That word is pray, as here, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 24:41).

We need to watch, constantly, because the plain truth is that while our spirit is willing, our flesh is weak, and as we know, a chain is as strong as its weakest link. We watch, therefore, in a willing and upbeat spirit, but resorting always to God’s assistance through continuous prayers, because we are “... confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philipians 1:6)

Enough said.

Books by this author you may wish to read.

THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW (e-book)
Volume 1 – Five tough facts to be faced
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YX5NSI

STAND UP TO THE DEVIL  (e-book)
Volume 1 – You must first identify him
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BQVLSS

BASTARD: A STORY OF REDEMPTION(e-book fiction)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OF3SD6

ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD’S CLOCK (Hard copy)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002X78D16

ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD’S CLOCK (e-book)

http://tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60799-630-9

Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2017

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