From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Jan 1 05:01:52 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 06:01:52 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) DOES GOD SELECT THE TEMPTATION? Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. I wish you A VERY HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, AND SAFE NEW YEAR. 2010 OR 2K10. Yes, it is now Friday, 2010. God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: DOES GOD SELECT THE TEMPTATION? QUESTION: -- Does 1 Cor. 10:12,13 teach that God selects the temptation with which we will be confronted? What about the passage in Job 1:10? ANSWER: -- Let us look first at the readings that are mentioned in our questions: "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation tak- eth you but such as is common to man: but God if faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:12,13). The passage in Job 1:10 records the argument of Satan to God with regard to Job: "Hast not Thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land." Both passages, noted above, point to the fact that God offers protection to those that serve Him. God does not "select the temptations" by which we will be tempted: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil; neither tempteth He any man" (with evil). (Jas. 1:13). But God does allow us to be tempted (as the account of Job shows) by the devil. But God limits Satan's power, as both passages above show. When we depart form the Lord, we may find we will "deny Him" as Peter did (Matt. 26:69-75). We cannot live for the desires of the world and expect God's protection in temptation. (We sing a hymn that says: "Yield not to temptation; for YIELDING is sin." It is the yielding to the temptation that brings sin into our lives, JWS). How is the "way of escape" provided? Take time to read Psa. 119:11,12. "Thy words have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes." Only when we devote ourselves to learning, and doing, the Will of God does He provide the way of escape from whatever temptation that might come our way. For the Christian, one who constantly lives for God, look at the assurance from God his behalf: "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 Jno. 1:7). The Lord promised, "Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20). When we "walk in the light" of God's Word, we have the constant cleansing of His blood. This is what makes it possible for us to "be faithful unto death" (Rev. 2:10). Without the constant help and power of God, we couldn't make it. (To be blessed by God with the constant forgiveness of our sins, we must be willing to accept and confess that we have sinned, and that we are willing to repent and turn away from that sin, JWS). One of the great lessons in Job is that God will not allow Satan to overwhelm us with more than we can handle. As we serve the Lord, His promise is that no temptation, that comes our way, will be stronger than the way that He has provided for us to escape. We must be willing to constantly look for and accept the way provided by God for our escape from the tempt- ations that will confront us. May God help us to be constantly aware of the escape route that He provides for our good always. -------------- Adapted from an article by Clem Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 51, Dec. 18, 2009. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100101/ceb160ec/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Jan 1 05:02:02 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 06:02:02 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) JOSIAH'S RESTORATION MOVEMENT Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is a study that goes along with the subject, Sodom As An Example? studied yesterday. Use to the glory of God. JOSIAH'S RESTORATION MOVEMENT The emerging church crowd and their older siblings (the change agents out of Abilene and Nashville, etc.) are fond of making fun of the restoration plea, which is for all "Christen- dom" to go to the Bible and plant in every place the one apostol- ic church which was first planted in Jerusalem on Pentecost of (30 A.D.). A plea to plant according to the simplicity found in the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42); according to the pattern, which He (the Spirit) lay down in His Word (2 Tim. 1:13) and not to go beyond tht which is written (1 Cor. 4:6; 2 Jno. 9-11). In light of their ridicule of the simplicity and veracity of the plea for the restoration of the Jerusalem gospel they need to reflect on the fact that Josiah isn 630 B.C. at the tender age of 16, (a teenager) began to seek the God of his fathers (2 Chron. 34:30); and at the age of 20, began a national restoration of Judah and Jerusalem. Not only did he put down the false teachers that served in the temple (2 Kngs. 23:5), but had the idols in the house of God knocked down (23:6) and broke down the houses for the sodom- ites that were in the courts of the temple (23:7). (In America, today, we need God-fearing men like Josiah who can and will work to bring about a national restoration of the love of God, the home as He authorized it and a zeal for the innocent and help- less among us. (We see expensive ads, by the ASPCA, begging for money to help find and treat abused animals of all sorts that they might find in any area of the USA. Yes, these are abused and neglected innocent animals that may be found in many areas of our society. But what about the innocents that are found in the wombs of their expectant mothers, in the human race, how many TV requests are made every day to protect these innocent beings among the human race? I am not seeing any. What a great pity, that we are more concerned about the welfare of innocent animals that are being abused, than we are about the innocent human beings abused by those who abort them each and every day by the hundreds and thousands and even even millions. We must bring about a great restoration movement ob behalf of these innocents, JWS). (Josiah certainly set the example for a national restoration by destroying the idols of the idolaters and homosexuals that were destroying the morals and spirituality of that day. In this, as was mentioned in the study yesterday, our President certainly is not helping the matter at hand in the USA, but he is exacerbating it by his encouragement of those who are practicing every form of forni- cation, adultery, homosexuality, and every perversion of the human race along this line. JWS). Yet, Josiah not only began a national restoration, but at the age of 26 (2 Chron. 34:8) when he saw for the first time a copy of the Bible (the law), which had been found in the rubble of the temple, he began a powerful restoration of the religion that Moses had delivered to the the people hundreds of years prior to Josiah's day. Although Judah had gone too far into the degradation of idol- atry, sexual promiscuity and greed, to be brought back to spirit- ual maturity God praised the young man for his restoration efforts. Josiah's life illustrates the urgency of the plea to restore the pure and unperverted message of Christ in every place. (Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression..." (Isa. 58:1). ----- Adapted from an article by Jim E. Waldron in Bulletin Briefs, Vol. 12, No. 12, Dec. 2009. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100101/dda17b2a/attachment-0001.html From glclair at aol.com Fri Jan 1 09:41:29 2010 From: glclair at aol.com (glclair at aol.com) Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:41:29 EST Subject: [Biblemat] HILLIARD BULLETIN for January 2010 Message-ID: <16f3.264c3a80.386f71a9@aol.com> Hilliard Bulletin Published by the church of Christ Meeting at 4840 Cemetery Road - P.O. Box 96 Hilliard, Ohio 43026 Phone: (614) 876-4089 Preacher & Editor: Garreth L. Clair Phone: (614) 850-7252 _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) ========================================================================== Volume 12 Number 1 January 2010 Alan E. Highers Several years ago I heard Leroy Brownlow speak on the subject, ?Preach What You Practice.? At first I thought he had stated it backwards. We have all heard the saying, ?Practice what you preach,? meaning that we should practice in accordance with what we tell others. But brother Brownlow said exactly what he meant. He was a great preacher. He was saying that we should ? preach? what we ?practice,? meaning that if we practice something, we should not be ashamed to preach it. Do We Preach What We Practice? We practice singing in worship without instrumental accompaniment (_Eph. 5:19_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Eph.+5:19) ; _Col. 3:16_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Col.+3:16) ). Churches of Christ are almost unique in this practice. If we practice singing a cappella (without an instrument), we should preach what we practice; Why not tell others why we practice as we do? If outsiders visit the assemblies of churches of Christ, the absence of an instrument usually is the first thing they notice. Most of them are interested to know why we do not have instrumental music. Why do some preachers avoid this subject? They rarely, if ever, mention the matter, and they seem reluctant to proclaim to others the reasons for our practice. If singing is our practice, should we not preach what we practice? It is unfortunate that we have an entire generation of young people growing up in some congregations who never hear why we practice as we do. Some congregations among us have started to add an instrumental service. It is unlikely that these congregations have heard a sermon from the pulpit on instrumental music in the last twenty-five years. A lack of teaching has made them ?soft? on the subject. An untaught membership is ripe and ready for apostasy. We ought to preach what we practice. We practice immersion into Christ for the remission of sins (_Acts 2:38_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Acts+2:38) ; _Rom. 6:3-4_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Rom.+6:3-4) ). We are different in this respect from most religious bodies in our communities. Some practice sprinkling instead of immersion and administer such an act even upon infants. Some teach that one is saved at the point of faith before and without water baptism, and that ?God, for Christ?s sake, has pardoned their sins ? before they are baptized. Jesus said, ?He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved? (_Mark 16:16_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Mark+16:16) ). This is what we practice. Should we not preach what we practice? Some years ago, an elder in the church said to me: ?Our preacher is a good man, but he does not preach on the plan of salvation. A person could attend for a year without hearing a sermon on what one must do to be saved.? If we do not teach the truth on baptism and the plan of salvation, who will teach it; we cannot depend on the denominations around us to proclaim the truth on this subject because most of them do not believe it. They teach that ?faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.? James declared that one is justified by works, and ?not by faith only? (James 2:24); we must recognize that the pulpit generally ?sets the tone? for the congregation. If the truth on the gospel plan of salvation does not ring out from the pulpit, the congregation will become weak and sickly on the fundamentals of obedience to the truth. We ought to preach what we practice. According to our practice, there is one body (_Eph. 4:4-6_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Eph.+4:4-6) ). Look all around you in the religious world. There are many bodies. They all are competing for the hearts and souls of men. Some of these teach ?once saved, always saved.? Others declare that God already has predestined those who will be saved and those who will be lost and that man can do nothing of himself to be saved. Most religious bodies teach that one does not have to be baptized to be saved. Some bow down before images. What are we doing to uphold the ?one body? taught in the scriptures? Are our young people being educated to know the difference in the one body in the New Testament and the many bodies established by men? There was a time when few young people who grew up in churches of Christ would or could ever join a denomination. Is that still true? Please consider this question: When is the last time you heard a lesson from the pulpit that clearly distinguished the New Testament church from denominationalism? It once was commonplace for preachers of the gospel to deliver a lesson on ?The Identity of the Church.? It was a lesson that discussed how to identify the true church and how to recognize its existence today. There is a vast contrast between such lessons and much of what we hear now from pulpits even in churches of Christ. Keep in mind that many people choose a church because of its location, or because people are friendly, or because of the standing of the church in the community, but these are not valid scriptural reasons for becoming a member of the church. Some seem to think we should seek converts with hamburgers and hot dogs and hope they learn the truth at some later time. This methodology has the effect of filling the church with unconverted members. We believe and practice that there is one body and that the New Testament church is distinct from denominationalism. We ought to preach what we practice. We are not suggesting that only the first principles should be preached, but rather that the fundamentals should not be neglected or overlooked. In order to preach what we practice, it is not necessary to be thoughtless or unkind. It is unfortunate that some have portrayed distinctive, straightforward preaching as arrogant and overbearing. N. B. Hardeman conducted five cooperative meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, which became known as the ? Tabernacle Meetings.? Three of these meetings were conducted at the Ryman Auditorium which later became the home of the ?Grand Old? Opry.? The sermons were carried by the daily newspaper in Nashville and later published in book form. More than 200 people were baptized during the first meeting. A reading of these sermons will demonstrate that one can preach the truth without compromise, yet do so in a kind and forthright manner. The Example of Paul There is a truly remarkable statement by the apostle Paul found in _2 Corinthians 4:13_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=2+Corinthians+4:13) . He quotes the psalmist, ?I believed, therefore have I spoken? (_Ps. 116:10_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Ps.+116:10) ), and the apostle adds, ?We also believe, and therefore speak.? Think of the rich meaning of Paul?s declaration. Why does he speak? He says we ? believe, and therefore speak.? Paul believed what he was preaching! Therefore, he spoke. What will one do if he truly believes and honors the word of God? Paul?s answer is that, if one truly believes, he will speak. This is Paul?s way of saying that we should preach what we practice. The prophet Jeremiah once grew so discouraged that he decided to speak no more in the name of the Lord, but he said the word of God was in his heart ? as a burning fire shut up in my bones,? and he could not remain silent (_Jer. 20:9_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Jer.+20:9) ). We need more preachers with fire in their bones instead of weak tea in their veins. One of the most memorable utterances ever spoken by the apostle Paul is found in _Acts 20:26-27_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Acts+20:26-27) , ?Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.? Paul did not say he was pure from the blood of all men because all men heeded what he said. He did not say he was pure from the blood of all men because all men obeyed the message he preached. He was pure from the blood of all men because he did not fail ?to declare unto you all the counsel of God.? He declared the whole counsel of God. How can one discharge his responsibility to ?all men? if he does not declare the plan of salvation, or the church for which Jesus died, or the necessity of obedience to the gospel? It is a mighty responsibility. We believe the heart of the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (_1 Cor. 15:1-3_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=1+Cor.+15:1-3) ). It is obvious, however, that the life of Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection involve other obligations. When Philip spoke to the Ethiopian, he ?preached unto him Jesus? (_Acts 8:35_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Acts+8:35) ), yet the Ethiopian eunuch responded by asking, ?See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? ? (_Acts 8:36_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Acts+8:36) ) Philip?s preaching of Jesus included the responsibility of the eunuch to be baptized into Christ. It pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe (_1 Cor. 1:21_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=1+Cor.+1:21) ). Preaching is incredibly important in God?s plan. It is not only directed to the unconverted, but it is designed to strengthen the saved. Every generation needs to hear the faith presented again. Every congregation, with its young people, its new converts, and even its seasoned members, needs to hear the ?old, old story? over and over. A Crisis in the Pulpit There can be little doubt that we are experiencing a ?crisis in the pulpit. ? This fact is not cited to detract from the work of hundreds of faithful gospel preachers or to discourage those who may not be living up to their potential, but rather to make us aware of conditions and movements seriously affecting the church and the pulpit. Phil Sanders wrote an article which appeared in the July issue of the Gospel Advocate about ?The Emerging Church Movement.? This is an influential movement rapidly spreading among denominational bodies and even influencing some in the church. The author mentioned several characteristics of the movement which have a bearing on preaching among churches of Christ. He stated: ?Emergent?s place the outward over the inward (doing good over what one believes). For emergent?s, what one believes is not important; but whether one does good toward others is highly important.? How many times have you seen this emphasis in the pulpit? Be kind, be good neighbors, be considerate, but with very little emphasis about right beliefs, sound doctrine, or fundamentals of the faith. Further: ?They speak much about the grace of Christ but lose sight that the main burden of the preaching of Jesus was a call to repentance (Mt. 4:17). . . .Things such as sin, repentance, and hell have little place in the emerging church.? We might add that things such as sin, repentance, and hell have little place in the preaching delivered from some pulpits. Some of our brethren are being influenced by postmodernism and the emerging church who may have never heard of postmodernism or the emerging church, but its far-reaching implications have colored their view. Doctrinal preaching largely has become a thing of the past for them. Phil Sanders has wisely admonished: ?Elders, preachers and leaders will do well to be informed and avoid the error of such trends.? In the August Gospel Advocate, David Tarbet, preacher for the White Oaks congregation in Dallas, states: ?Apostasy only comes after a long absence of decisive doctrinal preaching on subjects the church needs to hear. When the brethren are not reminded of the truth, they forget the reasons for opposing error and lose their convictions. Then change agents can begin the steps which inevitably lead to the adoption of instrumental music, women?s leadership roles in worship, ecumenical fellowship, and open membership. It?s been years in many congregations since there has been strong biblical teaching and preaching on these matters. Surely preachers and elders will be held accountable for what is not being taught that ought to be taught.? Are we listening? Any congregation that has a steady diet of non-doctrinal preaching will eventually become weak on doctrine. This is precisely what has happened in many places where the instrument is being introduced, women are assuming a public role in the assembly, and a complete denominational attitude exists toward the church. It is not necessary to preach error and false doctrine for these conditions to develop. It is only necessary to have ?soft? preaching, preaching that conforms to the emerging church and postmodern models, and preaching that does not strengthen brethren to ?continue in the faith? (_Acts 14:22_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Acts+14:22) ). When 95% of what is presented in the pulpit could be preached at most denominations in town, something is wrong. We sincerely admire those who ?preach the word.? We honor and appreciate every elder which keeps watch for the safety and purity of the church. This task is more challenging with every passing year. Elders and preachers must become familiar with the conditions and trends that are developing around us. If we are not aware of these trends, we are not likely to recognize them when they begin to surface in the congregation. Every worldly movement is likely to exert an influence on the church unless we are alert to the dangers. Be watchful. Be vigilant. Hold a steady course. ?Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand? (_Eph. 6:13_ (http://biblegateway.com/bible?version=9&passage=Eph.+6:13) ). --- Reprinted with permission from Spiritual Sword 40:1 (Oct. 2008) From Truth Magazine ? January 2009 Issue BEGINNING A NEW YEAR The New Year will surely bring new challenges and opportunities to us as Christians as well as to the congregation as a unit. We will have opportunities again this year to teach other people about the Lord and about the things that he has done for mankind. Indeed, we will have opportunities to visit in other places and hear and see how brethren in other congregations are progressing and how they approach those that are not Christians in their areas of the country. Perhaps we will gain some helpful information that the congregation here can implement. This year we have two gospel meetings scheduled and will plan to do extensive advertising for the meetings; you may want to make a mental note of the two meetings (SPRING April 22-25, 2010 ? Arthur Adams (Plymouth, IN) ? confirmed --- FALL September 19-24, 2010 - Aaron Veyon (Fredericktown, OH) ? confirmed). While we will have two meetings this year, other congregations in the area will be conducting meetings as well; as we have opportunity let us plan to visit with some of the congregations in the area while they are having their gospel meetings. ? _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) Hilliard Bulletin ? January 2 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100101/d29f2e35/attachment-0001.html From tssullivan at charter.net Fri Jan 1 21:44:32 2010 From: tssullivan at charter.net (T. Sean Sullivan) Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 21:44:32 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] The Messenger Vol 005 Iss 001 Message-ID: The Messenger 2010 Published Weekly by Main Street Church of Christ 306 West Main Street, Newbern, TN 38059 Bulletin Editor: T. Sean Sullivan VOLUME 005::ISSUE 001: January 03, 2010 This Week?s Article: Love Makes the Difference Introduction: With most pursuits there are extremes. There are those who know nothing but emotionless rules and there are those at the other extreme who know nothing but rule-free emotions. We must understand that the success of God?s plan is found in neither of those extremes. Emotionless rules will not bring us profit (1 Corinthians 13:1-4) and at the other extreme rule-free emotions will not bring us profit either (Matthew 28:19; John 14:15). So where is the truth? When truth is bound, presented, and equaled by love; success is found (John 4:24). The whole character of love is given to us by our God?Who possesses all of the ideals of true love. We need to learn from God what love is. We need to seek and know the necessities of love in this relationship. We need to grasp the concept that love makes the difference. Please open your text and consider these details as in light of the scriptures as you read. Doing this with in the proper pursuit the love we learn from God. God?s Love is True God?s love is true to His values. The greatest point of confidence that has been provided is wrapped up the fact that God is completely good. Evil is not in His character (Deuteronomy 32:3-4). Dishonesty is never near Him (Revelation 21:27). Integrity of word and deed is His way?Righteousness is from Him and altogether is His character (Psalm 19:9). God?s love is true to our needs. God?s love comes from His goodness (1 John 4:8) and God loves all people (John 3:16). We must understand that only those who focus their lives on His righteousness will find His love in eternity (Revelation 22:14-15). We are to love in the same character as God. Our love must be in keeping with godly values. Our love is to be without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9). Our words ?without hypocrisy? are a translation of one word in the original language; the Greek term anupokritos. This word was descriptive of the actors removing their masks after the play to reveal their true selves. Our love is never to be a mask that is ?put on? it is to be real always. Our love is also not for personal gain (Jude 12-23) we are to love for the gain of others. Our love must be true to the needs of our selves?loving in way as to bring full effect to our service before God (Mark 12:30). Our love must also be true to the needs of our brethren?loving them enough to provide willingly (Romans 12:10-13). Our love must also extend toward our fellow man?including our friends, family, and all our earthly neighbors. Loving them enough to set our fears aside and share the hope of God?s love with them. God?s Love is Sacrificial Is it even possible to begin an understanding of a love that would motivate God to give as He has?His Son? It certainly challenges the human mind to fathom such a thought of love. There is truly no comparison to the sacrificial love that God has shown us through the offering of our Savior Jesus. As John says, ?God so loved?? there is much in that little word ?so? (John 3:16). Paul proclaims that God, through the giving of hope through His Son, has ?demonstrated His own love toward us? (Romans 5:6-8). God loves us in such a way as to offer hope even though we have sinned against Him (Romans 3:23). We would have a fitting end being separated from Him (Romans 6:23a) but God has lovingly provided the gift of His Son as payment of our debt, to allow us freedom from our self-inflicted burdens (Romans 6:23). Do we even attempt to demonstrate such a love in our lives? It is easy to love when it costs nothing. It is much more difficult to love when you are the one who must be patient, kind, and humble. It is not easy to maintain the example of love when others do not return love. What about having to love when it costs? When it costs us time and energy? Meeting the needs of other is a time-consuming thing that requires work on our part (Romans 12:10-13). Remember what God has given, to show us what love really means, and in turn demonstrate to other by giving of your self to show them. Love Makes the Difference Back to 1 Corinthians 13:1-4 Paul tells us, ?if I ?have not love? all the good works accomplished ?profits me nothing??. We need God?s love?His grace and mercy (2 John 3); His direction (James 1:17-18); and His care (1 Peter 5:7). We also must possess a willingness to offer love to others (John 13:34-35; 1 Thessalonians 4:9). There are some who think they love but their actions prove otherwise. This is based on a statement from 1 Peter 4:8 where Peter says, ?Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins?. Many will easily look past the faults of ones they love; but will constantly find aggravation and cause for complaint in the littlest things in others they do not love. Peter instructs us to give primary effort to the development of this ?fervent love? to avoid the deterioration of our relationship. When one watches their brethren like a hawk, waiting for the next misstep to point out and complain about we do not love as we should. The lack of love is made apparent by a purposed avoidance of the plan to gain back our brethren found in Matthew 18:15-17. When we do not love our brother or sister we go and tell others and break the rules causing our own selves to sin?since it is a sin to transgress the law of God (1 John 3:4) The difference between ?people we happen to go to church with? and ?the family that we are all supposed to be? is love. The words of Hebrews 10:24 tell us to ?consider one another in order to stir up love and good works?. Then Hebrews 10:25, provides us with the opportunity: during the ?assembling? of the church together?which is not to be avoided. We come together to work together effectively because we love God (Mark 12:30); we love our brethren (John 13:34-35); and only together will we become what we need to be (Ephesians 4:16). Conclusion: With most pursuits there are extremes: Those who know nothing but emotionless rules. Those who know nothing but rule-free emotions; the success of God?s plan is found in neither of these extremes. Emotionless rules will not bring us profit (1 Corinthians 13:1-4) and neither will rule-free emotions (Matthew 28:19; John 14:15) So where is the truth? When truth is bound, presented, and equaled by love; success is found (John 4:24). God teaches us to love by the love that He shows. The opportunities of love abound with blessing of every new day. Through His love God has provided you with a pattern to follow in order to be saved. Do you love God enough to follow His plan? The opportunity for your obedience is now! ~tss If you are enjoying The Messenger and you know someone else who would like to receive it. Please forward this copy to them and send their email address and I will add them to the list. Sean -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100101/7cb1800a/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 3298 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100101/7cb1800a/attachment-0002.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 7811 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100101/7cb1800a/attachment-0003.gif From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Sat Jan 2 03:09:17 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Sat, 2 Jan 2010 04:09:17 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) GOD HAS SPOKEN Message-ID: <76bd.452c5da8.3870673d@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Saturday morn- ing to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: GOD HAS SPOKEN Another calendar year is at its end. What have you done with the time God gave you this passing year? Time is a gift from God to be used wisely. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psa. 90:12). We must "redeem (buy up) the time", for that is where opportunity is found (Col. 4:5). No doubt, a great amount of our time has been spent on transient things and things of lesser value. How much attention have we given to eternal things? The blessings and directions from God, the welfare of our souls, seeking to help the lost ones to find God's Way, honoring and worshipping God, working to edify the saints of God and to be edified togeth- er with them, setting forth an exemplary life to influence others positively -- these are things that endure. As we look in retro- spect, are we comfortable, or uncomfortable with what we have done? If God grants us another calendar year to live, what will it pro- fit? Will we seek the Lord, reaching out for Him that we might find Him, though He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:26-28)? Or, will we go on heedlessly and blindly, turning away from the light of truth and stumbling on in blindness to our ultim- ate ruin? If we have truly found the Lord in HIs Word, the Bible, will we commit ourselves to Him in well-doing, as "unto a faith- ful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19)? Will we set our minds to walk blame- lessly. "as children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we shine as lights in the world, holding fast the Word of life" (Phil. 2:14,15)? We must remember that lights attract attention and criticism. We cannot expect to escape criticism if we stand firmly and openly for God's truth. All who will live godly in Christ Jesus, openly and diligently, will encounter opposition and some times even ridi- cule (2 Tim. 3:12). Our plea to each of you is this: let us seek God after the prop- er order, through His Book, and let us have the courage and per- severence of faith to carry out daily our duty to our Lord and King, working together with His saints in His body, His church. --------------- Gilbert Alexander. From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Sat Jan 2 03:09:26 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Sat, 2 Jan 2010 04:09:26 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) A PATTERN OF DEPARTURE FROM GOD (1) Message-ID: <76be.1be9f11a.38706746@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the first installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. A PATTERN OF DEPARTURE FROM GOD (1) Jeremiah the "weeping prophet," was sent to warn God's people to return to the Lord. His pleas to them, his tears for their rebellion, fill the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. He writes that Israel had forgotten the Lord (Jer. 2:32), they had forsaken God (2:13), they had corrupted His teaching and worship (5:30). Then he adds, "My people love to have it so" (5:31). The entire pattern of their departure, and their continued reb- ellion, is found in Jer. 6:10-16. In these verses of Scripture, Jere- miah describes the departure of Israel in five steps. But he could as well been describing today's society! Conditions that were prevalent then are with us now. The spiritual attitudes that led to the downfall of Israel, are found today in the religious world. And the five steps that led them astray still plague man- kind today. The Refused To Listen To The Word Of God: -- "To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken, the Word of the Lord is unto them a reproach, and they have no delight in it" (Jer. 6:10). God spoke, but the people refused to hear! They would not listen to the truth. Jesus spoke in Matt. 13:15 of His generation: He said: "This people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed." When people refuse to hear God, He cannot guide their lives: for His guidance is through the Word He gave. Throughout history, man has often refused to heed the mess- age of God. Peter spoke of som who "willfully forget" (2 Pet. 3:5), what God has taught. And the moral depravity of Israel is further described by Isaiah: "This is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the Law of the Lord" (Isa. 30: 9). There are still many who seem to think they know more than God does about life! But God made man (Gen. 1:26,27), and He has given man the purpose He has for him (Eccl. 12:13). No one can better chart the course for man than his Maker! As the prophet Jeremiah wrote later (10:23). "The way of man is not in himself, iot is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps." When Jesus sent out the apostles, after His resurrection, He told them: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mk. 16:15,16). As that message was preached, some considered it foolish- ness (1 Cor. 1:18). And notice what the result was: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteou- sness...Knowing God, they glorified Him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools...Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness...Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind" (Rom. 1:18-28). When people refuse to be guided by the Word of God, moral depravity is always the result. (More will be posted on this subject next Monday, the Lord willing, JWS). From wswalker310 at juno.com Fri Jan 1 17:11:42 2010 From: wswalker310 at juno.com (Wayne S Walker) Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 17:11:42 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] hymn study, "Somebody Knows When Your Heart Aches" Message-ID: <20100102.083853.2816.2.wswalker310@juno.com> 1/2/10 Wayne Walker here with another weekly hymn study. ?SOMEBODY KNOWS WHEN YOUR HEART ACHES? ? I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee ? (Heb. 13:5) INTRO: A song which reminds us that the Lord has promised never to leave us nor forsake us is ?Somebody Knows When Your Heart Aches? (#486 in Sacred Selections for the Church). The text was written by Fannie Edna Stafford (Early 20th Century). I was not able to locate any information about this author. One website that I checked, under the heading ?Everything you need to know about Frances Stafford,? made reference to the ?Biography and Gospel songs of Fannie Edna Stafford,? so it may be that her full name was Frances Edna Stafford. However, the website did not tell me anything else! The tune (Somebody Cares) was composed by Homer Alvan Rodeheaver (1880-1955). Born in Union Furnace, OH, Rodeheaver today is best remembered as a religious music publisher and founder of the Rodeheaver Co. in Winona Lake, IN, now a division of Word Inc., but in his day he was well known as the song leader for Billy Sunday?s revival campaign meetings (I recall when I was a child hearing a reference made by a television star guest on a game show about ?Homer Rodeheaver and his heavenly trombone?) and composed a few melodies, the most famous of which was for ?Good Night and Good Morning? beginning ?When comes to the weary a blessed release? by Lizzie DeArmond. ?Somebody Knows When Your Heart Aches? was copyrighted in 1910 by Rodeheaver and after the copyright was renewed in 1938 it was owned by the Rodeheaver Co. Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord?s church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, the song may currently be found in Sacred Selections. The song mentions some specific instances in which we can be assured that Jesus cares for us. I. Stanza 1 talks about when our hearts ache ?Somebody knows when your heart aches, And everything seems to go wrong; Somebody knows when the shadows Need chasing away with a song; Somebody knows when you?re lonely, Tired, discouraged, and blue; Somebody wants you to know Him, And know that He dearly loves you.? A. Each life is filled with events and situations which tend to break our hearts and cause them to ache: Acts 21:13 B. The concept of shadows is often used poetically to refer to times of great sorrow and sadness, such as the loss of loved ones: 1 Thess. 4:13 C. At such times, we usually tend to feel lonely, tired, discouraged, and blue (sad), but because we can know that Jesus loves us, we need never be weary in well doing: Gal. 6:9 II. Stanza 2 talks about when we are tempted ?Somebody cares when you?re tempted, And your mind grows dizzy and dim; Somebody cares when you?re weakest, And farthest away from Him; Somebody grieves when you?re fallen, You are not lost from His sight; Somebody waits for your coming, And He?ll drive the gloom from your night.? A. As long as we live on this earth, we shall face temptations: Jas. 1:14-15 B. Jesus knows when we are weak and he wants to strengthen us in our weaknesses: 2 Cor. 12:10 C. Even when we are overtaken in a trespass and fall, we are not lost from His sight and He wants us to be restored: Gal. 6:1 III. Stanza 3 talks about when we are weary ?Somebody loves you when weary; Somebody loves you when strong; Always is waiting to help you, He watches you? one of the throng Needing His friendship so holy, Needing His watch care so true; His name? We call His Name Jesus; He loves everyone, He loves you.? A. As we run the race set before us, we sometimes become weary and discouraged in our souls: Heb. 12:1-3 B. Jesus is waiting to help us, promising to watch us and be with us: Matt. 28:20 C. We can always trust Him to be a friend: Jn. 15:13-15 CONCL.: This is another one of those songs in Sacred Selections that, possibly because it was not found in many, if any, of our previous books, was seldom if ever used, at least in my experience with churches who had the book. It seems very typical of the genre of early twentieth-century gospel song, some of which are memorable enough to remain in common usage, but many of which are now mere footnotes in hymn history. However, this one is not a bad song, and it is always good to encourage one another by saying, ?Somebody Knows When Your Heart Aches.? Brotherly, Wayne S. Walker 503 S. Jefferson St. Salem, IL 62881 home phone: (618) 548-6286 cell phone: (618) 292-2694 e-mail: wswalker310 at juno.com website: www.defenderoftruth.com Notes: Other hymn studies are available at the Defender of Truth website. Also, some of my previous hymn studies are now included in book that I have written entitled Songs of Zion. It can be ordered from the publisher by calling 1-800-423-2484 or going to www.faith-facts.com . And I have a Hymn Studies blog at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hymnstudies/ . In addition, since this has been called to my attention, I now feel it necessary to include this disclaimer with each message. As owner of this list, I have nothing to do with the ads and links that Yahoogroups sends out with the Hymn of the Day posts nor do I have any control over them. I do not necessarily approve of them and I do not always endorse those who have placed them with Yahoogroups. ____________________________________________________________ Medical Insurance Click to find great rates on medical insurance, save big, shop here. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=Rs8zOHPfaYJpAv3CdGoZSwAAJ1AqWLnxUT_Og0R1xxm43-TkAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQVgAAAAA= -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100101/e30daef5/attachment-0001.html From GLClair at aol.com Sat Jan 2 09:31:56 2010 From: GLClair at aol.com (GLClair at aol.com) Date: Sat, 2 Jan 2010 10:31:56 EST Subject: [Biblemat] Monthly Bulletin - News and Views from Cemetery Road Message-ID: News and Views from Cemetery Road church of Christ - Hilliard,Ohio ? January 2010 Pressing onward: As we consider the work of God in our lives it is always with fear and trembling that we acknowledge our work and faith in the things of God. It is impossible to work and labor faithfully with God except possessed with unwavering confidence in God and His ability to provide everything that He reveals for humankind via His Holy Word (i.e. the Bible). The Scriptures tells us as workers in the Vineyard of the Lord several things; please note the following list (i.e. the list is not complete). 1. WE ARE LABOURERS TOGETHER WITH GOD - 1 Cor. 3:9 - For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. KJV 2. WE ARE TO CONVERT AND RESTORE THE SINFUL - James 5:20 - Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. KJV Gal. 6:1 - Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. KJV 3. WE MUST SOW THE GOOD SEED; and LEAVE THE INCREASE TO THE LORD, He will give the increase - 1 Cor. 3:7-9 - 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. KJV 4. WE MUST CONSISTENTLY and WITH LOVE SERVE WITH PATIENCE OUR LORD: 1 Thess. 1:3 - 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love , and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Eph. 4:15 - But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Eph. 4:2-3 - 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. KJV CONSIDER THIS: Let us acknowledge that we are children of God and that we will live as instructed by God via His Holy Word. May we each consider ourselves as learners ? This coming year we have scheduled two GOSPEL MEETINGS; 1. (SPRING April 22-25, 2010 ? Arthur Adams (Plymouth, IN) ? confirmed 2. FALL September 19-24, 2010 - Aaron Veyon (Fredericktown, OH) ? confirmed). While we will have two meetings this year, other congregations in the area will be conducting gospel meetings as well; as we have opportunity let us plan to visit with some of the congregations in the area while they are having their gospel meetings; the meeting announcements of congregations in driving distance of Hilliard are posted on the bulletin board in the vestibule as they are received here. Check the bulletin board occasionally so that you will be continually updated about happenings that are of interest to Christians. HILLIARD BULLETIN for the past 11 years is posted on considermagazine.com. You may want to check an article or for information that has occurred here in the past 11 years. There will be some information about the events and happenings listed there. NOTE FROM GARRETH & BARBARA: We are always happy to see another New Year come; We understand that many people make resolutions at the beginning of a New Year; we do not make resolutions, we continue the commitment that we made to become Christians over 50 years ago. We are constantly aware of the responsibility we have to God as Christians but we are also committed to being the best servants as preacher and teacher here that we are capable. Therefore, we ALWAYS SEEK THE BEST FOR THE CHURCH; EACH MEMBER (i.e. we are all brothers and sisters together in Christ). We solicit you prayers and we will consistently be available to aid those who need us and we will always endeavor to build the church with you as God would require of us. May God continue to bless our work together and may our love, health, and growth together please God. A LIST OF OUR CURRENT SHUT-IN MEMBERS: Audry Binegar ? (614) 777-8877 Margie Boysel ? (614) 529-8644 Virginia Jordan ? 797-8034 Kathryn Kerr ? (937) 642-9947 Geraldine Showalter ? (614) 868-1333 Consider This: Galatians 6:10 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. KJV James 1:27 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. KJV --- glclair at aol.com ?SEE YOU NEXT MONTH; LORD WILLING? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100102/e4a28279/attachment-0001.html From terrywbenton at bellsouth.net Sat Jan 2 11:17:13 2010 From: terrywbenton at bellsouth.net (Terry W. Benton) Date: Sat, 2 Jan 2010 11:17:13 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] One Baptism Message-ID: ONE BAPTISM On Pentecost the Apostles received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8; 2:1-6) and, as a result, signs were done through them (2:43). No one else that day were so Baptized with the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit was speaking through Peter when telling convicted sinners what they must do (Acts 2:36-41). There was one baptism that would be common to ALL disciples of Christ. What was it? 1. It was baptism that disciples could perform on others "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" to ALL NATIONS. Matt.28:19 2. It was baptism that every creature could submit to and be saved. Mark 16:15-16. 3. It was baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (which was done in "water"-Acts 10:47-48) "for remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). 4. Those that gladly received the word "were baptized"(Acts 2:41). Thus, there was one baptism that was common to all disciples. Baptism in water in the name of the Lord for remission of sins. When one is baptized in the name of the Lord, the Lord adds to the church (Acts 2:47). The Spirit led (through Peter's gospel preaching) 3,000 to be baptized into one body (1 Cor.12:13). The Spirit did not Baptize the 3,000 with Himself, but He was the influencing cause by which they gladly received his word and were baptized into one body (Acts 2:41). Baptism of the Holy Spirit was not a salvation experience. It was an empowering experience for the Apostles who were already saved (John 15:3; 1 Cor.12:28; Eph.2:20) to equip them with divine assistence to their eyewitness testimony (Acts 1:8; John 14:26;15:26,27). It did not come upon them to save them and thus to show us how we have to be saved by such an experience. Baptism of the Holy Spirit was not a salvation experience that itself saved Cornelius and his household. But, it was an undeniable experience that allowed the Jews to see that they could not forbid Gentiles the one baptism in water in the name of the Lord for the remission of sins so that they too could be added to the one body (Acts 10:44-48). But, once again, as on Pentecost, the Spirit was the cause (through Peter's preaching and this miraculous confirmation) that led the Gentiles to be baptized into one body (1 Cor.12:13). Baptism of the Holy Spirit was not a salvation experience for Paul. He was saved when he "arose,and was baptized, washing away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord"(Acts 22:16). The Spirit instructed Paul through Ananias to do this. Thus, once again, "by means of One Spirit were WE ALL (Jews and Gentiles and Paul himself) baptized into one body"(1 Cor.12:13). Baptism of the Holy Spirit for Paul was an empowering experience for signs that would attend and assist him as an Apostle of Jesus. Everyone did not get this empowering Baptism of the Holy Spirit. So, it was not the "one baptism" that was common to all disciples. On other occasions, AFTER believers submitted to the ONE baptism, the Apostles would impart the Spirit representatively in gifts of power through the laying on of their hands (2 Tim.1:6). They were not doing this to save people, but to share gifts of power AFTER they were already baptized into Christ. For example, the gospel brought the Samarians to belief which led to them submitting to the ONE baptism. After being saved and added to the body of Christ, the Apostles came and laid hands upon them to impart the Holy Spirit for empowering purposes, not to save them in that act. (Acts 8:12-18). Again, this happened in Ephesus. Twelve men were given baptism in the name of the Lord, the ONE baptism, and then after their salvation Paul laid hands on them to give them the Holy Spirit powers that would assist in their growth and edification as Christians.(Acts 19:6f). Paul did not lay hands on them because they were lost and needed to be saved. They were already saved and in fellowship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. He laid hands on them to give them gifts of power from the Holy Spirit to empower their testimony to the lost (1 Cor.14:22) and to assist in their edification and growth (Eph.4:11-16; 1 Cor.14:12). There is ONE baptism (Eph.4:4). It is the one that is common to all nations. It is not the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is baptism in the name of the Lord for remission of sins. False teachers try to confuse people about which baptism is to be the one common baptism among all. Don't let them confuse you. Terry W. Benton www.pinelanechurchofchrist.com terrywbenton at bellsouth.net Terry W. Benton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100102/c3a52bee/attachment-0001.html From robertwater at gmail.com Fri Jan 1 12:02:45 2010 From: robertwater at gmail.com (Robert Waters) Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:02:45 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] A>PREACHERS MUST AVOID THE DIRTY DOZEN Message-ID: Greetings friends, Here is a good and timely articie by John Waddey. rw * PREACHERS MUST AVOID THE DIRTY DOZEN * There are some things that intelligent people around the world resent as cheap and dishonest. While these deceitful things are common in practice, honorable men despise them and seek to avoid them. Gospel preachers above all others should eschew these practices and always avoid them. * *Sophistry* is the use of "deceptively subtle reasoning or argumentation. " It is to use adroit, subtle reasoning that is specious and fallacious. Those resorting to sophistry seek to deceive their hearers by pretending to be brilliant and wise above them. We must speak the truth and lie not (I Tim. 2:7). * *Nit-picking* describes the person who picks at small, insignificant points in another person's life, work, or speech hoping to find something to discredit them. He overlooks all the good in hope of finding at least one point he can criticize, no matter how small. * *Caviling* is to raise trivial objections to that which others say, do or propose. When a dishonest soul cannot show good reasons why a proposition should be rejected he will resort to caviling. * *Railing* is to revile, or scold in harsh, insolent or abusive language. In a discussion or argument, when all else fails the railer raises his voice and attacks his opponent with harsh, abusive language. We are bound to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). * *Haggle* means to annoy or exhaust with wrangling. There are some who can never accept defeat. Even if proven wrong, they will still argue and refuse to yield. False pride leads many into haggling about a lost point. Honesty demands that we acknowledge the fact if our adversary proves us wrong (I John 1:8-9). * *Rhetoric* is normally a good word, but sometimes means "insincere or grandiloquent language." Sometimes when a man has nothing to say, or a weak argument, he attempts to hide that fact by the use of big words, flowery or technical terminology hoping his audience will not recognize the poverty of his reasoning. * *Spinning* is a relatively new term used to describe what politicians, lawyers, activists and journalists do when they want to make error look good or truth look bad. This modern definition has not yet made it into my Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, but we hear it almost daily in news broadcasts. In days past this practice was called lying. Now it is accepted as the way to cloud embarrassing information or to downplay the success of your opponent. A new professional group has emerged who are identified as spin-meisters whose job it is to deceive the gullible public. Isaiah said, "Woe to them that call evil good and good evil" (Is. 5:20). * *Illogical* is a state or condition that prevails when we do not observe the principles of logic, when our communication or reasoning is senseless. No teacher will be taken seriously who is illogical or irrational in his teaching. * *Shallow* describes the man lacking intellectual depth. He is superficial in his knowledge, his reasoning and approach. The man of God must study, i.e., give diligence to show himself approved unto God (II Tim. 2:15). Our sermons, our classes, our reasoning with false teachers must never be shallow. Diligent study keeps one from shallowness. * *Egotistical* describes the person who takes himself too seriously. He or she overestimates their beauty, their intellectual attainments, their brilliance, their worth, their talent, their greatness. This vice all preachers must studiously avoid. It is one evil fruit of false pride which God hates (Prov. 8:13). * *Carping* is fault-finding. No matter how good the other person may be, no matter how correct his conduct, no matter how civil his speech, the carper will not rest until he has found some fault. He manifests the same attitude when someone else has a project or a proposal. He cannot bear to see another's success, thus is driven to find some fault, be it real or imagined. * *Blusterous* describes a man whose speech is boastful and loud but without meaningful content. Paul said, "Let you speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. That ye may know how ye ought to answer each one" (Col. 4: 6). * *Pompous* suggests a sense of self-importance, one who is excessively elevated or ornate or showy. We are warned not to think more highly of our selves than we ought to think (Rom. 12:3). These are thirteen vices to avoid, a baker's dozen. Let us never forget Paul's exhortation: Foolish talking and jesting which are not befitting, "let it not even be named among you as becometh saints" (Eph. 5:3-4). -John Waddey *TotalHealth.bz* *Focus On Truth * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100101/2a5d7323/attachment.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Jan 6 05:28:11 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 06:28:11 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) PATIENCE Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Wednesday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: PATIENCE Most Christians admit that they should be more patient. We find ourselves often lacking patience with our children, with one another, and especially with the world. Paul told Timothy, "But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteous- ness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness" (1 Tim. 6:11). Perseverence is another word for patience. Pursue Patience: -- How? How does a person get patience? The Bible tells us that patience comes from enduring trials (Jas. 1:2,3). The testing of our faith produces endurance. The word "patience" means "to suffer long" or "abide under." Paul told Roman Christians, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about persever- ance." (1 Tim. 5:3). Patience is more than just waiting. Stop lights, security lines at the airport, check-out-lines at the grocery store -- just a few of the daily things that can try our patience. God's idea of patience however, carries not only the concept of waiting, but waiting under control. It is more than refraining from irritation because you have to wait in line. It is a refusal to give up because you do not see an immediate answer. Remember Abraham? He receiv- ed a promise from God about a child -- a promise that was not fulfilled for another twenty-five years. We pray and nothing happens. Either we give up on prayer and say it never works, or we continue to pray, believing that in His time and way God will bring about His Will. God's idea of patience involves greater things than waiting at traffic lights. It is being patient with people as they grow, be- cause growth takes time. It is being patient as our children learn responsibility. It is easy to jump in and do things. It may be the only way they will learn. So, be patient with the new Bible class teacher, the person stuttering through his first attempts at public prayer, the new Christian who doesn't know as much as you do. Patience ... Can you do that? and can you be patient with me? ------ Roger Shouse in Biblical Insigts, Vol. 8, No. 11, Nov. 2008. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100106/5cb382a7/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Jan 6 05:28:24 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 06:28:24 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) WHY WE CANNOT IGNORE UNFAITHFULNESS TO THE LORD. Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is a study from my files. Use to the glory of God. WHY WE CANNOT IGNORE UNFAITHFULNESS TO THE LORD A man who was intent on being unfaithful to the Lord once told me, "I'm not hurting anyone but myself. Leave me alone, and quit bothering me about attending the services of the church." The Devil has really convinced many irresponsible brethren that they have to go to Hell "unbothered" by others who wish to rescue them. Never mind the admonition of Scripture to the faithful that "if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of gentlenss" (Gal. 6:1). The easy course for the faithful is to ignore the unfaithful. Some churches do this as a matter of policy, in fact. Some brethren want to be a part of a "fellowship" which quickly looks the other way if sin and unfaithfulness is the path a brother or sister is tak- ing. But both brethren and churches who operate in such a fashion have completely missed what the church is all about. Discipline, both instructive and corrective, is almost defunct in many places. The unfaithful brother walks away into obscurit- y, wishing to be ignored, forgotten, and left "unbothered." Some churches are all too eager to accommodate his unright- eous desire. You see, it is much easier to remove his name from our directory than it is to roll up our sleeves, go to work on his problem, shed tears over his unfaithfulness, and save his soul from hell. The sad fact is that if we ignore the erring brother and give him the quiet exit he wants, we are no better off than he is. It is a serious thing to ignore our brother's sin. We enable him to be unfaithful by turning our heads. We fail to do what we are ex- pected to do by our Father. In short, we fail to be our "brother's keeper" (Gen. 4:9). Cain made the mistake of thinking that he was not responsib- le for the welfare and whereabouts of his brother. The very nat- ure of brotherhood suggest responsibility for those who have come from the same womb. When a child is born into God's fam- ily he has mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers who must now take responsibility for his care. No earthly family would ignore a member of the family walking away from the circle of love which binds a family together. Why then, does it happen so fre- quently in the family of God? Let us be reminded that Gal. 6:1 was not just addressed to the elders of the church. Certainly, as shepherds of the flock, they have a responsibility to keep the sheep together and in the fold. Shepherds who are asleep and allow the sheep to be scatt- ered receive scathing rebukes for doing so in Ezk. 34:1-10. In- deed, they do have a special responsibility to "watch for souls" Heb. 13:17. But all members who are "spiritual" are charged with the same responsibility of restoring the erring brother or sister "Brethren if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sin" (Jas. 5:19,20). When you became a part of the local church, you were ask- ing for lvoe, acceptance, care and discipline. It's what makes us a family. Please understand that if you choose to walk away from our fellowship that we cannot ignore your behavior. Our love for you, for your soul, and our concern for your eternal wel- fare will not allow us to look the other way if you as you wander away from the fold and fall headlong into sin again. ---- Mark W. White via Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 26, July 1, 2007. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100106/97f9c367/attachment-0001.html From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Jan 7 02:35:46 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2010 03:35:46 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) RESPONSIBILITY Message-ID: <9095.447dd1c6.3876f6e2@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Thursday morn- ing to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: RESPONSIBILITY We live in a day and at time when no one seems to want to take responsibility for their own actions and very few want to hold individuals accountable for what they have done. If a per- son commits a crime, it is society's fault. If a person engages in behavior that is detrimental to their health such as drinking, smoking, overeating, or taking illicit drugs -- it is not because they are doing something wrong. It is because they are sick, suf- fering from a disease of some sort. No one wants to take respon- sibility. The rallying cry of the day seems to be: "Don't blame me!" This isn't a new phenomenon. It has been occurring since man first appeared on the earth. When God confronted Adam for eating the forbidden fruit, his response was, "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave of the tree to me and I did eat it." So Adam blamed Eve, and even God HImself. When Eve was questioned about the matter, she responded with, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." It wasn't here fault; it was the serpent's fault. God told the people of Judah that they could blame no one else for their defeat and captivity at the hands of the Babylon- ians. In Jer. 31:29,30 we find, "In those days tehy shall say no more, 'The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth shall be set on edge.' But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eatheth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge." Later, while actually in the Babylonian Captivi- ty, God told His people through the prophet Ezekiel, "What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb" (Ezk. 18:2,3). I suppose that there is some comfort to be found in not accepting responsibility for our own actions, particularly if there will be negative consequences for doing so. It is understandab- le when a small child is caught in the midst of some transgress- ion and responds by saying, "I didn't do it, " or perhaps, "It is not my fault." After all, a small child is in the process of learning to accept responsibility. It is a sad thing indeed when an adult seeks to shift the blame. There is a basic and consistent principle taught throughout God's Word. It is clearly stated in Gal. 6:7,8. Paul wrote, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap live everlasting." We are personally responsib- le for the things we do or don't do. Ultimately, it will not matter if we have convinced others and ourselves that the sinful things we have done are just not our fault. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ: that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, wheth- er it be good or bad." It is so much better, as well as being pleas- ing to God, to simply accept responsibility for our actions. Re- pent when repentance is called for; make the necessary correct- ions. In God's sight we are responsible for what we do. ----------- Greg Litmer in That Ye May Grow Thereby. From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Jan 7 02:35:54 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2010 03:35:54 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) "TRADITIONAL" AND "CREED-BOUND" PREACHING. Message-ID: <9097.629aeda0.3876f6ea@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is a study from my anci- ent files. Use to the glory of God. "TRADITIONAL" AND "CREED-BOUND" PREACHING. I visited a preacher's study one day. Numerous infidel vol- umes were apparent. I was amazed to notice very few works of our own brethren on the shelves though his library was much larger that the average gospel preacher possesses. This within itself may spell nothing, ye most men's reading will to some de- gree color their thinking and their speaking. "Books are sepulchres of thought," wrote Longfellow and Francis Bacon said, "Reading maketh a full man." He who reads much will have much about which to think and speak, and one's reading will govern to some extent his character. The man is the exception rather than the rule who can pour over volumes upon top of volumes of infidel writings without these works mak- ing a definite impression for evil upon his mind. Couple with this reading daily exposure to modernistic teachers in the class- room and the damage is almost insurmountable. Especially is this the case if the person is not a prayerful student of the Word of God and an ardent and constant adherent to it. When the works of pioneer preachers are referred to and re- commended as good reading and profitable for gospel preach- ers there are those of the liberal school among us who ridicule it as "traditional" and "creed-bound" preaching. The force of these statements is to leave the impression that there is little we "moderns" can learn from such narrow minds because our thoughts move on a much higher and broader plane than theirs ever reached. Notwithstanding the battles against traditions and creeds which these great and good men of God waged in their efforts to free themselves from the shackles of ignorance and superstition as they fought their way out of the meshes of denominationalism into the church of the Lord, to study their arguments and read their writings is to become "traditional" and "creed-bound," we are told. Some of these liberals; though not prolific readers in Restor- ation literature nor careful students of the Bible, are quite adept in quoting form "modern scholarship." Being thus influenced they reserve the right to say that they have not yet decided whet-her there were two Isaiahs or only one. They think it quite reasonable that the book of Daniel was written several hundred years after the events and prophecies recorded therein, and they refer to Christ's mention of Daniel in Matt. 24:15 as a "literary reference." Some of them are sure that the Holy Spirit did not supply the very words spoken and written by those who gave us the Bible. With such tendencies it should not seem strange that one of them denied that Balaam's ass rebuked the madness of the prophet through the voice of a man even though the Bible declared the ass spoke. There are some of the fruits borne by the scoffers at "traditional" and "creed-bound" preach- ing! They serve as timely illustrations of the very excellent reason why preachers and teachers need to keep their feet on the ground by studying the Bible and reading matter that tends to increase faith in God's Book rather than destroying it. After talking with and reading after a few liberals we are con- vinced that a person is a "traditionalist" or "creed-bound" , acc- ording to their use of thes terms, depending on whether he reads the pioneers adn preaches like they did or reads and studies under "modern scholarship" and preaches as they do. It all depends on what one reads and under whom he studies! Brethren, if we preach like the pioneers we are bound by "tradit- ion" but if we will forget about the pioneers and learn to preach like some of the University of Chicago "scholars" and some of the West Coast pioneers in religious thought among churches of Christ all of our troubles will be over...we will be bound by nothing! Some of the brethren are wondering. This they want to know: If by much study and weariness of the flesh they should be able to attain unto the heights now enjoyed by some of the modern pioneers, what title would they be privileged to wear and display before their former brethren -- the "creed-bound" ones and the "triditionalists"? Would they be entitled to speak of themselves after a new fashion since the old worn out "D.D." "Doctrine of Divinty" -- would be entirely obsolete? Could it be that they would have the honor of having bestowed upon them the title of "M.T. " -- "Modernistic Traditionalists?" Unless they can get "EVERYTHING" "modern scholarship" offers most gos- pel preachers know to us had rather go on believing the Bible! When men posing as gospel preachers reach the state in their thinking that they cannot by their own reason agree with simple Bible statements and are better versed in "Modern Schol- arship" and in the views of various "Doctors of Theology" than they are the Word of God they are not fit to impose their "much learning" upon brethren who believe the Bible came from God. Churches should not use them and those which do are sowing the seed of their own destruction. ------ James R. Cope in The Preceptor, Vol. 2, No. 1, Nov. 1952. From richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com Sun Jan 10 18:35:25 2010 From: richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com (Richard Thetford) Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:35:25 -0700 Subject: [Biblemat] Walking in the Light (1/10/10) Message-ID: <000f01ca9256$56f6d460$04e47d20$@dot5hosting.com> San Juan Logo PNG.png Walking in the Light "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105) January 10, 2010 www.thetfordcountry.com --- INFORMATION Walking in the Light is published each week by Richard Thetford. You are encouraged to visit the web site at www.thetfordcountry.com and then click on "Richard's Home Page" to view numerous sermons, articles, radio program scripts, class material and other information. If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to "Walking in the Light," please send their name and e-mail address to richard at thetfordcountry.com. In addition, if you want to advertise for "churches looking for preachers" and "preachers looking for churches," go to www.thetfordcountry.com and click on the appropriate link. Fill out the easy form and your listing will be uploaded to the web site within 48 hours (usually the same day). --- CONTENTS "The Christian's Love" (Richard Thetford) "Parents Who Are Christians" (Irvin Himmel) SENTENCE SERMONS --- THE CHRISTIAN'S LOVE Richard Thetford The teachings of Jesus demonstrate that love is the most important virtue that we can possess. His teaching concerning love is not a surface, glossing over type of love, but rather it is a sincere, from the heart kind of love. In John 13:34-35 Jesus says to His disciples: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." In these two passages, Jesus gives us a command, example, and necessary inference of "love." In verse 34a He commands us to love. In verse 34b He gives us an example of what genuine sincere love is "as I have loved you." In verse 35 our proof of our discipleship for Jesus is demonstrated by our love for one another. Our Love of God and Man Must Come First When Jesus was asked what the first commandment was He answered: "..the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." Then He said: "And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31). I am convinced that if every Christian would demonstrate the sincere, dedicated love that Jesus instructs of us, then every Christian would grow and mature into the kind of person that God would want us to be in our personal life, in our home, and in the church. Home and church strife would cease if everyone would truly demonstrate the love that Jesus commands us to have toward God and one another. May we all learn this valuable lesson. --- PARENTS WHO ARE CHRISTIANS Irvin Himmel It is obvious that parents have an obligation to feed, clothe, love, protect, and care for their offspring. A newborn human is about as helpless as any creature could be. Parents who are Christians have responsibilities which extend far beyond temporal provisions. There is an area of spiritual care, training, growth, and development that demands special attention. Parents who are Christians have an obligation to set a good example before their children. That includes a godly home life-no drugs, no tobacco, no strong drink, no profanity, and no fussing and fighting. A good example means godly living in the home, on the job, while on vacation, during recreational activities, and in all other situations. A good example includes regular attendance at Bible classes and church services. It also includes honesty, fairness, willingness to admit wrong, and readiness to forgive. Parents who are Christians have the responsibility of disciplining their offspring. Mischievous acts that may be dismissed as "cute" in the little ones can be quite annoying to others. Those "cute" little capers, if unchecked, can establish a pattern that turns into a nightmare by the time the child is a teenager. Discipline must start early. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Parents who are Christians should teach their children right priorities. Which comes first, your personal interests or the Lord's work? Which is more important, a child's solving a math problem or preparing a Bible lesson? The principle taught in Matthew 6:33 is learned quickly by a child who sees that basic truth demonstrated by his mother and father. Your child needs your help in establishing the correct sense of values. Parents who are Christians are responsible for bringing up their children to be Christians. Put your child in the tiny tots' class on Sunday morning and teach him to sit still during worship. If you do not train him, who will? Tell him some of the great stories in the Bible. Those historical narratives about Noah, Abraham, Daniel, Moses, and others will do him more good than nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Drill him in Bible facts. Make him conscious that there is a wealth of material in the Bible. Teach him about God and Jesus Christ. Some fathers leave the spiritual training to the mothers. But the Bible says, "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Daddy cannot shift his responsibility over to mother. The spiritual training of a child calls for the best efforts of both parents. Christians who are parents have much for which to be thankful. Children are "an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). But the responsibilities of parenthood are serious. In today's wicked world, it is not easy to bring up children in the nurture of the Lord. However, it can be done. Truth Magazine, January 2007, Volume LI, Number 1, Page 10 --- SENTENCE SERMONS A sharp tongue may sever a good friendship. You will never get lost on the strait and narrow road. The Christ we will not share we cannot keep. To thine own self be true and thou canst not be false to any man. It is more important to get in the first though than the last word. Don't be yourself, but be what you ought to be. --- SERMONS The Hand of God Working In Our Life (with PPT Charts) www.thetfordcountry.com --- cid:image003.gif at 01C9DCB3.EEF5E980 1414 Hawk Parkway, Unit C Montrose, CO 81401 (970) 626-5558 www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org MEETING TIMES Sunday Bible Study...........10:00 A.M. Morning Worship..11:00 A.M. Afternoon Worship..2:00 P.M. Wednesday Bible Study........6:30 P.M. (No Wednesday night Bible study November - February) Evangelist/Editor Richard Thetford Home: (970) 626-5558 E-Mail: richard at thetfordcountry.com Web Site: www.thetfordcountry.com --- RICHARD THETFORD 1491 Canyon Drive Ridgway, CO 81432 (970) 626-5558 E-Mail: richard at thetfordcountry.com Web Site: www.thetfordcountry.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 9271 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100110/9d2a20e0/attachment-0003.gif From disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com Sun Jan 10 21:18:32 2010 From: disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com (Ethan R. Longhenry) Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:18:32 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] B:> Good News for Norwalk: Volume V, Number 02: January 10, 2010 Message-ID: Good News for Norwalk For I am not ashamed of the good news, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16) A publication of the church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio Volume V, Number 02: January 10, 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gods of This World: Desire In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul speaks of the "god of this world" as referring to Satan. Satan, the Devil, was part of the reason behind the corruption of God's good creation (cf. Romans 8:20-22), and he continues to allure people into serving God's creation and not God the Creator (cf. Romans 1:18-25). These are the "gods of this world" to which many devote their lives-- things God created to be used that are instead turned into God. John, in 1 John 2:15-17, identifies "the desire of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and pride in possessions" as the three things in the world that are passing away forever and things which Christians are not to love. Two of those three explicitly refer to desire. Satan, the "god of this world," tempted Eve to commit the first sin by directing her focus toward the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and she saw that it was pleasing to the eyes and desired to make one wise-- an appeal to the desires of the flesh (Genesis 3:4-6). Sin thus entered the world; it remains to this day. Our modern society, it seems, is obsessed with whatever we want. We want and want and are quite willing to do what it takes to satisfy those desires (cf. James 4:2-4)! Encouragement to satisfy desire starts very early in life. At least four observances-- birthdays, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas-- involve giving things to children. While some children may pick up on the value of family and relationships in these circumstances, almost all children learn how to want and to get what they wanted. As those children grow up and become teenagers and young adults, marketers and salespersons bombard them with messages encouraging desire and the satisfaction thereof. We are encouraged to believe that various consumer products are not "wants" but "needs," and our lives would be incomplete without them. They "honor" us by telling us that we "deserve" various amenities and pleasures in life, and that we ought to satisfy them. They present beautiful people in skimpy or non-existent clothing as users of the products, hoping that we might partake just to be like them. Meanwhile, science, whether intentionally or not, provides justification for this whole system. "Evolutionary" answers are provided to justify human covetousness, envy, jealousy, and lust. Darwinist justifications are set forth for risky behavior, addictions, adultery, and homosexuality. Young people especially pick up on the implications of the messages they receive. They are told that they are animals that have all of these desires that are natural by the scientists, and then they are told by marketers and salespeople that they should satisfy those desires for their good and the good of the economy. It is little wonder, therefore, why so many people are obsessed with satisfying whatever desires they may have-- they are given every reason for doing so! It is not as if desire, in and of itself, is wrong. God made human beings to desire things, and we are part of His good creation (Genesis 1:1-2:4). God intends for human beings to enjoy their work, take satisfaction in food and drink, and enjoy the wife (or, for women, the husband) of their youth (Ecclesiastes 3:13, 22; 9:9). God also wants people to desire good, holy, and proper things, and He stands willing to satisfy those desires (2 Thessalonians 1:11). The problem begins when desires are corrupted and take over the person and their lives. It is very easy, especially considering the messages society provides, to believe that we are the servants of our desires. For many, it is the sexual desire that overtakes them-- and we are being made to believe that we are subject to our sexual desires and that we are defined by our sexuality. For others, the desire to consume, be it food, drink, or objects, overtakes them. Many others are overtaken by covetousness. Overindulgence of the desires of the eyes and flesh are behind many of the works of the flesh, including sexual immorality, lasciviousness, jealousy, envy, and covetousness (cf. Galatians 5:19-21). While it may not be enjoyable or easy, we must not allow the satisfaction of our desires to become god. We must show self-discipline, self-control, sober-mindedness, and maintain a sacrificial attitude so that we may be in control of our desires as opposed to being slaves of our desires (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Galatians 5:22-24, 1 Peter 2:11, 4:7). We as human beings are certainly part of this creation but are also created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Therefore, we must not believe that we are enslaved to our desires-- we were not created in the image of animal desires, as if they were god, but the One True God, the Creator! We can maintain self-discipline and self-control and force our desires to serve us as opposed to being slaves to our desires-- but only if we consciously decide to make it so. Let us reflect the image of the One True God (Romans 8:29), and keep desire under control! Ethan R. Longhenry evangelist at norwalkchurch.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies! Our location: 386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits) Norwalk, Ohio 44857 Our assemblies: Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm Our Bible studies: Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For More Information If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist at norwalkchurch.org. Ethan R. Longhenry / deusvitae at hotmail.com Evangelist, church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio [norwalkchurch.org] Homepage: deusvitae.com AIM: Deus Vitae / ICQ: 28317056 Y! IM: discipuliiesus Spiritual Manna A biweekly devotional for your life. http://www.deusvitae.com/faith/manna From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Jan 11 04:20:09 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:20:09 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A( IT IS WHAT IT IS Message-ID: <489.408ff99d.387c5559@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Monday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an artic- le from my files: IT IS WHAT IT IS A friend of mine, wise and astute beyond his years (so he tells me), has shared his newly discovered motto with me: "It is what it is." Ok, so i have thought that a few times before, but it is one of those simple statements that forces us back to reality at times when we may feel overcome by our circumstances and disappointments of life. When things aren't exactly as you would desire them to be, you can become focused on reality by telling yourself, "it is what it is." Circumstances are what they are. There are some things we can change, and some things we can't (we are getting more pro- found as we go). Our problem is that we often expend more wor-ry and energy on the things we can't change; and this, in turn, can become a stumbling block to our spiritual growth and joy. "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?" (Matt. 6:27). Paul's own circumstances were often less than ideal, and beyond his control, yet his attitude remained stable: "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). If I may venture a loose paraphrase: It is what it is, I have learned to deal with "it" through God's help. "Moses My servant is dead." So spoke the Lord to Joshua in (Jos. 1:2). Joshua knew this already; they had been mourn- ing for days. But sometimes we need a reminder of the simple truth about reality. Essentially, God was telling Joshua, "Moses is gone, and you can't change that now or have him back. Now it's time to get up and go take the land of promise." In other words, "it is what it is, and you have to work with "it" the way it is." The only option is not to accept reality. People do sometim- es go through phases of "denial." They do not feel mentally able to accept what "is." It hurts too much perhaps. But if we will ever "arise and cross over this Jordan" in our lives, we must learn to accept the facts and circumstances of life as they are. It takes courage. It takes resolve. But, it must be done. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all com- prehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jes- us" (Phil. 4:6,7). God gives us the tools to be able to deal with all of our circumstances, including the painful ones. He wants us to cast our cares on Him, pray about them, and then let Him grant us peace in our hearts. The solution to problems is not denial. We should learn to admit reality, then work with it as it is. When there are matters we can change for the better, let's work to change them. When the circumstances don't meet our concept of ideal, and we can't change them, let's learn to accept them and resolve to move for- ward with the strength God supplies. In all matters, we must "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt. 6: 33). Because, as another one of my favorite "profound" quest- ions reminds us, a hundred years from now, what will "it" matt- er? We worry about things that will pass into oblivion, and sometimes ignore those matters that have eternal consequen- ces. A hundred years from now, it won't matter that my car has a few scratches on it, or my water heater went out. What will matter is whether or nto I have devoted myself to God and His Will. It is what it is. ---- T. Doy Moyer via The Jackson Drive Re- porter, Jan. 10, 2010. From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Jan 11 04:20:18 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:20:18 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) OBEDIENCE OF FAITH Message-ID: <48c.790bd025.387c5562@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is a study from my files. Use it to the glory of God. OBEDIENCE OF FAITH "By whom we ahve received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name..." (Rom. 1:5). "Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ...made known to all nations for the obedience of faith..." (Rom. 16:25,26). At the beginning of the Roman letter and at the end, the apos- tle refers to "obedience to the faith," or "obedience of faith." There are different kinds of obedience, but God is looking for obedience of faith. Obedience Of Nature And Conscience Characterized The Non-Jews: -- "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves..." (Rom. 2:14). These people who did not even have the law of Moses behaved themselves properly in many ways. They had laws which discouraged evil and promoted good. (Rom. 13). However, simply following one's conscience and the gener- al consensus is not good enough to make one acceptable to God. The natural conscience of a man might lead him to drunk- enness or to worship the natural world, much of which is happ- ening on "Mother Earth" today in the name of environmentalism or in praise of Darwin. (Acts 17:29,30). Simply being a good earthling is not enough to please God the Creator. God expects that His creatures walk with Him, com- mune with Him, and praise Him for His greatness and sovereign- ty -- through Christ and in faith. Obedience Of National Zeal Characterized The Jews: -- "Bre- thren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteo- usness of God." (Acts 10:1-3). One of the motives of the Jewish leaders in the horific cruci- fixion of Christ was their concern for the nation. "If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation" (Jno. 11:48). They cared more for their nation than they did for God and right. The letter to the Roman Christians shows that the Jewish nation had a place, but that their place was fulfilled when Christ came into the world. The new nation for God's people, was not physic- al Palestine any longer, but was, and is now, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jno. 7:4; 16:16), the new identity of its citiz-ens was "Christian" (Acts 11:26), and the new law was and is the Gospel of Christ (Acts 1:16). Worldly nations can be supportive of God's business, as Israel was. America, like the Jews, has the right God (the God of the Bible); it has had respect for the ten commandments as a foundation for civil law; America has led the world in good deeds and examples; it pledges allegiance to a flag as "one nation under God." However, simply being a good American is not enough to please God. The passage above shows that for all Israel's advantages, it was lost without Christ. For all it wond- erful traits, America is not the institution established by Christ for withstanding hell itself (Matt. 16:18). The Constitution is not "God's power unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). And being an Ameri- can citizen is not equivalent to having one's name written in the Lamb's Book Of Life (Rev. 20:15). The just have always "lived by faith" (Rev. 1:17). Obedience Of Personal Scruples Was Characterized By Some Christians: -- (Jno. 14). The apostle explained that some weak Christians had scruples against eating meat, or they might observe holidays, or some other practice which was not "obed- ience of faith." The gospel does not teach anything about such matters, but some had scruples which were not to be offended unless they were pressed to the point of division, and those who caused division with their own factious teachings were to be marked and avoided (Rom. 16:17-19). Thank the Lord for people who have scruples! However, there is a difference between personal scruples and what the Word of God actually teaches, and Christians must note the diff- erence. Now to the point of obedience of faith. This obedience is that which comes from God's Word. "So then faith cometh of hearing by the Word of God." (Rom. 10:17). God speaks, we hear, we believe, and thus we have faith. (See Rom. 10:6-8; 1:16 17). And then, there is the obedience. God's power for salvation is in the gospel (Rom. 1:16). But without obedience, it is of no power at all. As observed above, the obedience has to be the right kind. The kind that comes by nature or merely by conscience is not the right kind; obedience prompted by national zeal is not the right kind; and mere person- al scruples is not the right kind. The kind of obedience which pleases God is the kind which responds to His Word -- "obedience of faith." Response to the teachings of men which foster division; man-made platitudes such as the "sinner's prayer," or erroneous doctrines on the day of worship or the way to worship; are not "obedience of faith" because such things did not originate from the Word of God (Matt. 15:13). The "keys to the kingdom" are realized in the "binding" and "loosing" of the teachings of the apostles (Matt. 16:19). The Word must be studied, rightly divided, and applied (2 Tim. 2:15). Those who do not "obey the gospel" will be lost (2 Thes. 1:8; Rom. 10:16). The letter to the Roman Christians is significant for three reasons: 1) Rome was the center of the Roman Empire. 2) The church was in Paul's day (Dan. 2:44) planted at the center of the world. 3) The message was applicable for all who would come to Rome -- "for obedience to the faith among all nations" (1:5), "for obedience to the faith among all nations." (16:26). It certainly is applicable for us today, for God still seeks "obedience of faith." God and Christ expect more of us than what comes naturally, nationally, or even from our own person- al scruples. We must respond in faith. ---- George Hutto inTidings, Vol. 24, No. 10, Oct. 2009. From kerux at bellsouth.net Mon Jan 11 07:40:36 2010 From: kerux at bellsouth.net (Kent Heaton) Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:40:36 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] A> He Is The Only One To Serve (Kent Heaton) Message-ID: <6C1B81C8C4344AF4B385B26FF77302F7@D2381J91> He Is The Only One To Serve (Kent Heaton) The greatest blessing of being a child of God is the knowledge that we serve only one Lord. So many of man's attempt to worship is rooted in a multiplicity of gods to worship. He is not satisfied to worship only one Lord. Temples fill the earth with various representations of gods where men bow and give homage. Within the religion of Christianity many give honor to images, idols and relics. The true nature of Jesus Christ is found in His answer to Satan in Luke 4:8 - "It is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.'" There is no other being to worship; no man to worship; no deities to bow down to. As people of God we serve only Jehovah and Him alone. >From the paradise of the Garden of Eden we see how man and God walked together in the cool of the day. All that the Lord desired for man is that he serve one Lord. Satan changed that when he said to Eve, "Has God indeed said" (Genesis 3:1). Satan seeks to tempt man to serve himself, to serve his own needs, to serve his own desires and pleasures. When men turn away from God they seek to serve their own lusts. People of God are happy to serve only one Lord. Serving God alone is to serve someone who does not lie. Paul writes of our "hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal" (Titus 1:2). Who can we serve that is greater than that? The Lord is the only one to serve because He has given us promises that were made before He created man and remain until man is no more. "To whom then will ye liken God or what likeness will ye compare unto him?" (Isaiah 40:18). What in this world can you serve that is greater than that? Men will fail you, riches will fade away and pleasures of this world will be found empty. "Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee. So that with good courage we say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear: What shall man do unto me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6). David wrote one of the most powerful testimonies to his trust in Jehovah God. "Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalms 23:1). The twenty-third psalm is a tribute to David's love for serving only one God. He recognized the blessing of being a child of God in trusting God with caring for him in every part of his life. He had no lack of blessings material or spiritual. He could stand before his enemies and not be afraid. Jesus would later say of His own Father, "The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:29-30). David served only one Lord. The challenge for all disciples of Christ is to remove the hindrances to servitude to God. "Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16). We cannot serve our wealth, our pleasures, our desires or our own lives. Worship to God is recognizing Him and Him alone as our guide, our truth, our answer and our Lord. The blessings are immeasurable. All spiritual blessings are found in His Son (Ephesians 1:1-7). Death does not have power over those who serve God alone (1 Corinthians 15:53-57). Serving the Lord finds blessings in this life and in the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8). During the temptation, Satan promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. The Son of God laid the foundation of our love for God in declaring that there is only one to worship and only one to serve. Worship is servitude and servitude is worship. The blessing of serving God alone is the promises that He alone can give. "Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). Kent Heaton 206 NE Fourth Avenue Trenton, Florida 32693 (H) 352-463-6916 (O) 3793 (C) 352-283-3889 www.trentonchurchofchrist.com Audio Sermons Available www.northfloridabiblecamp.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100111/9f181711/attachment-0001.html From GLClair at aol.com Mon Jan 11 08:10:17 2010 From: GLClair at aol.com (GLClair at aol.com) Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:10:17 EST Subject: [Biblemat] ARTICLE - The Value and Importance of Gospel Meetings Message-ID: THE VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF GOSPEL MEETINGS Garreth L. Clair The value of gospel meetings [i.e. revivals] have long been a subject of debate. On the one hand there are those that champion the philosophy that the gospel meeting of today does no good. There are those on the other hand that tell us that the value of gospel meetings to the overall spiritual and numerical growth of the congregation is substantial. If we look only at the conversions to be numbered in the gospel meeting we may indeed claim that they have not been productive in recent years -- generally speaking. Surely the immediate number of conversions is an inadequate devise for measuring the benefits of a gospel meeting, please notice the following: 1. THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED EACH SERVICE DURING A GOSPEL MEETING: 2 Tim. 4:2, 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. NKJV 2. BRETHREN HAVE OCCASION TO INTERACT TOGETHER: Eph. 4:3, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. NKJV 3. THE CONGREGATION IS STIMULATED TO UNITED EFFORT: Heb. 10:24-25 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 4. OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET CHRISTIONS FROM OTHER CONGREGATIONS IS ENHANCED: 1 Thess. 1:8, 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. KJV 5. THE LOCAL MEMBERSHIP HAS SPECIAL INCENTIVE TO INVITE OTHERS TO ATTEND THE SERVICES: Matt. 28:19, 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, NKJV 6. IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN TO WORK: Titus 3:1-2, 1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, James 1:25-26 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. KJV 7. IT IS A TIME FOR PERSONAL AND CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER: 1 Thess. 5:17, 18, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) considermagazine.com January 11, 2010 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100111/d7fc88c0/attachment-0001.html From jmickells at juno.com Mon Jan 11 10:34:52 2010 From: jmickells at juno.com (Jimmy R Mickells) Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:34:52 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] What Do You See? Message-ID: <20100111.103452.4032.3.jmickells@juno.com> What Do You See? The Bible is often referred to as the ?mirror of the soul.? I suppose that it is called such because of what James said in his epistle, when writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad. There he said, ?But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does? (James 1:22-25). Just as one looks in a mirror to see themselves physically, to make any needed changes in their appearance, so one must look in the mirror of the soul to see themselves as God truly beholds them. What do you see when you look at your soul? Are there changes that need to be made? Do you like what you see? More importantly, does God like what is revealed there? Are you willing to make the necessary changes in your spiritual appearance if it is blemished? This mirror reveals our origin (Genesis 2:7); speaks of our life on this globe (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8); and tell us about eternity (Matthew 25:46). Because of sin, man?s soul can become disfigured and flawed. It is through the Bible we can learn of these faults and failure, but also grasp the needed information to make necessary corrections to once again be pure and holy in the sight of the Lord. As you look at your soul in this revealing instrument, what do you see? Do you see a person who has never done what the Scriptures teach to be remitted of sin? Have you believed that Jesus is the Christ (John 8:24), repented of your sins (Luke 13:3), confessed Christ?s name, and been immersed in water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 8:36)? Once arising a new creature in Christ Jesus, having been saved by the grace of God, are you now walking in newness of life (Romans 6:4-6)? Are you allowing the Spirit of God to lead you in the path of righteousness through the word that has been revealed (Galatians 5:18; Ephesians 6:17)? Or do you see a soul once again marred by the sins of the flesh, because we have allowed Satan to gain victory through yielding to temptations (Galatians 5:19-21)? Not only can it reveal our shortcomings and weaknesses, but it can also disclose our good traits and qualities as well. When men were to be selected to take care of the widows who were being neglected in Acts 6, the qualifications given were a ?good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom? (Acts 6:3). Seven men were chosen who obviously met those requirements (Acts 6:5). It was said of Dorcas, ?This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds? (Acts 9:36). What a testimony to the life of this wonderful lady who had died while serving the Lord. In Hebrews 11, that entire chapter tells us of men and women who had lived lives in faith and would now receive their eternal reward, a city prepared for them (Hebrews 11:16). Pick up the mirror of the soul and look in it. What do you see? Do you see a faithful Christian who attends all the worship services? One who is the salt of the earth and light to a world that is overwhelmed in sin and ignorance? Or do you see someone who needs to change; one that needs to have their priorities in the right place and have the joy of their salvation restored unto them? A person who needs a heart that once again burns with zeal and determination in serving the God of heaven? Don?t get angry with the mirror or with the one who reveals the reflection seen therein. Do what James says, ?be doers of the word? (James 1:22). Jimmy Mickells ____________________________________________________________ Criminal Lawyer Criminal Lawyers - Click here. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=pAd6qrVYECFHU3LX_GB-8wAAJ1AqWLnxUT_Og0R1xxm43-TkAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAiFgAAAAA= -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100111/b0d23656/attachment-0001.html From tforrestsr at netzero.net Tue Jan 12 10:13:22 2010 From: tforrestsr at netzero.net (tforrestsr at netzero.net) Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:13:22 GMT Subject: [Biblemat] Worship Times Message-ID: <20100112.101322.21482.0@webmail07.vgs.untd.com> Mike: Last Sunday evening a couple of the men and I were in the back (foyer) discussing things. One of the men suggested that the early church mostly met in the evening after dark (daylight) but did not base that opinion on any scripture. I was wondering what some others thought about that. Thanks! --Ole Tomj ____________________________________________________________ Diet Help Reach your goals of being healthier and happier. Click here for diet tips and solutions. http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2241/c?cp=9DDyw8Vjn2bcHNeKplXxhgAAJ1EqWLnxUT_Og0R1xxm43-TkAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYQAAAAAA= -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100112/d86abc8b/attachment-0001.html From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Tue Jan 12 14:40:34 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:40:34 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) "WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT IS COME" (1) Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Tuesday to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: "WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT IS COME" (1) There has been a tremendous increase in the number of people who claim to worship Jesus Christ and who also claim to possess miraculous spiritual gifts. By "miraculous spiritual gifts" I am referring to those gifts given through the Holy Spirit that were outside of the normal functions of nature. Paul listed nine of them in 1 Cor. 12:7-10, take time to read these verses of Scripture. Do not mistake the "wisdom" and "knowledge" mentioned in these verses by Paul with wisdom and knowledge gained through the normal process of study and experience. This was "wisdom" and "knowledge" granted directly by the the Holy Spirit, first to the apostles and then to whom they laid their hands upon, without the normal process. Do not confuse the "faith" Paul mentioned with the faith that all Christians can and must have to be saved, that they obtain through a study, accept- ance and obedience of God's Word, Rom. 10:17. This was faith miraculously given, as the other gifts of the Holy Spirit given at that time. Thus increase in the number of people claiming such gifts is frequently referred to as the "Charismatic Movement," based upon one of the Greek words for gift, "charisma." It is no longer confined to back road, country churches. It is no longer found strictly among Pentecostal groups. The movement has crossed into the mainstream denominational churches. Even the Roman Catholic Church has various charismatic segments within it. The question that I would like to consider is whether or not these gifts are actually being exercise today? Are there those who possess the miraculous spiritual gifts as certain of the Christians in the first century had? Have the gifts ceased to be active in our day and time? If so, when did it occur? And how do we know that they have ceased? Turn to 1 Cor. 13, which is the middle chapter of Paul's dis- cussion concerning miraculous spiritual gifts. In it he presents what he calls "a still more excellent way." He writes of love, and the nature of it. Paul wrote, "Love never fails," but that was not what he said in the case of the miraculous gifts, on the contrary, if you want to know what he said about the cessation of these gifts, take time to read the following passage of Scripture: 1 Cor. 13:8-13. The obvious place to focus is found in vs. 10. What is "the perfect" of in the Greek to teleion? Many commentators, and certainly all of the charismatic commentators, view "the perfect" as a reference to Christ and His second coming. I disagree with that. In Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, teleios is defined as "signifies having reached its end, finished, complete, perfect." He comments on its use in 1 Cor. 13:10 by saying, "referring to the complete revelation of God's Will and Ways, whether in the completed Scriptures or in the hereafter." The truth is, "the perfect" refers to the end of a process or of a development -- and that can be of either people or things. It refers to the completed revelation of the Word of God. The second coming of Christ is not a process -- it will be an instantaneous event. Later on in this letter Paul describes the second coming as occurring, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (15:52). We might also mention that to teleion is in the neuter gender and nothing suggests that it applies to a person -- Christ. (More will be posted on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS). From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Tue Jan 12 15:37:46 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:37:46 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) READING THE RECORD (1) Message-ID: <11930.7e0a5c4d.387e45aa@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the first installment of a study from my ancient files. Use to the glory of God. READING THE RECORD (1) We are living in turbulent times. Every preceding generation has had its peculiar problems. Ours is not exception. Reading the record of history one is impressed with the anxiety express- ed by various thinkers and leaders of any given period. This fact is evident regardless of the field of human interest we invest- igate. Whether we study political, economic, social, or religious thought the story is inevitably the same. Though technically and academically untrue perhaps, "history repeats itself" is nev-ertheless a well known and generally accepted maxim. During periods of national or international peace there have regularly recurred "rumors of war" as during periods of military upheaval there have appeared heralds of peace. Economic prophets have foretold prosperity and warned of panic while social reform- ers have repeatedly offered solutions to the ever-present prob- lems of class and caste, race and color. Amidst it all religion has remained one of the chief concerns of the masses and in every era divine revelation has been present though little heeded and less embraced by mankind. Despite God's overtures of mercy and pleadings of love men have sought salvation in human philosophy and worldly wisdom. "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by human wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor. 1:20,21). Then And Now: -- Yes, the story is the same. In the church and out of the church evidences on every hand indicate the struggle between worldly wisdom and divine revelation, between human philosophy and eternal truth, between the works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. The original nature of man has nto changed. His basic being is the same as that of Adam. His per- sonal ambitions remain as eternal challengers to his mastery over self while his fellow creatures remain to test him without his desires and needs, his inclinations and deeds, his frustrations and fears are still with him for he is moral. From six thousand years of experience he has failed to learn that he cannot save himself, yet during the same sixty centuries God has sought constantly to bring him back to Himself. Not a year, not a day, not a moment has God been "far from every one of us" (Acts 17:27). It has been in spite of revelation, inspiration, and demonstration that men have willfully and deliberately turn- ed their faces from Him and "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever" (Rom. 1:25). Man Knows No Answers: -- The state of society is not different, except in degree perhaps, ot that of any other period in history. The world is mad. Its rulers are obsessed with a thirst for power its people are disordered from oppression. The wealthy are infat- uated with riches; the poor are frantic for food. Criminals are rabid in their rape of society; the decent are frantic with fear. Something or somebody is responsible for all this. It is the same situation in principle faced by patriarchs, prophets, Jesus, and the apostles. It is the same condition divine revelation has con- fronted since man's fall in Eden. It shall always be this way. Re- lief has nto come in fact for all nor shall Utopia ever be ushered in. And man's search for happiness and perfect contentment within the framework of his own human thinking and limitations is as much a vain quest today as ever. Saying this does not make it true, but sixty centuries of seeking yet never finding should convince any rational being that what man has been un- able to find unaided in his hunt for happiness he can never dis- cover with his finite faculties. (More will be posted on this study tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS). From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Jan 13 05:05:26 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:05:26 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) READING THE RECORD (2) Message-ID: <96c.621c0431.387f02f6@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the second and final installment of this particular study from my ancient files. Use to the glory of God. READING THE RECORD (2) THE ANSWER OF INSPIRATION: -- The very disposition of men to seek satisfaction argues its reality. But man's unsuccessful unearthing of his uttermost imaginations have failed to convin- ce him of the uselessness of his own utterings and the limitatio- ns of his own light. Will he never learn? He had not learned it before Solomon's day nor did this wise man convince him. He had failed to get the lesson when Jesus came and today he gropes in ignorance. Still he seeks and his seeking still says salvation can be had, but the pride of his life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye are so incompatible with salvation and happiness as human wisdom conceives them that haughty man will not bow. Salvation, peace, happiness, and eternal joy must come by the cross of Christ and the Gospel of divine revel- ation for "the way of the cross leads home." "Fear God and keep His commandments" was Solomon's solution and "this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent," was the answer of Jesus. These answers came not from human wisdom but from God. Here is the answer to the world's madness today. it will remain the answer tomorrow as well and to every human being through- out all future life that mankind might have upon this earth. EXAMINING OURSELVES: -- We sometimes feel that the disposit- ion of rebellion exists only in the other person. We hear of the atheist who denies the existence of God, of the skeptic who doubts, of the infidel who rejects Jesus as the Messiah, and of the modernist who poses as the friend of Christianity yet denies the very facts which declare it credible and worthy of faith. We think of these as wicked men who should have no hearing. Yet, if we are not careful, while we condemn them we will sometimes destructively criticize and oppose men who point out the fruits of their teaching as these fruits declare their parent tree even in the church of our Lord. We look at the world and wonder how mankind can be so blind, yet a glance at the church and with equal wonder we behold much that is purely human wielding unbelievable influence in the spiritual kingdom. We fear and tremble at the possible consequences of worldly wisdom usurp- ing the place of divine revelation in the church of Christ. We read the record; we view the kingdom; we hear the voices. In some quarters it is "the noise of war in the camp." In others it is "the voice of them that shout for victory," or "the voice of them that sing" (Exo. 32:17,18). From different views -- reading and listening -- we are filled with different emotions. Nothing brings greater joy than reports of work, worship, and life in love while nothing brings deeper sadness than news of discord, strife, breaking of fellowship, and a spirit of anarchy among the saints. All the good is commendable; all the evil is abhorred. Though it might be our inclination to think and speak only of the good, duty demands that we give attention to the causes of the evil. (The before mentioned articles of this study, the study that was done back in 1952, when and while the war was waging among brethren in Christ, as to the subject of instit- utionalism being fausted upon the church by those who were transgressing toward liberalism and modernism. This study "Reading The Record" was written by the late brother James R. Cope in The Preceptor, Vol. 2, No. 1, Nov. 1952. From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Jan 13 05:05:19 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:05:19 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) "WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT IS COME" (2) Message-ID: <965.2d1e63ec.387f02ef@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, JIm Sasser here. A very good Wednesday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is the second installment of this particular study. "WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT IS COME (2) Continuing our look at (1 Cor. 13:8-13), we see in (vs. 11) Paul writing about the time of the Spiritual gifts as the infancy or childhood of the church. Once the revelation was completed the church would be in its manhood. If we consider Paul's illus- tration of a mirror in (vs. 12), it will help us to understand. If you have ever stood before a fogged mirror in a steamy bathroom on a cold morning, you know that you cannot see your self very well. Eventually the condensation on the mirror begins to fade, and bit by bit you can see yourself more clearly. Finally the mirr- or is completely fog-free, and you can see everything. That is the way the revelation of God's eternal plan was given in the first century. Not all at one time but bit by bit, until finally they could look into the "perfect law, the law of liberty" and see themselves in the mirror of God's Word. It is important also to consider how faith and hope will abide after the second coming. Do not be misled by the use of the word "now" in (vs. 13). Its use is logical, not temporal. Let me present another example of the same usage and then explain what it means. In Jno. 18:36 we find, "Jesus answered, My king- dom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews, but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." The phrase, "but as it is" is translated from the same word as "now" in (1 Cor. 13:13). The idea is that even though the miraculous gifts would pass away, faith, hope, and love would abide. Of the three, love is the greatest. Now if "that which is perfect is come" refers to Christ at His second coming, how can hope abide? In Rom. 8:24 Paul wrote: "For we walk by faith, not by sight." When Jesus returns, we shall see Him. Rev. 1:7 tells us, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so, Amen." Remember the Hebrew writer's words in "Heb. 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." When Jesus comes in the second coming, it will be a matter of sight and not of faith. And that which was hoped for will be seen and there will no longer be a cause for hope. So, why did Paul say that "hope" would continue along with faith and love? In Rom. 8:24 Paul wrote, "For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees?" It cannot be denied, 1 Cor. 13:13 clearly teaches that "hope" is to exist after "that which is perfect comes." But hope cannot exist after a person has attained what he or she had been hoping for. So, "that which is perfect" does not refer to Christ but to the system that was set up after the death, burial, resurrection and ascension and the reception of the afore promised coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles had occurred. And the system of salvat- ion for both Jew and Gentile had been fully revealed. When this was done, then "that which is perfect has come" and therefore the complete plan had been revealed to the apostles and the kingdom was established upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself, was recognized as the Chief Corner Stone. All of this was completed in the first century The truth is that miraculous gifts do not exist today. They were used in the infancy of the church. They were given direct- ly to the apostles and indirectly through the laying on of the apostles hands, upon certain ones who were to be a part of the establishment and maintenance of the early church before the written Word, the New Testament, was completed. The gifts were given to confirm that which was revealed (Mk. 16:20; Heb. 2:3,4). When the revelation was completed, the gifts were no longer needed, and the God-ordained time of their cessation had arrived. So, the miraculous gifts of the first century is no longer needed, and therefore, no longer exists. All revelation of the Word and Plan of God has been completed. There has not been, and will not be any further revelation from God. When Christ comes the second time, it will be to judge the world using the revelation that has been given to us from the first century, and how we have followed and obeyed its teaching. Every man will be judged as to how he has used the Revealed Word Of God to guide him in his life. ----- Adapted from articles written by Greg Litmer in That Ye May Grow Thereby. From cfleming at mikrotec.com Wed Jan 13 10:56:14 2010 From: cfleming at mikrotec.com (cfleming at mikrotec.com) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:56:14 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Biblemat] Help with Matt 15:14 Message-ID: <4892.76.8.172.196.1263401774.squirrel@webmail.mis.net> Need material on Matt 15:14, "Let them alone:... and if the blind lead the blind they will both fall into the ditch." Any material appreciated. But concentrating on the "Let them alone." Respond privtely if you wish. Thanks, -- chris McRoberts church of Christ http://users.mikrotec.com/cfleming/ bencaudill.com NOTICE OF CONFIDENTIALITY: The contents of this email and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information that is legally privileged and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. You are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or action taken in reliance on the contents of this email is strictly prohibited. If you are not the correct recipient you have received this communication in error, please immediately contact the sender by reply email and delete this message and its attachments, if any. JCF is a means I use for identification. From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Jan 14 05:58:12 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:58:12 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) THIS GRACE IN WHICH WE STAND Message-ID: <407ef.1302539d.388060d4@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, JIm Sasser here. Here is a study from my files. Use to the glory of God. THIS GRACE IN WHICH WE STAND GRACE IS ONE OF THOSE SUBJECTS THAT IS DIFFICULT TO EXPOUND UPON: -- For some, it is enough to say that grace is "unmerited favor" and to leave it at that. But describing grace only as "unmerited favor" is like describing Jesus as the "high Commissioner of celestial interests." It leaves us wanting for more -- especially when God's grace has so much to offer! Admittedly, no single passage in the New Testament explicit- ly says, "This is what grace is." We are much more comfortable with quantifiable subjects like baptism or "the one true church." We like definitive passages like Heb. 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." This makes the study of faith much easier than grace. Paul expounds upon Abraham's faith in Rom. 4, which further advances our understanding. "In hope against hope" Abraham believed God could do the impossible (4:18); he was "fully assur- ed that what God had promised, He was able also to perform" (4:21). Faith, then, is the active belief that God is willing and able to perform according to what is in our best interest. But faith is what people have, not God. God "justifies" us be- cause we believe in Him; the exercise of His power does not de- pend on our faith, but is in resonse to it. He reckons (or credits) a man with righteousness (4:3), but only when tht man puts his full confidence in God's power, as Abraham did. Having said all this, Paul profoundly wrote, "Therefore, hav- ing been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we e exult in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:1,2). Once we have obediently demonstrated our faith in Him, God extends divine favor to us. No longer is His wrath against us as before, but we are "justified"; we are "made just" in His sight through the blood of Christ (Rom. 3:24; 5:9). We no longer have to fear God's pun- ishment, but now we delight in His fellowship. We are not justified by faith alone. Remember that Paul also spoke of "this grace in which we stand." We are unable to appr- oach the throne of God apart from the intercession of Jesus Christ (8:34). We cannot stand "by faith"; we are only able to stand by grace. All the faith in the world cannot by itself restore a single soul's fellowship with God. Either God performs the im- possible or we are lost. There is no third alternative. Thus, grace is God's supernatural work in the heart of the be- liever (Eph. 3:20; Phil. 2:13). In essence, grace is whatever God does that we cannot do with respect to our salvation. Grace is not one thing, which is why it is not summarized in any one verse of Scripture. Grace is whatever God does to redeem and restore the soul from its fallen condition. Grace is God's every act of kindness, every remission of sin, every instance of com- passion, and every bestowal of spiritual blessings upon us. Grace is everything that God does behind the scenes, so to speak, that He has not revealed to us but nonetheless must be done to save our souls. The fact is, I do not have to know all of what saving grace does in order to know grace is real and God extends it to me: Paul says: "By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). But the "introduction" (or "access") into this grace is throu- gh faith, and not apart from it. God does not show grace to those unwilling to demonstrate obedience in His Son; likewise, we do not put faith in God for nothing. "For by grace you have been save through faith" (Eph. 2:8) -- not by grace alone nor by faith alone, but by both grace and faith working together. God works and we believe. Faith is what we give to God; grace is waht God gives to us. Never mind that the two are hugely dis- proportional in scope and effect. In the context of one's salvat- ion, both grace and faith are necessary. By the grace of God, we are spared from condemnation. Apart from grace, however, God gives us only what we rightly deserve: divine justice. Those who think we are saved by being baptized, reading the Scripture, praying, singing, and going to the assemblies need to reconsider what God says on the matter. God says that it is impossible to be saved unless we put our faith in His super-' natural ability to perform (Matt. 19:25,26). Anything short of this is a salvation - by - works mentality; it is no longer the gospel of Christ. (The works thought up and practiced by men, separate and apart from what the Scriptures teach, cannot bring salvation of man's soul. But the requirement to obey, through the works required of God, is something that all must do in order to be sav- ed. No, we are not saved by our own works, but we are saved by doing the works that God requires. Those works are specified in the New Testament. JWS). However, the result of the union of human faith and divine grace is that "we exult in the hope of the glory of God." Where- as before we had fallen from glory, now we rejoice in glory, hav- ing been restored to right fellowship with God. What a wonder- ful message indeed! ------- Adapted from an article by Chad Sychtysz in Biblical Insights, Vol. 8, No. 11, Nov. 2008. From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Jan 14 05:58:04 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:58:04 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) FINDING GRACE Message-ID: <407ec.4c20f6e.388060cc@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Thursday morn- ing to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: FINDING GRACE Man fell because he rejected God. Rejection is a painful thing, istn't it? When others push us away, they are really say- ing we aren't what they want; that we do not satisfy them. And, when we are rejected, aside from being hurt, we may even want to hurt those who reject us. We may want to "get them back" somehow. In Gen. 6, we see the ultimate destination of man's behavior. What began with Adam and Eve in the form of a lie and deceit gave way to "every intent of the thoughts of his heart were on evil continually." Man rejected God. However, such behavior on man's part didn't prompt anger from God, but sorrow (vs. 6). Because God knew how destructive sin was and how much He longed to bless, it hurt God that man didn't follow Him. The only choice God had was to punish man for his rejection. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (6:8). Some- times people think that grace is a New Testament concept, but it isn't. Anytime God acts toward us in a way we do not deserve, that is grace. Every action of God in the Bible of a positive natu- re toward man is an expression of His grace and love. What did Noah do that caused God's grace to shine upon him? Vs. 9 tells us he was righteous and that he "walked with God." God's grace is never arbitrary. "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." (Prov. 28:13). God gave His mercy to Noah becau- se Noah was trying to do right. Does this mean Noah earned God's favoer? No, Noah was still, like all men, a sinner, but be- cause he had a heart of service for God, He extended His grace and provided salvation to Noah and his family when He wiped out sin from the world by the flood. What about you? In this sinful world, in which we now live, have you found grace and mercy in God's eyes? Does He look upon you with mercy, and long to give to you what you don't have, but so desperately need? (In fact, we are told by Paul in Titus "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeard to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." (Titus 2:11-14). Note, that the grace of God uses the Word of God as His object to teach people how to obtain the salvation that He desires they have. Paul tells Timothy that we "should study to show ourselves approved before God, rightly dividing the Word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15). JWS). In reality, while all of us need His grace, all don't seem to find His favor. What separates the two? The same things that separ- ated Noah from the antediluvian world: righteousness and a de- sire to be with God. For us, this righteousness is not our own, but only comes to us through Jesus Christ, "And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is through the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. 3:9). When our sins are washed away, we can have a relationship with God -- impossible while we were sinners. We can then "walk" with God, which speaks of an ongoing relationship, a desire to be with Him and never without Him. It is to worship, honor, respect, and yes, obey Him as our Lord and King. Have you "found grace in the eyes of the Lord"? Have you sought to be forgiven and then to live a righteous life through Christ? Can it be said that you, like Noah, are walking with Him? ------------- Adapted from an article by Mark McCrary in Biblical Insights, Vol. 8, No. 11, Nov. 2008. From bgreen at ms.metrocast.net Thu Jan 14 21:44:24 2010 From: bgreen at ms.metrocast.net (Bill Green) Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:44:24 -0000 Subject: [Biblemat] Teaching help Message-ID: I am looking to do a series of lessons on bringing people out of denominationalism to the truth. I am not preparing this to be preached from the pulpit, these lessons will be geared toward those in the world. It seems that almost everyone has some view of religion based upon the teaching of some denomination, that has been taught to them by their parents or grandparents. So I would like to do some teaching geared toward bringing one out of denominational error into the truth. I am planning to use this material for a (local) TV series or series of articles in the local paper. This maybe the only way some will ever hear the truth. I would appreciate any help on this subject. Thank you for your time and help. Brotherly, Bill Green Bruce church of Christ Bruce, Ms -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100115/39ac09ed/attachment.html From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Jan 15 10:48:17 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:48:17 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) MORE IMPORTANT THAN MYSELF (PHIL. 2:3). Message-ID: <2374b.28ccd768.3881f651@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Friday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an arti- cle from my files: MORE IMPORTANT THAN MYSELF (PHIL. 2:3) If I can learn to truly regard others "as more important" than myself, then I will have take a giant step toward living day by day as a faithful child of God. I struggle with this concept in some aspects and don't struggle with it in others. How can I view the person who has nothing and lives off of the government as more important than myself? How can I consider a person who does not match my intellectual abilities and talents as more im- portant than myself? I can do it by looking at Jesus, that's how. How do I compare to Jesus? Like a drop of water in the bottom of an otherwise empty 50-gallon drum. I am nothing, and the Lord died for me. One person wrote that the person who is able to think this way is "the one who is so conscious of his depend-ence on God, and of his own imperfections and nothingness, that his own gifts only remind him that others must have gifts also, while his sense of his own utter nothingness suggests to him that these gifts may well be superior to his own, and higher in nature and degree." Thinking this way, it becomes possible for me to "not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." Paul's point is that the feelings, interests, and needs of our brethren are to be put before and above our own. That does not mean to ignore our own needs, but to sub- ordinate them to the needs of others. In Rom. 12:10 Paul put it this way: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor." Just think of how this understanding would affect our con- duct in very practical ways. All of the sick would be visited and cared for just because we would be thinking about them. No one's burdens would have to be borne alone -- because broth- ers and sinster would always be there with arms extended to help pick them up. We would all be present at every service that our health allowed because we would be concerned about con- sidering one another, to "provoke unto love and good works" (Heb. 10:24). Arguments concerning non-doctrinal issues would be laid aside; they would cease, because the brethren in- volved in them would be most concerned about the others. Even when I have been sinned against, if I understand Paul's teaching in Phil. 2, then I am going to be most concerned about the spiritual welfare of the other person. That changes my entire attitude. When I live my life recognizing that I am to follow the examp- le of Jesus and tosee others as more important than myself, I will engage in personal evangelism even when it is inconvenient or makes me feel uncomfortable. I will be moral and conduct my- self as a child of God should every minute of every day because I want to give the best possible example that I can to every one with whom I come into contact. Christianity is not about me -- that proved to be a hard lesson for me to learn. It is about the other person. ------ Greg Litmer in That Ye May Grow Thereby. From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Jan 15 10:48:27 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:48:27 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) THE DESECRATION OF GOD'S MARRIAGE LAW Message-ID: <2375e.370bbd8d.3881f65b@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is a study from my files. Use to the glory of God. THE DESECRATION OF GOD'S MARRIAGE LAW God's marriage law, it seems to me, is based on three princi- ples. The three are: 1) the law of origins; 2) the law of harmony; and 3) the law of order. Disregard for these three basic marriage regulations has ram- ified in many different directions wreaking havoc on the home and family as God has defined it in His Word. Adultery, fornicat- ion, homosexuality, child abuse -- all are related to a disrespect for these three bacic principles. Many other deviations which are more subtle, but just as dangerous -- things like fiminism, the uni-sex movement, gang violence -- may well be related to a dis- regard for these three basic parts of God's law. The Law Of Origins: -- "In the beginning" as Jesus used it in Matt. 19 is significant. It is at the heart of the law of origins. "Have you not read," He said, "that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh?" This is further amplif- ied in the ninth verse when He said, after having been question- ed about Moses' allowance of divorce, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so." I have denominated this as the law of origins. God had a plan for man and woman from the outset, one which He expected should govern the relationship for all time. Notice that at the beginning and from the beginning it was God's Law that a man--one man--should leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife -- one woman. Why God allowed divorce during the time of Moses I don't know. I do know -- and that for a fact -- that from the beginning it was not so. Think of all the trouble which has been caused by unconcern for the law of orig- ins. (Since this article by brother Dee Bowman was written back in 1996, there has been a great push for the legal marriages of man to man and woman to woman, which are diametrical oppos- ed to the law of origins mentioned above. JWS). The Law Of Harmony: -- There is a basic difference between unison and harmony. Unison means being in agreement in ex- actly the same way (in music, singing exactly the same notes). Harmony means a simultaneous combination which makes for agreement. In music, it is the pleasing combination of notes which makes a chord. It means to be "in accord." We need to realize that God never demanded "unison," but He did command "harmony" in marriage. Men, together, are in unison. Women, together, are in unison. Men with men is not harmony. Women with women is not harmony. A man and a woman together in God's arrangement make harmony. Compa- re the idea of "they twain shall become one flesh." They didn't start out as one, they became one. That's harmony. Notice, too, "What God hath joined together let not man put asunder." They are conjoined in a harmonious relationship. Life consists of interlocking opposites. Marriage is the most beautiful one of them. (Two men cannot so interact as to bring forth together a child born of the two therefore becoming one flesh from their efforts. Neither can two women in cohabitation produce a child from the two thereby having one flesh born from the two. God made man and woman for one another and their obligation was to reproduce and thereby inhabit the earth. Have families produced by their cohabitation. Two men or two women cannot do that, therefore God is opposed to the union of two men or two women. No, it is not harmony, it can be unison. JWS). When Paul says, in 1 Cor. 7:5, "Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a season," he speaks to this harm- onious relationship. The term translated "with consent" is from a Greek word sumphemi which is where we get our word "symp- hony," a together sound. The law of harmony is basic to God's marriage law. The Law Of Order: -- Paul states God's law of order in 1 Cor. 11: 1,2. "Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them unto you. But I would have you know, the the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." This is an ordinance -- what has been ordained. God is the prior person, Christ next, man, then woman. You can no more mess with this order with impunity than you can violate the law of gravity. Punishment follows the disregard for either. It's just tht the payoff is immediate in the latter and is delayed in the former. In order for the marriage relationship to function as it should there must be respect for this role order. It's a law, not a wish, and a law always has some punitive measures attached to it or it isn't a law. Make no mistake about it, you violate this law and you'll pay. The law of order is illustrated beginning at Eph. 5:21, ("sub- mitting yourselves to one another in the fear of the Lord") and amplified through the rest of chapter five and into chapter six. As it relates to man and woman it is briefly stated in such comm- ands as "Wives submit yourselves to your own husbands as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church..." And "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it." This is a practical commentary on 1 Cor. 7:1-3. It's God's law of order at work. Conclusion: -- To disregard these three laws is to invite sure dis- aster. The immediate punishment is seen in the loss of hearth and home nd its ensuing detrimental effect on society. The eter- nal disaster will be even more devastating. ----- Dee Bowman in Christianity Magaizine, May, 1996, via The Sower, Vol.55, No. 1, Jan/Feb. 2010. From jmickells at juno.com Tue Jan 19 12:53:47 2010 From: jmickells at juno.com (Jimmy R Mickells) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:53:47 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] Haiti Message-ID: <20100119.125348.1456.4.jmickells@juno.com> Does anyone know if there are Christians in Haiti in need of help. I saw that someone posted this question a few days ago but I never did see a response. If so, how can we get in contact with the person to whom we might send some relief, etc.? Jim Mickells ____________________________________________________________ Banking Click here to find the perfect banking opportunity! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=LPz_qWVLqWE4156j8XKKcQAAJ1AqWLnxUT_Og0R1xxm43-TkAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXeAAAAAA= From dmartinbt at att.net Tue Jan 19 15:27:42 2010 From: dmartinbt at att.net (Don Martin) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:27:42 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] Don Martin sharing a sermon outline Message-ID: Don Martin sharing a sermon outline from Bible Truths: There are three sections of sermon outlines found in www.bibletruths.net The first consists of fuller outlines, the second of more skeletal outlines, and the third of hundreds of PowerPoint presentations. To access these, enter through the door on the home page of Bible Truths and click on either "Sermon Outlines" for the first two or, "PowerPoint Sermons." Acts 2, Analyzed Introduction: Acts 2 is of great importance, being one of the most important chapters in the Bible. Acts 2 is the actual beginning and the impetus of pristine Christianity. Much expectation and many prophecies looked to Acts 2 for fulfillment. Acts 2 is the beginning of the "remission of sins" (Acts 2: 14-47), the presentation of Jesus, the arisen and reigning Savior and king (2: 22 ff.), the beginning of the church (2: 47, KJV), the guidance of the apostles into all truth by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1: 8-2: 1-13), and the gospel of Jesus Christ (2: 14 ff.). I. The preparation and the preacher A. Preparation had been made for the events of Acts 2 for at least 800 years. B. The gospel for all nations was to be preached in Jerusalem (Isa. 2: 2, 3, Acts 2: 14 ff.). a. The church (kingdom) was to be established, and the new covenant was to be brought in (Dan. 2: 44, Matt. 3: 1, 2, Mk. 9: 1; Jere. 31: 31-34). C. All the apostles spoke but Peter was the "main" speaker, to Peter had been given the keys of the kingdom (Acts 2: 14, Matt. 16: 18,19). a. He charged them with the murder of Jesus and offered pardon (vs.23). II. The message and results A. Luke records Peter's sermon in 26 verses (vs. 14-40). B. The sermon may be analyzed as follows: a. It was relevant (vs. 14, 22, 23). b. Serious (vs. 14-40). c. Defensive (vs. 15, 16). d. It was authoritative (vs. 14, 22, 32, 38). e. Challenging (vs. 22, 23). f. Exclusiveness characterized it (vs. 15, 22, 33). g. Peter enjoined responsibility (vs. 40) h. Peter stated that forgiveness was contingent on repentance and baptism (vs. 38). C. Out of all the great number assembled, about three thousand ".gladly received his word and were baptized." (vs. 41). Conclusion: If our "religion" did not begin in Acts 2, it is not pristine Christianity. The church, the gospel, and salvation today must be the same as was introduced in Acts chapter two. Preaching today must also be of the same type as we see in Acts 2. From disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com Tue Jan 19 21:44:31 2010 From: disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com (Ethan R. Longhenry) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:44:31 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] S:> 1 Peter 2:18-25: Suffering With Christ Message-ID: 1 Peter 2:18-25: Suffering With Christ I. Base Text: 1 Peter 2:18-25 II. Understanding the Text A. Background 1. 1 Peter 1:1-9: great encouragement in the midst of trial-- hope of the Christian based in the resurrection, salvation ready for the final day 2. 1 Peter 1:10-12: Great value of salvation, desire of angels to investigate it 3. 1 Peter 1:13-21: first application: set hope fully on grace, be holy in conduct, conduct self with fear throughout life, ransomed by blood of Christ 4. 1 Peter 1:22-25: second application: having been purified through obedience, love earnestly from a pure heart, having been born again by the imperishable Word of God, the Gospel 5. 1 Peter 2:1-3: Put away wickedness, grow up into salvation through pure spiritual milk of Word, if you have tasted that the Lord is good 6. 1 Peter 2:4-10: believers as being built up into spiritual house of God while unbelievers stumble over Jesus; believers in Christ the new Israel 7. 1 Peter 2:11-17: believers to abstain from passions of flesh; keep conduct pure among Gentiles; honor earthly authorities; do good, put to silence the foolishness of ignorant; honor all people B. Exhortation to Servants (1 Peter 2:18) 1. Peter, having spoken to all Christians, now turns to servants 2. Exhortation to serve their master no matter their conduct 3. Ephesians 6:6-8 C. Suffering for Doing Good (1 Peter 2:19-20) 1. Peter then turns to speak about the value of suffering for doing good 2. Gracious thing: one, mindful of God, enduring sorrow while suffering unjustly 3. No credit when receiving due penalty for misdeeds 4. Credit exists, however, when one suffers even though they did good D. Jesus Our Example (1 Peter 2:21-25) 1. We have been called to such unjust suffering (Acts 14:23, Romans 8:17) 2. Reason: Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, to follow after Him 3. Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 5:1-11, Philippians 2:5-11, 1 John 2:6 4. Peter then goes on to describe what Jesus accomplished 5. Quotes Isaiah 53:9 6. Committed no sin, no deceit in His mouth 7. When reviled, did not revile in return; when suffers, did not threaten 8. Throughout the time, entrusted Himself to God 9. cf. Romans 12:19-21 10. Bore sin in His Body so we might die to sin, live to righteousness 11. Healed by His wounds (cf. Isaiah 53:5) 12. cf. Romans 6:1-4 13. Image of believers as sheep-- straying, returned to Jesus the Shepherd, Overseer of souls (cf. Luke 15:4-6, John 10:1-18) 14. Shepherd Greek poimena ("pastor"); Overseer Greek episkopon ("bishop") 15. Peter, considered by many the first pope, here gives deference to Jesus as Bishop! III. Application A. Suffering Unjustly 1. Peter emphasizes the value of suffering even when that suffering is unjust 2. Never pleasant to do good and be repaid evil! 3. We feel fundamentally wronged when we suffer and the suffering is unjust! 4. Nevertheless, we must resist impulses to assert our own justice or retaliate! 5. There is great spiritual reward in suffering despite doing good, and even though it may be difficult, we ought to continue in that! B. Jesus' Example 1. Peter speaks quite specifically about Jesus' example 2. He focuses on how Jesus did not return evil when evil was committed against Him 3. When wronged, He suffered the wrong, and entrusted Himself to God 4. cf. Romans 12:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:7 5. That is a difficult proposition, but one we are called to follow! 6. It is more natural to want to retaliate, to stand up for oneself, to "protect" one's interests 7. But the example we have been given is to trust in God and not in ourselves! C. As we have been called to suffer, let us do so willingly to obtain glory (cf. Romans 8:17-18)! IV. Conclusion A. Peter eloquently describes Jesus as our example of suffering 1. Christians are called upon to suffer since Jesus suffered for us 2. We should suffer not for doing evil but for doing good 3. As Jesus did not retaliate, we are not to retaliate! B. Let us live as Jesus lived, no matter the cost! C. Invitation/songbook Ethan R. Longhenry / disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com Evangelist, church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio [norwalkchurch.org] Homepage: deusvitae.com AIM: Deus Vitae / ICQ: 28317056 Y! IM: discipuliiesus Spiritual Manna A biweekly devotional for your life. http://www.deusvitae.com/faith/manna From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Jan 20 05:01:06 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:01:06 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) DO YOUR OWN THINKING Message-ID: <1516.1f4da1c1.38883c72@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Wednesday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: DO YOUR OWN THINKING Not many of us think for ourselves when it comes to matters of religion. Most of us are what we are religiously because of the way our parents reared us and have never questioned whet- her we were right or wrong. We prefer to leave religious subjec- ts and Bible issues to those supposedly trained and skilled in this field -- the priest, theologians, pastors and preachers. Some- times we even get the idea that the Bible cannot be understood by common people. Some of the religious leaders even teach and encourage this view. Does the Bible say anything about the ability and responsi- bility of the average person to understand its message? Most certainly it does. To the Christians in Ephesus, Paul wrote, "Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the Will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17). Surely God des not require of man that which is beyond his ability, Paul had said earlier: "...as I wrote before in a few words, whereby when you read, you may under- stand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ" (Eph. 3:3,4). The Jews of Berea were commended in the New Testament as being "more noble than those in Thessalonica because they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17: 11). These people were not famous, nor were they rich or power- ful. In fact, they were somewhat obscure. Their excellency was in thier readiness to receive and investigate, to study and search for themselves whether the new teaching was or was not in acc- ordance with the Will of God. Certainly the Bereans could not be called professional theologians. They were simply people of honest hearts and open minds -- moreover, a people with a pro- found respect for the authority of the sacred Scriptures. Unfort- unately, this attitude of the Bereans -- the spirit of independent, personal investigation -- does not prevail among religious peop- le in the twenty-first century. Man is in a pitiable state when he does not possess the spiritual interest to study the Word of God for himself. It is shocking to discover how many "religious" people have never read the Bible. It is the duty of every man to test all new doctrines by the teaching of the Divine Word. We are, as the Bereans, to search the Scriptures whether these things are so or not. There is no excuse for failing to do this. God has placed His Word well within reach of us all. It is printed in our language (no book has been put into more translations than the Bible) and can be purchased for a small sum. God has so formed us and so written His Book that it is in the level of our understanding. He has given us the necessary mental faculties to comprehend it, and He has made the substance of it so simple and plain that the wayfaring man can read and understand it. It is not the mys- tical utterance which some writings are. The New Testament abounds with evidence that harmonizes with the attitude of the noble Bereans. The apostle Peter insist- ed that Christians should know what they believe and why they believe it, "be ready always to give an answer to every man who asks you for a reason of the hope that is in you, yet with meek- ness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15). The apostle John places the respon- sibility directly upon every Christian to follow the pattern of the Bereans and prove every teaching to be sure it is from God "be- cause many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 Jno. 4:1). It is not only our right but our duty to listen to all and to try all: to judge for ourselves what is right (Lk. 12:57). It is God's plain Will that we should all bring what we hear to the Standard of His own revealed Will in HIs Word. Members of God's family today are simply trying to reprodu- ce faithfully the church of our Lord as it existed in the first cent- ury -- the same in doctrine, worship, name, organization, service, life and work. The Bible clearly teaches that the seed of the gos- pel -- the Word of God -- will produce after its kind, pure and un- denominational Christianity. The first century church as found- ed upon the basis of the Word of God; it follows that the same Word must serve as the blueprint for the twenty-first century church. ------- Bob Buchanan in The Eastside Edifier, via The Jackson Drive Reporter, Jan. 17, 2009. From robertwater at gmail.com Wed Jan 20 17:02:24 2010 From: robertwater at gmail.com (Robert Waters) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:02:24 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] A) Youtube for spreading the gospel and discussing issues Message-ID: Greetings, Youtube is a great medium for preaching the gospel as well as a great place to discuss controversial issues. By way of example, I have recently posted two videos on divorce and remarriage. The first deals mainly with the teachings of Jesus and the second deals mainly with the teaching of Paul. They are each about 10 minutes long. Please take the time to do a text reply and rate the video. (To do so you will need to become a Youtube member, but that is easy to do. You go to the home page?on the top right you see "Sign up". Follow the steps after you've clicked on that.) I also would welcome a video reply. You will find both links here: http://www.totalhealth.bz/newadditions.htm or: Video: Divorce and Remarriage Video:Divorce and Remarriage, Paul did not teach Celibacy Also: Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? is a "New Addition". Brotherly, Robert Waters -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100120/71c235aa/attachment-0001.html From robertwater at gmail.com Wed Jan 20 17:07:47 2010 From: robertwater at gmail.com (Robert Waters) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:07:47 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] A) Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? Message-ID: Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? by Robert Waters The atheist is always going to seek some weak point where he can attack the faith of believers in God, and the fact that bad things happen to good people, even believers, has always been used in their endeavor to destroy faith. Recent experiences and observations have helped me to come to a better understanding of why God allows bad things to happen to people of all statuses. While on a recent trip to Cairo, Egypt and then to Israel by bus with other Christians, I learned some lessons about God?s dealings with man. When the Israelites were in the wilderness they often had no natural source of water. Therefore, the land was desolate--void of significant vegetative life. They were without water, plants for food, and animals to eat. They were wholly dependent upon God. This is the way God wanted it because He knows that the more THINGS (riches) men have the more likely they are to get to thinking they do not need Him. The key to understanding WHY God allows bad things to happen is seen in how God dealt with Israel, and it is really very simple. He wants people to put their trust in Him as provider and sustainer, and to have hope of a better life after this life. (The Israelites? hope was the Promised Land--our hope is heaven.) War, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, fires, devastating ice and snow storms, tornadoes, transportation vehicle crashes, diseases, accidents, murders, divorces, etc., all serve a purpose. These things make us realize that anything can happen to us and that we need God and the grace and hope that He offers. Paul was kept humble by the "thorn in the flesh" (2Cor 12:7). Job was tried and proved his faith. Even Pharaoh of Egypt was humbled, at least for a while, to obey God because of the bad things that happened due to his lack of faith and obedience. David wrote (Psalm 55:19b KJV): ?Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.? Most who have no afflictions, trials, or worries become sufficient unto themselves and do not look to God for anything. They do not fear Him now or fear any judgment to come; therefore they do not worship and serve Him. Their successes in life make them feel self-sufficient. The wise man shed light on this problem when he said, ?Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil? (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Prosperity hardens them. The Psalmist said of the prosperous wicked, ?They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men? (Psalm 73:5). Since bad things sometimes happen, even to faithful Christians, no one is exempt and should always be fearful that *?It could happen to me,?* which will turn our minds to God who offers protection, sustenance, and much more beyond this life regardless of what happens here. Something that stands out as one reads through the Old Testament is the fact that God always took care of his people as long as they were faithful to Him. (See 2 Kings 17:34-39.) God wants people to trust that He will take care of them, and not to fear while under His care. The phrase *?fear not?* is used sixty three times in the KJV and *?fear?* is used 400 times. David said, ?In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me? (Psalm 56:11). Moses said to the people who feared the enemies of the land, ?Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.? It was Jesus who said, ?And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell? (Matthew 10:28). One should not be alarmed at the prospect of physical suffering or physical death. This is because the soul is so much more important. If we are right with God we need not worry about anything. In fact, the Lord prohibited worry. He said "Be not anxious" (KJV); "Do not worry" (NKJB); found in Matthew 6:25, 31, 34. Of course, this was directed to children of Israel who were receiving instruction in right living. Man can avoid many of the calamities and misfortunes of life by looking to God and His teachings. Truly, the Bible is a *?How to Live?* type book that teaches us how to live on earth to obtain happiness and obtain the hope of heaven. At times, we might think that people suffer unnecessarily and wonder why God allows it. Well, war results in the most suffering. Yet God gives the remedy?*?preach the gospel to every creature.?* People sometimes suffer with broken bones and various diseases. Such things serve as a message to others to learn to be cautious and to eat healthily. Of course, things sometimes happen even when all precautions are taken. When we experience pain that is unbearable, medicines can help. People sometimes suffer because of the actions of others, such as rapists, murderers and thieves. These evil deeds remind people of the need not only to preach the gospel but also to set up governments that make laws in accordance with the will of God. (See Romans 13:1-6.) ?Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.? When bad things happen, whether to us personally, our neighbors or other brethren, we are tried and tested. The apostle James said, ??The trying of your faith worketh patience (James 1:3b). (See Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; 8:1-7; Hebrews 11:32-40.) How we respond to these trials may determine our eternal destiny. ??But we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (Romans 5:3). *Albert Barnes* had some interesting and helpful comments on Romans 8:28: *?And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.? * *?All things.?* All our afflictions and trials; all the persecutions and calamities to which we are exposed. Though they are numerous and long-continued, yet they are among the means that are appointed for our welfare. *?Work together for good.?* They shall cooperate; they shall mutually contribute to our good. They take off our affections from this world; they teach us the truth about our frail, transitory, and dying condition; they lead us to look to God for support, and to heaven for a final home; and they produce a subdued spirit, a humble temper, a patient, tender, and kind disposition. This has been the experience of all saints; and at the end of life they have been able to say it was good for them to be afflicted, Ps 119:67,71 Jer 31:18,19 Heb 12:11. *?For good.?* For our real welfare; for the promotion of true piety, peace, and happiness in our hearts.? Conclusion We may not be able to fully understand why many things happen as they do. Nevertheless, God has a plan and He is in control. If we want to accomplish our duty in life (Ecclesiastes 12:13) we must work with Him?not against Him. ?Whoever is not with me is against me; and he who does not take part with me in getting people together, is driving them away? (Matthew 12:30 BBE). Related reading: Divine Providence Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? by Robert Waters The atheist is always going to seek some weak point where he can attack the faith of believers in God, and the fact that bad things happen to good people, even believers, has always been used in their endeavor to destroy faith. Recent experiences and observations have helped me to come to a better understanding of why God allows bad things to happen to people of all statuses. While on a recent trip to Cairo, Egypt and then to Israel by bus with other Christians, I learned some lessons about God?s dealings with man. When the Israelites were in the wilderness they often had no natural source of water. Therefore, the land was desolate--void of significant vegetative life. They were without water, plants for food, and animals to eat. They were wholly dependent upon God. This is the way God wanted it because He knows that the more THINGS (riches) men have the more likely they are to get to thinking they do not need Him. The key to understanding WHY God allows bad things to happen is seen in how God dealt with Israel, and it is really very simple. He wants people to put their trust in Him as provider and sustainer, and to have hope of a better life after this life. (The Israelites? hope was the Promised Land--our hope is heaven.) War, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, fires, devastating ice and snow storms, tornadoes, transportation vehicle crashes, diseases, accidents, murders, divorces, etc., all serve a purpose. These things make us realize that anything can happen to us and that we need God and the grace and hope that He offers. Paul was kept humble by the "thorn in the flesh" (2Cor 12:7). Job was tried and proved his faith. Even Pharaoh of Egypt was humbled, at least for a while, to obey God because of the bad things that happened due to his lack of faith and obedience. David wrote (Psalm 55:19b KJV): ?Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.? Most who have no afflictions, trials, or worries become sufficient unto themselves and do not look to God for anything. They do not fear Him now or fear any judgment to come; therefore they do not worship and serve Him. Their successes in life make them feel self-sufficient. The wise man shed light on this problem when he said, ?Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil? (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Prosperity hardens them. The Psalmist said of the prosperous wicked, ?They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men? (Psalm 73:5). Since bad things sometimes happen, even to faithful Christians, no one is exempt and should always be fearful that *?It could happen to me,?* which will turn our minds to God who offers protection, sustenance, and much more beyond this life regardless of what happens here. Something that stands out as one reads through the Old Testament is the fact that God always took care of his people as long as they were faithful to Him. (See 2 Kings 17:34-39.) God wants people to trust that He will take care of them, and not to fear while under His care. The phrase *?fear not?* is used sixty three times in the KJV and *?fear?* is used 400 times. David said, ?In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me? (Psalm 56:11). Moses said to the people who feared the enemies of the land, ?Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.? It was Jesus who said, ?And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell? (Matthew 10:28). One should not be alarmed at the prospect of physical suffering or physical death. This is because the soul is so much more important. If we are right with God we need not worry about anything. In fact, the Lord prohibited worry. He said "Be not anxious" (KJV); "Do not worry" (NKJB); found in Matthew 6:25, 31, 34. Of course, this was directed to children of Israel who were receiving instruction in right living. Man can avoid many of the calamities and misfortunes of life by looking to God and His teachings. Truly, the Bible is a *?How to Live?* type book that teaches us how to live on earth to obtain happiness and obtain the hope of heaven. At times, we might think that people suffer unnecessarily and wonder why God allows it. Well, war results in the most suffering. Yet God gives the remedy?*?preach the gospel to every creature.?* People sometimes suffer with broken bones and various diseases. Such things serve as a message to others to learn to be cautious and to eat healthily. Of course, things sometimes happen even when all precautions are taken. When we experience pain that is unbearable, medicines can help. People sometimes suffer because of the actions of others, such as rapists, murderers and thieves. These evil deeds remind people of the need not only to preach the gospel but also to set up governments that make laws in accordance with the will of God. (See Romans 13:1-6.) ?Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.? When bad things happen, whether to us personally, our neighbors or other brethren, we are tried and tested. The apostle James said, ??The trying of your faith worketh patience (James 1:3b). (See Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; 8:1-7; Hebrews 11:32-40.) How we respond to these trials may determine our eternal destiny. ??But we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (Romans 5:3). *Albert Barnes* had some interesting and helpful comments on Romans 8:28: *?And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.? * *?All things.?* All our afflictions and trials; all the persecutions and calamities to which we are exposed. Though they are numerous and long-continued, yet they are among the means that are appointed for our welfare. *?Work together for good.?* They shall cooperate; they shall mutually contribute to our good. They take off our affections from this world; they teach us the truth about our frail, transitory, and dying condition; they lead us to look to God for support, and to heaven for a final home; and they produce a subdued spirit, a humble temper, a patient, tender, and kind disposition. This has been the experience of all saints; and at the end of life they have been able to say it was good for them to be afflicted, Ps 119:67,71 Jer 31:18,19 Heb 12:11. *?For good.?* For our real welfare; for the promotion of true piety, peace, and happiness in our hearts.? Conclusion We may not be able to fully understand why many things happen as they do. Nevertheless, God has a plan and He is in control. If we want to accomplish our duty in life (Ecclesiastes 12:13) we must work with Him?not against Him. ?Whoever is not with me is against me; and he who does not take part with me in getting people together, is driving them away? (Matthew 12:30 BBE). Related reading: Divine Providence Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? by Robert Waters The atheist is always going to seek some weak point where he can attack the faith of believers in God, and the fact that bad things happen to good people, even believers, has always been used in their endeavor to destroy faith. Recent experiences and observations have helped me to come to a better understanding of why God allows bad things to happen to people of all statuses. While on a recent trip to Cairo, Egypt and then to Israel by bus with other Christians, I learned some lessons about God?s dealings with man. When the Israelites were in the wilderness they often had no natural source of water. Therefore, the land was desolate--void of significant vegetative life. They were without water, plants for food, and animals to eat. They were wholly dependent upon God. This is the way God wanted it because He knows that the more THINGS (riches) men have the more likely they are to get to thinking they do not need Him. The key to understanding WHY God allows bad things to happen is seen in how God dealt with Israel, and it is really very simple. He wants people to put their trust in Him as provider and sustainer, and to have hope of a better life after this life. (The Israelites? hope was the Promised Land--our hope is heaven.) War, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, fires, devastating ice and snow storms, tornadoes, transportation vehicle crashes, diseases, accidents, murders, divorces, etc., all serve a purpose. These things make us realize that anything can happen to us and that we need God and the grace and hope that He offers. Paul was kept humble by the "thorn in the flesh" (2Cor 12:7). Job was tried and proved his faith. Even Pharaoh of Egypt was humbled, at least for a while, to obey God because of the bad things that happened due to his lack of faith and obedience. David wrote (Psalm 55:19b KJV): ?Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.? Most who have no afflictions, trials, or worries become sufficient unto themselves and do not look to God for anything. They do not fear Him now or fear any judgment to come; therefore they do not worship and serve Him. Their successes in life make them feel self-sufficient. The wise man shed light on this problem when he said, ?Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil? (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Prosperity hardens them. The Psalmist said of the prosperous wicked, ?They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men? (Psalm 73:5). Since bad things sometimes happen, even to faithful Christians, no one is exempt and should always be fearful that *?It could happen to me,?* which will turn our minds to God who offers protection, sustenance, and much more beyond this life regardless of what happens here. Something that stands out as one reads through the Old Testament is the fact that God always took care of his people as long as they were faithful to Him. (See 2 Kings 17:34-39.) God wants people to trust that He will take care of them, and not to fear while under His care. The phrase *?fear not?* is used sixty three times in the KJV and *?fear?* is used 400 times. David said, ?In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me? (Psalm 56:11). Moses said to the people who feared the enemies of the land, ?Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.? It was Jesus who said, ?And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell? (Matthew 10:28). One should not be alarmed at the prospect of physical suffering or physical death. This is because the soul is so much more important. If we are right with God we need not worry about anything. In fact, the Lord prohibited worry. He said "Be not anxious" (KJV); "Do not worry" (NKJB); found in Matthew 6:25, 31, 34. Of course, this was directed to children of Israel who were receiving instruction in right living. Man can avoid many of the calamities and misfortunes of life by looking to God and His teachings. Truly, the Bible is a *?How to Live?* type book that teaches us how to live on earth to obtain happiness and obtain the hope of heaven. At times, we might think that people suffer unnecessarily and wonder why God allows it. Well, war results in the most suffering. Yet God gives the remedy?*?preach the gospel to every creature.?* People sometimes suffer with broken bones and various diseases. Such things serve as a message to others to learn to be cautious and to eat healthily. Of course, things sometimes happen even when all precautions are taken. When we experience pain that is unbearable, medicines can help. People sometimes suffer because of the actions of others, such as rapists, murderers and thieves. These evil deeds remind people of the need not only to preach the gospel but also to set up governments that make laws in accordance with the will of God. (See Romans 13:1-6.) ?Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.? When bad things happen, whether to us personally, our neighbors or other brethren, we are tried and tested. The apostle James said, ??The trying of your faith worketh patience (James 1:3b). (See Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; 8:1-7; Hebrews 11:32-40.) How we respond to these trials may determine our eternal destiny. ??But we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (Romans 5:3). *Albert Barnes* had some interesting and helpful comments on Romans 8:28: *?And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.? * *?All things.?* All our afflictions and trials; all the persecutions and calamities to which we are exposed. Though they are numerous and long-continued, yet they are among the means that are appointed for our welfare. *?Work together for good.?* They shall cooperate; they shall mutually contribute to our good. They take off our affections from this world; they teach us the truth about our frail, transitory, and dying condition; they lead us to look to God for support, and to heaven for a final home; and they produce a subdued spirit, a humble temper, a patient, tender, and kind disposition. This has been the experience of all saints; and at the end of life they have been able to say it was good for them to be afflicted, Ps 119:67,71 Jer 31:18,19 Heb 12:11. *?For good.?* For our real welfare; for the promotion of true piety, peace, and happiness in our hearts.? Conclusion We may not be able to fully understand why many things happen as they do. Nevertheless, God has a plan and He is in control. If we want to accomplish our duty in life (Ecclesiastes 12:13) we must work with Him?not against Him. ?Whoever is not with me is against me; and he who does not take part with me in getting people together, is driving them away? (Matthew 12:30 BBE). Related reading: Divine Providence Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? by Robert Waters The atheist is always going to seek some weak point where he can attack the faith of believers in God, and the fact that bad things happen to good people, even believers, has always been used in their endeavor to destroy faith. Recent experiences and observations have helped me to come to a better understanding of why God allows bad things to happen to people of all statuses. While on a recent trip to Cairo, Egypt and then to Israel by bus with other Christians, I learned some lessons about God?s dealings with man. When the Israelites were in the wilderness they often had no natural source of water. Therefore, the land was desolate--void of significant vegetative life. They were without water, plants for food, and animals to eat. They were wholly dependent upon God. This is the way God wanted it because He knows that the more THINGS (riches) men have the more likely they are to get to thinking they do not need Him. The key to understanding WHY God allows bad things to happen is seen in how God dealt with Israel, and it is really very simple. He wants people to put their trust in Him as provider and sustainer, and to have hope of a better life after this life. (The Israelites? hope was the Promised Land--our hope is heaven.) War, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, fires, devastating ice and snow storms, tornadoes, transportation vehicle crashes, diseases, accidents, murders, divorces, etc., all serve a purpose. These things make us realize that anything can happen to us and that we need God and the grace and hope that He offers. Paul was kept humble by the "thorn in the flesh" (2Cor 12:7). Job was tried and proved his faith. Even Pharaoh of Egypt was humbled, at least for a while, to obey God because of the bad things that happened due to his lack of faith and obedience. David wrote (Psalm 55:19b KJV): *?Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.?* Most who have no afflictions, trials, or worries become sufficient unto themselves and do not look to God for anything. They do not fear Him now or fear any judgment to come; therefore they do not worship and serve Him. Their successes in life make them feel self-sufficient. The wise man shed light on this problem when he said, *?Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil? (Ecclesiastes 8:11). * Prosperity hardens them. The Psalmist said of the prosperous wicked, *?They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men? (Psalm 73:5).* Since bad things sometimes happen, even to faithful Christians, no one is exempt and should always be fearful that *?It could happen to me,?* which will turn our minds to God who offers protection, sustenance, and much more beyond this life regardless of what happens here. Something that stands out as one reads through the Old Testament is the fact that God always took care of his people as long as they were faithful to Him. (See 2 Kings 17:34-39.) God wants people to trust that He will take care of them, and not to fear while under His care. The phrase *?fear not?* is used sixty three times in the KJV and *?fear?* is used 400 times. David said, *?In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me? (Psalm 56:11). * Moses said to the people who feared the enemies of the land, ?Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.? It was Jesus who said, *?And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell? (Matthew 10:28). * One should not be alarmed at the prospect of physical suffering or physical death. This is because the soul is so much more important. If we are right with God we need not worry about anything. In fact, the Lord prohibited worry. He said "Be not anxious" (KJV); "Do not worry" (NKJB); found in Matthew 6:25, 31, 34. Of course, this was directed to children of Israel who were receiving instruction in right living. Man can avoid many of the calamities and misfortunes of life by looking to God and His teachings. Truly, the Bible is a *?How to Live?* type book that teaches us how to live on earth to obtain happiness and obtain the hope of heaven. At times, we might think that people suffer unnecessarily and wonder why God allows it. Well, war results in the most suffering. Yet God gives the remedy?*?preach the gospel to every creature.?* People sometimes suffer with broken bones and various diseases. Such things serve as a message to others to learn to be cautious and to eat healthily. Of course, things sometimes happen even when all precautions are taken. When we experience pain that is unbearable, medicines can help. People sometimes suffer because of the actions of others, such as rapists, murderers and thieves. These evil deeds remind people of the need not only to preach the gospel but also to set up governments that make laws in accordance with the will of God. (See Romans 13:1-6.) *?Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.? * When bad things happen, whether to us personally, our neighbors or other brethren, we are tried and tested. The apostle James said, *??The trying of your faith worketh patience (James 1:3b). (See Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; 8:1-7; Hebrews 11:32-40.) * How we respond to these trials may determine our eternal destiny. *??But we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (Romans 5:3).* *Albert Barnes* had some interesting and helpful comments on Romans 8:28: *?And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.? * *?All things.?* All our afflictions and trials; all the persecutions and calamities to which we are exposed. Though they are numerous and long-continued, yet they are among the means that are appointed for our welfare. *?Work together for good.?* They shall cooperate; they shall mutually contribute to our good. They take off our affections from this world; they teach us the truth about our frail, transitory, and dying condition; they lead us to look to God for support, and to heaven for a final home; and they produce a subdued spirit, a humble temper, a patient, tender, and kind disposition. This has been the experience of all saints; and at the end of life they have been able to say it was good for them to be afflicted, Ps 119:67,71 Jer 31:18,19 Heb 12:11. *?For good.?* For our real welfare; for the promotion of true piety, peace, and happiness in our hearts.? Conclusion We may not be able to fully understand why many things happen as they do. Nevertheless, God has a plan and He is in control. If we want to accomplish our duty in life (Ecclesiastes 12:13) we must work with Him?not against Him. ?Whoever is not with me is against me; and he who does not take part with me in getting people together, is driving them away? (Matthew 12:30 BBE). Related reading: Divine Providence -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100120/eff22086/attachment-0001.html From zekeflores1 at cs.com Thu Jan 21 09:44:25 2010 From: zekeflores1 at cs.com (zekeflores1 at cs.com) Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:44:25 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S> Teaching The Religious Message-ID: <67d5.1c67d891.3889d059@cs.com> I haven't shared anything in quite awhile so here's a lesson I hope you can use. Zeke Flores Kiber Street church of Christ Angleton, TX www.angletonchristians.com ***************************************************************** Acts 17 ? Teaching The Religious Intro: Teaching the lost is hard! A. Teaching the lost who think they're saved is harder! 1. Most folks who believe in heaven believe they're going there despite whatever lifestyle they lead. 2. Then, there are the religious who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, eternal punishment for sin, are sincere in love for God and truly want to please Him and yet, they are lost. a. The reasons are many: False teaching, stubbornness, wishful thinking, etc. Bottom line: They're lost. Yet, how wonderful it is to discover that some WILL respond to the truth from an honest heart. b. A governor visited a state prison. One by one the inmates told of how they were wrongly convicted and didn't belong there. Guv said to one fellow, "I suppose you're innocent, too." The man said, "No sir, I did the crime and now I'm getting what I deserve." The governor exclaimed, "Warden, remove this man immediately before he corrupts all these innocent men!" B. Our text portrays different attitudes of religious people and at least two types of religious error. 1. VV 1-9 Jews @ Thessalonica ? Opposed the gospel, openly hostile (See vv 5-6) 2. VV 10-12 Jews @ Berea ? Interested, eager, open minds and open Bibles 3. VV 16-34 Greeks @ Athens ? Curious but indifferent (see vv 18-21) C. As we consider how Paul met these challenges, let's take heart when it comes to teaching our religious friends. 1. What can we learn? I. Be Concerned For The Lost A. During his lifetime, Paul endured a host of difficulties because of his determination to turn people to Christ. 1. When he went to Athens, "his spirit was being provoked" vs 16 2. Paul was irritated at the idolatry, but it stemmed from a concern for their souls. B. Paul talked about his concern for his brother Jews... 1. Rom 9:1-3, 10:1 C. ... as well as the Gentiles 1. Rom 1:14-15 D. Paul was compelled to reach out to the lost, religious or not ? 2 Cor 5:11-16 1. "Woe is me if I do not preach..." 1 Cor 9:16 E. People need to see your concern for their souls, not your desire to win an argument. 1. 1 Cor 13:1-3 2. Sometimes the only loveable part of people is that which was made in the image of God. Look for it and develop a real concern, a love, for souls. II. Take The Message To The People A. Whether Jew or Greek, Paul went where religious minded people were. 1. Jews - the synagogue, Greeks - the marketplace B. He was not rude or belittling, he was tactful and reasonable. (Acts 17:2, 17) 1. He acknowledged their sincerity but explained the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:24-26). 2. He began with their spiritual condition. 17:23-27 a. With Jews, he began with the Law, with Gentiles he began with the concept of God. b. "I have become all things to all men..." 1 Cor 9:22 3. He didn't insult them, dealt gently but firmly with their preconceptions. He took whatever knowledge they had and used it to bring them to the main themes of the gospel. He had them apply the message. a. Believe in Jesus! Why? The judgment comes, so repent. III. Stay True To The Message A. Stay true in your living. First, qualify yourself 1. 1 Cor 9:25-27 STRATEGY! B. Stay true to the message. 1. It can be tempting to compromise the truth when someone has what sounds like a well-reasoned answer for their error. Establish the authority of the Bible. 2. Paul didn't get into deep, convoluted theology and he didn't hop all over the theological map. He kept repeating the simple basics of the gospel. a. Acts 17:3, 23-25 3. Paul subtly showed them that "ignorant"religion is a shaky house. a. Luke 6:46-49 b. By 1590 the Japanese warlord Hideyoshi controlled all of Japan. On one occasion he commissioned a colossal statue of Buddha for a shrine in Kyoto. It took 50,000 men five years to build, and Hideyoshi himself sometimes worked incognito alongside the laborers. But the work was scarcely completed when the earthquake of 1596 brought the roof of the shrine crashing down and wrecked the statue. In a rage, Hideyoshi shot an arrow at the fallen colossus. "I put you here at great expense," he shouted, "and you can't even look after your own temple!" C. Stick to the truth. Prove it, then prove it again. Repetition is an effective teaching tool. IV. Bring Them To A Decision A. The aim of Paul's reasoning was not to win arguments, but to win souls. To do so, people had to be led to act on the info he gave them. 1. A businessman visited a church during a business trip. After the service he congratulated the minister on his service and sermon. "But," said the man, "if you were my salesman, I'd fire you. You got my attention by your appearance, voice, and manner; your prayer, reading, and logical discourse aroused my interest; you warmed my heart with a desire for what you preached; and then--and then you stopped without asking me to do something about it. In business the important thing is to get them to sign on the dotted line, to close the deal!" B. Paul received different responses: 1. Some accepted, some rejected (even hostilely), some continued to study but everyone was brought to a decision. 2. Even Jesus asked His own disciples "But who do you say that I am?" Matt 16:15 C. People make important decisions everyday. Arm them with the information they need to make the most important decision of life! 1. "Choose for yourselves today whom you'll serve..." Josh 24:15 V. Don't Dwell On Failure A. It's not easy to deal with repeated rejection. 1. Sometimes you may wonder if there's any use in putting forth the effort. Might be tempted to ask, "What's the use? Why bother?" 2. Consider yourself: What if someone quit teaching just before they got to you? 3. The simple truth is: Some will, some won't, so what? a. Did you do what you could? That's all God asks. You're not responsible for their decision, but you ARE responsible to present the gospel so they can make an informed decision! b. It's not who you save, it's who you tell! B. Know when to move on. 1. Acts 17:32-33, 13:44-46 2. Who knows who else may come along and cultivate the ground where you planted seed. Who knows who else needs you to come and work what was planted before by someone else? 3. There is an old story that tells of how Jesus was received in heaven after His death and resurrection. One of the angels met Him and said, "You must have suffered terribly for men down in the world." Jesus answered, "I did." "But do all men know," said the angel, "how much you loved them and suffered for them?" "No," said Jesus, "only a few men in the land of Palestine know about it." "What have you done," asked the angel, "to let other people know about it?" Jesus answered, "I have told Peter and James and John to tell others, and the others to tell others, until all men know the story of how much I love them." On hearing this the angel was doubtful. "But what will happen," he said, "if Peter and James and John forget? What if they fail to tell the others? What then?" Back came the response of Jesus, "I haven't made any other plans; I'm counting on them." Conc: As long as there are people who think, there will be people who think wrongly. A. Religious people in error are not the enemy, ignorance of God's plan is the enemy! B. Let us seek discussion with a view to winning souls and not merely winning debates. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100121/d9d4f7c6/attachment-0001.html From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Jan 20 05:01:14 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:01:14 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) MORE ABOUT THOSE "STRANGE MACEDONIANS" (3) Message-ID: <1519.1e45ff9f.38883c7a@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the third and final installment on this particular study. Use to the glory of God. MORE ABOUT THOSE "STRANGE MACEDONIANS" (3) VI. The Macedonian Christians Were A Self-Sacrificing People Who Put First Things First By Surrendering Themselves Whole-Heartedly -- Body, Soul, Heart And Mind -- To God. "And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the Will of God." We look at these Macedonians and there is something differ- ent about them -- something out of the ordinary. There are so many professed Christians who do not act at all like the Maced- onians. This is so strikingly clear that, compared to the average Christian, the Macedonians seem rather odd. The reason is that the Macedonians were not average Christ- ians. But how do you account for it? The Holy Spirit gives the secret: "But first gave their own selves to the Lord." Before they ever gave a dollar to God's cause, they made a much bigger gift -- they gave themselves. That is putting first things first. Many find it difficult to give liberally to the Lord's cause, because they have not first made the first gift -- and the first gift is the big gift. God does not seek your money, He seeks you. He does not plead: "Give Me your pocketbook." His appeal is: "Give Me thy heart!" When you give your heart the giving of your means foll- ows as naturally and as surely as the night follows the day, for "where your heart is there will your treasure be also." When you give yourself to God, He has your pocketbook. You belong to Him, and what you have is a part of the bargain. The man who insisted on keeping his billfold in his pocket when he was being baptized had the right idea. Our surrender to God must be a total and unconditional surrender. We must give our all to Him -- talents, time, energy, and resources. It is when we are totally dedicated to God and to God's peo- ple that we are able to find abundant joy in giving abundantly. It is not difficult to give when we are completely dedicated. The difficulty is in bringing ourselves to terms of total surrender. But this complete dedication is easier when we are acutely aware of the truth that our chief end in life is to glorify God, and the companion truth that we bring glory to God by passionate service in His kingdom (Eph. 3:21). Our contributions are not merely gifts of money. They are expressions of our devotion to God, and of our love for our fellow man. Give yourself to God and you will find that your pocketbook is ever open to the needs of God's cause! A GOD-ENDOWED PEOPLE VII. The Macedonian Christians Were A God-Endowed People Who Responded To The Bestowments Of Divine Grace By Sharing Their Fruit With Others: -- "Moreover, brethren, we would have you know of the grace of God that was bestow- ed upon the churches of Macedonia." The grace of God bestowed! Why were the Macedonians able to overcome such tremendous odds and prove themselves of such splendid and useful service to God and man? Because of the grace of God bestowed on them! It was by God's grace that they were able to make the joy of giving, even in the midst of poverty, abound unto the riches of their liberality! The grace of God bestowed -- the grace of God working in and through their lives empowered them to serve abundantly even in the midst of scarcity! But does not God bestow this grace upon all His children, in every age? Yes, but all do not receive it. The Macedonians re- sponded to God's grace by graciously sharing what they had with others. And God gave them more grace. Let us understand that giving is a grace, which, like all other favors bestowed by God, is strengthened by use, and which will be lost if it is not used. God offers it to all His people, but it is a gift which must be accepted and used, or else it is of no value and will be taken away. If we fail to exercise compassion, the spirit of compassion will depart from us. If we habitually refuse to forgive, we will lose the capacity to forgive. If we neglect to share our substance with others, we will lose interest in the welfare of others, and rob ourselves of the priceless grace of giving. Whatever is good within us stems from God -- from His grace working in us. Hence there is no room for pride in our benevol- ence. Freely we have received, let us freely give! ------------------- Bonds Stocks in The Preceptor, Vol. 2, No. 1, Nov. 1952. From thornhill1 at frontiernet.net Wed Jan 20 08:45:05 2010 From: thornhill1 at frontiernet.net (thomas thornhill) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:45:05 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] comments on Gal.3:1-5 Message-ID: Dear brethren, I would like to hear some of your thoughts on Gal.3:1-5. I'm working on a lesson with these verses. brotherly, Tommy Thornhill thornhill1 at frontiernet.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100120/fae912ef/attachment-0001.html From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Jan 21 04:42:47 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:42:47 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) HONOR TO HIS NAME Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Thursday morn- ing to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: HONOR TO HIS NAME Companies that compete with others for customer dollars know the significance of protecting their name and reputation. Poor quality or rude service can cause profits to plunge. We've probably all been somewhere, where we've seen this happen: Long lines, discourteous staff, a lack of help or a bad product. The result is frustration, anger, a desire never to go back to that place or buy that product, and a need to tell others what your experience has been. This reminds me of how Israel's conduct brought dishonor to God's name. Because they had lived like their pagan neigh- bors, the Lord dispersed them among the naitons. The world around laughed at both Israel and the name of God. "Again the Word of the Lord came to me; 'Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions'" "I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I jud- ged them according to their conduct and their actions. And wherever the went among the nations they profaned My Holy Name, for it was said of them, 'These are the Lord's people, and yet they had to leave His land.' I had concern for My Holy Name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone." (Ezk. 36:16,17,19-21). Let's consider an application that relates to you and me. As Christians, we bear the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. What does the world think of Him by what they see in us? Bringing honor to the Lord is more important than any business or pro- duct living up to its name. We have quite a responsibility in our lives -- to reflect our Lord. We must stand against doing any- thing that will cause others to profane His Holy Name. How is your life today? Are you honoring or profaning the Holy Name of God? --------------- Shane Williams in The Lilbourn Light, Vol. 10, No. 8, Dec. 2009. From j5827sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Jan 21 04:42:54 2010 From: j5827sasser at wmconnect.com (j5827sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:42:54 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) "CHRIST IS THE HEAD" (1) Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the first installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. "CHRIST IS THE HEAD" (1) The relationship to God of one who is salved, and how that relationship was attained, is not left in the field of mystery. God has clearly defined it in His Word by employing different figures of speech, to thus give a complete portrayal of the place and the process. It is in and through Christ Jesus our Lord that we come to God, for He is the Way, the Door of the Fold. The Kingdom In Prophecy: -- Let us look to the governmental aspect first. Here the saved constitute the kingdom over which Christ reigns as Lord and King (1 Tim. 6:15). This King was the object of Old Testament prophecy, as inspired men used the tele- scope of inspiration to foretell its establishment. The prophet Isaiah pointed to the beginning of the kingdom "in the last days" and to embrace "nations" as it was to go "forth from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:2,3). This graphically stated the time, place and persons. Later, the prophet Daniel revealed the meaning of the king's vision by pointing out the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, Grec- ian and Roman Empires. He then stated, "And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44). Correlating all of this is the voice of the prophet Jeremiah: "Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as King and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness" (Jer. 23:5,6). None can deny that these Script- ures point to a coming King and a coming kingdom. The Kingdom Preached In Preparation: -- When John the Bapt- ist began preaching, he declared, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). Jesus began His preaching with the same declaration (Matt. 4:17). The Lord sent forth His disciples with that same message, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The king- dom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 10:7). Each statement shows that the kingdom was yet future. Later the Lord Jesus promised, "Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16: 18,19). We find in this passage the terms "church" and "king- dom" being used to denote the very same institution. But the church, or kingdom had not yet been established, and Jesus ws not to be a king on earth. He made promise to the apostles, "Verily I say unto you, There are some here of them that stand by, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power" (Mk. 9:1). This passage clearly set the coming of the kingdom in that generation, during the life- time of His hearers. (More will be posted on this subject tomorr- ow, the Lord willing, JWS). From tedwards at onemain.com Thu Jan 21 15:59:06 2010 From: tedwards at onemain.com (tedwards at onemain.com) Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:59:06 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] B> Gospel Observer 1/17/10 Message-ID: <4B5879CA.13081.1333DFD@localhost> -------------------- The Gospel Observer "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20). -------------------- January 17, 2010 -------------------- Contents: 1) Recipe for a Good Day (Donnie V. Rader) 2) The Majesty of God (Jason Cicero) 3) News & Notes -------------------- -1- Recipe for a Good Day by Donnie V. Rader Have you ever had a bad day? Do you ever have those days when nothing seems to go right? Does it ever feel like the pressures of life pile up some days? If you haven't, you're unlike the rest of us. We all have those days. However, Peter said something that will help during those times. "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it" (1 Pet. 3:10-11). We can make our days good. If we determine to have a good day -- we will! This doesn't mean that we won't have some bad days. There will be some days that we won't feel so good. There will be times that we are sad and even depressed. We will be sick some days. Things will not always go right or the way we expect them to. This doesn't mean that when we have such days that it is always our fault or that we have sinned. Yet, we can make even those days better. We have some control. Life is too short not to enjoy living and having good days. The Bible gives us the recipe for having a good day. The following are some things that I have thought upon for some time. They have helped me a great deal. I believe that I have better days and am a better person as a result of adhering to these points. Every one of the rules is a part of eschewing evil, doing good and seeking peace. 1. Begin your day with prayer. What better way can you think of to start the day off right? Jesus taught that men "ought always to pray" (Luke 18:1). The reasons are obvious. How refreshing it is to spend some time with God in prayer in the morning. We have so much to pray for when we rise to begin a new day. We ought to thank God for the night's rest and another day. We should pray for God's protection and care throughout the day. We will need his help in overcoming temptations that we will face (Matt. 6:13). We should pray for strength and help to make it through the day (1 Pet. 5:7). I realize more and more each day how much I have to depend upon God and his power. I need and want to begin my day with prayer. We also need to pray for God's help in our following the recipe for a good day. 2. Look at life through Heb. 13:14. When we awake we should put on the glasses of faith and view the world through Paul's statement, "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Then, we will realize that nothing in this world is continuing or abiding. All is temporary. All that really matters is being right with God. Everything else is not all that important. Whether or not I have a fine home, a late model car, the latest fashion or a sizeable bank account doesn't matter. Whether or not I have a good education, am popular, have a lot of abilities or am successful in business doesn't really matter. So what if I have little or no money, fewer talents than others or wear second- hand clothes, that's not going to ruin my day. 3. Realize that mistakes and inabilities are not failures. If we let them, such can look like monumental failures. We are human; we will make mistakes and even sin (1 John 1:8). That's true of all. Even men like Paul, Peter and James made mistakes. We must realize that some of us just have less abilities than others. This is quite clear from the parable of the talents (Matt. 25). We must also understand that we will make mistakes, but those mistakes are not failures. If we serve God faithfully, we are a success (Josh. 1:8). Learn not to dwell upon those past mistakes, but rather look to the future (Phil. 3:13). 4. Realize that there will be problems; all have them. Everything is not going to be as I want it. There will be disappointments and changes of plans. There will be those times when things just don't fall in place. Everyone shares in these experiences. Job faced problem on top of problem. We sometimes could wish as David did that we had "wings like a dove," for then we would "fly away and be at rest" (Psa. 55:6-7). The words of Anne Johnson Flynt say it well: "God hath not promised Sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, Peace without pain. But God hath promised Strength for the day, Rest for the labor, Light for the way, Grace for the trials, Help from above, Unfailing sympathy, Undying love." 5. Exercise patience throughout the day. Patience is bearing with the problems and trials without complaint. We must add patience to our faith (2 Pet. 1:5-10). We need to be patient with ourselves, our mistakes, failures and inabilities. Patience is needed in dealing with the problems of life (Jas. 5:11). We must be longsuffering in overcoming sin and weaknesses. No case is hopeless. With God's help, we can overcome our problems and sins (Phil. 4:13). 6. Be temperate. Temperance is self-control. It is easy to let our tempers get out of hand and "fly off the handle." Self-control doesn't come easy. We must continually work at it. Nevertheless, God requires it (2 Pet. 1:5-10). When we are temperate things will go better throughout the day. We will get along with others. It just makes for a better day. 7. Don't worry. Some folks can ruin their day worrying about things that don't really matter anyway. We worry about what did happen, what could have happened and what is going to happen. However, worry doesn't do one bit of good. Jesus said that a man cannot add one cubit to his stature by worrying about it (Matt. 6:27). If you can do something about the matter, do it and quit worrying. If not, what will the worrying accomplish? We need to learn to cast our cares upon God (1 Pet. 5:7). The trusting spirit is seen in this poem: "Said the robin to the sparrow. I should really like to know why the anxious human beings, rush around and worry so. Said the sparrow to the robin, Friend, I think that it must be, that they have no heavenly Father, such as cares for you and me!" 8. Don't let life get you down. Too many let the affairs of life bother them. It keeps them wound up and uptight. When this happens, they become fretful about life in general. Again, we must learn to talk to God about our problems. Also, our thoughts must be redirected to dwell on the good and pleasant (Phil. 4:6-8). 9. Be happy. Some apparently think that happiness is something that just happens to you. If you're not happy, you can't help it. However, God commands us to "rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). We must work at it. It is something we have to learn to do. We must try to be happy in spite of any problems and trials we may have. 10. Be content. When one is discontented he is unhappy and thus has a bad day. Sometimes we complain if we don't get our way. That not only ruins our day, but it messes things up for others as well. If we could only learn to be satisfied (1 Tim. 6:8), we would have good days. Paul learned to be content in whatever state he was (Phil. 4:11). The Hebrews were told to be content with such things as they had (Heb. 13:5). Let's try to eliminate those bad days. We can purposely have many good days. Serve God faithfully and you will see good days. -- Via Searching the Scriptures, October 1985, Volume 26, Number 10 -------------------- -2- The Majesty of God by Jason Cicero "The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved" (Psalm 93:1). The GOD we worship and adore is majestic. There are many synonyms for majesty: Beauty, comeliness, excellency, glory, glorious, goodly, grandeur, honor, magnificence, ornament, splendor. Majesty has to do with having an imposing form and appearance and carries with it overtones of superior power and position. When used of GOD it evokes a sense of amazement in the mind of the one beholding Him. Simply stated, GOD's majesty is his "greatness" (Vine). GOD would have us see His majesty, respond to His majesty, and magnify him in our lives. See His Majesty Moses requested to see GOD's greatness: "Please, show me Your glory" (Exodus 33:17 - 34:7). What Moses saw at Mount Sinai we are to see by faith! See GOD's greatness through the eyes of faith! Gaze at His glory, majesty, and dominion. Grow in the grace of seeing Him: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened..." (Ephesians 1:18). Each of us needs our own Mount Sinai experience. Wisdom unsearchable. Purity unspotted. Years unending. Strength undaunted. Love immeasurable. Glimpses of the majesty of GOD! Respond to His Majesty "So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped" (Exodus 34:8). The proper response to GOD's greatness is worship! To worship is to prostrate oneself (literally or figuratively) in reverence to the great I AM. The externals (reading, prayer, singing, the Lord's supper, giving, and preaching) are important, but our hearts must be engaged in order for GOD to be glorified! In worship, GOD longs for you to turn to Him "with all your heart. So rend your heart and not your garments..." (Joel 2:12-13). Magnify Him in My Life To magnify is to make great, to enlarge (Vine). GOD is great; but is He great in your life? Have you made these words your own: "...in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death" (Philippians 1:20)? Magnifying GOD in every aspect of your life glorifies GOD! The GOD we worship and adore is worthy of our praise because He is majestic! See His majesty. Respond to His majesty. Magnify Him in your life. He is worthy. "...to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (Jude 25). -- Via The Exhorter, Elliotsville church of Christ, Alabaster, AL -------------------- -3- News & Notes We rejoice in the baptism of Trevis Williams at the Park Forest church of Christ in Baton Rouge. He was baptized into Christ last Sunday. Let those of us who are Christians pray for his spiritual development, as he is beginning his new life in the Lord. Let us also be praying for Sheila Watts who has been having some back trouble; Gene Calloway (Donna Gail St. Clair's mother) who is now on medication to try to eliminate 4 pounds of fluid buildup to avoid the need to be hospitalized again and receive other treatments; and Eloise Craver who continues to undergo therapy and heal from her recent hip surgery. I received today the following from R.J. Evans (who preaches in Gonzales): Dear Friends, One of our members here in Gonzales, LA, Angel Lombrage, is from Haiti. Angel is a fine, faithful Christian man. Some of his family lives in Miami, FL, but a good number of his relatives live in his native country of Haiti. He has received bits and pieces of information concerning some of his brothers and sisters (a total of seven). Late yesterday afternoon, he received word that a building had collapsed on two of his uncles (his dad?s brothers) -- one was killed and the other is in critical condition. Also, he learned yesterday that his youngest sister (age 25) was killed. At present, his dad lives in Miami, FL. Angel?s mother has made contact with his dad in Miami. It appears they have all lost their houses. Angel told me he would like to get some funds together in order to help some of his family in Haiti. (I, along with some others, have given him some funds.) His father has made arrangements to wire money from Miami to his relatives in Haiti. Angel?s wife, Jasmine, is from the Bahamas. She has a brother who is a college student in Port-au- Prince. She has not heard from him either. Angel would like to make a trip to Haiti, but that is not possible. He and Jasmine have a daughter, Gabrielle, who has been in the hospital for seven months -- ever since she was born. Gabrielle was born premature and has undeveloped lungs. Prior to her birth, Jasmine was in the hospital for two months. So for the last nine months, this couple has spent every spare moment at the hospital -- every day and night. Angel is a chef and a partner in a restaurant chain here in Louisiana. Angel and Jasmine have been under a tremendous amount of stress. Please remember this family in your daily prayers. Individually, if you would like to help Angel raise some financial assistance for his family in Haiti, his address is as follows: Angel Lombrage 14138 Pinehurst Ave. Baton Rouge , LA 70817 Once again, Angel is a wonderful Christian who is a very active member of the Southside church here in Gonzales. He speaks with a strong accent. I sometimes kid him by saying, ?Angel, you are an ?Angel.?? Sincerely, R.J. Evans P.S. Angel does not know that I am sending this e-mail. Please feel free to pass this on to others. --------------------- The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation 1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31). 2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18). 3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). 4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38). 5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21). 6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22). -------------------- CHURCH OF CHRIST 201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn), Denham Springs, Louisiana 70726 Sunday services: 9:15 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 4 PM (worship) evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 tedwards1109 at gmail.com http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go Directions: Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road, and go less then 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on the right. We assemble in its meeting room, which is very close to the reception counter. -------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100121/470bf023/attachment-0001.html From glclair at aol.com Sat Jan 23 08:59:43 2010 From: glclair at aol.com (glclair at aol.com) Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:59:43 EST Subject: [Biblemat] News and Views from Cemetery Road church of Christ Message-ID: <22d57.250a66dc.388c68df@aol.com> News and Views from Cemetery Road church of Christ Hilliard, Ohio ? January 2010 Pressing onward: As we consider the work of God in our lives it is always with fear and trembling that we acknowledge our work and faith in the things of God. It is impossible to work and labor faithfully with God except possessed with unwavering confidence in God and His ability to provide everything that He reveals for humankind via His Holy Word (i.e. the Bible). The Scriptures tells us as workers in the Vineyard of the Lord several things; please note the following list (i.e. the list is not complete). 1. WE ARE LABOURERS TOGETHER WITH GOD - 1 Cor. 3:9 - For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. KJV 2. WE ARE TO CONVERT AND RESTORE THE SINFUL - James 5:20 - Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. KJV Gal. 6:1 - Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. KJV 3. WE MUST SOW THE GOOD SEED; and LEAVE THE INCREASE TO THE LORD, He will give the increase - 1 Cor. 3:7-9 - 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. KJV 4. WE MUST CONSISTENTLY and WITH LOVE SERVE WITH PATIENCE OUR LORD: 1 Thess. 1:3 - 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love , and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Eph. 4:15 - But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Eph. 4:2-3 - 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. KJV CONSIDER THIS: Let us acknowledge that we are children of God and that we will live as instructed by God via His Holy Word. May we each consider ourselves as learners This coming year we have scheduled two GOSPEL MEETINGS; 1. (SPRING April 22-25, 2010 ? Arthur Adams (Plymouth, IN) ? confirmed 2. FALL September 19-24, 2010 - Aaron Veyon (Fredericktown, OH) ? confirmed). While we will have two meetings this year, other congregations in the area will be conducting gospel meetings as well; as we have opportunity let us plan to visit with some of the congregations in the area while they are having their gospel meetings; the meeting announcements of congregations in driving distance of Hilliard are posted on the bulletin board in the vestibule as they are received here. Check the bulletin board occasionally so that you will be continually updated about happenings that are of interest to Christians. HILLIARD BULLETIN for the past 11 years is posted on considermagazine.com. You may want to check an article or for information that has occurred here in the past 11 years. There will be some information about the events and happenings listed there. NOTE FROM GARRETH & BARBARA: We are always happy to see another New Year come; We understand that many people make resolutions at the beginning of a New Year; we do not make resolutions, we continue the commitment that we made to become Christians over 50 years ago. We are constantly aware of the responsibility we have to God as Christians but we are also committed to being the best servants as preacher and teacher here that we are capable. Therefore, we ALWAYS SEEK THE BEST FOR THE CHURCH; EACH MEMBER (i.e. we are all brothers and sisters together in Christ). We solicit you prayers and we will consistently be available to aid those who need us and we will always endeavor to build the church with you as God would require of us. May God continue to bless our work together and may our love, health, and growth together please God. A LIST OF OUR CURRENT SHUT-IN MEMBERS: Audry Binegar ? (614) 777-8877 Margie Boysel ? (614) 529-8644 Virginia Jordan ? 797-8034 Kathryn Kerr ? (937) 642-9947 Geraldine Showalter ? (614) 868-1333 Consider This: Galatians 6:10 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. KJV James 1:27 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. KJV --- glclair at aol.com ?SEE YOU NEXT MONTH; LORD WILLING? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100123/1d367140/attachment-0001.html From glclair at aol.com Sat Jan 23 09:02:04 2010 From: glclair at aol.com (glclair at aol.com) Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:02:04 EST Subject: [Biblemat] News and Views from Cemetery Road church of Christ Message-ID: <22e13.7eada169.388c696c@aol.com> News and Views from Cemetery Road church of Christ Hilliard, Ohio ? January 2010 Pressing onward: As we consider the work of God in our lives it is always with fear and trembling that we acknowledge our work and faith in the things of God. It is impossible to work and labor faithfully with God except possessed with unwavering confidence in God and His ability to provide everything that He reveals for humankind via His Holy Word (i.e. the Bible). The Scriptures tells us as workers in the Vineyard of the Lord several things; please note the following list (i.e. the list is not complete). 1. WE ARE LABOURERS TOGETHER WITH GOD - 1 Cor. 3:9 - For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. KJV 2. WE ARE TO CONVERT AND RESTORE THE SINFUL - James 5:20 - Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. KJV Gal. 6:1 - Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. KJV 3. WE MUST SOW THE GOOD SEED; and LEAVE THE INCREASE TO THE LORD, He will give the increase - 1 Cor. 3:7-9 - 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. KJV 4. WE MUST CONSISTENTLY and WITH LOVE SERVE WITH PATIENCE OUR LORD: 1 Thess. 1:3 - 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love , and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Eph. 4:15 - But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Eph. 4:2-3 - 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. KJV CONSIDER THIS: Let us acknowledge that we are children of God and that we will live as instructed by God via His Holy Word. May we each consider ourselves as learners This coming year we have scheduled two GOSPEL MEETINGS; 1. (SPRING April 22-25, 2010 ? Arthur Adams (Plymouth, IN) ? confirmed 2. FALL September 19-24, 2010 - Aaron Veyon (Fredericktown, OH) ? confirmed). While we will have two meetings this year, other congregations in the area will be conducting gospel meetings as well; as we have opportunity let us plan to visit with some of the congregations in the area while they are having their gospel meetings; the meeting announcements of congregations in driving distance of Hilliard are posted on the bulletin board in the vestibule as they are received here. Check the bulletin board occasionally so that you will be continually updated about happenings that are of interest to Christians. HILLIARD BULLETIN for the past 11 years is posted on considermagazine.com. You may want to check an article or for information that has occurred here in the past 11 years. There will be some information about the events and happenings listed there. NOTE FROM GARRETH & BARBARA: We are always happy to see another New Year come; We understand that many people make resolutions at the beginning of a New Year; we do not make resolutions, we continue the commitment that we made to become Christians over 50 years ago. We are constantly aware of the responsibility we have to God as Christians but we are also committed to being the best servants as preacher and teacher here that we are capable. Therefore, we ALWAYS SEEK THE BEST FOR THE CHURCH; EACH MEMBER (i.e. we are all brothers and sisters together in Christ). We solicit you prayers and we will consistently be available to aid those who need us and we will always endeavor to build the church with you as God would require of us. May God continue to bless our work together and may our love, health, and growth together please God. A LIST OF OUR CURRENT SHUT-IN MEMBERS: Audry Binegar ? (614) 777-8877 Margie Boysel ? (614) 529-8644 Virginia Jordan ? 797-8034 Kathryn Kerr ? (937) 642-9947 Geraldine Showalter ? (614) 868-1333 Consider This: Galatians 6:10 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. KJV James 1:27 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. KJV --- glclair at aol.com ?SEE YOU NEXT MONTH; LORD WILLING? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100123/df49d6c4/attachment-0001.html From wswalker310 at juno.com Fri Jan 22 14:14:50 2010 From: wswalker310 at juno.com (Wayne S Walker) Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:14:50 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] hymn study, "In the Garden of My Heart" Message-ID: <20100123.094124.1900.0.wswalker310@juno.com> 1/23/10 Wayne Walker here with another weekly hymn study. ?IN THE GARDEN OF MY HEART? ??God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son ? (1 Cor. 1:9) INTRO.: A song which emphasizes the intimate fellowship that the Christian can have with God through His Son is ?The Garden of My Heart? (#586 in Sacred Selections of the Church). The text was written and the tune was composed both by Haldor Lillenas (1885-1959). Born on Stord Island near Bergen in Norway and emigrating to America as a child with his family, he settled first in South Dakota, and then after moving around a while, moved to Oregon in 1889. After attending Deets Pacific Bible College in Los Angeles, California, later renamed to Pasadena College, where he married Bertha Mae Wilson, a song?writer like himself, he studied music at the Siegel-Myers School of Music in Chicago, IL; and received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Olivet Nazarene College. Becoming a minister with the Church of the Nazarene in 1910, Lillenas labored with a church in Lompoc, CA, traveled as an evangelist for a few years, during which time he wrote songs for Charles M. Alexander, then served several churches from 1914 to 1924, including at Redlands, CA, and Indianapolis, IN, where he resigned the ministry and founded the Lillenas Publishing Co. in 1924. In 1930 this was bought by the Nazarene Publishing Company of Kansas City, MO, so he moved there and worked as an editor until his retirement in 1950. During his life?time, he produced some 4,000 hymns using several pseudonyms. Perhaps, his best-known song is ?Wonderful Grace of Jesus.? Others of his songs, including ?Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace? beginning ?Coming to Jesus my Savior I found,? ?When God Forgives He Forgets,? and the chorus to ?Wonderful, Marvelous Jesus Is to Me? have appeared in some of our books. His ?Where They Need No Sun? and ?How Can I Be Lonely? may also be found in Sacred Selections. ?In the Garden of My Heart? was copyrighted in 1919 by Lillenas, and after the copyright?s renewal in 1947 it was assigned to the Nazarene Publishing House. Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord?s church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, the song may currently be found in Sacred Selections. The song likens our communion with the Lord to being in a wonderful garden. I. Stanza 1 calls this garden a sacred and hallowed retreat ?There?s a sacred and hallowed retreat, Where my soul finds a fellowship sweet, Where the Lord of my life I may meet, In the garden of my heart.? A. A retreat is a place where one can ?get away from it all? and find shelter: Ps. 61:3 B. It is in such a place that we find a special fellowship sweet with the Lord: 1 Jn. 1:3 C. Therefore, even though we are on earth and Christ is in heaven, so that we cannot meet Him physically as His disciples did during His earthly ministry, we can still meet with Him in the garden of our hearts where He may dwell by faith: Eph. 3:17 II. Stanza 2 says that there is nothing to disturb or molest us in this garden ?There is naught can disturb or molest, There my spirit finds comfort and rest, And my soul is no longer distressed In the garden of my heart.? A. Whatever may be going on in the world around us, when we go into the garden of our hearts to commune with our Lord, there is nothing to disturb or molest or, in fact, to separate us from His love: Rom. 8:38-39 B. It is there that our spirits can find the comfort and rest that He promises those who come to Him: Matt. 11:28-30 C. As a result, our souls may be no longer distressed but find the peace that passes all understanding: Phil. 4:6-7 III. Stanza 3 points out that in this garden we are shut away and protected ?Shut away from earth?s strife and its din, And protected from soul staining sin, For my Savior is dwelling within, In the garden of my heart.? A. While we cannot and should not seek solely to escape from this earth with its strife and its din, at the same time we are to strive to keep ourselves unspotted from the world: Jas. 1:27 B. Yet, by going to the garden of our hearts, we may find God?s protection from soul-staining sin: 1 Cor. 10:13 C. The reason is that if we are Christians, we find that the Savior is dwelling or abiding within: Jn. 15:5-7 IV. Stanza 4 tells us that one blessing of this garden is the dove of peace ?There the dove of sweet peace always sings, And my faith ever trustingly clings; And the chime of sweet happiness rings In the garden of my heart.? A. Ever since Noah?s time, the dove has been a symbol of peace: Gen. 8:8-12 B. The peace symbolized by the dove is the result of a faith that trustingly clings as we walk by it: 2 Cor. 5:7 C. Another result of this faith is the fact that the chime of sweet happiness can ring in the garden of our hearts as we rejoice in the Lord: Phil. 4:4 CONCL.: The chorus continues the picture of our private communion as being like taking a stroll in a beautiful garden. ?Their soul shall be as a watered garden? (Jer. 31:12): ?In the cool of the day He walks with me, In the rose bordered way He talks with me; In love?s holy union, and sacred communion, In the garden of my heart.? Through the years some have objected to the song ?In the Garden,? beginning, ?I come to the garden alone,? either as meaningless observations about roses, birds, and nightfall, or else as teaching some kind of direct, mystical, even miraculous communication with the Lord. Of course, that song is based on the story of Mary Magdalene in the garden following the resurrection of Christ. But whenever I heard those objections, I always thought of Lillenas?s song, with the idea that just as Mary came to the garden and saw Christ, so I can have spiritual fellowship and communion with Christ ?In the Garden of My Heart.? Brotherly, Wayne S. Walker 503 S. Jefferson St. Salem, IL 62881 home phone: (618) 548-6286 cell phone: (618) 292-2694 e-mail: wswalker310 at juno.com website: www.defenderoftruth.com Notes: Other hymn studies are available at the Defender of Truth website. Also, some of my previous hymn studies are now included in book that I have written entitled Songs of Zion. It can be ordered from the publisher by calling 1-800-423-2484 or going to www.faith-facts.com . And I have a Hymn Studies blog at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hymnstudies/ . In addition, since this has been called to my attention, I now feel it necessary to include this disclaimer with each message. As owner of this list, I have nothing to do with the ads and links that Yahoogroups sends out with the Hymn of the Day posts nor do I have any control over them. I do not necessarily approve of them and I do not always endorse those who have placed them with Yahoogroups. ____________________________________________________________ Senior Assisted Living Put your loved ones in good hands with quality senior assisted living. Click now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=heXQSpHvypyb0ieke6CgygAAJ1AqWLnxUT_Og0R1xxm43-TkAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASUQAAAAA= -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100122/e9f82f52/attachment-0001.html From tssullivan at charter.net Sat Jan 23 18:30:03 2010 From: tssullivan at charter.net (T. Sean Sullivan) Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:30:03 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] The Messenger Vol 005 Iss 004 Message-ID: The Messenger 2010 Published Weekly by Main Street Church of Christ 306 West Main Street, Newbern, TN 38059 Bulletin Editor: T. Sean Sullivan VOLUME 005::ISSUE 004: January 24, 2010 This Week's Article: Humility Introduction: What does it mean to be humble? There are many "opinions" in response to this question. There are many extremes to the idea of "humility"; some of which are only disguised pride and others are so extreme that they would not even allow one to respond to the question. Needless to say, there is a lot of confusion on this matter. Is there a way to know for certain? We know that humility is an expectation of God; therefore there must be a way of gaining the proper knowledge. We will learn in life that humility affects every part of a person's life: their honesty and integrity, their friendliness, and even their effectiveness as a servant of God. Let's see if we can come to some defining conclusions about humility. Let's consider the purpose of humility, then some things that are "not" humility, and finally true humility. What is the Purpose of Humility? Without humility we have no hope of direction. The wisdom of the Proverbs, teach us to acknowledge God and only then will He direct us (Proverbs 3:1-18). The willingness to admit we need Him is the beginning of the relationship that God desires with us. The humble know they need; the proud refuse help. The proud say, "Who is God to teach me?" Or, "Why should I listen to you?" The humble say, "Who am I without God?" and "I need God's help". The proud will not listen and therefore will never find the rewards of God's word but the humble know they need to do God's will (James 1:22-25). We need to be humble because we have nothing without God. His rewards are for those who are humble enough to submit to Him. As we are told in James 4:6, "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Then also in 1 Peter 5:6 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.". Not Humility: Self-loathing is not humility. Some have come to the conclusion that we are to hate our life to prove our humility. This is an unjustifiable conclusion. God's word does not call for us to hate ourselves or this life. We should not hate what God has given us (Acts 17:24-27). We should not refuse His advice-to be joyful (John 15:11; Galatians 5:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:16) Denial of one's abilities is not humility. Some are afraid to claim their talents-denying their own abilities. This is not what God expects. God wants us to do what we can do, the best we can do it (Romans 12:6-8). When we use our abilities well, it is not for our pride, it is in recognition of what God has provided-to Him be the glory (1 Peter 5:11; 2 Peter 3:18) Empty words are not humility. Talking great swelling words about our humility is not humility. Neither is being hyper-critical of self. Rather we should understand that humility is truly better seen than heard. Some pray and say that their righteousness is as "filthy rags" or that they are "worms". This is a misuse of Isaiah 64:6 that refers to man's attempts to justify himself under the Old Covenant- not our current redemption under the New. By saying these things they are denying the great value God has placed on us. God paid a great price to ransom us from our sins (Matthew 20:28; John 3:16). We are not "worms" we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:18-19). True Humility: Humility is, knowing who you are. A real part of God's creation (Acts 17:26-27). You are the creature-God is the Creator (Psalm 100:1-3). We must know that we need God (Proverbs 14:12; Jeremiah 10:23). This attitude was definitely missing in Pharaoh-when he refused to submit to God (Exodus 10:3). His great confidence was in self, saying, "Who is the Lord, that I should hear His voice.?" (Exodus 5:2). This teaches us that true humility is full submission to God. True Humility is willingness to do God will. If we are going to submit to God and be a doer of His will we must admit our abilities and use them (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). We must strive to meet God's expectations with the highest limits of our ability-this is active humility (Matthew 13:8). The pursuit of active humility is not personal glory-it is willingness to use your abilities for the cause of Christ (Galatians 2:20). True humility is to remember God. Knowing that without His blessings we could not live (Matthew 5:45). Knowing that without His hope we are lost (Romans 5:6-10). Knowing that without His direction we cannot make our way home (John 14:6). All that we are; all that we are capable of; is because of God-to God be the glory (1 Peter 5:11) Conclusion: Humility is a trait of character not easily owned. We must work our way toward humility in order to receive the promised rewards of God's instructions. There are many things that people do, supposing them to be acts of humility. These things cannot take the place of truly acknowledging our need for God. Many are too proud to submit to God's expectations. Many have prided themselves on coming up with a better way than God. Humility tells us, there is no other way. Today do you know who you are and what you need? Right now is the time to know you are a valuable part of God's creation and you need to acknowledge your Creator. Will you seek Him now? The opportunity to obey the gospel plan is yours today. ~tss If you are enjoying The Messenger and you know someone else who would like to receive it. Please forward this copy to them and send their email address and I will add them to the list. Sean -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100123/6b4c9027/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 3445 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100123/6b4c9027/attachment-0002.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 7811 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100123/6b4c9027/attachment-0003.gif From crxtra at gmail.com Sat Jan 23 23:09:00 2010 From: crxtra at gmail.com (Steven C. Harper) Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:09:00 -0700 Subject: [Biblemat] A> In, But Not Of Message-ID: <001c01ca9cb3$584ed1c0$08ec7540$@com> In, But Not Of You may have seen a sticker in the back window of a minivan or some other vehicle that spelled out "NOTW" and wondered what it meant; maybe you didn't even see that it spelled out "NOTW" because the graphics looked like an artistic "N" and "W" with a halo and a cross in between. Maybe you figured that out, but were still wondering what it means. It is short for Not Of This World, and is supposed to be symbolic of the Christian's attitude toward the world we live in; that is, we are in the world but not of this world. The thought behind this has a Scriptural basis (John 15:19; 18:36); Paul also talked about how our citizenship is in heaven (Phlp. 3:20) even as we are surrounded by a world full of sin and sinners (1st Cor. 5:9, 10). Unfortunately - like just about every other religious message or symbol that has been put on a tee-shirt or sticker or hat or made into jewelry - it has become more of a fashion statement or simply meaningless, for the most part. I've seen a young woman wearing a cross on a necklace - along with some of the most indecent clothing I have ever seen on a living human; I've seen a man wearing a shirt with "WWJD" in big letters across the front as he cursed like the proverbial sailor; I've seen numerous automobiles speeding down the street at well over the posted speed limit and some driving without regard to other drivers with the NOTW sticker or some local church's sticker in the back window. I am sure I am not the only one who wonders if they really grasp the example they are giving to the world, or if they even know what those words and symbols really mean. But that is a side point; I really do want to spend some time on this idea of being in the world but not of the world; that is a Scriptural idea and one worthy of our consideration. What did Jesus mean when He told His disciples, "you are not of the world"? What did He mean when He told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world"? And what does this require of us? If we can consider a few important points about this idea, it may help us to be better examples to the world around us and someone might take notice that we are truly different than the rest of the world. They might even ask us why! If you are truly "not of this world," you will have a heavenly mind set (Col. 3:1, 2). You may have read those words a hundred times already, but maybe you've simply dismissed them with a shrug and not really lived them. Maybe it's time to change that because what you think about most often is what is most important to you. Remember Jesus telling us to lay up treasures in heaven and not on the earth because "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:19-21)? That's what He was talking about - focus! What you value most is what your heart [mind] will be set on and your time and efforts will be spent on those things more than anything else. You may tell everyone you are spiritually-minded, but how you live is what they believe. So, what do you spend most of your time thinking about? For most people, the answer is "self" or something about self. The truth is, if you are not focused on spiritual things, you're focused on earthly things and, usually, you are thinking about how those "things" can make you happy; you're thinking about what someone can do for you and what you can do; you're thinking about what you can buy or where you can go. It's all about you. The spiritually-minded man will be thinking, first of all, about God and Christ. The main question will be, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" (Acts 9:6). Your concern will be what the Lord wants, rather than what you want. Secondly, you will be thinking about others. Your desire for your brethren will be, "I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls" (2nd Cor. 12:15). Your concern will be for what others want or need because you will "count others more significant than yourselves" and "look not only to [your] own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Phlp. 2:3, 4). These are the thoughts of the spiritually-minded man because he knows the greatest things he can do is love the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind, and love his neighbor as himself (cf. Matt. 22:37-39). That concern for the Lord and for one another should carry over into everything we do and say. When we go to work, we are not just thinking about how much money we can make or how high we can move on the ladder; those are self-centered thoughts. As people truly "not of this world," we are thinking about how we can make an impact, as a worker, on those with whom we work and those with whom we do business. We are thinking that the job we do and how we do it is a reflection of our Lord, whose name we wear; we are, in reality, working for the Lord and not just some other human being or even just for ourselves (Eph. 6:5-9). If we are in school, we go because we are using human education as a means to obtain a job necessary to provide for self (2nd Thess. 3:10) and for our families (1st Tim. 5:8), not as an end to itself or to claim some sort of great measure of knowledge over others. We understand that the wisdom of man is nothing when compared to the wisdom of God, but we do not forsake the accumulation of human wisdom because we also know that it will help us to accomplish the Lord's work. [If you cannot read, you will have great difficulties in understanding God's will, and you will have greater difficulties convincing others of its truthfulness if you cannot even understand what it says.] No, we do not reject human wisdom altogether just because some human wisdom conflicts with the wisdom of God; we reject that which contradicts His wisdom and use that which does not. Where we get into trouble is when we start relying on human wisdom and not God's. In society, we also see conflicts of the mind sets [spiritual versus material, or physical]. Some look at the condition of the poor and downtrodden and honestly seek to find and answer to their needs [a mind set that we all should have, cf. 1st John 3:17]; others see crime, violence, and the propensity for evil and they look for a solution in either human wisdom or simply in methods of punishment. The problem, though, is that many are turning to human-derived solutions for the problems of our society. Many dive deeply into social work or counseling as a means to touch the lives of a few others [relatively speaking] and maybe make a positive change; others dive just as deeply into the realm of politics and lawmaking, seeing such things as the only apparent solution. Some mistakenly believe if just the right law is written and enacted or just the right Congressman or Governor or President is elected, then all our problems will go away and we can once again enjoy life to the fullest! Unfortunately, it seems - as of late - that more and more Christians are falling for this way of thinking and have diverted many hours of time and effort toward these "solutions" instead of thinking spiritually. Many brethren tell me personally or write publicly that we "need" to vote for a particular person or party because they are surely the answer to all of what is wrong in society! [Others will just as adamantly argue for his or her opponent or the opposing party, but for the same reason!] Is it just me, or is there some mixed-up thinking going on? Yes, I believe - because we have the ability and, therefore, the responsibility - we should choose candidates who make moral stands and support and pass laws that encourage moral living. I believe that when we take no action when we have the opportunity, we will have to answer for that some day. But, at the same time, I do not believe that we should depend on those means to "solve" the problems of our society, or even that these problems should be our focus! Should we care about crime, violence, immorality, and the laws and lawmakers who either promote or oppose such things? Yes, as Christians, it would be the height of insensitivity and a pitiful display of apathy to not care about what is going on in our society. But - BUT - using earthly messages and earthly means is not the answer. Likewise, focusing on these things to the point we neglect the greater work of saving souls is just what our enemy wants! If we are spending so much time on politicking instead of evangelizing, even if we get all the "right" laws passed and elect all the "right" candidates, we will still be living in a world filled with lost souls! Let us once again think about where our citizenship is: in heaven. Let's think about getting there and how we can bring as many others with us as possible! -- Steven Harper -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100123/11c70170/attachment-0001.html From richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com Sun Jan 24 20:00:25 2010 From: richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com (Richard Thetford) Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:00:25 -0700 Subject: [Biblemat] Walking in the Light (1/24/10) Message-ID: <000c01ca9d62$88432ca0$98c985e0$@dot5hosting.com> San Juan Logo PNG.png Walking in the Light "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105) January 24, 2010 www.thetfordcountry.com --- INFORMATION Walking in the Light is published each week by Richard Thetford. You are encouraged to visit the web site at www.thetfordcountry.com and then click on "Richard's Home Page" to view numerous sermons, articles, radio program scripts, class material and other information. If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to "Walking in the Light," please send their name and e-mail address to richard at thetfordcountry.com. In addition, if you want to advertise for "churches looking for preachers" and "preachers looking for churches," go to www.thetfordcountry.com and click on the appropriate link. Fill out the easy form and your listing will be uploaded to the web site within 48 hours (usually the same day). --- CONTENTS "The Commandments of Jesus" (Richard Thetford) "Tinker Toy Religion" (Dusty Owens) SENTENCE SERMONS --- THE COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS Richard Thetford Must we keep the commandments of Jesus in order to be saved and go to heaven? Some will answer yes and most will answer no. Those entrenched in denominationalism will answer no, stating that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and therefore, all we have to do is believe in Him and we are saved. The primary passage used for this reasoning is John 3:16. They will also reason that although it is important to keep Jesus' commandments, there is no way that we possibly can - that His death on the cross forgave us of all sins and all we must do is believe in Him in order to be saved. If this line of reasoning is true then the demons will be saved (James 2:19), there is no need to be baptized (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21), and Jesus' words are not to be taken seriously (John 14:15; 15:14). We Must Obey Jesus In Order To Be Saved Those who reason that we don't have to obey all the commandments of Jesus to be saved are practicing a "cut and paste" religion. How can you claim to live for someone whom you have no intention of listening to and obeying everything that they ask you to do? Most religious people "cut and paste" the commands of Jesus that are "easy" for them to keep, while discarding those that don't quite fit their own lifestyle. This is an absolute dishonest type of religion. If we claim to follow Jesus, to walk in His steps, then we MUST obey His commandments. Take a moment to read what Jesus and His Word says concerning obedience in John 14:15; 15:14; Hebrews 5:9; Acts 5:29, 32; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17). Jesus said baptism is required in order to be saved (Mark 16:16). Who will you choose to obey - Jesus or religious leaders? --- TINKER TOY RELIGION Dusty Owens Every small child from my era was given a Tinker Toy set to help develop his creativity and ingenuity. I was no exception. You could follow the pictures and build what the designer had in mind, or use your own imagination and arrange the pieces just any way that suited your fancy. There were enough parts of various shapes and sizes to accommodate most any conceivable concoction. What does that have to do with religion? Well, it makes about as much sense to make a religion out of Tinker Toys, as it does anything else man has invented that God has not specified and approved. God has always given man specific instructions to please Him, all the way from Adam and Eve, the Patriarchs, Moses and Israel, to Jesus Christ and the Christian age. On all matters pertaining to religion, God has always made known His will through the Bible. People have not been satisfied to follow these requirements, but instead, fashion their own religions by taking pieces from the imaginations of men, and mixing in the additions, subtractions and perversions of what Clod has revealed. One group assembles pieces to build a religion that meets with their own approval, while another group does the same with different pieces. Hence, Tinker Toy religion! This problem is as old as man. The Bible is replete with examples of people assuming they can change what God ordered. Adam and Eve ignored God's command, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17), and they died! Cain offered a sacrifice to God that did not please Him (Genesis 4:4-7). God called it sin! When Moses revealed God's Law to the Israelites, he warned, "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" (Deuteronomy 4:2). As it turned out, every generation thereafter was punished when they corrupted the "commandments of Jehovah"! Under the Law of Christ the principle is the same. Paul wrote to the Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; which is not another gospel: only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 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 anathema (accursed). As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema" (Galatians 1:6-9). God considers this serious business; notice: "Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace" (Galatians 5:4; Revelation 22:18-19). There is only one true religion today. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). It doesn't pay to "tinker around" with God's religion as He revealed it in His word. Every Tinker Toy religion will be destroyed! Guardian of Truth XXIX: 4, p. 103, February 21, 1985 --- SENTENCE SERMONS God planned to make us creatures of character, not of comfort. God's promises are always greater than our problems. What we receive in time we wear in eternity. Some folks don't look up until they are flat on their backs. Daily prayers lessen daily cares. Lending a hand will make it harder for you to borrow trouble. --- SERMONS Seasonal Religion (with PPT Charts) The Struggles of Jacob (with PPT Charts) www.thetfordcountry.com --- cid:image003.gif at 01C9DCB3.EEF5E980 1414 Hawk Parkway, Unit C Montrose, CO 81401 (970) 626-5558 www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org MEETING TIMES Sunday Bible Study...........10:00 A.M. Morning Worship..11:00 A.M. Afternoon Worship..2:00 P.M. Wednesday Bible Study........6:30 P.M. (No Wednesday night Bible study November - February) Evangelist/Editor Richard Thetford Home: (970) 626-5558 E-Mail: richard at thetfordcountry.com Web Site: www.thetfordcountry.com --- RICHARD THETFORD 1491 Canyon Drive Ridgway, CO 81432 (970) 626-5558 E-Mail: richard at thetfordcountry.com Web Site: www.thetfordcountry.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100124/357f7877/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 69751 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100124/357f7877/attachment-0002.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 129359 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100124/357f7877/attachment-0002.png -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 688 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100124/357f7877/attachment-0003.png -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 9271 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100124/357f7877/attachment-0003.gif From disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com Sun Jan 24 23:03:05 2010 From: disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com (Ethan R. Longhenry) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:03:05 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] B:> Good News for Norwalk: Volume V, Number 04: January 24, 2010 Message-ID: Good News for Norwalk For I am not ashamed of the good news, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16) A publication of the church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio Volume V, Number 04: January 24, 2010 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Scriptures and Context Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). As Christians seeking to serve Jesus Christ according to His will (cf. Colossians 3:17), we recognize the need to study the Scriptures to understand what we must believe and do (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15). As Paul told Timothy, God's people are completely furnished for good works through the message of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Unfortunately, as time has passed, many people have begun teaching and practicing different things, and everyone quotes or cites some Scripture to justify what they believe and do. How can we be sure that we believe and do that which God wants us to believe and do? It is extremely important for us to rightly handle God's message, just as Paul told Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 2:15. Part of that responsibility involves remembering to keep Scripture in its proper context. As twenty-first century believers we must always remember that none of the Scriptures are written directly to us. The Old Testament was written for the Israelites who lived between 1450 and 420 BCE; the New Testament was written for the Christians who lived in various parts of the Roman Empire in the first century CE. This does not mean, however, that Scripture is not applicable to us! Just as God wanted Israel to cast off idols, do justice, and serve Him only, so God desires the same thing for us today. Just as God charged the Galatians, for instance, do avoid the works of the flesh and to manifest the fruit of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:17-24), so God desires for us to do the same today. Nevertheless, it does mean that when we seek to understand God's message, we must first read it in order to understand what God is trying to say, and then make sense of what God is trying to say in terms of the people to whom He is speaking. Then we must seek to understand what lessons, applications, and principles are relevant for us today. We therefore cannot just take any statement of Scripture, rip it out of context, and make it say whatever we want it to say. Consider Acts 19:28: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!". We could take this statement out of context and begin saying that the Bible teaches that Artemis of the Ephesians is great. Yet, in context, we read that this is the statement that the opponents of Christianity were saying, and that God did not approve of it. This is an obvious example, perhaps, but similar twisting of Scripture is not warranted (cf. 2 Peter 3:16). We must also respect the boundaries that Scripture imposes upon itself. The authors of the New Testament make it abundantly clear that the Law of Moses and the old covenant are not bound upon believers in the new covenant (cf. Ephesians 2:11-18, Colossians 2:16-19, Hebrews 7-9). Instead, the Old Testament is a source of encouragement, example, and hope (cf. Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:1-12). Old Testament passages can be quoted to reinforce and illuminate New Testament teachings, but it is wrong for anyone to impose commands from the old covenant upon believers in Jesus Christ in the new covenant! The importance of making sense of Scripture in its original context cannot be overstated, for many have wandered from the truth because they have neglected this principle. It is simply incredible to believe that God would communicate a message to a specific group of people that provided them no benefit or encouragement. This is especially true in terms of 1 Corinthians and Revelation. When Paul speaks of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14, he is writing to the first century Corinthians who had received (and were abusing) those gifts. We cannot just assume that the same spiritual gifts that were given to the Corinthians are also given to us today, especially in light of 1 Corinthians 13:8-10. In 1 Corinthians, "we" involve Paul and the Corinthians-- not necessarily us in the twenty-first century. People have been speculating about the message of Revelation for their own day for the past nineteen centuries; for nineteen centuries they have been wrong. Revelation was written for the seven churches of Asia at the end of the first century and must be understood in that perspective. Any interpretation of Revelation that does not respect the original audience is not a Biblical interpretation! We must work diligently to not just read and quote Scripture but to do so in a proper and right way. Let us always keep Scripture in its proper context! Ethan R. Longhenry evangelist at norwalkchurch.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies! Our location: 386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits) Norwalk, Ohio 44857 Our assemblies: Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm Our Bible studies: Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For More Information If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist at norwalkchurch.org. Ethan R. Longhenry / disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com Evangelist, church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio [norwalkchurch.org] Homepage: deusvitae.com AIM: Deus Vitae / ICQ: 28317056 Y! IM: discipuliiesus Spiritual Manna A biweekly devotional for your life. http://www.deusvitae.com/faith/manna From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Jan 25 03:19:50 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:19:50 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) A HEALTHY CHURCH Message-ID: <652c.5f3a919e.388ebc36@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Monday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an artic- le from my files: A HEALTHY CHURCH I had suspected that we were abusing the word "sound" in reference to churches, preachers and others, but didn't realize how much until I heard a member tell of having a cousin that was not sound and had to be straightened out on the issues. It was not until later that I learned that "cuz" was "a deacon in the Baptist Church! "Sound" suffers no injustice when applied to either people or churches, provided its use is warranted and in keeping with its Scriptural sense. God employed this word "hugiaino" to con- vey the distinct idea of general healthiness and wholeness (1 Tim. 1:10; 6:3; Titus 1:13) therefore we would do well to use it thusly. As physical health is more than merely having a few healthy organs, so spiritual health involves a great deal more than just being straight on whatever the current issues happen to be. Perhaps if we would speak in terms of spiritual health instead of "soundness" we would not be so apt to be misunder- stood. For instance, I would welcome a "Directory of Healthy Churches." Trouble is, who would compile the listings? Who outside the local church could say it was healthy and who inside the local church would say it wasn't? In the case of the Laodiceans, God has shown us the possib- ility of a church being blind to its own condition (Rev. 3). They saw themselves as being spiritually healthy, having (need of nothing) while God saw them as being on their spiritual death- bed "miserable and poor and blind and naked." Being sick is bad; being sick and not knowing it is worse. Worse, because remedies are neither sought nor received by those who think themselves healthy. If self is to be examined with reference to being in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5), why not the many "selfs" who act as one? A little honest introspection will show us that being healthy before God is more than big memberships, big buildings big contributions, having "big" preachers and takaing "big" stands on issues. Let us see that a healthy church is oen whose members are truly converted to Christ. Not to the church; not to the family or the preacher; but to the Lord! Everything depends on our attit- ude toward Him! To love Him is to keep His commandments (Jno. 14:15); to serve HIm is to serve others (Matt. 25). He must be the leaven of our lives; we must continually strive to conform to His image and be careful not to repeat the mistake of the Eph- esian church by leaving our first love (Rev. 2:4). Let us further see that healthy doctrine is the lifeblood of healthy churches. All members must know and love Bible truth. They don't resent it being preached plainly and forcefully, they love it (1 Thes. 2:10); they desire it (1 Pet. 2:2) because they hun- ger and thirst after righteousness (Matt. 5:6). But they not only love truth, they love each other as taught by Jesus in that truth (Jno. 15:12). When Christians are cemented together in a local work by love for the Lord, love for His truth, and love for each other, there will be striving together to do and be all that God wants -- and there will be a healthy church! ----- Dan S. Chipley via. The Jackson Drive Reporter, Jan. 24, 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Jan 25 03:20:05 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:20:05 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) "CHRIST IS THE HEAD" (4) Message-ID: <652e.20452a11.388ebc45@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the fourth and final installment on this particular subject. Use to the glory of God. "CHRIST IS THE HEAD" (4) How Men Enter Into The Church: -- In the days of inspired men, folk did not "join the church of their choice," nor were they "vot- ed in." Rather, they obeyed "from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered; and being made free from sin, they became servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6:17,18). This "form of teaching" is shown in the first case of conversions, on Pente- cost. They heard the gospel and asked, "What shall we do?" God's reply was, "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:36-38). The result is clearly recorded, "They then that received his word were baptized; and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). That hasn't changed -- when people receive the Word, they will be baptized. But to what were they added? Let the Lord answer: "And the Lord added to them day by day those that were being saved" (vs. 47). Herein is shown what men did to enter the church, and how they were added. This you can believe and accept, for it is God's Word. The Spiritual Body Of Christ: -- The "body of Christ" is another term which denotes the same people as the terms "church" and "kingdom." However, it is synonymous with neither. "King- dom" refers to the government aspect. "Church" refers to separ- ation from the world, the "called out." But the "Body of Christ" refers to the close relation sustained by the saved to the Savior. When one speaks of the "body of Christ" he denotes that Jesus Christ is the Head, and those who are in Christ compose His spiritual body (see Eph. 1:22,23; 5:23; Col. 1:18). The apostle Paul states, "But now they are many members, but one body... Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally members thereof" (1 Cor. 12:20-27). How Men Enter Into The Body Of Christ: -- All who are in Christ are necessarily in His body, and all in His body are in Christ. And this body is the church (Col. 1:18,24). So, when we find how men entered into Christ, we will find how they entered His body, which is the church. The Scriptures say, "For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (Gal. 3:26,27). All who have been "baptized into Christ" have put Him on, thus they have entered His body, the church (Rom. 6:3-6). To this we add 1 Cor. 12:13, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." One is baptized into Christ, into His death, and into His body. There is no other way to enter! All who have failed to be baptized or OUT of Christ. For clearer emphasis, let us ask two questions. Which is the most important: to be in the kingdom, to be in the church or to be in Christ? Then the next question. Which is the most import- ant: the new birth, being added to the church of being baptized? Truthfully, as all of the Scriptures we have used in these four art- icles clearly show, each of the seeming alternatives set forth de- notes the exact same thing! But denominational preachers don't believe the above, nor the Scriptures which teach it. They will answer: "It is most im- portant to be in Christ; secondly to be in the kingdom; and it is rally unimportant for one to be in the church." Then to the sec- ond question, they will answer: "The new birth is of vital import- ance, for without it you can't enter the kingdom. You can be saved without entering the chruch; and baptism is not essent- ial." But let us look to what we have found in the Scriptures: One enters the kingdom by the new birth. One enters the church by being added to it. One enters into Christ by being baptized. If being in Christ is more important than being in the king- dom or being in the church, then why isn't baptism more import-ant than the new birth, or being added by the Lord?! This is a question false teachers avoid. Of course, we all must recognize that entering into Jesus Christ puts one into His body, the church. The same process puts one into the kingdom, over which He rules. And when one is baptized into Christ, he has been "born of water and the Spirit" (Jno. 3:5), and the Lord adds all of such saved people to His church. ----- These four articles were produced by Dillard Thurman in Gospel Minutes of May 20, 1966. And have been reprinted in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 50, Nos. 42 and 43, Oct. 19 and 26, 2001. From kerux at bellsouth.net Mon Jan 25 10:06:36 2010 From: kerux at bellsouth.net (KENT HEATON) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:06:36 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Biblemat] A>No H8 Campaign (Kent Heaton) Message-ID: <457636.1632.qm@web83916.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> No H8 Campaign (Kent Heaton) ? Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain, was recently featured in an ad with the image of ?NO H8? on her face with tape covering her mouth. The photo is a project by the ?No H8 Campaign? protesting the passage of Proposition 8 which took away the ?rights? of gay couples in California last year. The photo caused a great stir in the political world as Senator McCain ran on a platform in 2008 that was opposed to gay marriage. However, the true impact of the campaign is the effort to teach that opposition to homosexuality is a hate crime. The tactics of the so called ?gay-rights? movement is imposing their fear campaign against any who would condemn their lifestyle. Hatred is a strong weapon to use against an enemy. It has been used since time began when man ?changed the truth of God into a lie, and they worshiped and served the created thing more than the Creator, who is blessed forever? (Romans 1:25). Hatred is the cause of many kinds of evil including murder, rape, envy, strife, deceit, covetousness, disobedient to parents and haters of God (Romans 1:28-32). However, hatred is not the reason that homosexuality is immoral. What the homosexual campaign amounts to is to convince the world that objection to homosexuality is hatred. Not so. Never has been nor should it be. John reminds us that ?God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son? (John 3:16) and this love is based upon the desire by God ?who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth? (1 Timothy 2:4). The ?knowledge of truth? is that homosexuality, adultery, fornication and sexuality outside the bonds of marriage is immoral because God determines what truth is. When the Lord condemns murder does he do so because of hate (1 John 4:8)? The Bible does not teach that we are to hate homosexuals because God does not (2 Peter 3:9). Suggesting that opposition to homosexuality is hatred is only creating an atmosphere of fear that suggests allowance of what has been condemned since man was formed in the Garden of Eden. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, ?Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men ? shall inherit the kingdom of God.? Does this suggest that God hates these people? Absolutely not! However the sin is what condemns the person and the unrepentant will not inherit eternal life. Suggesting that opposition to homosexual is hatred makes as much sense as suggesting that opposition to a pedophile or a murderer is hatred. Homosexuality is a perversion of what the Creator has established from the beginning of time. The nature of homosexuality is the unrighteous act in rebellion to the love of God. ?For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold down the truth in unrighteousness? (Romans 1:18). Refusing to recognize homosexuality as immoral is hatred toward God. The laws of man may change to accept any perversion of the moral nature of God?s law but the law of God will never change. The nature of man will satisfy his needs as long as he lives; but when death brings that one before a loving and righteous judge ? the needs of the Creator will be met. Jesus Christ loved the world to die for it because of his love. Eternal life can only be found in obedience to the Son of God. ?Kent Heaton 206 NE Fourth Avenue Trenton, Florida 32693 Home(352) 463-6916 Cell(352) 283-3889 www.trentonchurchofchrist.com www.northfloridabiblecamp.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100125/a95ec2d9/attachment-0001.html From kerux at bellsouth.net Wed Jan 27 10:09:07 2010 From: kerux at bellsouth.net (Kent Heaton) Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:09:07 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] A>The Stranger (Selected) Message-ID: <5DF7C7A379434F6AA081C1DF701425C9@D2381J91> The Stranger (Selected) A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later. As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play 'big brother' and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors--Mom taught me to love the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening. If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life-like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched. He was like a friend to the whole family. The stranger was our storyteller. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular. The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn't seem to mind, but sometimes Mom would quietly get up, while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places, go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave. You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house--not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, constantly used four letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home, not even for cooking. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (probably too much and too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man/woman relationship were influenced by the stranger. As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. More than forty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our young family on Morningside Drive. He is not nearly as intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parents' den today, I would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? We always just called him T.V. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100127/f868b0c3/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Jan 27 14:31:53 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:31:53 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) "CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER" Message-ID: <3a57f.6389bb3a.3891fcb9@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Wednesday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: "CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER" "Let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and good works" (Heb. 10:24). One of the tragic ills that plagues soc- iety today is selfishness. And as long as people are determined to "look out for number one," the plague will continue. This is far from what our Lord taught for His people. In the "golden rule" (Matt. 7:12) He shows we are to treat others as we want to be treated. IN answering the question, "Who is my neighbor?" He told the story of "the good Samritan" (Lk. 10:30-37). In both of these passages, Jesus is saying what our text says. We must consider the other fellow. When the Lord saw the multitudes, He had "compassion" upon them (Matt. 9:36). The word, "compassion," means to feel what the other feels. We need this quality in our lives: the ability to put ourselves in the other person's place, to feel what he feels. This is possible only when we "we consider one another." But there are two things to be done as the result of "considering" the other. We are to "provoke unto love and good works." Webster's dictionary says that "provoke" means: "To stimulate, to arouse." I remem- ber when I was a kid on a farm in western Oklahoma, and I shot a small rock into a nest of yellow-jackets! They were provoked. This is the way we are to provoke one another. But we are to to provoke to anger, to sorrow, to revenge. We are to provoke to love. How can we provoke someone to love? Ask any teenager! The boy holds her coat, he brings her flowers he holds the door for her, he pays her compliments. He is provo- king her to love. And the "goo-goo eyts" she has been using to get him to do all that, was her way of provoking him to love. This is a principle which we need to learn: we can make people love us, if we do those things which provoke to love. And the fellowship of the saints becomes a meaningful relationship, when we truly love each other. But it won't just happen; we must make it happen. To provoke to good works requires similar activity on our part. How do we get someone to do a job? Ask Tom Sawyer! He made the work so attractive to his friends that they painted the fence for him. All of us need encouragement as we seek to work for the Lord. And not a few of us get lazy! "Admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak..." (1 Thes. 5:14). Most of us fit in there somewhere at one time or another. What we need is someone to provoke us to love and good works: one who will show the way as well as tell it. Jesus gave the great source of motivation when He said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (Jno. 14:15). To try to provoke others to work without love leads to anger and resentment. And to try to provoke to love without consideration will lead nowhere. The correct order is given: consider, provoke to love, provoke to good works. What changes we can make in this old world, if we really live by this rule! The golden rule be- comes a way of life, concern for one another shows in ever nat- ion, love prompts more and more good works -- all to the glory of God. May He help us to make it so. ------- Clem Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 59, No. 2, Jan. 8, 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Jan 27 14:32:00 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:32:00 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) DON'T HIDE FROM THE TRUTH (1) Message-ID: <3a590.7964899b.3891fcc0@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the first installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. DON'T HIDE FROM THE TRUTH (1) Like the proverbial ostrich, who hides his head in the sand when danger threatens, there are many good religious folk who hide from facts which they don't want to face. When a teaching is mentioned that they don't like, or which is different from that which they have long been taught, instead of looking at that teaching honestly, they "hide their heads in the sand." When the apostle Paul came into Europe for the first time to preach the gospel of Christ, he found "ostrich people" there -- for they are everywhere. But when Paul came to Berea, he found some who were willing to investigate: "Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). We heartily commend that course of action for all our readers. Read careful- ly what we teach, then investigate by comparing that with the Word of God. But don't just swallow what anyone teaches until you hae compared it with the Word of God. Don't ever hide from the facts, but face them. Salvation Is Only In Christ: -- A fine lady said to me not long ago, "I think that the Lord will save all the good people, whether or not they go to church." This lady was expressing what many good religious people believe: that it is not religion which saves, but "goodness." The idea is, "If I just live good enough, the Lord will save me." To anyone with faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, it should be obvious that just being good is not enough to save a person. If morality, man's goodness, were sufficient to save, there would be no need for Christ. For a person must live a good moral life "in Christ" in order to be saved. And if a good moral life were enough, then Christ would be unnecessary. The truth is, we are all sinners. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). As John wrote, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us ... If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us" (1 Jno. 1:8,10). And we cannot by ALL of our good works -- no matter how many -- atone for even one sin! The apostles Peter and John pointed out to the Jews that salvation is only in Christ: "In none other is there salvation; for neither is there any other name under heaven, given among men wherein we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Our works will not save us, but Christ can. And where all of our righteousness is "as fifthy rags" (Isa. 64:6), the righteousness of Christ revealed in His gospel, shows that "the righteous shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). We must not be guilty of hiding our heads in the sand. We must live good moral lives, but we must live good moral lives in Christ. The Lord Built One Church: -- Do you believe that "one church is as good as another"? Many people do. And when confront- ed with the teaching that there is only ONE church, these folk will "hide their heads in the sand." We need to open our eyes and hearts to what God says on this subject. We cannot hide from the facts, so let us search for them and accept them. Jesus promised, "I will build My church" (Matt. 16:18). He never built but one. That church is His body: "He is the Head of the body, the church" (Col. 1:18), and, "There is one body" (Eph. 4:4). That church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23-33), and who would accuse the Lord of bigamy? The Lord Jesus prayed to the Father on behalf of the apostles, then said, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for all them that believe on Me through their word. That they may all be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that the world may believe that Thou dids't send Me" (Jno. 17:20,21). Through the inspired apostle Paul, the Lord said, "Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfected toget- her in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been signified unto me concerning you, my brethren, by them (that are of the household) of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I mean, that each one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided?" (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Now, in view of what God has said, how could anyone argue that one church is as good as anoth- er? A lady wrote recently, berating me for saying that denomin- ations are displeasing to God. And, of course, many people accept the idea that she is right and denominations are pleasing to God. After all, "there is good in all of them." But notice what God said, "Let there be no divisions among you, all speak the same thing" (1 Cor. 1:10). Again, face the question God asks, "Is Christ divided?" (vs. 13). That is why I must insist that all denominations are wrong. Christ cannot be divided, and to divide His followers and say that all denominations stand approved before God, is to "divide Christ." It will do neither you nor me any good to "hide our heads in the sand." It won't change what God has said. (More will be posted on this study tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS). From ccs at knology.net Wed Jan 27 16:59:27 2010 From: ccs at knology.net (Tom Sutherland) Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:59:27 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] Trying to locate Michael Hardin Message-ID: <000001ca9fa4$60eda380$22c8ea80$@net> I am trying to locate Michael Hardin (email or phone). He is the author of the Guardian of Truth publication, "The Holy Spirit". Thanks in advance for your assistance. Tom Sutherland (H) 334-213-2475 (C) 334-538-3840 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100127/a4354a58/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Jan 28 05:09:54 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:09:54 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) THINKING ABOUT THE FAMILY -- ITS IMPORTANCE (1) Message-ID: <157a.521ea4a7.3892ca82@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Thursday morn- ing to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is the first installment of this particular study from my files: THINKING ABOUT THE FAMILY -- ITS IMPORTANCE (1) What is the foundational unit of society as designed and cre- ated by God? The answer to that question is the family. In Gen. 2 we read some of the specifics of the creation account given in chapter 1. Included in Gen. 2 is the beginning of the family with Eve being created as a suitable companion for Adam, and these two being brought together and joined together by God. They were given the charge to "be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Gen. 1:28). In this we see the formation of the basic unit of society. It has always been true that the welfare of man on earth has risen and fallen with the recognition of the importance of that basic family unit. I say that because the emotional, physical, in- tellectual, and spiritual needs of every individual begin to be met in that family relationship as God designed it. It is in the home that the most important truths must be instilled. It is in the home that respect and love for God as the Creator, Sustainer, and Rul- er must be formulated. It is in the home that the principles of right and wrong, respect for authority, ethical standards, and per- sonal responsibility must be taught. This truth is found in both the Old and the New Testaments. Deut. 6:6,7 tells us, "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them dilligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way,a nd when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Eph. 6:4 puts it so simply with the words, "And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Any time, and to the same degree, that the most important truths of life fail to be taught in the home, society as a whole will suffer. Sadly enough, many of the bad things tht happen in soc- iety seem to sooner or later make their way into the church. No thinking Christian can deny that the general breakdown of the family unit in our society has begun to manifest itself more fre- quently within the body of Christ. We are seeing more unhappy families, more unruly children with no interest in spiritual things, more abuse of different kinds, more worldliness, more divorce. We, whose responsibility it is to shine forth as lights in the world (Matt. 5:16) are, in many instances, allowing the world to exer- cise the greater influence. What can be done? There is only one answer to the proble- ms so many of us face in our families today. We must follow the blueprint of the architect of the family, God. He designed it. He created it. If anyone would learn how to be a better husband, provider, father, and companion -- let that person turn to God's Word. All of the principles and precepts needed to function in every relationship we sustain in the family are there. Is it the desire of a woman to learn to be a godly wife, a mother, and a best friend to her spouse? Then let her study God's Word and find every answer that she needs within its pages. Does a son or a daughter want to be the very best son or daughter they can be, they very best person they can be? Such will not happen by following the example of the world. It will happen by learning and clinging to God's Word. David wrote in Psa. 119:9, "Where- withal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed there-to according to Thy Word." Oh, brethren, what God's Word has to say about the family, and each member in it, is neither trite nor antiquated. "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). There is nothing like the Word of God. It is absolutely unique, and it is through its precepts that we get understanding (Psa. 119:104). I would not dare to present myself as an expert on the family, BUT GOD IS! -------- Greg Litmer in That Ye May Grow There- by. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Jan 28 05:10:08 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:10:08 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) DON'T HIDE FROM THE TRUTH (2) Message-ID: <1589.3ddefd1c.3892ca90@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the second and final installment on this particular subject. Use to the glory of God. DON'T HIDE FROM THE TRUTH (2) It Matters About Your Faith: -- That we are saved by faith is one of the great themes of the Gospel of Christ. But many "hide their heads in the sand" about what to believe. Some folk say, "Your faith doesn't matter, as long as you believe in Jesus." But listen to what the Lord said to the apostles, "Preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be condemned" (Mk. 16:15,16). Note that what was to be preached was to be believed -- that is, the Gospel of Christ. Jesus also said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Yes, it matters what we believe, for saving faith "cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10: 17). And the KIND of faith matters, also. James says that "faith without works is dead" (Jas. 2:26). A dead faith cannot give spiritual life. Faith that saves is faith that obeys. The apostle Paul wrote of "faith which works by love" (Gal. 5:6), as the only kind of faith that can save. Jesus asks, "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?" (Lk. 6:46). We just "hide our heads in the sand" when we try to claim Him as our Lord and Savior while we fail to obey Him. Salvation by faith is predic- ated upon obedience, "He is the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9). We Must Seek After Spiritual Things: -- We see on every hand a pleasure-mad crowd that seemingly takes little or no thought for God and His Will for their lives. But God sent His Son to die on the cross for us. And that Son showed the cost of following Him: "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me...for what shall a man be profit-ed, if he shall gain the whole world, and lsoe his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:24-26) Too many, though, think that God is going to save everybody, regardless of how they have lived in this life. God promises to bring "every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or bad" (Eccl. 12:14). And the same God tells us that those who fail to obey the Gospel of Christ shall suffer eternal punishment (2 Thes. 1:7-9). It is imper-ative that we lift our eyes from this life to the glories of the life which God has reserved for those that love and obey HIm. Like Paul, we need to "Look not at the things seen, but at the things not seen" (2 Cor. 4:18). When we try to convince ourselves that we can live as we please, savoring all the pleasures of this life, and not have to pay the consequences, we are just "hiding our heads in the sand." God says plainly, "God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth unto his own flesh sha of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life" (Gal. 6:7,8). The Subject Of Baptism: -- A recent letter received here asked, "Why do you write so much about baptism? Baptism cannot save you." Well, maybe God was mistaken, when He wrote of the days of Noah, "While the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water: which also after a true likeness baptism doth now save you" ( 1 Pet. 3:20,21). And doesn't that fit with what the Lord Jesus said? "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mk. 16:16). The purpose of baptism was clearly stated on the day of the Gospel of Christ first being preached. When the hearers asked: "What shall we do?" God's answer, by the mouth of Peter was: "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38). When the Lord appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, Saul asked: "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10). Jesus answ- ered: "Go ye into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou must do" (Acts 9:6). After three days, of being blind and praying and fasting, the Lord sent Ananias to Saul and he said to him: "Why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). That seems pretty clear to me. So, tht is what I preach and what I write. Notice the way the apostle Paul speaks of baptism later: "Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death: that like as Christ was rais- ed from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3,4). Salvation is "In Christ" (2 Tim. 2:10). Every spiritual blessing is "in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). And we are "baptized into Christ" (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). In all of the Scriptures, there is not another action that is said to put us "into Christ." Only baptism does that. Thus, until one is bap- tized INTO CHRIST, he or she is not "in Christ." The apostle Paul writes of the promise to Abraham: "And the Scripture, foreseening that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed...Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one. And to thy seed, which is Christ...For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (Gal. 3:8, 16,26,27). Note again (vs. 26), until a person is "in Christ," he or she is not a child of God. And we are "baptized into Christ." All of that shows that baptism is the transition point from being an alien sinner to citizenship in the kingdom of Christ, from a sinful state to a righteous state, from darkness to light (Col. 1:13), from sinfulness to forgiveness (Acts 2:38). The pattern of those Bereans is commended for all of us: "Examining the Scriptures daily whether these things be so." We do not claim to be the "final authority" in religious matters. But we simply point all to the Word of God as the authority. And we insist that each one study for himself. But, friend, don't "hide your head in the sand." Salvation is only "in Christ" for God says so (Acts 4:12). It is clear that Jesus built only one church, and He addst the saved to that church (Acts 2:47). Clearly, it matters about faith, "which works through love" (Gal. 5:6), and beptism "into Christ" (Rom. 6:3,4). So, please "don't hide your head in the sand" but study God's Word and do what it says and you will be approved thereby: (2 Tim. 2:15). --------- Clem Thurman, in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 59, No. 2, Jan. 8, 2010. From kerux at bellsouth.net Thu Jan 28 06:08:27 2010 From: kerux at bellsouth.net (Kent Heaton) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:08:27 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] A>Life Can Be A Ride In A Basket (Kent Heaton) Message-ID: <963173E244E24F4F9652255F031D36C2@DCY3DBG1> Life Can Be A Ride In A Basket (Kent Heaton) He could not imagine how different his life would be. Growing up as a Jew in Tarsus in Cilicia, and in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the exactness of the Law of the fathers (Acts 22:3), Paul was as zealous for God as anyone could be. He was "circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. As regards the Law, I was a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness in the Law, blameless" (Philippians 3:5-6). Yet now he found himself in the dark of night being let down through a window in a basket. A warrant for his arrest had been issued by Aretas the king (2 Corinthians 11:32). The order had a death warrant attached as the Jews of Damascus intended to kill Paul (Acts 9:23-24). As Paul bumped along the wall enclosed in the basket, his mind turned to where he had been not many days before. He was a man of position and power with letters from the high priest to take bound any who followed Jesus of Nazareth. He had become a lightning rod for threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord (Acts 9:1). Now he was leaving the city in a basket. His life was in the hands of those he had sought to destroy. As he came to rest on the ground, friends quickly helped him up and they hurriedly ran away. His escape from the Damascus would become a prelude to the sufferings he would endure for the cause of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:22-33). His life turned out so different than what he thought it would be. The only constant in his life was the devotion to Jehovah God and that devotion would lead him to die for Jesus Christ. Often we find ourselves in a basket in the middle of the night being let down over a wall. Life takes many different turns. We have dreams and aspirations that are overshadowed by events beyond our control. Plans are disrupted, hope dashed, joys lost and in a moment of time life is never the same. Adam and Eve had a life in paradise that turned tragic in the blink of the eye (Genesis 3). Abraham was 75 years old when he found himself in a "basket" (Genesis 12). At the age of 17 the life of Joseph would never be the same (Genesis 37). David, because of sin, would see his world fall apart (2 Samuel 11-12). Paul did not let the events of Damascus stop him nor deter his course. He went on to become one of the greatest examples of faith and courage in the Bible. His ride in a basket was not a defeat but a opportunity to learn how to serve the Lord more fully. Peter wrote, "So that the trial of your faith (being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, but being proven through fire) might be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7). Baskets can be used to carry bread for life (Mark 8:19-20) and sometimes they carry men who learn humility, dependence and devotion to the cause of Christ. Some baskets are larger than others. At times the baskets are let down over walls of great height. We have to trust those who hold our lives in their hands like Paul did. But in the dark of the night as he felt the wall press against him, Paul knew his life was in the hands of God. "For this cause I also suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard My deposit unto that Day" (2 Timothy 1:12). Kent Heaton 206 NE Fourth Avenue Trenton, Florida 32693 352-463-6916 www.trentonchurchofchrist.com www.northfloridabiblecamp.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100128/2d76aa54/attachment-0001.html From terrywbenton at bellsouth.net Thu Jan 28 09:26:55 2010 From: terrywbenton at bellsouth.net (Terry W. Benton) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:26:55 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] A>DANGER: The Church of Christ Part1 Message-ID: DANGER: The Church of Christ By David J. Stewart Reviewed and Refuted by Terry W. Benton Part 1 DS: The Church of Christ is a false church. They require good works for salvation. TB: Would belief be a good work? (John 6:28,29). If so, then David Stewart is falsely teaching that a good work is required for salvation. Would repentance be a good work or a bad work? (Acts 17:30,31; Acts 2:38; Rom.2:4). If repentance is a good work, then Stewart is teaching falsely that you must not repent for salvation. Is it a "good work" to "say a little prayer"? If so, then Stewart is telling you that you must not say a little prayer for salvation. On one post Stewart said: "All that God REQUIRES of a man to be saved is that he "confess" (admit) his sinful condition and turn to the Saviour in faith, that man does NOT need to give his all." But, is confessing a good work or a bad work? If it is a good work, then Stewart is shooting his own doctrine in the foot. He would have to say that one must not confess or turn, since those are good works for salvation. Work is defined as exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil. Well, Stewart teaches that you must exert effort to learn, believe, confess, and turn. All of that is work. Thus, Stewart teaches false doctrine according to his own claim against churches of Christ. Thus, Stewart shows that he is not going to be fair and honest right here in his first two sentences. DS: The Church of Christ is just as dangerous as Catholicism, Jehovah's Witness, or the Mormons, because they claim to be "Christian"; BUT they are not! Whereas religions like Islam and Black Muslim openly deny the Christian faith; the Church of Christ claims to be Christian, and so Satan uses them to seduce people into Hellfire. TB: Well, if that is so, then David Stewart is used by Satan to seduce people into hellfire because he teaches that one must do good works to be saved. He is just as dangerous as Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Mormons. He claims to be "Christian", but he is NOT. Satan is using David Stewart to seduce people into Hellfire. DS: The following doctrinal statement is taken directly from the Church of Christ website: How does one become a member of the church of Christ? In the salvation of man's soul there are 2 necessary parts: God's part and man's part. God's part is the big part, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift if God; not of works, that no man should glory" (Ephesians 2:8-9). The love which God felt for man led him to send Christ into the world to redeem man. The life and teaching of Jesus, the sacrifice on the cross, and the proclaiming of the gospel to men constitute God's part in salvation. Though God's part is the big part, man's part is also necessary if man is to reach heaven. Man must comply with the conditions of pardon which the Lord has announced. Man's part can clearly set forth in the following steps: Hear the Gospel. "How shall they call on him whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). Believe. "And without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him" (Hebrews 11:6). Repent of past sins. "The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent" (Acts 17:30). Confess Jesus as Lord. "Behold here is water; What doth hinder me to be baptized ? And Philip said, if thou believeth with all thy heart thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:36-37). Be baptized for the remission of sins. "And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Live a Christian life. "Ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). SOURCE: Who are the churches of Christ? There is much heresy in the preceding statement. First, salvation is of God alone, and not men. This is plainly stated in John1:12-13, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Man has no part in God's salvation. TB: Notice carefully the verse and then notice how David Stewart denied the verse. The verse says that man has a part. Man has to "receive him". Those that receive him are given power to become sons of God. Born of the will of man means our parents wanted us to be born so that God would have another human to call His. No, physical birth by the will of man does not make a child of God. Stewart goes too far in saying that "man has NO PART in God's salvation". Man cannot be born of God's will without some cooperation. If man has NO PART, then only God is to blame if people are not His children. Stewart makes another self-contradicting statement in another article of his. He says: People go to hell for one reason and for one reason only, because they rejected Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour.-Unquote. But, if there is no WILL to reject or accept, and it all depends on God and "Man has NO PART in God's salvation", then rejection is not man's fault. How can I be blamed for "rejecting" when I was not given the power to reject or not reject? Stewart is certainly twisting the scriptures to get himself in this mess. John 1:13 is not saying that man has no part in his salvation. Man does have, at the very least, a "cooperative" part. The text is best view this way: John 1:13 ?therefore, neither the will of the flesh-anything that the corrupt heart of man could purpose or determine in its own behalf; nor the will of man-anything that another may be disposed to do in our behalf, can avail here; this new birth must come through the will of God-through his own unlimited power and boundless mercy, prescribing salvation by Christ Jesus alone. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary) John 1:13 [Nor of the will of the flesh] Not by natural generation. [Nor of the will of man] This MAY refer, perhaps, to the will of man in adopting a child, as the former phrases do to the natural birth; and the design of using these three phrases MAY have been to say that they became the children of God neither in virtue of their descent from illustrious parents like Abraham, nor by their natural birth, nor by being "adopted" by a pious man. None of the ways by which we become entitled to the privileges of "children" among people can give us a title to be called the sons of God. It is not by human power or agency that men become children of the Most High. [But of God] That is, God produces the change, and confers the privilege of being called his children. The heart is changed by his power. No unaided effort of man, no works of ours, can produce this change. At the same time, it is true that no man is renewed who does not himself "desire" and "will" to be a believer; for the effect of the change is on his "will" (Ps 110:3), and no one is changed who does not strive to enter in at the strait gate, Phil 2:12. This important verse, therefore, teaches us: 1. that if men are saved they must be born again. 2. that their salvation is not the result of their birth, or of any honorable or pious parentage. 3. that the children of the rich and the noble, as well as of the poor, must be born of God if they will be saved. 4. that the children of pious parents must be born again; or they cannot be saved. None will go to heaven simply because their "parents" are Christians. 5. that this work is the work of God, and "no man" can do it for us. 6. that we should forsake all human dependence, cast off all confidence in the flesh, and go at once to the throne of grace, and beseech of God to adopt us into his family and save our souls from death. (from Barnes' Notes) John 1:6-9 Believers are further described in terms of what God does for them. They are born . . . of God. This is not a natural process such as brings people into the world-not of blood (literally, bloods), suggesting the mingling of paternal and maternal strains in procreation. The will of the flesh suggests the natural, human desire for children, as the will of man (the word for husband) suggests the special desire for progeny to carry on a family name. So the new birth, something supernatural, is carefully guarded from confusion with natural birth. (from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary) John 1:13 There is a progress of thought in the three following clauses, describing the proper origin of a believer's new life. Children of God are begotten, not of blood, nor of the will of man. "The new birth is not brought about by descent, by desire, or by human power" (Westcott). (from Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament) So, Stewart has misused John 1:12-13 to teach that man has NO PART in the salvation process. If that is so, then it cannot be man's fault if he remains lost. If it is totally up to God, then it is totally up to God, and man cannot be faulted for not being among the arbitrarily selected ones. Stewart teaches "unconditional election" and "limited atonement" and "irresistible grace" which means that God arbitrarily selects the individuals he wants and rejects the rest. They can do nothing about it. The selected cannot resist salvation and the rest cannot desire and get it. Yet, Stewart wants you to think that the Churches of Christ are teaching false doctrine when the fact is that Stewart is teaching heresy. one reason and DS: In Philippians 2:12 the Apostle Paul states, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Carefully notice that the Bible says "work out YOUR OWN salvation"; it does not say anything about God's salvation. TB: Your own salvation is what God has given you. When God gives the gift of salvation TO US, then it becomes OUR OWN salvation. The gift of salvation is a package of things: 1) remission of our past sins, 2) the blood to use when we need it for new sins we will commit, 3) the hope of heaven, 4) the access to the throne of grace in the name of Jesus to find help in time of need. How do we "work out our own salvation"? We use the tools He gave us. Stewart is wrong about this passage as well. DS: When God saves a man, it is then up to that man whether or not he is going to obey God or not. God saves us by faith, but then it is up to us to allow the Lord to live the Christian life through us. TB: Stewart sounds very confused. He speaks as though "it is NOT up to man" whether God will save him, but then after saving him against his will, Stewart then speaks as though NOW it is "up to us" whether to allow the Lord to work out our salvation by obedience. Stewart is struggling with this passage also. Obviously these brethren have a part in their salvation to both accept initial salvation from sin AND continuing the salvation by yielded obedience. DS: This has nothing to do with salvation. So many heretics today are trying to add holy living to faith for salvation. No sir! As we see in 1st Corinthians 5:5, some believers live in unrepentant sin; yet, they are still saved. TB: Once again David J. Stewart is denial of the word of God because it does not agree with his Calvinistic doctrines. He says salvation is "NOT up to man" but totally up to God, and then says is "up to us" whether we allow the Lord to work out our salvation, and then says Phil.2:12 "has nothing to do with salvation" even though it says "salvation". Perhaps Stewart's dilemma is increased by the fact that the Bible uses "salvation" in two ways: 1) Salvation from past sins and condemnation due, and 2) Salvation from a corruptible body and a world of temptation. So, one can be saved from sin, but need to work out making sure that we stay saved by faithful obedience so that we can reach the goal, eternal salvation (1 Pet.1:5-10;Heb.5:9). But did you notice David J. Stewart's contradiction above? If "some believers "live in unrepentant sin" and yet they are still saved, then one sin they can live in is the sin of heresy. He cannot say that we who have believed in Jesus for salvation are now lost. He teaches that "some believers live in unrepentant sin; yet, they are still saved." So, at best that is all he can say about the churches of Christ. Yet, he is in contradiction of his own doctrine because he calls these believers a heresy that is "damnable". AT the end of his article he says: The Church of Christ is straight from the pits of Hell. I plead with you not to become a victim of their damnable religion.-Unquote. But, all members of the church of Christ believe in Jesus Christ. We believed even before we were baptized. Thus, Stewart would have to say that we are saved at the moment of faith exactly as the Jews in Acts 2:37. What we do and teach after that point cannot effect our salvation (according to his doctrine of Once-Saved-Always-Saved). His misuse of 1 Cor.5:5 should be apparent to all. So, Stewart is claiming a group of believers today is not saved by faith only, and not "once-saved-always-saved". Stewart cannot have it both ways. Either the churches of Christ are still saved by faith only and "once-saved-always-saved" regardless of false teaching, OR the doctrines of Stewart about salvation by "faith only" and "once-saved-always-saved" are false. Stewart cannot have it both ways. (To be continued). Terry W. Benton www.pinelanechurchofchrist.com terrywbenton at bellsouth.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100128/df2f6a4d/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 2204 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100128/df2f6a4d/attachment-0001.gif From terrywbenton at bellsouth.net Thu Jan 28 10:01:32 2010 From: terrywbenton at bellsouth.net (Terry W. Benton) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:01:32 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] S>Do Not Hinder Them Message-ID: Do Not Hinder Them Text: Matt.19:14; Lk.11:52 Intro. Is it possible that some visitors have come here and were hindered from hearing the truth? It seems worthy of our attention to examine ways that we may have prevented someone from either coming back, obeying the gospel, or from pursuing the truth. It is a fearful matter, because God will hold us accountable if we hinder someone else. Ways In Which We Can Hinder Someone: I. Half-hearted Participation A. Most people know enough about the Bible to know that God wants heart, sincerity, devoted involvement. B. When a visitor sits beside you or close to you, they will notice the slouchy posture, the bored look, the lack of participation. C. The signal you give may be "Visitor, I don't want to be here. I don't want to worship God. It is a waste of your time too. You should not come back". D. Visitors will pick up the signals closest to them. When a visitor comes, you are representing God's cause, His truth, His greatness to that person. E. The song selection can be great, the prayer fervent and sincere, the sermon forceful and plain, but "half-hearted participation" can ruin all those things for the visitor. How many people have you hindered? It is a fearful thought. II. Immoral Behavior A. If someone knows your lifestyle in the world, of your fornication, drunkenness, drug involvement, or someone knows of your bad credit, or know how you bounce bad checks, and then sees you attending church here without repentance, they will wonder what kind of church this is. B. Hypocrites have hindered the church. C. Being unscripturally divorced and then spending time with another man or woman can hinder the church's purity and sense of well-being, stability, and influence. Matt.19:6-9; 1 Cor.5 III. Noisy Children A. I have heard visitors say that they could not concentrate on the prayer and the lesson because of the noise-level of the small children. B. I realize the struggle of having to be up and down with a small baby. I have learned to tune out to a point. There are times when I cannot identify what is distracting my flow of thought. But remember, the moment is serious for all concerned. There is a cry room for noisy babies and small children. Take them out as quickly as possible, but DON'T make it a treat for the toddler. He will soon learn that he can have more fun back there, and he will manipulate you every week. Teach them a "quiet time" at home and that church is also a quiet time. It will not take long for them to catch on. C. Remember, you want to save yourself, your baby, AND as many visitors and non-Christians as possible as are in the audience. Don't allow your child to be a constant distraction in this most holy and eternally important occasion. There is a way to train a child to sit quietly. IV. Distractions A. There are times when you just have to go to the rest-room or water fountain. However, there are times when it becomes clear that it is a habit. Children should be told and counseled that the time for such is before class, between class and assembly, and afterwards. B. Toys should be for babies only, and then only the quiet kind. C. Note-passing should wait till after services. It is time to open the book, find passages, take notes on the lesson. Can you not do it for an hour? D. Whispering should not happen if it can wait till after services. E. One person brought a visitor for the first time and then did nothing but play with a baby in front of them during the sermon. What a lost opportunity! What a foolish use of the hour. What a hindrance to the salvation of a soul! 1. When you bring a visitor, show them how important the occasion is by sitting in a choice location where minimum distractions will occur. 2. Sing with hearty involvement, pray with reverence, and open the Bible and show them the passages referred to. Point them out as you follow closely to the lesson. 3. Take notes of the lesson. After the lesson, ask them if they understood what was said. Offer to study further with them. 4, Visitors must know through your example that this is an important occasion, and God's word is held in high esteem here. V. Exclusivism, Being Cliquish, Clannish A. Being cliquish or clannish is often a turn-off for someone just wanting a friend. B. This partiality is condemned (Jas.2). Look at all people as having valuable souls, and "greet one another" (not just the same few). C. The cross is our common ground, and nothing else should be more important. VI. Respect For The Occasion A. Treat the occasion as a time for a contribution toward the greatest cause one earth. B. Treat it as an opportunity to encourage the salvation of this many souls. C. Believe that each person NEEDS to hear God's word. Do your part to make that possible for all in attendance. D. Dress and conduct yourself respectfully, so that all will capture the respect you have for God's house, His word, and His great salvation. E. Do not do anything that might hinder someone from such a great salvation. 1 Cor.9:12 Conclusion: God will hold each accountable for the souls we hinder. However, those who allow themselves to be hindered will also pay the full consequences. God will not accept your excuse if you neglect so great salvation. What hinders you from being baptized? Will that be a valid hindrance before God? Are there really any valid hindrances between you and GOD? - Terry W. Benton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100128/8f90acbb/attachment-0001.html From terrywbenton at bellsouth.net Thu Jan 28 11:36:34 2010 From: terrywbenton at bellsouth.net (Terry W. Benton) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:36:34 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] A>DANGER: The Church of Christ Part2 Message-ID: <346CA09645CD4484ACAA0B44E12DDA5D@TerryPC> DANGER: The Church of Christ By David J. Stewart Reviewed and Refuted by Terry W. Benton Part 2 David J. Stewart said previously: As we see in 1st Corinthians 5:5, some believers live in unrepentant sin; yet, they are still saved. -Unquote. TB: Let us consider 1 Cor.5:5. Does this verse teach that unrepentant sinful believers "are still saved"? No! It speaks of the church taking a certain action "that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus". Without taking this action, he may not be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. What action were they taking? It is called "delivering such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh". What does that mean? It means to withdraw fellowship and tell him he is with Satan, not with them. When he is made to realize that he cannot practice his sin AND continue in fellowship with them and God, then it may cause him to give up and destroy the sinful, fleshly activity that is making him lose God and the brethren. Repentance destroys the fleshly power of sin in the blood of Christ, and as a result his spirit may be saved. So, this verse actually teaches the opposite of what Stewart is claiming. Stewart says the verse means this: 1 Cor 5:5 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, because his spirit is already saved even to the day of the Lord Jesus. (David J. Stewart Version). But, now notice the difference between David's version of the verse and what the verse actually says: 1 Cor 5:5 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. NKJV The word "that" means "in order that" pointing to desired goals or results. It is the same in the whole context. 1 Cor 5:2 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that (in order that) he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.KJV 1 Cor 5:5 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that (in order that) the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.KJV 1 Cor 5:7 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that (in order that) ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: KJV So, once again, this man that calls churches of Christ a "damnable religion" from the "pits of Hell" is sure perverting and twisting a lot of scripture in order to promote his own "heresy". For him to abuse the Bible like this means that he is the one, in fact, who is working with Satan to "make you a victim of his damnable religion". If you read the book of Acts you will see how the early church was maligned and falsely accused in similar ways. Let us not allow someone like David J. Stewart to pervert the word and falsely abuse and misrepresent God's people. (to be continued). Terry W. Benton www.pinelanechurchofchrist.com terrywbenton at bellsouth.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100128/23a488ee/attachment-0001.html From Jerry at eldorable.kscoxmail.com Thu Jan 28 13:29:12 2010 From: Jerry at eldorable.kscoxmail.com (Jerry Blount) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:29:12 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] How we got the Bible Message-ID: <6F024E5918114DCD998E84838F4BF5E7@Dadsnewdell> Jerry Blount to the list I am re-writing a course on evidences that I originally created over twenty five years ago. Knowledge of scripture has increased over the course of my life time. Many of the clich??s espoused by unbelievers in my youth have today been disproved but folks are still repeating them. Hence, the effort below. I thought I would share one chapter of said course. Enjoy. Yours in Christ Jerry Blount Minister for the Pillar church of Christ 560 S Oliver (SE corner of Oliver &Kellogg) Wichita, Ks 67218 316-320-4321 www.JerrysChristianJottings.com How we got the Bible Textual transmission OT When we come to the subject of the actual transmission of the text, we find a fast disconnect between what is perceived, and what is real! Most folks on the street scoff at the idea that you actually could have the bible or the real words of Paul! Some will readily admit the Holy Spirit inspired these men on earth. They then deny that we know what He said through them. This concept is pretty flaky on it?s face, simply because. . . If God could miraculously inspire men, He could also protect and preserve His work. Let?s see if we can follow the chain of transmission and walk away comfortable that we know the words of Paul, Peter and more importantly. . . Jesus! Read Deuteronomy 30:8-19 1) Vs. 8-10 What promise is made if you follow the commandments of God?_________ 2) Vs 11-14 What promise is made about those commandments? __________________ 3) Vs. 19 Did God make a promise in Moses? day to preserve this Word? ___________ Read Romans 10:8 4) What passage is Paul quoting? __________________________ 5) Is the promise of preservation simply an Old Testament promise? Read I Corinthians 2:10-16 6) How does Paul say that the Bible was originally given to us? __________________ 7) What ?title? would Paul give the Bible if he were naming it? ___________________ Read Luke 16:17 8) How strongly does Jesus make the promise _____________________ 9) Is the promise just for the preservation of a book? ___________________ Note: The distance between the time of Moses and Jesus is generally thought to be 1500 years + 200 years. The fact that Jesus is making this statement is already a powerful testimony to it?s truth! Why is a pursuit such as this worth the effort? II Timothy 3:14-17 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned {them,} and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. Text Box: This is Matthew 24 from a Latin, vellum pocket bible. It was hand copied in 1200 Ad. I own this page and use it in personal work. The point is that even ?common people? can afford to reach back nearly 1000 years!It is important to note that while the newest texts of the bible were written some 1900 years ago, in terms of preservation 1900 years is not all that long. For example one can do a casual perusal on ebay and find writings in various forms back to 500 BC on any given day. These are within even the reach of ?common people? financially. Try it! It might be worth remembering that most museums contain Egyptian, Syrian, Babylonian, Persian and Roman sections. The reason even small museums can do this is simply a case of quantity. The significant events to Christians are also significant to the world (for the most part). There really is a lot of documentation out there! Let?s begin our Journey back in time . >From our Bible to their Bibles The first English language Bible printed in the Americas was in 1782 by Robert Aitken. In some respects it was un-remarkable. It was basically a cheap pocket Bible with no illustrations inside. The particular appeal of this Bible at the time, was the political statement made by its existence. It is the only Bible ever authorized by the Continental Congress, of the newly formed United States of America. The revolutionary war had cut off the importation of books in general and the Bible in particular. One important stop on our journey back in time is the story of William Tyndale. He has been called the ?Father of the English Bible.? The year is 1525 in Cologne. The Catholic church is doing all it can (including killing) to keep the Bible away from the people. Translating it into English was illegal. Illegal or not, the printing began in Cologne. Because Text Box: This is the oldest known copy of the Ten Commandments with Masoretic pointing. It is from the 100?s ADof the danger Tyndale literally had to take the partially completed New Testaments and flee to Worms. Here he completed two editions of his pocket sized Testaments. These Testaments were then smuggled into England. The smugglers literally folded them into bales of cloth, or hid them in barrels. People hungered for the word, but the church ordered these testaments gathered up and burned. Only two known copies of the first edition existence! Working in Antwerp, Tyndale continued to improve his translation of the New Testament and began work on the Old. Such was not to be, however. In 1535 he was betrayed to the Pope?s operatives and kidnapped. He was held in Vilvorde Castle for about 15 months then tried for heresy and sentenced to burning at the stake! It is ironic that roughly ten years earlier they have burned his bibles, now they set out to burn him! On October 6, 1536 he was first tied to the stake and strangled, his dead body was burned. His last words were, ?Lord, open the eyes of the king of England!? That prayer was literally being fulfilled as he spoke it, Henry the VIII was making his break with Rome. The resulting royal decree was for an English bible to be placed in every church! The emerging English bible was an extension of and improvement upon Tyndale?s. Our next stop in our journey is to visit the Masoretes. They are a group of scribes working primarily from Tiberius on the shores of Galilee. Their beginnings are pre-Christian but they are best known for standardizing the Hebrew language. Their squaring of Hebrew symbols and pointings etc. were developed because of the fear that the pronunciation of Hebrew would be forgotten as it ceased to be spoken. Let?s digress a moment and note using an English example of what and why their work is important. Here is a scan of my copy of the KJV of John 3:16 printed in 1613. The KJV was first printed in 1611 but had so many mistakes in it that they reset the type and started over in 1613. Notice what has actually happened to English in just 400 years. Look at the word son (sonne) in verse 13,16,and 18. Notice also the ?f? looking characters that are where an ?s? should be in today?s English. There are many changes in any living language, both in words and in writing. It is obvious that English has changed a great deal. This helps us understand why translations appear and reappear every so many years. Updating to our current language is an ongoing process. This was the specific work of the Masoretes starting in pre-Christian times. They did to/for Hebrew what you can see needed done to preserve the text as it should be. The most famous of these would be Ben Asher and Ben Naphtali from the 900?s AD. Asher oversaw the writing of the Aleppo codex (codex meaning a book as opposed to a scroll). The Aleppo codex was once the oldest known codex containing the entire Hebrew bible. It was originally copied by the scribe Shlomo Ben-buya?a. It was then verified and vocalized by Aaron Ben-Asher in Palestine sometime in the early tenth century. Sometime in the eleventh century the Palestine lost it and it went to Egypt. In the fourteenth century it was transferred to the Jewish community in Aleppo Syria. It was treasured for roughly 600 years. In 1947 the anti Semitic riots broke out and the synagogue was torched. This destroyed a good portion of it. Only 295 out of 487 pages survived. In 1958 it transferred to Israel for safe keeping and is now in ?The Book,? A museum dedicated to bible texts. We go through this detail on this one text to demonstrate that there was such dedication to biblical texts before printing that incredible detail is often known about the transmission of them. Text Box: ?The testimonia? (4q175) (Dead Sea scrolls ) Today the Leningrad Codex is the oldest complete Hebrew Bible in existence. It was written in 1010 ad apparently in Cairo. From there it went to Damascus. Today it is at the Saltykov-shchedrin (the Russian National Library ) in St Petersburg. It is important to note that while the oldest complete OT is from 1010 AD that isn?t all that surprising. How long with regular use does a book last before a page tears or falls out? From here we go to a literal mountain of pieces. A couple hundred years ago, it was easy to criticize the Bible?s transmission. Over the last 100 years so much work has been done to reclaim the past that such criticism cannot honorably be made. Our next major stop in our trek back through time is to note the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls in 1947. A Bedouin shepherd boy named ?the wolf? was searching for a stray goat. He found the an incredible cache of lost books. Originally he found 7 scrolls. Within a short time the scientists found the Qumran community. It was inhabited from roughly 300 BC down to 68 AD. Thus far 900 scrolls have been found. Over 200 of them are biblical, 670 non biblical. It takes quite a while to unroll leather that has been rolled for 2000 years. Therefore for a brief period many, in the scholarly community, were speaking of revolutionizing Christianity. The kicker is that it changed virtually nothing! The texts in one sweep went back another 1000 years by way of a time capsule. What was discovered from this snapshot was that God really had preserved His word. The texts closely matched what people already had. Read Hebrews 13:6-9 Should it have been a surprise when no real change to scripture resulted in the discovery of new texts? ___________________ What one word description would be used to describe Christianity from this brief overview? _____________________ Read Matthew 5:17-20 What promise is made by Jesus? __________________________ Men have tried to squelch the word. According to Jesus, will they be successful? _________________ Should a Christian be worried about what comes from the ground? _______________ This particular study takes parts of the Bible and groups them according to the topics under discussion at the time. This is a practical description of most Bible discussions. Sometimes these groupings were called lectionaries, other would call the testimonia. By whatever name you choose, you get an insight into the overall attitude of the author by what he chooses to group in said studies. One of these of particular interest is ?The testimonia? (4q175) found in Cave 4. Its author chose to group together five old testament quotes into four groups. These include Deuteronomy 5:28-29, 18:18-19, Numbers 24:15-17, Deuteronomy 33:8-11, and Joshua 6:26. This document displays a preoccupation with Qumran?s belief that it was time for the Messiah to come. They were right! I must wonder how many of them actually caught up with the fact that He came! By far, the most incredible find was a copy of Isaiah. Today it is affectionately known as the ?Great Isaiah Scroll. Isaiah is a favorite of both the Jews and Christians alike. To have found this large a document in this good of shape at this age was virtually unbelievable. The providence of God is in mind the best explanation. Consider how quickly a pair of leather gloves become useless, then ask yourself about the likelihood of actual leather documents surviving without care for more than 2000 years. Pretty incredible isn?t it? But it happened. Let?s focus back in on the New Testament now. Some folks believe it was several hundred years before the canon of the New Testament was established. Actually it occurred rather quickly. The Muratorian fragment is perhaps the oldest list of Bible books. It is also known as the Muratorian cannon. It was copied in approximately ad 170. The oldest copy comes from the seventh century, but it internally refers to a bishop of Rome that died in Ad 157. It is solid evidence that lists of bible books were compiled early on. The John Rhyland's fragment is the oldest undisputed piece of the New Testament. It contains John 18:31-33 on one side, and John 18:37-38 on the other. It is dated from 125 to 160 AD. It is thought that John wrote the book of revelation in 96 AD. Obviously this copy of John is incredibly close to the autograph copy. Text Box: John Rhyland?s fragment 125-160 AD The other possibility for the oldest survivor of the New Testaments is the 7q5 fragment. It is hotly disputed as a piece of Mark 6:52-53. This was found in cave 7 of Qumran. If in fact this turned out to be what is claimed, you would have a Christian document found in the hands of a Jewish community by 68 AD. This is so incredible that the dispute rages. Unfortunately as you can see on the right, not quite enough of it survived to confirm it beyond dispute. Mathematically the odds of these letters being as seen, but not being Mark are pretty remote, but it is possible that it is something other than Mark. Text Box: ?Mark?? (4q175) (Dead Sea scrolls ) A project you?ll enjoy Let me recommend to you a project that will demonstrate just how effectively the Bible has been transmitted to you by the God of heaven. Get your own Bible and look up Isaiah 53 and read from it comparing your Bible with the translation found below. Isaiah wrote the passage in approximately 700 BC (2700 years ago). The scroll is from approximately 100BC (600 years later but still over 2000 years ago). Now see for yourself how much your Bible hasn?t changed. You?ll some distinctions in the translator?s efforts at accuracy bringing it all into English but just see for yourself. This is directly translated from a leather scroll copied by a human being over 2000 years ago. It is the same text as the one you have in your possession! Translation of Qumran Scroll Isaiah 53 begins with line 5 of Column 44 Note the line #?s on the scroll don?t match the (verse) #?s 5. (Chapter 53:1) Who has believed our report and the arm of YHWH to whom has it been revealed (2) And he shall come up like a suckling before him 6. and as a root from dry ground there is no form to him and no beauty [+to him+] and in his being seen and there is no appearance 7. that we should desire him. (3) He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and knowing grief 8. and as though hiding faces from him he was despised and we did not esteem him. (4) Surely our griefs he 9. is bearing and our sorrows he carried them and we esteemed him beaten and struck by God 10. and afflicted. (5) and he is wounded for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities, the correction 11. of our peace was upon him and by his wounds he has healed us. (6) All of us like sheep have wandered each man to his own way 12. we have turned and YHWH has caused to light on him the iniquity of all of us (7) He was oppressed and he was afflicted and he did not 13. open his mouth, as a lamb to the slaughter he is brought and as a ewe before her shearers is made dumb he did not open 14. his mouth. (8) From prison and from judgement he was taken and his generation who shall discuss it because he was cut off from the land of 15. the living. Because from the transgressions of his people a wound was to him (PP) 16. (9) And they gave wicked ones to be his grave and [a scribbled word probably accusative sign "eth"] rich ones in his death 17. although he worked no violence neither deceit in his mouth (10) And YHWH was pleased to crush him and He has caused him grief. (PP) 18. If you will appoint his soul a sin offering he will see his seed and he will lengthen his days and the pleasure of YHWH 19. in his hand will advance. (11) Of the toil of his soul he shall see {+light+} and he shall be satisfied and by his knowledge shall he make righteous 20. even my righteous servant for many and their iniquities he will bear. (12) Therefore I will apportion to him among the great ones 21. and with the mighty ones he shall divide the spoil because he laid bare to death his soul and with the transgressors 22. he was numbered, and he, the sins of many, he bore, and for their transgressions he entreated. There is really only one thing left to say The Bible is the Word of God! Yours in Christ Jerry Blount Minister for the Pillar church of Christ 560 S Oliver (SE corner of Oliver &Kellogg) Wichita, Ks 67218 316-320-4321 www.JerrysChristianJottings.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100128/de78e40b/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 649 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100128/de78e40b/attachment-0011.gif From jwquinn at sbcglobal.net Thu Jan 28 13:32:13 2010 From: jwquinn at sbcglobal.net (Jon W. Quinn) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:32:13 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] Expository Files 17.2 (February 2010) now available Message-ID: Beginning our 17th year of publication (1994-2010) Expository Files - February 2010 **Our 194th monthly issue** Expository Files is a monthly electronic journal dedicated to Biblical studies. It is edited by Warren E Berkley and Jon W. Quinn. This effort began with the January, 1994 issue and continues to this day. In addition to the four or so expository articles by different writers in each issue, there are special topical studies. In addition, each issue begins and ends with editorials by the editors. We have expository material from every book in the Bible, though there are still portions that are much more lightly covered than others. Thanks to our writers and our readers for making Expository Files such a success! ---------------------------------------------------------- Expository Files 17.2; February 2010 Co-edited by Warren E. Berkley and Jon W. Quinn ---------------------------------------------------------- This month's issue contains: The Front Page Rolling On With the Lord By Jon W. Quinn There and Back Again John 3:12-15 By Jon W. Quinn God's Mercy Upon His People Hosea 2:14-20 By Wayne S. Walker Listening & Living: A Vital Connection James 1:19-27 By Warren E. Berkley ?God Is Light? 1 John 1:5-10 By Hal Hammonds Silas ... Our Faithful Brother Topical Article By Jon W. Quinn Plan of Salvation The Final Page: Punishing The Wrong People: ?Not Good? By Warren E. Berkley ---------------------------------------------------------- EF can now, or soon will, be found at the following places: http://www.bible.ca/ef/ Every issue - 1994 to present; every article; html; arranged by book; topic and/or issue; Search engine http://expositoryfiles.homestead.com/index.html 2004- present in html by issue; 1994-2003 in zipped self executable format for IBM http://www.texas.wberkley.info/ EF in PDF by issue Jon W. Quinn Bradley Church of Christ Bradley, Illinois http://www.bradleychurchofchrist.com From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Jan 29 05:06:47 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:06:47 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) THE REAL TEST: WILL IT WORK? (1) Message-ID: <1525.6d06bb6b.38941b47@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the first installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. THE REAL TEST: WILL IT WORK? (1) We are a people obsessed with "bargains." We want value, but we want it at our own price. We want to get our money's worth. And involved in its worth to us many factors enter in. Is the price right? Will it last? Does it look good? Will it help us in our social circle? Whether it be a new car or new house or new clothes, these questions are asked. But there is one quesiton that is most important of all: "Will it work?" All of the other quest- ions become meaningless, if the answer to this one is negative. When you get into an automobile, it really doesn't matter how pretty it is if it won't run. With a refrigerator, a small price tag doesn't mean a bargain unless it will keep the food cool, or frozen. The real test, then, is: "Will it work?" And if it doesn't work, it is without real value. It doesn't accomplish its purpose, regardless of how much of a bargain we think it might have been. Our religion should be chosen, and tested, on tht same basis "Will it work?" Will it accomplish what it should? If one's relig- ion will not accomplish what it should, prepare us for heaven, then it is worthless. There are four great tests that any religion should face. And it clearly should pass the test on all four of them. Let us look at these four tests: The Test Of Transformation: -- The apostle Paul wrote, "I besee- ch you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. And be not fashioned according to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect Will of God" (Rom. 12:1,2). TRANSFORMED: -- Your religion should make you a better person. It should make you a better husband, or wife. It should make you a better employee, a better employer a better citizen, a better neighbor, a better friend. A religion that will not stand this test is not worth having or practicing. When John come to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus, he preached, "Repent ye..." A changed life was demanded when some came to be baptized of John: "Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance" (Matt. 3:8). And the choice given by Jesus was simple: "Except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish" (Lk. 13:3). Christ died so that we would "no longer live unto ourselves, but unto Him who for their sakes died, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15). Repentance demands that the thief quit stealing (Eph. 4:28), that the liar speak the truth (Col. 3:9,10), that the immoral person lives a pure life (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Note that the apostle Paul shows that we are not to be "con- formed to the world" but instead be "transformed" (Rom. 12:2). My faith should cause me to live by a higher standard than that of the world. Unless your religion has a better "moral code" than that by which the world lives, it fails the test. The life we live is to show to others what we believe and what we are. When Jesus pointed out that we are to be "the light of the world," He then added, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). If your religion is to have real value, it must encourage others to live a better life, because of what they see in your life. The apostle wrote in Timothy, "Be thou an example to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12). If your religion does not encourage othrs to follow it, it has failed the first test. The Test Of Personal Satisfaction: -- The second test is: "Does my religous faith bring me personal satisfaction?" Although this is not the most important test, it is still a valid one. And it is im- portant. Jesus is "the Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9;6; Eph. 2:14), and He came that we might have peace with God and also have peace of mind that comes from a good conscience. If your relig- ion is not personally satisfying, then it really doesn't work for you. The Bible says, "Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he approveth" (Rom. 14:22). In other words, we must live a life which we are convinced we should live. For our religion to work for us, it should cause us to strive to have a good conscience before God (Acts 24:16). This is one of the purposes stated for the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, to "cleanse us from an evil conscience" (Heb. 10;22; 1 Pet. 3:21) And if your religious faith hasn't given you an easy conscience, it has failed to work for you. Does your faith bring real happiness? Does it give you a sense of real achievement? A feeling that you are helping to make the world a better place? It should. The Lord intends us to be happy. He tells us, "Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). A religious faith that makes you miserable is just not work- ing. Real faith, which comes from hearing and obeying the Will of God, should make you be among the happiest people on this earth. The apostle Paul said it well, "Godliness with content- ment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6). If your religion doesn't bring you contentment, joy and the "peace of God which passeth understanding" (Phil. 4:7), Then your religion is not doing what it is supposed to do. True personal satisfaction can only come from knowing and obeying the Word of God. (More will be post- ed on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS). From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Jan 29 05:06:37 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:06:37 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) THINKING ABOUT THE FAMILY -- "HONOR THY FATHER... (2) Message-ID: <1522.29ff52fa.38941b3d@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sassser here. A very good Friday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is the sec- ond installment of this particular study: Taken from my files: THINKING ABOUT THE FAMILY -- "HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER" (2) In Matt. 15:1-6 we read, "Then came to Jesus Scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do Thy discip- les transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded saying, Honor thy fath- er and mother: and, he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." The main point of this passage was to show that the system of tradition, consisting of the comments of the elders upon the written Law of Moses and bound upon the people with equal for- ce as the Law itself, was a false system. They had actually set aside the law of God in favor of their traditions in many instanc- es, and for this Jesus strongly condemned them. However, I want to notice the example that Jesus used to illustrate the contradiction between their "traditions" and the Law of God. The Law was very clear. Exo. 20:12 said to "honor thy father and mother." Exo. 21:17 said, "He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." There was a great deal involved in the command to "honor thy father and mother." It included such things as assisting aged parents when they could not meet all of their needs themselves -- food, clothing, shelter, and such like. Surely it also included emotion- al needs as well -- love and comfort in the sometimes extremely trying and difficult later years. By their traditions the Scribes and Pharisees had managed to sidestep a major portion of their responsibilities. They said, "Whosoever shall say to his father of his mother, it is a gift, by whatsoever thou might be profited by me." In a parallel acount, Mk. 7:11 puts it this way, "But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free." The idea was that by claiming that his property and goods had been solemnly set apart by a formal vow to the sacred use of the services of God, or Corban, he could not use his property in the support of his parents. He could, however, use it in support of himself. Hence, they violated God's law. My purpose in referring to this exchange between the Lord and the Scribes and Pharisees is to emphasize our responsibili- ty to our parents as they grow older. I truly believe that God has placed the primary responsibility for aged parents upon the shoulders of their children -- not the government and not the church. In 1 Tim. 5:8 we find, "But if any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Who better to fulfill this res- ponsibility than those who have been nurtured, loved, and cared for by the ones who now need help in their old age? It is always a joy to see families present at services that con- sist of as many as four generations and to watch the grandchild- ren and great-grandchildren interact with their grandparents and great-grandparents. What a blessing it is to children to benefit from the lvoe and wisdom of their grandma and grandpa, or great - grandma and great-grandpa. At the same time, one needs only to look at the eyes of those older folks to see how much they benefit from the children. No aged parent should ever want for the necessities of life when they have children who are able to supply them, and no adult should ever live in abundance while their mother and fath- er cannot make ends meet and struggle in poverty. No aged per- son should ever waste away in a nursing home with no visitors while they have family alive and close by. No aged person should ever have to feel forgotten or worthless as long as his or her children or grandchildren walk this earth. That also includes those parents who no longer have any idea who their children are -- even those who sit with no visible response whatsoever. They may not know who their children are, but their children know who they are. Eph. 5:21 tells us, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." I truly believe that understanding this verse of Scripture and applying it in our homes is a key to success. If every member of a family is always willing to take the needs and the feelings of others into consideration even above his/her own (because this is what God wants in a family), that family will be successful and happy. ------ Greg Litmer, in "That You May Grow Thereby." From GLClair at aol.com Fri Jan 29 08:05:00 2010 From: GLClair at aol.com (GLClair at aol.com) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:05:00 EST Subject: [Biblemat] ARTICLE - The Great Hope of Humanity - "GOD" Message-ID: <44c1.6b31d3be.3894450c@aol.com> The Great Hope of Humanity; ?GOD? In the world today there are 6.9 Billion people living and seeking life, health, and prosperity. This large number of people consists of all nationalities, of many different positions on the ladder of success regarding food, clothing, income, and general quality of life. These people are diverse in many ways but there is one point where they mostly will agree; they desire a better and more abundant life and have a great desire to succeed in the living of life. The population of this planet has one hope that unites them; everyone has a desire for something better in a different life. You see; many people seek some form of divine aid; yet this seeking takes many forms and is pursued in many different ways as current and past history attest. The existence of many different religious movements in the world establish the fact that man is seeking God or some Supreme Being that will provide the hope that they cannot reach; they struggle but cannot attain happiness and contentment and many leave the world of the living with no hope; indeed, for that which they could not acquire during their lifetime. One of the amazing facts that man contends with in this present word is the multitude of religious movements; often teaching and worshipping a god in ways that or contrary to the way their neighbor seeks their god and the multiplicity of different religions only leads to confusion and doubt about the religious beliefs of millions of seekers today. Indeed, there is confusion on every side; consequently men are never serious about seeking the true God. You see; the true God is assessable by all who will seek Him in His Book (i.e. the Bible); Acts 17:24-30 - 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: KJV EXAMPLE: Many people today when youth is finally past began to seek meaning and their place in society and seek some form of provision. Many people leave high School and attend a college or university where they pursue a better life and a better resume hopeful of future work and opportunity to store-up funds for the better life and ultimately for the hope of a better and more productive life in the older years. Often this hope and expectation of better things does not work out; failure to learn and develop physically; health problems; family problems (divorce; death, disabled children); loss of loved ones that leave a devastating mental burden to bear; and many other obstacles in life that hinder and make the hope and desire of an earlier time seem impossible to attain. REMEMBER THIS: Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:1 - 7 truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: 8 but if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. 9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. 10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. Ecclesiastes 12 - 1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shall say, I have no pleasure in them; KJV --- Death will come surely eventually to all living; therefore remember the instructions from Solomon here in . This example is similar to the religious life many people who have some hope of gaining the rewards of God (Mark 10:17-21) ; who have seen the need to serve God; have started a life on the narrow path (Matt 7:13-14 - 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. KJV) but hardships of health, interaction in marriage and family cares; plus the stresses of a difficult work place and a desire that is greater than their income; brings distress and distress brings discouragement and discouragement brings depression and depression cause them to abandon their hope for heaven (Ps. 55:22 - Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. NIV). Indeed, many people have disappointments and calamity in their lives; yet they do continue to survive and they do continue to accomplish great things in life. This is also true of the Christian who understands and places God? s things first in their lives. The Christian who succeeds in attaining a happy resurrection will abide within the instructions of Almighty God via the Holy Scriptures. Do you follow God?s instructions? SURELY YOU KNOW THAT YOU OUGHT! _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) --- Friday, January 29, 2010 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100129/3e832a41/attachment-0001.html From wsasser at tds.net Fri Jan 29 10:47:11 2010 From: wsasser at tds.net (Whit Sasser) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:47:11 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] request Message-ID: <0EACE62A-B90E-4D37-A6C9-CA702562588B@tds.net> Hello Bible Matters list, I have a request...anyone willing to share a sermon outline or an article on fatalism...I would appreciate it. Thanks. Whit Whit Sasser 3601 E. Newberry St. Appleton, WI 54915 920.733.5009 wsasser at tds.net www.appletonchurchofchrist.org Join my free e-list: "Exhortations & Stuff" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100129/274c6905/attachment-0001.html From tedwards at onemain.com Fri Jan 29 11:41:44 2010 From: tedwards at onemain.com (tedwards at onemain.com) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:41:44 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] B> Gospel Observer 1/24/10 Message-ID: <4B62C978.21985.D546C1@localhost> -------------------- The Gospel Observer "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20). -------------------- January 24, 2010 -------------------- Contents: 1) Hypocrisy of the Pharisees (H.E. Phillips) 2) News & Notes -------------------- -1- Hypocrisy of the Pharisees by H.E. Phillips Jesus pulled no punches when he addressed the duplicity of the scribes and Pharisees. The scribes were those who copied, studied and handled the law of Moses. The law of Moses had been divided into thousands of rules and regulations and strictly enforced by the scribes and Pharisees. The law required a man to keep the Sabbath day which would not permit him to work on that day. The scribes and Pharisees labored to define that commandment to detail exactly what works one could not do, how far a man could walk on the Sabbath, how many sticks he could carry, etc. They made sure that no good deeds may be done on that day. Such scrutinizing and interpretation of the law produced thousands of prohibitions, requirements, and totally perverted the law and its purpose as given by Moses. The name "Pharisee" means "The Separated Ones." The Pharisees composed a strict party of Judaism that was dedicated to keeping every tiny detail of the law and every rule and regulation as defined by the scribes. The Pharisees were dedicated legalists: they determined to secure their salvation by complete obedience to the Law and all of the interpretations of the scribes. Synonyms for the term "Pharisee" are "fraud," "hypocrite," "phony" and "tartuffe." Jesus forthrightly labeled them "hypocrites" (actors, pretenders) and the reasons were clearly revealed. If anyone has an idea that he can please Christ while preaching one thing and practicing another, let him read carefully Matthew 23. The denunciation of the Lord came because of the perverted and corrupt religious practice they had developed. Their sins produced a religion that Says But Does Not Do The scribes and Pharisees occupied a position of authority in teaching the law and leading in obedience to God. Instead of doing as the law requires, they commanded others, and then would not even move one of their fingers to obey the law. The emphasis upon DOING the will of God is found in many places in the New Testament. Being doers of the word and not hearers only is the point made by James in 1:22-25. Only the man who looks into the law of liberty and does the work is blessed in his deed. Not those who call upon the Lord will be saved, but those who do the will of the Father in heaven (Matt. 7:21). The wise man who built his house upon the rock versus the foolish man who built his house upon the sand, is the difference between just hearing the word, and hearing it and doing what it teaches (Matt. 7:24-27). They had built a religion based upon thousands of impossible rules and hardships which they rigorously imposed upon the people, but they shrank from doing all these things. Many people today impose such rules and restrictions upon others and try to bind burdens upon them, but they personally will not do what is required. They want, however, credit for their claim to righteousness while doing nothing, thus they become hypocrites. All that the scribes and Pharisees did was for the glory of men. They appeared to be righteous, and dressed for the salutation and approval of men. They sought the dignified titles and the high places at every gathering which exalted them above others. They were bloated with pride and hardened with the arrogance that forged them into the hypocrites that Jesus condemned. Ostentatious hypocrites occupy conspicuous places in churches of Christ across the land today. Many of them very closely resemble the scribes and Pharisees condemned here by the Lord. Mostly their fault is saying and not doing. Some will preach long and loud about how we ought to be out converting the world to Christ, but they spend very little time doing it. Some will talk about how much we ought to give to the Lord, but they rob God every Lord's day. Others teach that we must live moral and holy lives, but they are among those who are guilty of adultery, theft, lying and greed. The indispensable virtue of humility was totally lacking in the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus said just before this address to the scribes and Pharisees, "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (vs. 12). They sought the love for worldly acclaim, the applause of men, the disgusting show of empty piety, and intolerable dispositions. They were morally bankrupt. They were shamefully deceitful. Little wonder that Jesus proceeded to pronounce a series of "woes" upon them. "Woe" is a word of solemn denunciation, of punishment, of divine justice. Their religion Closed The Entrance Into The Kingdom Of Heaven The scribes and Pharisees stood in the way and kept people out of the kingdom of heaven. Their hate, envy, pride and arrogance toward Christ and his teaching compelled them to resist him with all their might. One must do the will of Christ to be in the kingdom; he must be "born again" (John 3:3,5). The kingdom and the church refer to the same body of people in the same relationship to Christ. They did not accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and therefore rejected the kingdom of heaven. They used their cunning influence to turn men to themselves and away from Jesus Christ. The same class of people were told that they had "taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered" (Luke 11:52). By keeping people from the knowledge of the truth, they are kept from the kingdom of heaven. Theirs was a religion of Greed and Deceit The King James Version has verse 14 which gives a woe for devouring widows' houses. It is found in footnote in the American Standard Version. This is in harmony with the things Jesus is saying in this chapter, and I want to include it here. They devoured widows' houses and tried to cover it with long prayers. Their greed and avarice made them insensitive to the poor and helpless. Their hypocrisy produced long prayers, no doubt to be seen of men (Matt. 6:5,7-8), in an effort to cover their sins. Oh how empty and foolish was their farce at worshiping and serving God! (End of Part One) (Part Two) In a previous article the chicanery of the scribes and Pharisees was described in some measure. We continue a brief review of Jesus' exposition of the hypocritical religion of these religious zealots in Matthew 23. Their religion was a Blind Evangelistic Zeal They compassed land and sea to make a proselyte to their own traditions, and when they had done so they made him twice as much a child of hell as they were. A child of hell, of course, means a child of the Devil, a child destined for hell. Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8:44 that they were "of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." A proselyte is a new convert to some religion or religious sect, or to some particular opinion, system, or party. It was used in this passage to indicate the conversion of a Gentile to the religion of the Jews. In the case of the scribes and Pharisees they were making the proselyte twice as bad as they were by making him extremely zealous of their foolish perversions of the law of Moses, and in so doing caused them to despise and reject Jesus Christ and his doctrine. Jesus did not condemn the evangelistic activity that leads to the obedience to the gospel of Christ, but he condemned converting one into a blind, legalistic, bigoted, ritualistic, hypocritical Pharisee: a devotee to the blind fanaticism of the scribes and Pharisees. The burning zeal of some preachers and churches today remind one of the proselyte of the Pharisees. Such radical operations as Crossroads in Gainesville, the Boston Church and others of the same color are very zealous to recruit hundreds of proselytes, who are made more ardent for the cultists cause than their teachers. In fact, that partly explains why the system continues to grow in number and financial power. Instead of making the convert a child of God, he is made a servant and a supporter of his teacher. It is done in the name of religion. They held a religion that had Foolish And Blind Reasoning The Pharisees gave great detail to ridiculous pettiness of their own traditions and were fools and blind; they debated that by which they should swear in a most illogical fashion. They were trying to distinguish between oaths that were not binding and oaths that were binding. Matthew 5:33-37 gives the teaching of Jesus on this subject. They were elevating the gold of the temple above the temple, not understanding and accepting the greatness and significance of God who sanctified it. They were portraying their stupidity and absurdity by saying that the temple did not amount to anything in an oath, but an oath by the gold of the temple makes one obligated to fulfill that oath. Such reasoning leads many to believe that unless they make an oath, they may say anything without charge of lying. Their Religion Evaded Responsibility They separated some details of the law, which they should do, but ignored some important things and left them undone. Their sin was in stressing the tithe of insignificant plants and neglecting the condition of the heart. They were charged with paying tithe of small aromatic garden herbs, "mint, anise, cummin," and neglecting the more significant things of the law: "judgment, mercy, and faith." Jesus said they strained out the gnat, and swallowed the camel. They stressed outward appearance and purity of tiny detail, and were corrupt and sordid inside. A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, neither can a vile and evil heart bring forth righteousness. The Pharisees with all their glamour and outward piety were blind spiritually and walked from an unbalanced bias of grace, law and righteousness. Their Religion Concealed Its Filth And Impurity They cleansed the outside of the cup and platter, but left the inside full of extortion and excess. Again the Pharisees emphasized the external or ceremonial deeds of the law, as interpreted by their traditions, and ignored the real sense of the law upon the heart. It is clear that Jesus is talking about washing the dishes as a ceremonial duty, but filling them with moral and spiritual rot and filth. The food on the inside of the cup and platter was pictured as having been obtained by extortion and excess; stealing from widows and orphans, defrauding all with whom they had dealings, filled with moral corruption, and imbibing of their loot with excess. That was the real filth on the inside of their cup and platter. The conversion of the heart to honesty, truth, purity and righteousness would clean the inside of the cup and platter, and thus make the outside of the dishes clean in doing those things of ceremonial nature. Jesus orders them to "first cleanse that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." Their religion was Dead and Rancid With the next woe Jesus pictures the scribes and Pharisees as they really are in character. They are described as whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful and clean on the outside, but inwardly they are filled with dead men's bones and rotting flesh, a loathsome scene. Jesus plainly said this meant that they outwardly appeared righteous to men (that is what they really sought 6:1-6), but inwardly they were full of hypocrisy and iniquity: deceit and lawlessness. The veneer of their material glamour and glitter, with the beautiful deeds of their legal tradition, covered hard hearts of unbelief, void of love and compassion for any but themselves. Their religion was Built Upon Murder And Deception The last woe concerns their hypocrisy toward the prophets and the truth to which they prophesied. Before the scribes and Pharisees, his disciples and all the people, Jesus used the most scathing denunciation and judgment against this zealous and outspoken religious sect of the Jewish religion ever recorded in the word of God. They were building beautiful and elaborate tombs for the dead prophets, which their fathers had murdered, and disclaiming their fathers for the evil deeds. They said if they had lived in the days of their fathers, they would not have been partakers with them in the blood of these prophets. At the time this was being said, they were plotting the death of Jesus. As Judas was told to do what he had planned to do, and Balaam was told to "Go with the men," Jesus told these despicable men to "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers." They were soon to deliver him up to Pilate to have him put to death. Jesus used the strongest metaphors to describe the evil and danger of the scribes and Pharisees: "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" They were guilty of the murder and severe punishment of the prophets, and were then planning the murder of Jesus. It is impossible for men to sink to a lower level than that of these religious hypocrites. We must take heed lest we fall into the same condemnation as these men. If we become like them and do their deeds, we will be under the same sentence as they were. The Lord of glory will say unto these, depart from me ye workers of iniquity into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels. -- Searching the Scriptures (Part 1: Aug 1988, vol. 29, no. 8; Part 2: Sept. 1988, vol. 29, no. 9) --------------------- -2- News & Notes Let those of us who are Christians be praying for the family and friends of Betty Whiteman (Bill Crews' sister of Clarksville, Texas) who passed January 20. She had been born in Big Spring, Texas, December 24, 1930, and had been a member of the church of Christ. Let us also keep in prayer Eloise Craver (who is undergoing therapy for hip surgery), Shiela Watts (who has been having back trouble), Ed St. Clair (who is also having back trouble), Janice Ragsdale (who was not able to be with us recently due to sickness), and Marian Edwards (my mother who has been receiving hospice care for almost 3 months). It was reported last week (in the News & Notes) of Angel Lombrage's family in Haiti, who had all lost their homes. One uncle had been killed and another left in critical condition. Angel's youngest sister (age 25) was also killed. His wife's brother is a student in Port-au-Prince, but there has been no word from him. Here is an update from R.J. Evans (received 1/27/10): Dear Friends, I spoke with Angel Lombrage this afternoon concerning his family in Haiti. He talked with one of his brothers last night. He has one brother who is missing, and two of his nieces are in critical condition. His brother reported that his mother is not doing well -- due to her grief over the loss of her children. Angel is so appreciative of all of you who have sent assistance and notes with words of encouragement. Each time I speak with him he expresses his deep gratitude for his brothers and sisters in Christ. Angel is a very gracious, humble young man. Also, please continue to remember Angel and Jasmine's daughter, Gabrielle, in your prayers. She has been in the hospital over seven months now. Jackie and I saw her a few days ago. She is in ICU in the Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge. She weighs eleven pounds. She has to have oxygen up to 95% -- the normal number is 40%. She has had two eye surgeries with over 1,200 laser hits. She has had heart surgery to repair a valve. She will need a procedure much like an angiogram in the near future. Due to having taken so many drugs, she has developed hyper-tension. There is still no definite date for when she will ever be able to go home. So as you can see -- Angel's "plate is full." Your prayers for this family are greatly appreciated. Yours in Him, R.J. Evans --------------------- The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation 1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31). 2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18). 3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). 4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38). 5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21). 6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22). -------------------- CHURCH OF CHRIST 201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn), Denham Springs, Louisiana 70726 Sunday services: 9:15 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 4 PM (worship) evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 tedwards1109 at gmail.com http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go Directions: Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road, and go less then 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on the right. We assemble in its meeting room, which is very close to the reception counter. -------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100129/503131b8/attachment-0001.html From terrywbenton at bellsouth.net Fri Jan 29 12:26:40 2010 From: terrywbenton at bellsouth.net (Terry W. Benton) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:26:40 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] DANGER: The Church of Christ Part 3 Message-ID: DANGER: The Church of Christ By David J. Stewart Reviewed and Refuted by Terry W. Benton Part 3 David J. Stewart, after saying that Christians can continue in unrepentant sin and still be saved, will not apply that to believers in the churches of Christ. So, he is in self-contradiction, and that means he has nothing valid to say about believers who are in churches of Christ. But, let us continue our examination of Stewart's arguments. DS: How can this be? It's because eternal life is a "free gift" (Romans 5:15) not conditioned upon our lifestyle. I don't know why so many people can't seem to grasp the concept of a GIFT. TB: Stewart talks out of both sides of his mouth. He argues that you do not have to repent in order to get the "free gift" but you do have to learn and believe that you don't have to repent in order to get the free gift. He says in another place: You don't have to be willing to do anything to be saved. All that is required for salvation is that you come as a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19) and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your sins (Acts 16:30,31). You don't have to surrender your life to Christ. Unquote. But notice the inherent things that are involved in his list of things. 1) You come as a guilty sinner. But, that means you must believe in your guilt and understand you are a guilty sinner in need. 2) believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But, that means that you must hear and learn the evidence that leads to believing in Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and Christ. That takes effort. So, how "free" is the gift if we have to exert this much effort to get it? 3) believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your sins. But, that means you cannot get the free gift of "forgiveness of sins" without an understanding of your need for forgiveness of sins. So, Stewart has simply cut down the list a little, but his list means the gift is no more "free" in terms of requiring nothing from him than for those who add repentance and baptism to the list. Is repentance and baptism harder work than learning guilt and learning who Jesus is and what he offers? No. The hardest work will be the learning process of understanding that guilt of sin blocks relationship with God, we are guilty of sin, and learning who Jesus is and what He offers is much harder work than the decision to repent of sins and allow someone to immerse you by faith in His blood. It is amazing that Stewart teaches that you do not have to repent or "surrender your life to Christ". Jesus said "except you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). Jesus said "repentance and remission of sins" must be taught in His name. The gift follows repentance. No remission of sins without repentance. Luke 24:47-48 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. NKJV Notice that David J. Stewart teaches the opposite of Jesus. Jesus says that repentance and remission of sins go together. You do not have one without the other. Beginning at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, this is exactly what Peter preached. Acts 2:38-39 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Notice that the "GIFT" of the Holy Spirit follows repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. Peter saw no problem with a GIFT being conditional. He had no problem with repentance being a condition for receiving the GIFT. Peter had no problem with baptism in the name of the Lord being a condition for receiving the GIFT. So, it is clear that David J. Stewart is preaching a different gospel. He is actually perverting the meaning of "free gift". "Free gift" means only that God was not obligated because of our merit. He offered it freely from His own goodness and mercy. In that way it is a "free gift". However, it is conditional. Part of the conditions for receiving this "free gift" is learning, believing, and repenting. Stewart does not teach the truth. Acts 11:18 18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." NKJV Notice that repentance is "unto LIFE". No repentance, no life. 2 Cor 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation. Notice again, no repentance, no salvation. That means no gift without repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,* not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. NKJV Notice again, no repentance, no gift of eternal life, and consequently perishing. Stewart is perverting the gospel and excluding the MAJOR condition for receiving the free gift. Luke 5:32 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." NKJV Notice that the Lord calls to repentance. No repentance, to proper response to the Lord's call. The call is to salvation and the free gift, but the free gift is not given without repentance. Stewart says that if you think you must repent then you won't get the gift. He is obviously wrong, and thus his whole attack against churches of Christ is completely erroneous. He is the false teacher in this matter. Luke 13:5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." NKJV Notice again that Jesus says you will perish if you do not repent, and Stewart says that you will perish if you DO repent. Jesus says there is no free gift except you repent, and David Stewart says there is only a free gift if you DON'T repent. Surely everyone can see that Stewart is way off the mark of truth and he teaches the opposite of Jesus and His apostles. Paul said "let him be accursed" (Gal.1:6-10). Acts 3:19-20 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 2 Again, notice that Peter's gospel of the free gift is completely the opposite of Stewart's gospel. Repentance is essential to having the sins blotted out, and sins blotted out is what the free gift involves. No repentance, no gift of salvation from sin. Stewart teaches that if you DO repent, you will not receive the free gift. He says such teaching is "demonic". He says: Lordship Salvation is a Satanic doctrine, a demonic weapon in our churches today leading multitudes into Hellfire. -Unquote. Why does he say this? Because those who believe you cannot have Jesus as Savior without first allowing Him to be your LORD through repentance, are teaching that repentance is essential to salvation (having Jesus as Savior). So, Stewart not only condemns churches of Christ, but he condemns a host of others. He says: There are multitudes of false prophets today, who have bought into the lie of Satan concerning Lordship Salvation. A few such imposters are: John MacArthur, Ray Comfort, Jack Chick, Don Piper, Paul Washer, and countless others. -Unquote. So, those of you who are celebrating Stewart's attack on churches of Christ, need to understand that he is likely attacking YOUR religious beliefs as well. He is certainly attacking Jesus' teaching about the necessity of repentance, and he is attacking the Apostle's teaching about the necessity of repentance. Acts 17:30-31 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." NKJV Was Paul telling this to people who were already saved and had already received the "free gift"? No! He was telling sinners it was necessary to repent in order to prepare for the judgment. No repentance, no being ready for the judgment. Now, learning, believing, and repenting, and being baptized are conditions for the free gift. If I said I have a "free gift" for you. It is in the trunk of my car. You must take my key, go out to the car, open the trunk, and bring the wrapped box to me. If you "take the key", has it now become any less a "free gift"? No! If you go out to the car and open the trunk, has it now become anything less than a "free gift"? If you bring the wrapped box to me, has it now become less than a "free gift"? Certainly not. Learning about our sinful condition, learning about our guilt before God, learning about Jesus Christ, believing, repenting, and being baptized in His name for remission of sins are all essential to receiving the free gift, and none of those things make the gift anything less than a free gift from the goodness and mercy of God. NONE of those conditions make it any less a "free gift". Now, lifestyle will surely be planned in advance to be a different lifestyle. Lifestyle conviction of sin (conviction that our lifestyle has been sinful) will be a prerequisite to receiving the free gift. Also, determination to live a new and different lifestyle (repentance) will also be a prerequisite to the free gift of salvation. Churches of Christ have never said that a sinner must live a perfect life before he can be saved. But, a sinner must repent of sins (change his attitude about sin, and change his attitude about God and holiness). When forgiven of past sins, he is saved. But, he cannot "continue in sin that grace may abound" (Rom.6:1f). So, it is a false charge that churches of Christ teach anything that makes the "free gift" any less free. Now, let us be clear about what "free gift" means. 1) It does not mean that it will not cost you in terms of self-sacrifice, learning, belief, and repentance. It will cost you everything. (Rom.12:1ff; Luke 14:25-35; Matt.16:24-27). But, it is a "free gift" on God's part. 2) It does mean that God was not obligated by our merits. We had no merits that obligated God. It means that only God's own goodness moved Him to offer the means of salvation. He did that "freely" from his own goodness and mercy. Thus, it is a "free gift". Now, "free gift" is the phrase that Stewart has twisted. Yet, he has not twisted it so as to make his position look any better than John MacArthur's or the churches of Christ. See, even Stewart has conditions. If ONE condition makes it cease to be a free gift, then all of Stewart's conditions make it cease to be a free gift. He cannot pick and choose which conditions. Stewart doesn't teach universal salvation, and he blames man for not receiving the free gift. Thus, man must learn that he needs the gift, learn that there is a gift, and learn who gives it, believe it and be willing to receiving it. His list of things is just shorter than MacArthur's. MacArthur recognizes that repentance is also essential. But now notice this amazing self-contradiction from Stewart. Remember that he already said earlier that man has NO PART in salvation. DS. The only part that man has in God's salvation is to BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). TB: Stewart cannot keep his doctrine straight in even one article. He said earlier: "First, salvation is of God alone, and not men. .. Man has no part in God's salvation." But, now he says man DOES have a part. He now says "The only part that man has in God's salvation is to BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31)." Obviously, Stewart shows himself to have no credibility when he says two opposite and contradictory things within the same article. Either man has NO PART or he does have a part. Stewart tries to criticize the article on the church of Christ website for claiming man has a part, and now he admits man does have a part. So, his initial criticism of the article was false. Stewart cannot be correct in both parts of his article. Now, believing on the LORD Jesus Christ is believing in LORDSHIP salvation. So, Stewart shoots himself in the foot here again. What does believing in Jesus entail? It entails repentance and baptism just as it did on the day of Pentecost. So, that is why Paul and Silas spoke to him the word of the Lord, giving him the reasons to believe in the LORD Jesus Christ, and urging him to be baptized the same hour of the night. (Acts 16: 31-34). Learning of Jesus moves one to conclude that they need to be baptized to receive the GIFT (Acts 2:38; 8:33ff). It was so urgent that it could not wait till the next day or a more convenient time. Baptism was an action of faith and repentance where one believes he is buried with Christ and his sins are cut off with a circumcision made without hands (Col.2:12). One believes in the operation of God, and they believe that operation takes place in baptism. The operation without hands is the cutting off of the sins of the flesh. The Philippian Jailor was baptized in such faith, and there received the free gift just as the Jews on Pentecost (Acts 2:36-41). Repentance and baptism were acts of faith, and they were the conditions of faith that God required in order to receive the gift freely given by God's goodness and mercy. Once again, we have exposed the contradictory double-talk of David J. Stewart, who not only accuses churches of Christ of being cultic and Satanic deceivers, but he also claims that anybody who teaches that repentance is essential to salvation is a cultic and Satanic deceiver. For those of you who rejoice in Stewart's effort to slam churches of Christ, you need to beware of the fact that he has slammed Jesus and His apostles too, and he has slammed a great many who are in denominations you might not want him to slam. He is likely slamming your religion too, and he is doing this by making false arguments. (to be continued) Terry W. Benton www.pinelanechurchofchrist.com terrywbenton at bellsouth.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100129/de56f2b7/attachment-0001.html From robertwater at gmail.com Fri Jan 29 16:24:25 2010 From: robertwater at gmail.com (Robert Waters) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:24:25 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] A) Categories of Atheists Message-ID: *Categories of Atheists* *(author unknown)* * * *1) Angry Atheists - those who either consciously or sub-consciously blame God for personal tragedies or human tragedy in general (death, wars, suffering, hunger etc.) which is proof positive to them that there is NO God. * * * *2) Amused Atheists - those who consider themselves 'Enlightened' and transcend other humans who exhibit 'Faith' and consider them simpletons, while considering themselves intellectually and morally superior. * * * *3) Behavioral Atheists - a prime example are homosexuals, who find themselves in contradiction to natural law and blame their deviancy on God or anything other than chosen behavior. These Atheists are against any concept that does not endorse their behavior - if God endorsed Homosexuality, Homosexuals would be the most strident believers in God. * * * *4) Argumentum ad ignorantiam Atheists - those that hold something is false only because it hasn't been proved true (God), or that something is true only because it has not been proved false (AGW). * * * *5) Atheistic Contrarians - those humans who are always against anything that is commonly held, if 99% of humans were Atheists - they would believe in God. * * * *6) Marxist Atheists et al - those who believe that Government by humans and for humans, must have the highest allegiance and anything else (God) must be secondary and therefore inferior or non-existent by definition. They believe that man can make a Utopia on Earth without any spiritual help. * * * *7) Amoralistic Egoism or 'Individualist Atheist' - those who believe their freedom to do anything 'freely chosen', supersedes any guideline, creed, commandments or moral restrictions, placed on them by God, or anything or anyone else. (our president and our congress) * * * *8) Narcissistic Atheists - those who believe that anything they do not know or are capable of knowing is therefore false and patently intellectually dishonest. * * * *If God does NOT exist, why do so many Humans fight against God? (Great question!!!* * * * * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100129/8a3f3db4/attachment.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Sat Jan 30 06:22:11 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:22:11 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) GOD HAS SPOKEN Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, JIm Sasser here. A very good Saturday morn- ing to each and everyone. Mat God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: GOD HAS SPOKEN "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, consid- ering yourself lest you also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that the who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul form death and cover a multitude of sins" (Jas. 5:19,20). "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word! Be ready in seas- on and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long- suffering and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:1,2). "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses, and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:24-26). "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be com- plete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16,17) These passages, along with the rest of the Scripture, are the basis and reason for these articles published for the last several years. If I have written error, you, brethren, are responsible be- fore God to correct me. If what has been written here is true and Scriptural, then we all are responsible to accept the truth and to bring our lives into harmony with it. "Walk as children of light" (Eph. 5:8). We must bring "every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). We cannot rightly be indiffer- ent to error. We can know the truth (Jno. 8:31,32), and we must reprove the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11), exposing them as error. Our acceptance and practice of the truth will not be hidden, and any practice of error will be exposed by the light of truth. "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matt. 7:16-20). Your responses to these articles are welcome. --- Gilbert Alexander. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Sat Jan 30 06:22:23 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:22:23 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) THE REAL TEST: WILL IT WORK? (2) Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the second and final installment on this particular study. Use to the glory of God. THE REAL TEST: WILL IT WORK? (2) The Test Of Truth: -- No matter what else it may do, if your relig- ious faith is not based on the truth of god, it cannot provide what you need. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jno. 8:32). For your religious faith to work, it cannot be based on superstition, wishful thinking or fal- se promises. The apostles emphasized this in Matt. 14:33 when they said to Jesus, "Of a truth Thou art the Son of God." That is the reason they followed Him. As Jesus said later, "I am the way, and the truth and the life" (Jno. 14:6). The Bible tells us, "The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (Jno. 1:17). Confronted by the Pharisees, and charged with neglecting the traditions of the elders, Jesus replied, "Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophe- sy of you, saying, This people honoreth Me with their lips; But their heart si far from Me, But in vain do they worship Me, Teach- ing as their doctrines the precepts of men" (Matt. 15:7-9). If your religion is nto based on truth, it just will not work. Jesus, in praying to the Father in heaven, said of the apost- les, "Sanctify them with the truth, Thy Word is truth" (Jno. 17:17) Jesus promised the apostles that He would send them the Holy Spirit to guide them: "Howbeit when He the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall guide you into all the truth" (Jno. 16:13). The apostle Peter wrote later, "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" (2 Pet. 1:3). The Word of God contains all truth in the spiritual realm. If it is the Word of God, it is true. Many assume that they can do whatever they want in worship and God will accept it. But that idea is not in His Word. And any religion that is based on some- thing else is not true. That is why Jesus said of the Father, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (Jno. 4:24). If the worship of your religion is nto found in the Word of God, it will avail nothing. It will be vain worship (Mt. 15:9). The Test Of The Final Judgment: -- As important as those first three tests are, the greatest test is yet future. Paul wrote, "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord" (1 Cor. 4:3,4). One may have a religion that is endorsed by the social community and that brings satis- faction to him, but if that religion is not pleasing to God, he will fail the greatest test of all. How can we know if our religions will pass the test or not? Jesus replies, "He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day" (Jno. 12: 48). No matter how popular my religion nor how well I like it, if it does not work for me when I face the Lord in Judgment, then I will lose my soul. We are to serve our God in His Son, Jesus Christ (Jno. 14:6; Acts 4:12). We read in Rev. 20 that we shall be judged by our works. And Paul wrote, "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes. 1:3). It is our works "IN CHRIST" that will be remembered in the Judgment of God. But the punishment of God awaits those who, "Know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thes. 1:8). One may live a good, moral life and serve his fellow man, but if he is not in Jesus Christ, his religion will not avail him anything eternally. I often hear people say that "which church" doesn't matter. "Just choose a church serve God in it, and everything will be fine." That may pass the first two tests, but it miserably fails the last two! According to God's truth (Jno. 17:17), the Lord Jesus only built one church (Matt. 16:18) and adds those whom He saves to that one church (Acts 2:47; Eph. 5:23). Friend, if you are not in THAT church, you do not have the right religion, for Christ is the Savior of His church (Eph. 5:23), and He has not promised to save any other. Obedience to the Lord's command of baptism can be casua- lly brushed aside now. But when we face Christ in Judgment, it becomes crucial. He may well ask, "Did you not read what I said in My Father's Word?" "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mk. 16:16). The Lord tells us that we are, "Baptized into Christ, baptized into His death. We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death" (Rom. 6:3,4). Again, "For ye are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (Gal. 3:26, 27). If this is not part of your religious faith, you've got the wrong religion! For that is what God plainly says. And rememb- er that Jesus is "the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9). What of your religion? Will it pass all four of the above tests? Really, most people only use the first two tests, and some only the second one. But it should be apparent that the most important test our religion could face is the Lord's test. After all, He should be the Author of our faith. "Looking unto Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith" (Heb. 12:2). As not- ed before, His Word will judge us in the last day (Jno. 12:48), so we had better know tht Word and learn what He requires of us. In view of that test, will you be satisfied with your choice of relig- ious life? Or, are there changes that you need to make so that God will approve your religion? You cannot afford to wait till the final test to see how your religion measures up. Test it now. "These were more noble than they of Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things be so" (Acts 17:11). A "dud cannon" in a cartoon may be humorous, but a "dud religion" in the judgment will be an eternal disaster. "Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5). What of your religion, will it pass all of the tests we have studied? Will it work? --------------------------------- Clem Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 59, No. 4, Jan. 22, 2010. From wswalker310 at juno.com Fri Jan 29 16:07:12 2010 From: wswalker310 at juno.com (Wayne S Walker) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:07:12 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] hymn study, "Our King Immanuel" Message-ID: <20100130.085516.1548.1.wswalker310@juno.com> 1/30/10 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I am taking a break. For the last nearly five years, since August of 2005, I have sought to provide a hymn study every day, six days a week, with occasional exceptions for vacations and other trips. I have by no means exhausted my material. The vast majority of hymns which I have used come from hymnbooks published during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, and there are many, many more of those that I wish to examine. In addition, there are literally thousands of hymns and gospel songs which have never found their way into books published among churches of Christ but are deserving of notice. However, at this particular point in time, there are several things going on in our lives that cause me to see the need to take a break. I have begun preaching for a small congregation, and what they are able to pay me is not sufficient to meet my family?s needs, so I am having to make an attempt to raise regular support from other churches. Given the financial situation that our nation has been through, this is not easy at the present time. Also, while there is much information available on the Internet, all my books and other materials that I have used for my hymn studies over the years are packed in storage right now. And I have other interests and responsibilities that take time and lead me to make this decision. This does NOT mean that the hymn studies are going to go away. I still plan to post a new one each week. Thus, at least for the time being, it will be a weekly hymn study rather than a daily hymn study. If you are interested in finding any of the past hymn studies that I have done, you can locate them all in the archives at the Hymn of the Day Yahoogroups website ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hymnoftheday ). In addition, a large number of them have been updated and are also posted at my hymn studies weblog ( http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hymnstudies/ ). I do appreciate the encouragement that so many of you have given me in this endeavor, and I hope that even once a week, the hymn studies will still be interesting and useful. Thanks so much. Wayne S. Walker Wayne Walker here with another weekly hymn study. ?OUR KING IMMANUEL? ?And they shall call His name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us? (Matt. 1:23) INTRO.: A song which praises Christ as Immanuel which means ?God with us? is ?Our King Immanuel? (#11 in Hymns for Worship, and #171 in Sacred Selections for the Church). The text was written by James Rowe (1865-1933). Rowe was a prolific author of hymn texts; his best known song is likely ?Love Lifted Me.? The tune for ?Our King Immanuel? was composed by Samuel William Beazley (1873-1944). Beazley produced tunes for many southern style gospel songs. ?Our King Immanuel? is usually dated 1914. Sacred Selections says that the copyright was renewed in 1942, which would make the original copyright date 1914. However, Songs of the Church says that the copyright was renewed in 1943, which would make the original copyright date 1915. The earliest book in which I could trace the song was The Song Harvest edited Emmett S. Dean and published by the Trio Music Co. of Waco, TX, in 1915. The earliest book from Beazley in which I could trace it was Tribute of Praise which he edited for the Ruebush Kieffer Co. of Dayton, VA, in 1918. Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord?s church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, it may currently be found in the 1971 Songs of the Church edited by Alton H. Howard; and the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; in addition to Hymns for Worship Revised (not in original edition), Sacred Selections, and the 2009 Favorite Songs of the Church edited by Robert Taylor Jr. The song expresses praise to Jesus as our King. I. Stanza 1 encourages us to worship Him ?See the Monarch of monarchs Come in majesty! Let us bow down and worship Him Who doeth all things well; He leads the nations out of sin And causes foes to flee: All hail (All hail our King Immanuel!) Our King Immanuel.? A. The word ?monarch? means king, and Jesus came to be King: Rev. 19:11-16 B. Because He is the King, we should bow down and worship Him, as did the Wise Men: Matt. 2:1-11 C. As our King, He leads us out of sin: Matt. 1:21 II. Stanza 2 reminds us of His blessings ?Like the waves of the ocean Rolls His praise today, For His wonderful love has helped So many to excel; He sends the captives, free from chains, All singing on their way: All hail (All hail our King Immanuel!) Our King Immanuel.? A. The redeemed are pictured as praising Him because of what He has done: Rev. 5:8-10 B. His wonderful love has helped so many by offering Himself as a sacrifice: Eph. 5:2 C. Through Him we can be free from sin: Rom. 6:17-18 III. Stanza 3 points to that day when we see Him on high ?O the joy that will thrill us Some glad day on high, When we see Him in glory, where Celestial praises swell; Where cherubim and seraphim (Now) join us when we cry: All hail (All hail our King Immanuel!) Our King Immanuel.? A. Some glad day on high refers to that time when the Lord returns and we stand before His throne: Matt. 25:31-32 B. At that time, we shall see Him in glory as He is: 1 Jn. 3:1-2 C. Then we shall join with the cherubim and seraphim, and all the angels of the heavenly host, to praise Him: Rev. 7:9-17. You may notice the word ?now? in parenthesis. All of our books have it, but I suspect that it was originally ?shall? or ?will? and was changed by Ellis J. Crum in Sacred Selections due to his rather unique view that to acknowledge Jesus as King at or after His second coming is somehow necessarily premillennial, although practically all my other hymnbooks are packed in storage so that I cannot check them. In the original print of Sacred Selections, the word ?now? is in a different style and not well aligned with the other words, suggesting that it was added to replace another word. Then the rest of our books simply copied from it. CONCL.: The chorus continues the expression of praise in honor to Jesus as the world?s Redeemer. ?O honor His name forever For what His grace has done His mighty love in every Heart should dwell, For He is the world?s Redeemer, Jehovah?s only Son! All hail (All hail our King Immanuel!) Our King Immanuel.? All hail (All hail our King Immanuel!) Our King Immanuel.? As I said of yesterday?s hymn, this one is also not easy to sing since the sopranos have to hold a high F for nine beats three times each stanza. Again, many of the songs that were part of the Stamps-Baxter repertoire were written for country music singing conventions and not really intended for congregational worship. Some congregations are able to render them while others are not. Yet, this one has apparently been rather popular, and it is surely right for us to hail ?Our King Immanuel.? Brotherly, Wayne S. Walker 503 S. Jefferson St. Salem, IL 62881 home phone: (618) 548-6286 cell phone: (618) 292-2694 e-mail: wswalker310 at juno.com website: www.defenderoftruth.com Notes: Other hymn studies are available at the Defender of Truth website. Also, some of my previous hymn studies are now included in book that I have written entitled Songs of Zion. It can be ordered from the publisher by calling 1-800-423-2484 or going to www.faith-facts.com . And I have a Hymn Studies blog at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hymnstudies/ . In addition, since this has been called to my attention, I now feel it necessary to include this disclaimer with each message. As owner of this list, I have nothing to do with the ads and links that Yahoogroups sends out with the Hymn of the Day posts nor do I have any control over them. I do not necessarily approve of them and I do not always endorse those who have placed them with Yahoogroups. ____________________________________________________________ Small Business Tools Compete with the big boys. Click here to find products to benefit your business. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=1Ca-HKdxn-VR0hfb3bmodAAAJ1AqWLnxUT_Og0R1xxm43-TkAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARMQAAAAA= -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100129/466652ac/attachment-0001.html From tssullivan at charter.net Sat Jan 30 18:31:43 2010 From: tssullivan at charter.net (T. Sean Sullivan) Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:31:43 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] The Messenger Vol 005 Iss 005 Message-ID: <7FB3936CC0E54F4A9466ECD47F3F857A@seansdesk> The Messenger 2010 Published Weekly by Main Street Church of Christ 306 West Main Street, Newbern, TN 38059 Bulletin Editor: T. Sean Sullivan VOLUME 005::ISSUE 005: January 31, 2010 This Week's Article: Do You Know Jesus? The Shepherd, The Vine, The Way Introduction: Even beyond personally associated names, there are many titles and descriptions specific to Jesus reveal further knowledge of His character. The importance of this knowledge is brought to our attention by Peter's admonition from 2 Peter 3:18, "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." Each and every name, title, or descriptive term merit our searching and knowing. For the sake of our study we will focus on the most prominent among the many. The more that we learn about Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, the more endeared to us He should be. Every dimension of Jesus Christ enlightens us to His compassion and care toward those who will heed Him. Let's open our Bible texts and consider these three descriptions: The Shepherd, The Vine, and The Way. The Shepherd: John 10:11-14 Jesus is the shepherd, we are the sheep. We know that the term sheep refers to Christians; this is clear from John 10:11-14 as well as John 21:15-17. This same metaphor is used to describe Christians later in Acts 20:28-29. In 1 Peter 5:2-3 we read of Christians being described as a flock. Jesus provides for us, as a shepherd provides for his sheep--a shepherd leads and directs the flock. Jesus provides direction for us in word and deed. His words are to direct our steps (John 10:4). He directs us in the way of all truth (John 14:26, 15:26; 16:12-15) and we need to follow His direction (John 14:15). He deeds also direct us and we are to follow His example (1 Peter 2:21-23)-always seeking to emulate His character (1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Peter 4:1-2). We do not wander aimlessly-we have direction supplied by the Good Shepherd. The Vine: John 15:1-8 Jesus is the Vine, the supplier and sustainer of the branches. Jesus declares that He is the vine and we are branches. Even as a branch cannot grow without its connection to the vine, we are needful of Christ. The key to our connection to Christ; to our life-supply is in the word "abide". Three times Jesus instructs us to abide in Him: directly, in verse 4, "abide in me"; conditionally negative, in verse 6, "if anyone does not abide in me"; and conditionally positive, in verse 7, "If you abide with Me". What does "abide" mean? Mr. Strong's definition is: to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy). Other Biblical synonyms are: continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, and wait (for). To "abide" we must remain in, dwell in, and stand in Christ. Certainly this means His instructions (John 8:31-32). The instructions of Christ are always for our betterment-our supply. Jesus supplies better joy (John 15:11); better peace (Philippians 4:6-7); and better hope (Romans 5:6-10). Without Christ the Vine we have no true joy, peace, or hope. As He says in John 15:5 "for without Me you can do nothing"-in order to continue on, we need these sustaining blessings. The Way: John 14:1-6 Jesus provides us access to the Father. We know that we are not able to make this connection without Him (John 14:6). It is plain that there are no exceptions to this statement. Jesus proclaims, "no one" gains access to the Father "except through Me" (John 6:66-68; Acts 4:12). With Christ we have the hope of access to the Father (Ephesians 2:13-18; 3:8-12) How do we gain the "way of Christ"? It starts by recognizing your need for a Shepherd, and a provider of sustaining blessings, sustaining and motivating supply of joy, peace, and hope, but those who enter into Christ and maintain their place there, are on His way (Ephesians 1:3-10) Conclusion: Through Jesus we receive what we need. We need direction from the Shepherd. We need a supply for growth from the Vine. We need the access to Heaven supplied by the Way. These three descriptive terms, teach that Jesus leads us, sustains us, and gives us access to the Father. Are you in need of direction, joy, peace, hope, and a relationship with God? Your only opportunity to gain these needful things through Jesus is now. ~tss If you are enjoying The Messenger and you know someone else who would like to receive it. Please forward this copy to them and send their email address and I will add them to the list. Sean -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100130/52c9d96d/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 3445 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100130/52c9d96d/attachment-0002.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 7811 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100130/52c9d96d/attachment-0003.gif From GLClair at aol.com Sun Jan 31 06:58:01 2010 From: GLClair at aol.com (GLClair at aol.com) Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:58:01 EST Subject: [Biblemat] HILLIARD BULLETIN for February 2010 Message-ID: <1b9f.3e6588e8.3896d859@aol.com> Hilliard Bulletin Published by the church of Christ Meeting at 4840 Cemetery Road - P.O. Box 96 Hilliard, Ohio 43026 Phone: (614) 876-4089 Preacher & Editor: Garreth L. Clair Phone: (614) 850-7252 _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) =========================================================== Volume 12 Number 2 February 2010 HEAVEN (A DESCRIPTION) 1. A PLACE OF ETERNAL REST; Revelation 14:13, 13 and I heard the voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labors; for their works is to follow with them. ASV 2. A PLACE OF CONTINUOUS LIFE: Revelation 21:4, 4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. 3. A PLACE OF PURITY: Jude 24, 24 Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, 4. A PLACE OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP: Revelation 5:12, 12 saying with a great voice, worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and blessing. Revelation 5:8-14, 8 And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood (men) of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, 10 and madest them (to be) unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth. 11 And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 saying with a great voice, worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, (be) the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever. 14 And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped. ASV 5. A PLACE OF HAPPINESS: Revelation 7:17, Psalms 16:11, 11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is Fullness of joy; in thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. ASV 6. A PLACE OF PERFECT KNOWLEDGE: 1 Corinthians 13:12, 12 for now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. ASV Revelation 22:4 ? 4 and they shall see his face; and his name (shall be) on their foreheads. ASV A PLACE OF ENDURING COMFORT: Revelation 7:13-17, A PLACE OF CONTINUOUS GOOD HEALTH: Revelation 21:4, HEAVEN IS A FANTASTIC PLACE, HEAVEN IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, HEAVEN IS MUCH MORE THAN WE CAN IMAGINE, DON'T YOU WANT TO GO THERE? THE VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF GOSPEL MEETINGS The value of gospel meetings [i.e. revivals] have long been a subject of debate. On the one hand there are those that champion the philosophy that the gospel meeting of today does no good. There are those on the other hand that tell us that the value of gospel meetings to the overall spiritual and numerical growth of the congregation is substantial. If we look only at the conversions to be numbered in the gospel meeting we may indeed claim that they have not been productive in recent years -- generally speaking. Surely the immediate number of conversions is an inadequate devise for measuring the benefits of a gospel meeting, please notice the following: 1. THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED EACH SERVICE DURING A GOSPEL MEETING: 2 Tim. 4:2, 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. NKJV 2. BRETHREN HAVE OCCASION TO INTERACT TOGETHER: Eph. 4:3, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. NKJV 3. THE CONGREGATION IS STIMULATED TO UNITED EFFORT: Heb. 10:24-25 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 4. OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET CHRISTIANS FROM OTHER CONGREGATIONS IS ENHANCED: 1 Thess. 1:8, 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. KJV 5. THE LOCAL MEMBERSHIP HAS SPECIAL INCENTIVE TO INVITE OTHERS TO ATTEND THE SERVICES: Matt. 28:19, 6. IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN TO WORK: Titus 3:1-2, 1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, James 1:25-26 7. IT IS A TIME FOR PERSONAL AND CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER: 1 Thess. 5:17, 18, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) Robert (BOB) Messbarger ask to place membership with the congregation here this past Lord?s Day. Bob become a part of the church here in Hilliard; the announcement was made Sunday morning on the 24th of January. IDENTIFYING NEEDED GROWTH AREAS IN THE CHRISTIAN All Christians are encouraged by the apostle Peter to grow spiritually - 2 Peter 3:18 - But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. In 2 Peter 1:5-9 we have listed seven points of growth where the Christian must develop as they seek maturity. The new Christian is to seek aid in growth from other faithful brethren and through personal study and Bible class association. Please notice the seven points listed: TEXT: 2 Peter 1:5-9 - 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. KJV 1-Virtue 2-Knowledge 3-Temperance 4-Patience - - > 2 PETER 1:9-10 5-Godliness 6-Brotherly Kindness 7-Love (Charity) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100131/4bafe8ff/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 336 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100131/4bafe8ff/attachment-0001.gif From crxtra at gmail.com Sat Jan 30 21:40:20 2010 From: crxtra at gmail.com (Steven C. Harper) Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:40:20 -0700 Subject: [Biblemat] A> A Warner Doesn't Retire Message-ID: <000001caa227$1f1207a0$5d3616e0$@com> A Warner Doesn't Retire Last Friday, Cardinals' quarterback Kurt Warner announced his retirement from the NFL. I have to say that, while I understood his reasons and could not argue with his decision, I am disappointed and I am not looking forward to next season as much as I would have if he had decided to stay one more year. Kurt Warner was a humble, truly kind person, and a man not ashamed to give God credit for his many blessings and opportunities - a stark contrast to the egotistical, selfish, and money-hungry players that seem to be the norm today. I, for one, think the league will be a lesser organization without him. But that's not what the headline reads, is it? And why are we talking about Kurt Warner and football? Well, this article is not about Kurt Warner, the recently-retired football player, per se, but about you and me and all disciples. Coincidentally, while I was thinking about Warner's announcement, I just happened to be reading a passage that talked about another kind of warner; you see, we are warners [pardon the stretch here]. The apostle Paul wrote the Colossian brethren that he was one of those who preached Christ, "warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ" (Col. 1:28). Yes, Paul believed it necessary to warn men because there were reasons to warn! Many people have come to believe that the gospel is nothing but good news, and they love to tell you so should you dare tell them they are in sin or are following error. It seems that if anyone should point out that a doctrine or practice does not agree with [or plainly contradicts] the written and revealed word of God, someone will almost certainly take offense and heatedly complain, "I thought the gospel meant 'good news'; why are you being so negative?" It is a weak and irrelevant response to those who correctly point out the various errors that now exist, and demonstrates a lack of understanding of what the message of Jesus Christ actually is and what actually comprises the entirety of the gospel we should be preaching. When Paul was headed back to Jerusalem, he took the time to stop in Miletus, where he called for the elders of the church in Ephesus to come down and, when they had come, he warned them of "savage wolves" who would "come in among you, not sparing the flock," and "men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:17-30). Paul then said, "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears" (v. 31). Do you think Paul was right in warning these spiritual leaders, or was he out of line? If we remember Paul spoke and wrote by inspiration, we would understand Paul was absolutely correct in warning these men of the certainty of dangerous ones who would come in their midst. As 'uncomfortable' as it may have been to hear [especially since he directed the warning directly at them], it was necessary for the saving of souls! Do you think Paul thought there ever came a time when he could cease warning people about "righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment" (cf. Acts 24:25)? Do you think there was a time when Paul would tell Timothy to not "Preach the word" (2nd Tim. 4:2)? Do you think there was a time when Paul thought he no longer needed to warn brethren to "Flee from sexual immorality" (1st Cor. 6:18), "flee youthful passions" (2nd Tim. 2:22), or "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ" (Col. 2:8)? No, I do not believe for a second that Paul ever had such a desire because he understood those dangers [that is what they are - dangers] would never go away and, if not alert to them, disciples could be overcome by sin or error and be devoured by the enemy (cf. 1st Pet. 5:8). In fact, I don't even have to guess about that because Paul would write, near the end of his life, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2nd Tim. 4:7, 8). Paul understood the duty to warn unbelievers and brethren alike is a truly never-ending responsibility and did not cease to warn others whenever the opportunity arose, whether great men or small (cf. Acts 26:22). As a professional football player and quarterback, Kurt Warner faced the opposition and excelled. Whenever he dropped back, there were at least three or four guys on the other team who were trying their best to get to him, to shake his resolve, to affect his accuracy, and to prevent him from advancing. He was one of the best who ever played the position and, in his prime, could hit receivers like Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Marshall Faulk or, later, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, or Steve Breaston in stride and the defense would be caught off guard while the ball went down field and, often, resulted in yet another score. But Kurt Warner will be the first to tell you he didn't always get the ball off in time. In fact, some of those times are why he decided to retire. Sometimes, the opposing team was successful in getting to him and he ended up on his back; many other times, he got the ball off but was hit anyway. As a professional football player, though, he had to get back up and try it again.and again and again. Disciples who are involved in the work of the Lord's kingdom and who do it well can understand the joys of success - and the pains of waking up the next day having suffered failures and defeats. Mature disciples know that not every unbeliever will gladly hear the word of God and that some will, in fact, try very hard to oppose you at every turn (cf. Acts 17:5-13), but that they must pick themselves up and keep trying it over and over. Disciples must continue to warn the lost of the impending Judgment and the fact all must give an account (2nd Cor. 5:10); there is no such thing as vacation, much less retirement! After all, our efforts are much more important than some game played on a 120-yard patch of grass where many players earn millions of dollars and enjoy luxuries beyond the imagination of most people. The task of the disciple is to win souls, and there is no quitting. We cannot afford to retire. And while Kurt Warner was good, it is a fact that he didn't complete 100% of his passes. He kept throwing it, though. He occasionally fumbled the ball or cost the team the game by throwing interceptions. But He also knew the only way to win was to keep going at it. He knew, also, that he was a part of a team, and not out there on his own. [If he had to do it all by himself, I think he would have retired a lot earlier!] He depended on his offensive linemen to protect him and he depended on the running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers to run their patterns and do their assigned duties so he could do his and the team - as a whole - would achieve success. He knew that his responsibility was to learn his responsibilities and motivate others and work with them to help them accomplish theirs. We, too, must realize that we are part of a team. Brethren at the local church where you work and worship are there to help you achieve success in spiritual matters, but we must all learn to work together and each do his or her duties; if we do, success will come (cf. Eph. 4:11-16). Will we win 100% of the souls we teach? No, but we keep trying! We must keep warning the lost of their eventual end (cf. Matt. 7:13) and try our best to lead them in the right way (v. 14). We may get tired and beat up, but it is certain we cannot afford to retire. But for Kurt Warner, he had the option of retiring. The decision was his to make, and several factors led him to choose retirement over another year of playing. He weighed the risks and decided it was time to call it quits. Disciples of Jesus cannot do that - must not do that. One whose responsibility is to warn the lost of the certainty of the Judgment, the pains of eternal punishment, and who warns brethren to not be drawn back into the world of ungodliness can never retire from this essential task; souls are at stake! God told Ezekiel that if he did his duty and warned the sinner to repent, even if the sinner rejected the warning and died in his sin, Ezekiel would preserve his own soul (Ezek. 3:17-19). If he listened, both would be saved! As a watchman, it was his duty to warn the sinners, and he could never shirk that responsibility, regardless of what others do. Neither can we. A warner doesn't retire. -- Steven Harper -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100130/ff2b581f/attachment-0001.html