[Biblemat] S) HOW TO MAKE IT RELEVANT (2)

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is the second install-
ment of this particular study.  Use to the glory of God..

HOW TO MAKE IT RELEVANT  (2)

The Power Of The Word: -- When the gospel of Christ was preached on that  
day His church was begun nearly 2000 years
ago, we read:  "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in
their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Bret-
hren, what shall we do?'" (Acts 2:37).  That  message had the 
power to convict the sinner and thus lead him to repent.  Jesus
had told the apostles tht the Holy Spirit would "convict the world
(Jno. 16:8).  Because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" 
(Rom. 3:23) and Christ ame to save sinners (Lk. 19:10). what could be more 
relevant than a message that con-
victs the sinner and "pricks him in his heart"?  Because sin sep-
arates a person from God, what could be more relevant than that
"word of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18-20) which the apostles preached?

       Man, separated from God, can come back to God only throu-
gh faith:  "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that
cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder
of them that seek after Him" (Heb. 11:6).  But the only way a man
can believe is through the Word that is given to produce faith
(Mk. 16:15,16).  The apostle Peter declared that people should 
"hear the Word of the Gospel and believe" (Acts 15:7).  And Paul
wrote that:  "Faith cometh of hearing, and hearing from the Word of Christ" 
(Rom. 10:17).  Man is saved by faith, justified by
faith adn kept by faith (Rom. 1:16; 5:1; 1 Pet. 1:5).  Now, the gos-
pel of Christ (delivered by the apostles) is the source of faith.
What could be more relevant than that?

       We often hear the cry:  "We need a message that will devel-
op greater spirituality."  But we ask:  "What is the source?"  I fail
to see how neglecting the instructions of the Spirit  can make
one more spiritual!  The apostle Paul said of that word:  "The
Word of God, which also worketh in you that believe" (1 Thes. 2:
13).  When one wants something "moving" in the inner man, Paul says:  "Look 
to the Word of God.  It works in you that be-
lieve."

The Work Of The Preacher: -- Some charge:  "Preachers need to
get out where the action is."  And I fully agree with that, but not
if we allow worldly materialists to define "where the action is."
There are some who seem to feel that the preacher should be
engaged in marital counseling, mental health problems and simi-
lar ills that beset our society.  While a preacher may do these
things, that is not his work.  A farmer may do the same things,
but that is not his work.  His work is farming.  The work of the 
preacher is to "preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:2).  The work of the
preacher is not to "pastor the flock" -- that is the work of elders,
as they "watch in behalf of your souls" (Heb. 13:17).  Elders are
quite often better qualified to counsel the troubled member than
the preacher is.  And besides, that is their work!

       Some would like to see the preacher get involved in civil
rights, racial problems, rights of "labor" and a hundred other
such causes.  But those things are not really his work.  I have
heard people say that if Jesus were on earth today, He would
be leading the fight for "equality and justice" for this cause or
that one.  But the truth is, the conditions that we have today
were the curse of mankind when Jesus walked the earth.  Were
there no ghettos then?  Were there no wars?  Were the laboring
men all treated fairly?  But jesus never led a demonstration nor
otherwise got involved in politics.  He never led a revolution, ex-
cept by using His Word to change the hearts of people.  The
work of Jesus was far more important than the conditions of
poverty adn inequity.  He said:  "The Son of man came to seek
and to save that  which was lost" (Lk. 19:10).  And He asked: 
"For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in excha-
nge for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26).  His work was spiritual and His
gospel is spiritual.  If we are doing the work He gave us to do, we will 
work in the spiritual realm.  (More will be posted on this
subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS).



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