From terrywbenton at bellsouth.net Wed Mar 3 11:59:27 2010 From: terrywbenton at bellsouth.net (Terry W. Benton) Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 11:59:27 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] The Coming of the Lord Message-ID: <9F0B57106EFB4EE4B6E2534533D4176D@TerryPC> The Coming of the Lord The Coming of Temporal Judgments and The Coming of Final Judgment There will be a second coming of the Lord (Acts 1:11). All will then be raised and the judgment will occur at that moment. (1 Cor.15:23-25; John 12:48). That will be the last day of earth history. However, not every passage that talks about the coming of the Lord is talking about the final coming of the Lord. The Lord came upon Babylon (Isaiah 13) and Egypt (Isaiah 19). The language is identical to the coming of the Lord that would bring down the Jerusalem temple (Matt.24:1-34). That very generation saw that coming of the Lord just as Jesus promised. His word did not fail. The Battle Hymn of the Republic uses that kind of language. "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord" is the common way of describing a war and disaster when a righteous cause is involved. The Jews saw the glory of the coming of the Lord when they were in Babylonian captivity and the Medes and Persians trampled the Babylonians who enslaved them. The Battle Hymn of the Republic was written with a view to seeing the Union troops freeing the slaves and being the means of God coming in wrath against the enslavers. Christians had been persecuted by the Jews. By AD 68 all the apostles except John were executed. Jerusalem had been the evil center of persecution against God's holy people, the church (spiritual Israel). In AD 70 the world saw the glory of the coming of the Lord in a terrible outpouring of wrath against the unbelieving center of Judaism. That was as much a "coming of the Lord" as was His coming against Babylon (Isaiah 13) and His riding on the clouds against Egypt (Isaiah 19). Let us consider the style of language that was used to describe the fall of Babylon by the Medes and Persians. Isa 13:1 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. NKJV Isa 13:4-10 The Lord of hosts musters The army for battle. 5 They come from a far country, >From the end of heaven - The Lord and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land. 6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man's heart will melt, 8 And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames. 9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. NKJV TB: Notice that it is described as a "coming of the Lord". Notice also that it uses the language of cosmic darkness. We understand that 9-11-2001 was a day of great darkness. Physically it was a clear day, but in our minds and hearts it was dark. The sun was not shining. All was dark. That is the way destruction has always been described. In the death camps of Germany and Poland, we cannot even imagine that the sun was ever shining or the stars and moon gave it's light. It was such a dark day in the world. Quote: Brzezinka, Poland-The most terrible thing of all, somehow, was that at Brzezinka the sun was bright and warm, the rows of graceful poplars were lovely to look upon, and on the grass near the gates children played. It all seemed frighteningly wrong, as in a nightmare, that at Brzezinka the sun should ever shine or that there should be light and greenness and the sound of young laughter. It would be fitting if at Brzezinka the sun never shone and the grass withered, because this is a place of unutterable terror. And yet every day, from all over the world, people come to Brzezinka, quite possibly the most grisly tourist center on earth. They come for a variety of reasons-to see if it could really have been true, to remind themselves not to forget, to pay homage to the dead by the simple act of looking upon their place of suffering. http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/Elements_of_Lit_Course4/Collection%206/No%20News%20from%20Auschwitz.htm One writer said of those days: "The sun will never truly shine on Majdanek again". That outlook has characterized many songs of broken hearts like: "I don't care what's going on...The sun don't shine anymore ..." Now, back to the language used in Isaiah 13:1-10. The explanation is found in verses 15-19. Isa 13:15-19 Everyone who is found will be thrust through, And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. 16 Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished. 17 "Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. 18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. NKJV Verses 15-19 explain why the sun was darkened and the stars did not give light. It explains that the coming of the Lord was in the form of the Medes destroying Babylon and reducing it to rubbish like Sodom and Gomorrah. It was not describing the end of the world, but the end of the Babylonian world as they knew it. Was that a "coming of the Lord"? Yes! Was it the final and literal coming of the Lord? No! What Jesus described in Matt.24:1-34 was a coming of the Lord. Was it a coming of the Lord in AD 70? Absolutely. Was it the final and literal coming of the Lord? No! The language of cosmic darkness because of the doom of war and destruction is in place because that was a common way of describing such dark, gloomy days of history. The coming was not like He left, a physically visible ascension (Acts 1:11). It was a coming though. People saw it in the effects that clearly indicated a wrath of God destruction. Thus, the clouds were clouds of darkness, fear, and dread. The Lord was in those clouds like He was in the clouds of darkness over the Babylonians and Egyptians. They all saw the coming of the Lord. But, that was a different kind of coming from the one promised in Acts 1:11. When Jesus visibly comes back as He left, it will be to "deliver up the kingdom to the Father" and "put an end to death itself"(1 Cor.15:23-25). There are no signs to look for. It will come when people say "peace and safety". It will come as a thief in the night. (1 Thess.4:13 - 5:6). He will not come to reign on the earth. He will come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who know not God (2 Thess.1:7-10) and to bring rest to those who suffered for His name. It will be the final day of judgment. Can the final coming of the Lord be real soon? Yes! There are no rapture periods and tribulation periods that will precede it. There will not be a future 1000 year reign on earth to precede it. The Lord can come any time. There won't be a second chance for the anyone. Today is the day of salvation. The only rapture (being caught up) that will ever occur will be on that final day when the righteous are raised and caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (not on the earth) and so shall we EVER be with the Lord (not just seven years) (1 Thess.4:17). Are you ready for THAT final day? Will you be in THAT "rapture"? If you are not born again to enter His kingdom NOW (John 3:1-6; Col.1:13), and if you are still in the dark thinking that the kingdom has not come yet, and thus have not been translated out of darkness and into the kingdom (Col.1:13), then you will not be ready for the final day of the Lord. The Jews missed it for the most part because they were looking for an earthly kingdom. Premillennialists are blinding people with the same erroneous thinking. Having eyes they see not. Don't allow Satan to blind you to the fact that you can be in the kingdom now which will be prepared to be taken back to the Father when Jesus comes on that final day. There will not be two comings. There is only one final coming left. Make it as sure as you can. Terry W. Benton www.pinelanechurchofchrist.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100303/2055cd86/attachment-0001.html From GLClair at aol.com Wed Mar 3 14:09:44 2010 From: GLClair at aol.com (GLClair at aol.com) Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 15:09:44 EST Subject: [Biblemat] HILLIARD BULLETIN for March 2010 Message-ID: <26de5.66574b54.38c01c08@aol.com> Hilliard Bulletin Published by the church of Christ 4840 Cemetery Rd. ? P.O. Box 96 Hilliard, OH 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 LIVING AS THOUGH THERE IS NO TOMORROW {STOP! reconsider your future} There are many people who are familiar with the Bible and with the word church in the general sense. The ability to understand that the Bible is from God is the first sign of hope for the individual who has not pursued the Bible or has been neutral with regard to its contents or the author?s intention for providing it for man. The lifestyle of many people is so full of spontaneous action in pursuit of work, fun, sensual enjoyment, entertainment, and personal gratification that they have not paused long enough to grasp the relevance of true religion and its ingredients. Indeed; many people have pursued all that life has to offer with great zeal and gave little concern for personal health, morality, sexual purity, their family, relatives and etc. When suddenly they look in the mirror and see a 30 something year old stranger; sudden shock hits them as they say under the sound of their voice; ?wow? I don?t know where the years have gone? I do not remember much of the past but I know that I must pull myself together and accomplish something meaningful in life. Yes. Their life is half over and they have nothing to show for it and have no viable prospects for the future. Surely this is a time to consider the future and try to put their life together in a meaningful way. This desire may be accomplished but there must be changes in the personal desires, expectations, and attitude toward themselves, other people, and toward their Creator. The changes will include a new awareness of their health, their physical condition; and at the same time consciousness of their desire for a new and better life. This will be the time for looking to their Creator ? GOD. Indeed; God can help any person regardless of how far from God and reality that they have traveled if they will seek him. Note the instruction the apostle Paul stated to the philosophers and idolaters in Athens 2,000 years ago; Acts 17:23-31 - 23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 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:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. KJV _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) Hilliard Bulletin March, 2010 SPECIAL STUDY BEGINNING FEB. 28 Each fourth Sunday morning Bible Study will be devoted to ?Obligations and Methods of Personal Evangelism? THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME! It is somewhat startling to observe the lengths some people will go to acquire something of a material nature that will only endure for just a little while. Many people purchase a nice home and it becomes a burden to them as they continually pay and repair the home. Indeed, we must all live somewhere and it is wise to purchase a home if possible. Yet, many times we get in too deep by purchasing a home that is more than we can afford. Many people have lost their home because they could not pay for it; there are many others who have walked away from their home because they owed more on the home than the house was worth. Yes, may people have been deceived or ?have bitten-off more than they could chew? as the old saying goes. Now, I am not criticizing the desire to own a home, I am criticizing the persons who do not count the cost before they enter into a financial arrangement which may require more of their earnings than they acquire. When a family?s earnings dictate that they should purchase a house that cost $150,000 and they knowingly purchase a house that cost $300,000; they are asking for trouble. Even if the husband and wife are employed and making good wages together; perhaps the husband or the wife may become ill; unemployed, involved in an accident, or some other unseen problem; then they cannot pay the payments of the $300,000 home. Their lives are financially ruined; they must start over; or perhaps file bankruptcy. Consider this: If you have found yourself involved in a similar situation in life; remember this; no one can for-see every possible problem or glitch in their financial life but good planning and sound judgment will go a long way toward having a good, financially sound life. HOW ABOUT BEING A SOUND THINKER ABOUT YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE. There are many different religious in the world today and only one of them is acceptable to God for salvation from sin and acquiring eternal life with the Godhead (i.e. Father-Son-Holy Spirit) in heaven, someday in the future. The Bible is clear about a person?s inability, unknowns, stubbornness, and indecision proneness during his life in this world. Notice the following references regarding this point: Jer. 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walked to direct his steps. Lam. 3:26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. Rom 8:24-25 24 for we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seethe, why doth he yet hope for? 25 but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. KJV Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Heb 6:18-19 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; KJV Consider this: As we live in this world pray that we make wise and considered decisions about our physical life? May our choices regarding temporal things be wise and thoughtful so that our life may be filled with joy and happiness? Yet; may we also be conscious of our spiritual life and well-being as we reside here. Life lived as a Christian is an excellent process that enables us to make good choices in our whole life regarding physical as well as spiritual situations and emergencies in life. Indeed; we can always turn to God and have a conversation with Him as often as we require help and guidance? Consider These Scripture Passages: Matt. 11:28-30 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke are easy, and my burden is light. KJV James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availed much. KJV 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. KJV _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) --- Hilliard Bulletin March 2010 Spring Gospel Meeting April 22-25 Speaker: Arthur Adams (Plymouth, IN) April 22 ? 25 ? 7:30 Nightly ? Sunday 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 6:00 PM --- EVERYONE WELCOME --- CHRIST's WORDS FROM THE CROSS 1. "Father forgive them" - Luke 23:34 2. "Today you shall be with me in paradise" - Luke 23:43 3. "Woman, behold your son" - John 19:26-27 4. "My God, why have you forsaken me" - Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34 5. "I thirst" - John 19:28 6. "It is finished" - John 19:30 7. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" Luke 23:46 CONCLUSION: Prepared by _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) Do not forget our Gospel Meeting ? April 22-25, 2010 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100303/13b3ecf1/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Mar 4 03:40:18 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 04:40:18 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) "WHITE AS SNOW" Message-ID: <2d49c.2184049b.38c0da02@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Thursday morn- ing to each and every one. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: "WHITE AS SNOW" A couple of weeks ago we awoke to an incredible sight: IT WAS SNOWING! Since snow and accumulation doesn't happen much in North Alabama, it is quite a thing to see it fall and cover everything. Even the weather forecasters were taken aback by how much snow did fall on North Alabama last week. Yet seeing the landscape transform in front of our very eyes from a typical Alabama winter scene of dead grass, bare trees, and dirt, we were given a spectacular view of white. White every- where! How amazingly beautiful it is by simply covering every- thing in a coat of dazzingly white. It looks so much better than the drab brown of a usual winter scene. (I would dare say hat even the garbage cans looked better in a fresh coat of white snow). Our front yard doesn't have any grass yet, but it looked great with a 3 inch carpet of snow. Watching this weather event pass through here, I couldn't help but think of what is said in Isa. 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, Though your sins are like scar- let, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool..." Sin is a blight and makes us look "ugly" in God's eyes. We are like that dead landscape mentioned above. We shouldn't be surprised by that...because the Apostle Paul tells us, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). This blight and ugliness besets us all, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). But our God has sent His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins, that by His blood we can be forgiven of our sins and we can be made as "white as snow". But unlike snow the blood of Christ removes our sins not just covers them up. Have you been baptized in water for the remission of your sins as Acts 2:38 so instructs you? Or if you're a Christian, do you now have sins of which you should repent? Don't delay! Be able to say with David, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psa. 51:7). (Yes, I too was wonderfully amazed to see all the snow that we have received in North Alabama this winter. Even just two days ago we had a good covering of snow here at my house. It was reported this past month of February, that 49 of our 50 states had received snow during the same timeframe. Many states had multiple feet of snow. This is God's way of belying the outcry of those that are trying to tell us that mankind is causing the climate of the earth to become warmer therefore upsetting the eco system of nature. If such men have their way, along with our president, we will be saddled with an increasing burden of trying to change things and do away with our natural sources of energy and thereby such will cause us to have to pay very much higher prices for our energy that runs our transportation, heating, lighting, powering of machinery, etc. It was good to see the wonderful snows from above, as they covered the earth with a mantle of white. JWS). ------- Aaron C. Andrews in The Gospel Power, Vol. 17, No. 2, Feb. 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Thu Mar 4 03:40:23 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 04:40:23 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) "KEEPING THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (14) Message-ID: <2d4a3.5aab56a5.38c0da07@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the fourteenth install- ment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. "KEEPING THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (14) We have been discussing the passage of Scripture found in Eph. 4:1-6. In this passage Paul calls for a keeping of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He mentions seven ones that must be accepted and used in bringing about and keeping the unity among us that is required of God. We have already discussed the ONE BODY, the ONE SPIRIT, the ONE HOPE, the ONE LORD. And now we are in the process of discussing the ONE FAITH. We have already noted that it is the ONE FAITH and that it has been ENTIRELY REVEALED unto man by God through the Spirit inspiring the chosen apostles of Christ. Now, we want to notice that: It Will Be Corrupted By Some: -- The last point Jude makes is sobering. He says some will corrupt this one faith. That is, some will adjust its teaching in order to meet their own whims. In Jude's example it is people who corrupt the message of grace given by God to all men, by turning it into a license to sin. In the Book of Galatians, it is people who want to add a bunch of rules to make Christianity work better in man's sight. Listen carefully. The many voices that call out to us may not be the real thing. Some people will change the simple message of the good news into something entirely different. We must seek out the one faith revealed by God to His people through the inspired apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ, Himself being the Chief Corner Stone upon which His sytem of salvation is built. This means that whatever you hear from a religious group or teacher, you must go to the once for all time revealed faith that is found in God's Word to find out whether the things that you hear are so. After all, there is only ONE FAITH. The rest are corr- upted by men. And if we follow the commandments of men, our faith and practices will be vain in the sight of God. It Is Our Access To The Father: -- "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet with- out sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:14-16). The first thing we learn is that we are to hold fast to our confession. When we hang on to that ONE FAITH, there are three great things that happen: The first of these three: is that we have access to the Father, that is, to God Himself. We can draw near to the throne of grace In spite of our shortcomings, in spite of our guilt and sin, in Christ we can approach God knowing that Jesus has opened the door, pulled back the curtain and allows us into God's pres- ence. It Is Our Access To Compassion: -- Jesus understands what we go through. He lived among us and was like us. And, like us, He was tempted, yet He managed to avoid sin itself. But, be- cause He was like us, He understands us. He has compassion and empathy for us. That lets Jesus explain to the Father about our failings. That lets us come to the Father, knowing that Jesus understands our needs. We don't have to shy away from God or avoid God. We can come boldly into His presence, because Jesus has compassion for us. The great thing about this ONE FAITH is that it is not harsh or unyielding. Instead, it is full of the compassion we all hunger for. It Is Our Access To Grace: -- We come into God's presence to receive mercy and grace. The point of this is that we come to God, not to show off our goodness, but to offer our apologies and receive the forgiveness we need. The ONE FAITH is special It allows unworthy people (you and me) to come before God's throne and find the grace we need. These points remind us how important it is to cling to that ONE FAITH. If we corrupt that ONE FAITH or listen to a corrupt version, we risk losing our access to God, to the compassion of Jesus, to the grace everyone of us needs. When you look at all the competing doctrines, be careful tht the one you believe is the one revealed in the New Testament. What does this faith do for me and for you? It Allows Me And You To Fight The Good Fight Of The Faith: -- "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:6-8) Paul, at the end of his life tells us he kept the faith (not the faiths) This keeping of the faith meant that Paul had fought the good fight. One of the reasons so many of us are weak in the battle with sin, is that we have not held onto that ONE FAITH very well. We have not used our access to the Father to get the mercy and grace we need. Our prayer life is weak, our understanding of that revealed faith is limited. Paul kept the faith, which allowed him to fight the good fight. You can fight all that you want, but the good fight can only be done by clinging to the ONE FAITH. (More will be posted on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing. JWS). From GLClair at aol.com Thu Mar 4 10:54:13 2010 From: GLClair at aol.com (GLClair at aol.com) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 11:54:13 EST Subject: [Biblemat] HILLIARD BULLETIN for March 2010 Message-ID: <5efc6.760c7f.38c13fb5@aol.com> Hilliard Bulletin Published by the church of Christ 4840 Cemetery Rd. ? P.O. Box 96 Hilliard, OH 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 3 March 2010 LIVING AS THOUGH THERE IS NO TOMORROW {STOP! reconsider your future} There are many people who are familiar with the Bible and with the word church in the general sense. The ability to understand that the Bible is from God is the first sign of hope for the individual who has not pursued the Bible or has been neutral with regard to its content or the author?s intention for providing it for man. The lifestyle of many people is so full of spontaneous action in pursuit of work, fun, sensual enjoyment, entertainment, and personal gratification that they have not paused long enough to grasp the relevance of true religion and its ingredients. Indeed; many people have pursued all that life has to offer with great zeal and gave little concern for personal health, morality, sexual purity, their family, relatives, etc. When suddenly they look in the mirror and see a 40 something year old stranger; sudden shock hits them as they say under the sound of their voice; ? wow? I don?t know where the years have gone: I do not remember much of the past but I know that I must pull myself together and accomplish something meaningful in life. Yes, his life is half over and he has nothing to show for it and has no viable prospects for the future. Surely this is a time to consider the future and try to put their life together in a meaningful way. This desire may be accomplished but there must be changes in the personal desires, expectations, and attitude toward themselves, other people, and toward their Creator. The changes will include a new awareness of their health, their physical condition; and at the same time consciousness of their desire for a new and better life. This will be the time for looking to their Creator ? GOD. Indeed; God can help any person regardless of how far from God and reality that they have traveled if they will seek him. Note the instruction the apostle Paul stated to the philosophers and idolaters in Athens 2,000 years ago; Acts 17:23-31 - 23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 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:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. KJV _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) Hilliard Bulletin March, 2010 SPECIAL STUDY FOURTH SUNDAY Each fourth Sunday morning Bible Study will be devoted to ?Obligations and Methods of Personal Evangelism? THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME! It is somewhat startling to observe the lengths some people will go to acquire something of a material nature that will only endure for just a little while. Many people purchase a nice home and it becomes a burden to them as they continually pay and repair the home. Indeed, we must all live somewhere and it is wise to purchase a home if possible. Yet, many times we get in too deep by purchasing a home that is more than we can afford. Many people have lost their home because they could not pay for it; there are many others who have walked away from their home because they owed more on the home than the house was worth. Yes, many people have been deceived or ?have bitten-off more than they could chew? as the old saying goes. Now, I am not criticizing the desire to own a home, I am criticizing the person who does not count the cost before they enter into a financial arrangement which may require more of their earnings than they acquire. When a family?s earnings dictate that they should purchase a house that cost $300,000 and they knowingly purchase a house that cost $600,000; they are asking for trouble. Even if the husband and wife are employed and making good wages together; perhaps the husband or the wife may become ill; unemployed, involved in an accident, or some other unseen problem; then they cannot pay the payments of the $600,000 home. Their lives are financially ruined; they must start over. Consider this: If you have found yourself involved in a similar situation in life; remember this; no one can for-see every possible problem or glitch in their financial life but good planning and sound judgment will go a long way toward having a good, financially sound life. HOW ABOUT BEING A SOUND THINKER ABOUT YOU SPIRITUAL LIFE. There are many different religious in the world today and only one of them is acceptable to God for salvation from sin and acquiring eternal life with the Godhead (i.e. Father-Son-Holy Spirit) in heaven, someday in the future. The Bible is clear about a person?s inability, unknowns, stubbornness, and indecision proneness during his life in this world. Notice the following references regarding this point: Jer. 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walked to direct his steps. Lam. 3:26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. Rom 8:24-25 24 for we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seethe, why doth he yet hope for? 25 but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. KJV Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Heb 6:18-19 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; KJV Consider this: As we live in this world pray that we make wise and considered decisions about our physical life? May our choices regarding temporal things be wise and thoughtful so that our life may be filled with joy and happiness? Yet; may we also be conscious of our spiritual life and well-being as we reside here. Life lived as a Christian is an excellent process that enables us to make good choices in our whole life regarding physical as well as spiritual situations and emergencies in life. Indeed; we can always turn to God and have a conversation with Him as often as we require help and guidance? Consider These Scripture Passages: Matt. 11:28-30 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke are easy, and my burden is light. KJV James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availed much. KJV 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. KJV _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) --- Hilliard Bulletin March 2010 Spring Gospel Meeting April 22-25 Speaker: Arthur Adams (Plymouth, IN) April 22 ? 25 ? 7:30 Nightly ? Sunday 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 6:00 PM --- EVERYONE WELCOME --- CHRIST'S WORDS FROM THE CROSS 1. "Father forgive them" - Luke 23:34 2. "Today you shall be with me in paradise" - Luke 23:43 3. "Woman, behold your son" - John 19:26-27 4. "My God, why have you forsaken me" - Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34 5. "I thirst" - John 19:28 6. "It is finished" - John 19:30 7. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" Luke 23:46 CONCLUSION: SERVICE SCHEDULE SUNDAY Bible study ?????? 9:30 AM Assembly worship ??????.. 10:30 AM Assembly worship ?????. 6:00 PM WEDNESDAY Bible study for all ages ???. 7:30 =================================================== Family and personal Bible study session may be scheduled with the preacher at any time convenient for you. Contact: _glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com) or call [614] 850-7252 =================================================== Correspondence course study by mail contact ? [614] 850-7252 =================================================== Hilliard Bulletin for March 20.0.0 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100304/ffdb65bc/attachment-0001.html From tedwards at onemain.com Thu Mar 4 12:37:48 2010 From: tedwards at onemain.com (tedwards at onemain.com) Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:37:48 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] B> Gospel Observer 2/28/10 Message-ID: <4B8FA99C.32590.10BD936@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). -------------------- February 28, 2010 -------------------- Contents: 1) Why Do You Serve God? (David West) 2) News & Notes -------------------- -1- Why Do You Serve God? by David West Do you desire the GIFTS or the GIVER? What circumstances in life could destroy your faith? Loss of wealth? Death of loved ones? Poor health? In His wise providence, Jehovah has preserved the account of a man who wrestled successfully with these issues. His name is Job. His story is in the book that bears his name. What do you know about Job? Most people know he had boils and was patient. But, there is far more to his story. Many believe that Job was written to explain why we suffer. But, Job will disappoint those who study him with this objective. Yes, suffering is a prominent theme in the book. But, it is not the central issue. Job is about faith. It is the story of a man chosen to experience a devastating trial of his faith. Briefly, in chapters 1-2, heaven's curtain is raised to give us a glimpse behind the scenes. We, as readers, are entrusted with information hidden from the actors. They must play their roles in this drama without insight that could radically affect the nature of their responses. Yet, it is important that they be deprived of it. Job is the greatest man of his time. Wealthy and influential, he is also godly and righteous. Jehovah is proud of his servant and brags on him to Satan. "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil" (Job 1:8). Satan's slanderous response contends that the only reason Job (or anyone else for that matter) serves Jehovah is because they are bribed to do so by gifts (1:9-10). Take away the gifts and he will curse the Giver (1:11). God's reputation hangs in the balance. Is He worthy simply because of who He is? Or must He pay us to serve Him? God accepts this blasphemous challenge. He honors Job by selecting him as His personal representative in this test case. Job's response will either vindicate God or add credence to Satan's insult. For the test to be valid, Job cannot be told of the contest or his role in it. Satan is given permission to strip Job of his possessions, but not to touch him. One day, servant after servant comes into the presence of Job delivering, with lightning speed and sledgehammer blows, the tragic news of the loss of all his possessions and, worst of all, his ten children. Bankrupt and childless all in the same day, Job falls on his face in grief, not to curse, but to worship. "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (1:20-21). Job didn't curse or charge God with wrongdoing. Jehovah's reputation remained intact. As we are allowed another peek behind heaven's curtain, we find Jehovah again bragging on Job to Satan. "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause" (2:3). Satan is still unconvinced. The first test wasn't tough enough. If only he could attack Job's body, he could prove his charge. That would make Job quit. The enemy is granted permission to take Job's health, but not his life. Job quickly finds his body racked with excruciating pain. Boils cover him from head to foot. He rejects his wife's urgings to give up on God and be through with Him. He tells her that such talk is foolish. "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity" (2:10). Rather than pushing God away, Job clings tighter. When news of Job's tragic circumstances reaches his friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu), they come to comfort him. Their comfort soon degenerates into bitter debate and insult. They contend that God follows strict rules in governing this world. They say that God rewards good behavior and punishes wicked. They are convinced (as are so many of us today) that a man's standing with God can be discerned by observing his physical circumstances. Judging from Job's current plight, it was obvious to them that he was a vile sinner. If he would only confess his sin, God could again bless him. The central part of the book (chapters 4-34) contains three rounds of debate between Job and three of his friends. It ends in an exasperating stalemate (32:1). Each, in turn, accuses him of terrible sins. Job steadfastly maintains his innocence. He knows he has done nothing to deserve what he is experiencing. The fourth friend, Elihu, finally breaks his silence (chapters 32-37) leveling angry accusations at everyone (32:2-3). He accuses the friends of continuing to condemn Job when they cannot answer his objections. Later, God will say that these men have not spoken the truth about Him as Job has (42:7-8). (Yet, men today continue to use their arguments in discussions about suffering, as though this is what the Bible teaches about why men suffer!) Elihu says that Job is so determined to exonerate himself that he is willing to accuse God of wrongdoing (34:5,6; 35:1-3). He contends that there are other purposes for suffering besides punishment of the wicked. Though he comes closer to telling the truth than the others, I do not believe that even he discovered the real lesson God wants us to learn. The stumbling block impending the arguments of each of these men was their lack of ALL the facts. They are unaware of the contest. Here is a drama within a drama. Job thinks God is on trial. (Can He justify Himself in the eyes of Job? Can He give good and sufficient reasons for how He is dealing with Job? Can Job continue to believe in God's goodness?) But, we know there is something bigger going on. When Job shouts, "Why me? What have I done?", we want to shout back, "Nothing! This isn't punishment." We know that it is really Job who is on trial. The issue is not "why does God allow me to suffer?", but, "what will Job do when he loses every reason to believe in God's goodness?" Job desperately wants answers to his questions (as do we when faced with suffering). Oh, for his day in court. He would ask hard questions and demand that God answer and explain. We often believe that if God would just appear and tell us "why" we are suffering, we could endure it. Eventually Jehovah does appear, but not to answer Job's questions. Instead, by means of a science quiz (chapters 38-39), Job becomes convinced that his knowledge of the physical universe is so inadequate that he is certainly in no position to sit in judgment on God or to fairly evaluate how well He is running the moral universe. (If God were to appear to us in the midst of our sufferings, might He not do the same with us?) The lesson Job needed to learn (as do we) was that man just doesn't have ALL the facts. We are in no position to put God on trial. Job agrees to shut up. "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to Thee? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; even twice, and I will add no more" (40:3-5). However, God isn't interested in Job's SILENCE. He wants his TRUST. In chapters 40-41, He tells Job of Behemoth (hippopotamus?) and Leviathan (crocodile?). If Job would not dare challenge these (who are mere creatures), why will he challenge their Maker? God controls the universe and is doing a good job of running it despite what we may sometimes think. Job is never given an explanation for his suffering. He is never told why these things happened. Yet, he goes away satisfied. He decides that he will continue to serve God despite his circumstances. He will continue to trust Him even when there seems to be no reason to (and perhaps even good reasons not to). He thus, disproves Satan's slanderous charge, and brings well-deserved glory to the name of the Lord. "I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask you, and you instruct Me. ' I heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees Thee; Therefore, I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes" (42:2-6). God is more concerned with Job's trust than his pleasure. We are not here on earth to have fun. We are here to learn to trust God and desire Him above all else (Ps. 73:25-28). Whenever tragedy comes into our lives, our reaction reveals our motive in serving God. It either shows that our real interest is in Him or that our real interest is in what He gives us. Is He worthy of our praise and worship even without His gifts? The issue here is bigger than the nature of "suffering." It is the issue of "faith." Your reaction to adversity reveals whether you agree with Job or with Satan. "I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised ... " (Ps. 18:3). Why do you serve God? -- Via Searching the Scriptures, April 1992, Volume 33, Number 4 --------------------- -2- News & Notes I have a few of my sermons in MP3 format at my website. If you would like to hear any of them, here is their link: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/audioser.html --------------------- 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/20100304/6e72e415/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Mar 5 02:35:40 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 03:35:40 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) AS THE TWIG IS BENT Message-ID: <8fda4.30944653.38c21c5c@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 a poem from my files: AS THE TWIG IS BENT A little girl with shining eyes, Her little face aglow: Said, "Daddy, it is almost time For Bible school, let's go; They teach us there of Jesus' love, Of how He died for all Upon the cruel cross to save Those who on Him call." "Oh, no," said Daddy, "Not tosday, I've worked hard all this week And I must have one day of rest. I'm going to the creek, For there I can relax and rest. And fishing's fine, they say. So run along; don't bother me. We'll go to church someday." Months and years have passed away, But Daddy hears that plea no more: -- "Let's go to Bible school." Those childhood days are o'er. And now that Daddy's growing old, Whjen life is almost through He finds the time to go to church, But what does daughter do? She says: "Oh, Daddy, not today: I stayed up most all night -- And I've just got to get some sleep. Besides I look a fright." The Daddy lifts a trembling hand To brush away his tears, As again he hears the pleading voice Distinctly through the years. He sees a small girl's shining face, Upturned with eyes aglow, As she says, "It's time for Bible school, Please, Daddy, won't you go?" ----------- Author Unknown ---- Presented in Gospel Power, Vol. 17, No. 2, Feb. 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Mar 5 02:35:48 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 03:35:48 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) "KEEPING THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (15) Message-ID: <8fdab.55fb3913.38c21c64@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the fifthteenth install- ment of this particular study. Use tot he glory of God. "KEEPING THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (15) A continuation of the study of Eph. 4:1-6. We have been dis- cussing the ONE'S that are mentioned in this passage. We have recently been studying the ONE FAITH that is mentioned. The One Faith Allows Us To Win The Good Fight: -- Paul is near- ing his death. But, he sees that he has won the victory he so de- sired. The battle was long and hard. And, facing death, it seems that Satan has won. But paul knows there is a reward awaiting him. He looks forward to gaining the crown he claimed he didn't deserve since he had fought against the efforts of the Lord's people in his younger years. But still he looked forward to being with the Lord forever after his life was over. This is why holding to the one faith is so paramount. It allows us to win the battles with Satan, especially the biggest foe, death. Paul could look at death without fear or dread, know- ing what was waiting for him. The One Faith Allows Us To Enjoy The Reward From Above: -- Paul was looking ahead to a great time. He, like us, probably was not too thrilled at the idea of being executed by the Roman executor. Dying is nto a fun thing to contemplate. But, the apostle was able to look, by faith, beyond the pain of death to see the crown of life that was awaiting him. Notice, this crown was given, not earned. The one faith that has been revealed tells us clearly tht we cannot earn our salvat- ion, it is a gift from God. But Paul kept the faith, and in so doing put his trust in God to keep His promises to all who accept and obey Him. So, Paul could look beyong death to see the great reward that would be his when he entered into God's presence for eternity. What does thsi faith look like? (Surely, though we are told that eternal life is a gift from God, we are also told to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. There is work that He has prepared for us to do as a Christian, JWS). The ONE FAITH Is A Living Faith: -- "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.." "You believe that God is one; You do well; the demons also believe, and shud- der. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless." (Jas. 2:17-20). James reminds us that this one faith is much more than words on a page. It is much more than just believing in God, even demons do that. This faith must be alive, a living, active, obedient faith. It is true you cannot earn your way to heaven. But, it is also ture that you cannot sit your way to heaven. Your faith in God must be seen by others. Your life must reflect your faith. When Paul says he had kept the faith, he meant he had been changed shaped, and molded to look like the Christ he served. If we are to hold to this ONE FAITH, we msut be active. This ONE FAITH Is A Useful Faith: -- If we truly hold to the one faith, then we will find ourselves being useful in the service of God. A faith without works is useless. A faith with works then, is useful. Notice agian tht a living faith will have works that help the kingdom and society at large. We will love our neighbors, our friends and even our enemies. And, our love will be more than just words, it will be actions. So, We Need To Accept This ONE FAITH: --"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must be- lieve that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). God has gone to great lengths to save us. He offer- ed His Only Begotten Son as a sacrifice in our place. He reach- ed out to you and to me. Now, He asks us to respond to Him in faith. Without clinging to the one faith, you cannot please God. This is why it is vital tht you do what the Bereans did: "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17: 11). Don't take my word for anything. Look at the Word once for all time delivered to the saints. You must accept this faith personally, and you do that by going to the Scriptures to see what they say about the faith. This ONE FAITH Requires That One And All Be Baptized In Water For The Remission Of Our Past Sins: -- Everyone in the Book of Acts who accepted the ONE FAITH was baptized. The people on Pentecost, the Samaritans, the Ethiopian. That is what we need to do as well. Declare your belief in Christ by being baptized into Him. Then you will be part of that ONE FAITH that we have been studying. (More will be posted on this particular passage of Scripture, tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS) From thornhill1 at frontiernet.net Fri Mar 5 08:20:28 2010 From: thornhill1 at frontiernet.net (thomas thornhill) Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 08:20:28 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] The Buckhorn Teacher - 3-07-10 Message-ID: <16D896E9ACF8455BA6E7D2A8BC78EE5F@your4dacd0ea75> THE BUCKHORN TEACHER "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." 2.Tim.4:2 Buckhorn church of Christ - Thomas Thornhill - editor. 13675 Hwy 341, Randolph MS 38864-9117. Tel. 662-568-2960. Cell 662-419-5378.E-mail thornhill1 at frontiernet.netTV program - the internet - w07bn.com Vol.8 March 7, 2010 No.21 Today our gospel meeting begins and will continue through Friday. Johnny Richardson has come to do his work, that of preaching, which is God's chosen method of telling the gospel that saves. "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe" 1.Cor.1:21. Also read 1.Cor.15:1-4. Even though it is God's message to the whole world, it only works if people are present to hear it. This gospel is both old fashioned and modern. It is old fashioned because it has been in existence for almost two thousand years. That is when God, through the Holy Spirit, first gave it to inspired men to write down in understandable words. Once given it could not be changed nor destroyed Gal.1:6-12; Jude 3; Eph.3:1-7; Matt.24:35. It is modern, a story that never grows old, never out of date. Man's need of redemption, found only in Christ, is just as great today as when the gospel was first preached. Its commands and promises are just as applicable today as when first given. The nature of God and man has not changed through the ages. Neither has man's sin problem. All have sinned Rom.3:23, therefore man's need for salvation and justification is still present and Jesus Christ, the one in whom these things are obtained is still alive and active. He continues to act as "a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" Heb.2:17. It is only through Him man can "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" Heb.4:16. That is why the gospel must continue to be preached. So, this week is our chance to invite our relatives, friends and neighbors to come and hear about God's gracious gift of His Son Jesus Christ who came to give "Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age" Gal.1:4. All need to hear the saving gospel Rom.1:16-17. This being the case, what are you doing to make the meeting successful? Have you been praying for its success? Have you made plans to be present at all the services? Have you encouraged and invited others to attend? These are things we all can do. Let's do them. ONE SOLITARY LIFE - author unknown Since the gospel centers around Jesus Christ, I include the entitled article with some remarks of my own at the conclusion. "He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty-three when the tides of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race, and the leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on earth as much as that One Solitary Life." Surely we owe this Christ a debt that cannot be paid by material things. We can say a lot, but words mean little without individual allegiance and personal convictions. What does He mean to YOU as an individual? Following Christ means more than just acknowledging that He lived. It means at least three things. First, it means one MUST make a CHOICE. After Paul told king Agrippa that God, through the prophets, had foretold "that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles" Acts 26:23. Agrippa was forced to make a choice. Paul asked, "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe" v.27. Agrippa's choice was to say, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian" v.28. Almost has never been sufficient. Pilate was faced with a similar dilemma when he allowed the people to crucify Christ. He was unwilling to choose Christ over popularity. See Matt.27:17-26. Secondly, following Christ means one must make a CHANGE. Note Acts 11:26 ".And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." From the day of Pentecost people could see in the disciples of Christ a change of life. By their conduct even the enemies could only say ".and they realized that they had been with Jesus" Acts 4:13. Later, Paul wrote of this change to the Ephesian Christians, "But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct the old man, which grows corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness" Eph.4:20-24. Thirdly, to follow Christ means one must accept a CHALLENGE. Peter writes to the followers of Christ: "If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you . On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter" 1.Pet.4:14-16. When challenged, Christians must not fear. "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life" Rev.2:10. A choice, a change and a challenge! All three must be made, and met, in order to truly understand, follow and serve the ONE SOLITARY LIFE. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100305/4017761d/attachment-0001.html From wswalker310 at juno.com Fri Mar 5 17:13:12 2010 From: wswalker310 at juno.com (Wayne S Walker) Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 17:13:12 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] hymn study, "Glory and Honor" Message-ID: <20100306.075001.3400.1.wswalker310@juno.com> Week of 3/6/2010 Wayne Walker here with another weekly hymn study. HYMN OF THE WEEK Weekly hymn studies ?GLORY AND HONOR? ?And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it? (Rev. 21:26) INTRO.: A song which encourages us to bring glory and honor to the Lord of heaven is ?Glory and Honor? (#130 in Songs of the Church). The text was written by Mabel J. Rosemon. I was not able to find much information about this author except for references to another of other hymns that she wrote, such as the following: "Over Bethlehem's Hillside" beginning "Over Bethlehem's hillside beamed a..." with refrain beginning "Waiting shepherds with their flocks" and music by Grant Colfax Tullar; ?Someone who cares? with music by Walter R. Clarke; ?My Gift to Jesus? with music by music by Isaac Hickman (I. H.) Meredith; ?Angels Are Watching? with music by: W.A. Post; ?God's Gift;? and ?Sunbeams (Now the golden sunrays gleaming).? In fact, Hymnary.org lists her as the author of 144 hymn texts including ?Joyful Songs Now We Raise? and ?No Room in All the City.? The tune for ?Glory and Honor? was composed by Samuel W. Beazley (1873-1944). 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 Songs of the Church, as well as the 2009 Favorite Songs of the Church edited by Robert J. Taylor. The song expresses glory and honor to Jesus Christ as King, Savior, and Lord. I. Stanza 1 refers to Christ as our King ?Raise we our voices, the whole world rejoices, In Christ the King, Tell we the love of the Savior above In the songs we sing; Angels adore Him, acknowledge before Him His matchless worth, Jesus is King, and His praises shall ring, Over all the earth.? A. The Bible identifies Jesus Christ as King of kings: Rev. 19:16 B. As King, even the angels adore Him: Heb. 1:6 C. Therefore, we should sing His praises over all the earth: Col. 3:16 II. Stanza 2 indicates that Christ is our Savior ?Tell we the story, the news of His glory, O?er land and sea, Valley and hill (are) reechoing still, With His joy so free; Reverence commanding, beyond understanding, His wondrous ways, He rules alone, and His power we will own, As we sing His praise.? A. The story that we tell is the story of salvation from sin which Jesus came to bring: Matt. 1:21 B. Therefore, those who receive the good news can have the joy of salvation: Ps. 51:12 C. His power unto salvation which we own is the gospel: Rom. 1:16 III. Stanza 3 calls Christ our Lord ?Ruler eternal, majestic, supernal, Is Christ the Lord, Reverently bow, while we worship Him now, As with one accord; Hope of the ages, foretold by the sages, In days of old, Thy light divine on our pathway doth shine, And Thy love we hold.? A. Jesus Christ claimed to be the Lord: Jn. 13:13 B. Therefore, because He is Lord, He is worthy of our worship: Matt. 2:11 C. One reason why we can believe that His is Lord is because He fulfilled all the prophecies foretold by the sages: Lk. 24:44 The chorus continues to offer glory, honor, praise, and worship to Christ the King. ?Glory, glory and honor to Christ the King! Praise Him, glad is the worship to Him we bring; Glory! Angels in heaven His name adore; Hail Him, Jesus, our Savior forevermore.? If someone were to ask me my opinion about this song, I would say that it is rather typical of many produced by Beazley. While some of Beazley?s hymns are quite good, he seemed to pick texts by authors who tended to strain things somewhat to provide alliterative rhymes. The stanzas are written for soprano and alto duet; of course the men can sing the melody, but if they do what is indicated by the music and sing nothing, is that really ?teaching and admonishing one another?? It would appear that things like this are done more for effect than for edification. Then the chorus has all the parts running in different directions. This is not a song that I would pick for a really good example of a great hymn, but having said that, it is still one that has evidently achieved some degree of popularity and usefulness among brethren. In any event, whenever we sing together in worship, it should be our primary aim to give to our Lord ?Glory and Honor.? 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. ____________________________________________________________ Home Improvement Projects Make your dream home a reality. Click here to find all your home improvement needs! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=NWbvyWBnwV_QSUW-63veggAAJ1AqWLnxUT_Og0R1xxm43-TkAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAShAAAAAA= -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100305/dd70dd2b/attachment-0001.html From thornhill1 at frontiernet.net Fri Mar 5 17:08:45 2010 From: thornhill1 at frontiernet.net (thomas thornhill) Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 17:08:45 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] an apology Message-ID: Dear brethren, I am sure you received several posts of "The Buckhorn Teacher. I apologize for it going out so many times. I was trying to send it Bcc and goofed. But I will try to do better next time. I guess it gave some of you an opportunity to get your fingers exercised pushing the delete button. Again I am sorry for the trouble caused. Please forgive my ignorance and carelessness. brotherly, Tommy Thornhill thornhill1 at frontiernetnet -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100305/750eea5c/attachment-0001.html From terrywbenton at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 5 18:21:06 2010 From: terrywbenton at bellsouth.net (Terry W. Benton) Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 18:21:06 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] A>Silence: Permissive or Restrictive? Message-ID: <8ED8A7F8483E42268D6BD66E6B7386A9@TerryPC> Silence: Permissive or Restrictive? The matter of how to establish authority has always been a difficult matter for most people, at least in their early development of faith in Jesus Christ. Please consider this carefully. If silence (the fact that the Bible does not say anything on a matter) permits us to do whatever we want, then it permits everything. For example, those who make that argument must be prepared to admit that popes, cardinals, monks, nuns, infant baptism, burning incense, sprinkling babies and adults, instrumental music, auricular confession, district synods and associations, national, state, and district organizations are all permitted. Silence would not permit one of the above items and not permit the other items equally. On the other hand, if silence on a matter restricts (does not permit), then it restricts everything that is not generally permitted. For example: the Law permitted Levitical priests. Saul was not from that tribe and thought he could offer the sacrifice, perhaps on the assumption that silence permits. He was wrong. Silence restricted the sacrifices to Levites of Aaron's family. If the law were still in place, then Jesus could not be a High Priest because He was of the tribe of Judah. Moses spoke nothing concerning priests from Judah (Heb.7:14). Paul is arguing that the Law had to be changed in order for Jesus to be a legitimate priest because the silence of the Law about priests from Judah did not PERMIT but restricted Jesus from being a priest under the law. When it came to the Law of Moses, did silence about Judean priests permit Jesus to be a priest? Or, did it restrict Jesus from being a priest while the law was still binding? We must conclude that the Law of Moses could not be in effect AND Jesus be a lawful priest. Jesus was not permitted by silence to be a priest under the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was taken out of the way so that Jesus could be a lawful priest under a better covenant. Implications of Paul's Argument on Silence from Hebrews 7:14 Specific authority restricts. Levi and Aaron's sons were specified. When a matter is specified there are no other options. It is a matter that is removed from the realm of general authority, and it takes on the nature of specific expectations. Silence about Judah or Simeon or Reuben does not permit priests to be taken from those tribes under the Law of Moses. In order for us to be priests as Peter says we are (1 Pet.2:5,9) the law would have to be taken out of the way and a new law that generally allows it must replace the old law. Now, the new covenant does not allow the specific restriction to Levi. It does not even demand circumcision as the Law did. To bind such things as circumcision or tribal priesthood would be to "pervert the gospel"(Gal.1:6-10). The gospel does not allow us to add circumcision or the other shadows of the law (Col.2:14-17). Now, Paul recognized that silence restricted. That principle of law is still a principle of correct application of law no matter if we are talking about an old law or a new law. In other words, Paul argues that silence about circumcision when they first preached the gospel, did not PERMIT people to add it. In fact, it restricted such an addition to the gospel. We are restricted by silence from adding things from the Law of Moses or from the laws and traditions of men. To add such things to the gospel is to pervert and corrupt the gospel. The gospel is perfect and sufficient. To add something to it is to open the door to all things that people desire to be permitted to do. Modern Applications Infant baptism is a modern example. Specific authority restricts baptism to penitent believers (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38). Silence about infant baptism does not permit it. We would have to change the gospel and replace it as Jesus did the Law of Moses if we want to add infant baptism on the basis of silence. I have talked with Baptists who can easily see this point when it comes to the topic of infant baptism, but when the topic changes to instrumental music that reasoning they used against infant baptism flies out the window. I pointed out to one fellow that we are just using the same principle of common sense respect for authority that they use on infant baptism, only we are also applying the same logic to the issue of instrumental music, and I added that Baptists in the 1800's even argued like us on that issue as well. He simply could not respond and deny it. He saw that point though he decided to ignore it in application. If silence restricts where at least general authority does not authorize, then popes, cardinals, and multi-congregational organization is not permitted by the new covenant. Silence about Popes and Cardinals do not permit them. To have them one must change the gospel much like Jesus changed the law by removing it and replacing it. Who has authority to replace the New Testament? If specific authority restricts, and the church preached without a Missionary Society because the church is it's own missionary society, then the additional organization and church support of the Missionary Society is not permitted. To have such an organization in addition to the local churches one must change the New Testament and replace it. The same is so with other institutions and sponsoring church arrangements. If we are in the time of reformation (Heb.9:10-15) in which the carnal things of the Old system are replaced with a spiritual counter-part, and the New Testament says to specifically "sing and make melody in your heart" and never authorizes under a general command to just "make music", then we are restricted to vocal singing and the melody is to be specifically made in the heart (Eph.5:19). 200 years ago most Baptists, Presbyterians, and Lutherans made these very points. To do other than this one would have to change the New Covenant. Silence does not permit. Silence about playing instruments does not permit them. We need some general authority. "Make music" would be general enough, but it is not to be found in the New Testament of this time of reformation. "Play a song" would be general enough, but it is not found in the New Testament in this time of reformation. We have specifics that restrict us from going to the types and shadows of the old system. We are restricted from the burning of incense, animal sacrifices, and instrumental music. This is precisely why that the early churches did not employ these things. We are not only restricted from adding back the shadows of the Law of Moses but we are also restricted from adding the doctrines and traditions of men. These also change and corrupt the gospel. We are restricted from Popes and Cardinals, district orders and associations. Silence did not permit Jesus to be a priest under the Law, and silence did not permit the Jewish Christians to start binding circumcision upon the church. Christians are restricted from being Baptists and Methodists and Presbyterians. Silence does not permit. We are to be Christians, nothing more, less, or else. Now let me clarify something that confuses some people. The idea of "general" authority is confusing to some. Let me illustrate. When God told Noah to "build an ark", he had general authority to choose a saw and hammer. You do not say "God was silent about a saw and hammer, and therefore those are not authorized". General authority is not silence. When God said "Build an ark" without specifying any specific tools to use, then Noah has general authority to choose whatever tools would help him fulfill the general command to build an ark. Tools that aid in the carrying out of the command are authorized. Specification would restrict. For example, "build an ark using only a hammer" would restrict. "Gopher"wood is a specific restriction, but tools are generally authorized according to the best judgment of Noah. When someone asks for specific authority for song books or pews or lights, etc., claiming that the Bible is "silent" about those things, they show a misunderstanding of the argument on silence. General authority is not silence. It is only lack of specificity. God's authority to Noah was not "silent" about a saw or hammer. They are authorized under the general command to "build". However, God was silent about Pine or Oak. The matter of silence comes into play only when there is neither general or specific authority. For another example: If God had said "have a priesthood" to the Israelites and left it at that, then anyone could be a priest. You would not ask a Danite for his authority to be a priest in that case. You could not say "the Law is silent about Danites being priests". General authority ("have a priesthood" without any specifications) would have allowed Danites to be priests. However, since the Law did specify Levites and specifically those from the sons of Aaron, then Danites are excluded. The silence about Danites for priesthood restricts. Don't confuse lack of specificity with silence. Don't confuse unspecified tools and expedients with matters that God is actually silent about in either a general or specific way. "Buried in baptism"(Rom.6:3-5; Col.2:12) restricts us to burial or immersion and does not permit sprinkling or pouring. The only way to lawfully do those things today is to change the New Testament law of Christ. Baptists recognize that as so, but now will throw out those solid principles of common sense when it comes to other matters. The only way to include gymnasiums, instrumental music, and the general Southern Baptist Association, would be to change the New Testament. The silence of the scriptures does not permit just select items. They cannot oppose Catholics for having Popes and Cardinals and burning incense (which they do on the basis of the idea that silence permits) and then select a few other items as being permissible. Silence either restricts in every way or it permits in every way. I believe that we can all see that silence restricts. General authority allows choice without specification. Specific authority restricts to the items of specification. Silence about something that is not authorized either generally or specifically only restricts us from proceeding. We have only one source of measuring an issue. We must use it carefully and handle it aright. We must be careful to prove all things and hold fast that which we can prove by scripture to be good. Jesus' authority is expressed for us in the New Testament. We must not go beyond the boundaries of that authority (Matt.28:18; 2John 9-10). Terry W. Benton www.pinelanechurchofchrist.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100305/019b9871/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Sat Mar 6 05:53:40 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 06:53:40 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) "KEEPING THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (16) Message-ID: <41526.107389b4.38c39c44@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the sixteenth install- ment on this particular study. Use to the glory of God. "KEEPING THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (16) We have been studying the passage of Scripture found in Eph. 4:1-6. In this passage Paul speaks of seven ones that will help us to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We have thusfar noted the ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT, ONE HOPE, ONE LORD, ONE FAITH. Now, we have come to the ONE BAPT- ISM. In my opinion, there is no other religious topic with any more differences of opinion, than is found in the subject of baptism. Some churches, started and maintained by men, practice a "baptism" that sprinkles a little water on an infant. Others pour water on the heads of those they say they are baptizing. (Just here, I remember back several years ago, Oral Roberts, recently passed, was holding a preaching service before thousands of listeners. In determining that the audience was ready to be bapt- ized, he had made arrangements for a fire truck to be there and spray water on the whole crowd, this, he and they called baptism, JWS). Some practice immersion, but only after they say the individual is already saved. (I remember when I was a young lad, about 11 years old, I and my oldest brother, decided we wanted to be saved, and that we wanted to be baptized. We at the time were attending a Baptist Church that was close to where we lived. I clearly remember what the preacher asked us when we went forward to become members of that church. He said, "Do you believe that God for Jesus's sake has saved you from your sins." Of course we, not knowing better said yes. We then went out into the edge of Boggy Bayou and he baptised us by immersion. Not for our salvation from past sins, but because we through this baptism were showing that we believed that we were already saved, JWS). Some practice immersion for salvat- ion from their past sins. (Concering my activities in becoming and being a member of the Baptist Church, I thank God that some seven years later, a friend of my younger brother taught me the truth about what the Lord requires of those who desire to be saved. So, I was at that time baptized into Christ for the remission of my sins. My oldest brother also was taught the truth by me and others and he too was baptized into Christ for the remission of his sins. I am thankful to God that I heard the whole truth, obeyed it, and taught others of my family the same truth and they too obeyed, JWS). Whatever you might think about baptism, when Paul was converted to Christ, he was told to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord. He said of himself, that he and others were buried with the Lord in bapt- ism and arose to walk in newness of life. He later wrote in the Ephesian Letter that there is ONE BAPTISM. As the apostle is trying to stress the unity of the Spirit, that we have been study- ing, he stresses that our unity comes from the fact that there is ONE BAPTISM. So, we begin this part of our study on this particular portion of Scripture (Eph. 4:1-6), by looking at what Jesus and His apostles have said about the place of baptism in our "Keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." We Are Told That Faith Plus Baptism Saves Us From Our Past Sins: -- This migh surprise some people. Most people don't realize what Jesus actually said about baptism, and actually, seemingly, don't care. But He said: "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation,. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned" (Mk. 16:15,16). So, the Lord says it simply and plainly doesn't He? The individual who believes and is baptized will be saved. Far too many people think salvat- ion is merely the result of one's faith. All you have to do, we are told, is to put your faith in Jesus to be saved. But, Jesus said it differently. As He sends the apostles out into the world to spread the good news, He tells them what to teach and what to do. When people put their faith in Jesus, they should be baptiz- ed for the remission of their sins and for the forgiveness of their past sins. If they do this and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, heaven will be their eternal home. This teaching also tells us something about who it is that should be baptized for the remission of their past sins. It certain- ly does not include babies nor unbelievers. Infants are not in a position to believe and obey God. They are not of the age to put their faith in anyone. Those that refuse to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that we are to obey Him, are not candidates for the ONE BAPTISM we are discussing at this time. (More will be posted on this subject Monday, the Lord willing, JWS). (You that live in driving distance of Athens, AL, let me tell you of our gospel meeting that begins tomorrow, Mar. 7th, and will continue through Mar. 12th with Paul Earnhart doing the preaching. We will meet at the Jackson Drive church building at 7:00 each evening. You have a cordial welcome to visit with us during this occasion, JWS). From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Sat Mar 6 05:53:34 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 06:53:34 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) GOD HAS SPOKEN Message-ID: <4151e.3bb60ddc.38c39c3e@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 Plain language is needed to distinguish truth and falsehood. Politeness must not get in the way of clarity, nor diminish the seriousness of error and lying. Jesus said to Jews who refused to accept the truth, "You are of your father the devil, and the de- sires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks form his own re- sources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (Jno. 8:44). Those who follow after lying are following the devil. That is deadly in its seriousness. No lie is of the truth (1 Jno. 2:21), so we should never confuse the two opposites. The true church is the Lord's (Matt. 16:18), not mine, yours, or ours. Acceptable worship is "in spirit and in truth" (Jno. 4:24) not after the teachings of men (Matt. 15:9). Brotherly love is according to truth, but "if someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (1 Jno. 4:20). Truth declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Matt. 16:16-20); therefore, whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ is a liar (1 Jno. 2:22,23). Following truth makes one free (Jno. 8:31,32), but following lies leads to con- demnation (2 Thes. 2:9-12). "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all LIARS shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8). False doctrines concerning obedience are lies. Truth decla- res that obedience is necessary to salvation (Matt. 7:21; Heb. 5: 8,9). Truth teaches that faith in Christ, repentance of one's sins, confession of faith in Christ, and baptism for remission of sins are essential acts for salvation from one's past sins in order to become children of God (Jno. 8:24; Lk. 24:46,47; Rom. 10:10; Matt. 10:32; Acts 2:38). To teach justification by faith alone is to teach a lie. (Jas. 2:24,26). Truth is offensive to those unwilling to receive it. We cannot change that reality, and we must not hide truth in a cloak of false politeness in order to proclaim a message inoffensive to anyone. Should we offend God rather than those who will not receive the truth? ---- Gilbert Alexander. From tssullivan at charter.net Sat Mar 6 08:41:25 2010 From: tssullivan at charter.net (T. Sean Sullivan) Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 08:41:25 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] The Messenger Vol 005 Iss 010 Message-ID: The Messenger 2010 Published Weekly by Main Street Church of Christ 306 West Main Street, Newbern, TN 38059 mainstreetcofc.com Bulletin Editor: T. Sean Sullivan VOLUME 005::ISSUE 010: March 07, 2010 This Week's Article: Being Careful Not to Hinder Introduction: Our work is the cause of Christ. Saving souls is the business of the church. We are to evangelize, which is to sound forth the gospel to reach lost souls and we are to edify, which is to strengthen the souls who obey. There have been different climates for the gospel over the years. The have been easier times and more difficult times for the gospel to effect people. Today is a seemingly more difficult time to reach the souls of the lost. We have our work cut out for us and we need to all the focus we can muster. There are some things that we need to be aware of that will hinder others from obeying the truth-things that we must be careful to never do. Let's open our Bibles and consider how we can avoid being a hindrance to others. Inconsistent Living Hinders One of the most negative influences is inconsistency in the lives of those who call themselves members. We all should know that others are watching and judging. We should all know, "Do as I say, not as I do" will never work. Our conduct always matters (Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 4:17-24). We have a responsibility to demonstrate God's will. In Romans 12:2 we are told that our actions are proof, when it says,".that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." We are "proving" these facts to others outside of Christ. If we live as we should, we prove the ability for others to do the same. But the opposite is also very true; when we fail to live as we should we prove that God's will is not livable. Why should anyone make extra effort toward something that you prove cannot be done? The great danger is when others see our improper actions and blaspheme God and His plan-Christianity (Romans 2:17-24). Prejudice Hinders Since I was a child I have heard the Parable of the Sower used to proclaim the fact that we are to be "Seed Sowers" and not "Soil inspectors" (Matthew 13:3-9; 18-23). Everyone who has a soul needs salvation and everyone alive has a soul (Mark 16:15-16-every [human]). We can hinder the truth from some souls if we begin to set our own standard of worthiness. When the truth is barred from some because of prejudices we fail in our role before God as His link in this community. We need provide the opportunity of hope freely; some of the most unlikely people have become Christians even in our modern history. What about this picture from the scriptures? Who would have chose a religious gathering of another faith to proclaim the truth of hope? (Acts 2:22-42)-people of other faith need truth. Who would have chosen a renowned sorcerer like Simon to become a believer? (Acts 8:9-12)-people of different backgrounds need truth. Who would have chosen one who had a powerful position to be a seeker? (Acts 8:26-29)-all people, regardless of their position in this life, need truth. Who would have chosen Saul of Tarsus to be a convert? (Acts 9:1-18)-even our enemies need truth. We are the only hope for this community to hear the gospel-let's not be prejudice about sharing the message-all people, even ourselves, require forgiveness. A Closed Mouth Hinders We need to be willing to tell others about Jesus. The great commission calls for Christians to sound forth the gospel to others (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16). We are perpetuating the echo of the gospel, first sounded forth by the apostles in the first century. When we fail to proclaim Jesus we hinder others from obedience. Who else will tell them what they need to hear? We have the words of Jesus-the words of eternal life (John 6:68). We know what they need to know (Romans 1:16-18). We all know people who have not yet obeyed the gospel: family and friends (Acts 10:24-27) and everyone else (Mark 16:15-16). You may be surprised to know who has been waiting for you to share your source of love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5:22-25) Conclusion: Our work is the cause of Christ. Saving souls is the business of the church. We are to evangelize: Sound forth the gospel to reach lost souls. We are to edify: Strengthen the souls who obey. Today we are living in a difficult climate for the gospel. The needs of the soul are not high on many people's lists. Knowing this, we must be careful not to drive anyone away. We will be effective, we have the gospel power. We will be effective when demonstrate proper living, demonstrate a willingness to share our hope, and actually begin to tell others-we will grow. Are you a Christian today? The opportunity is yours to hear, believe, and obey the gospel right 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/20100306/8b746d3e/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/20100306/8b746d3e/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/20100306/8b746d3e/attachment-0003.gif From disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com Sun Mar 7 14:39:40 2010 From: disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com (Ethan R. Longhenry) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 15:39:40 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] B:> Good News for Norwalk: Volume V, Number 08: March 07, 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 08: March 07, 2010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 John 4:12-16: The Treatise on Love Continues No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God. And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him (1 John 4:12-16). John is justly known as the Apostle of love, and 1 John 4:7-21 represents his grand treatise on love. He begins to demonstrate the power and the necessity of love in 1 John 4:7-11. He establishes that we ought to love one another since love is of God and God is love. This love is demonstrated through the sacrifice of Jesus so that we could live to God. Our love for God is based in His love for us, and we should respond by loving one another. John then continues with what may seem to be an unrelated statement: no one has seen God at any time (1 John 4:12). He has made such a statement in John 1:18 and will take it in a different direction in 1 John 4:20, but what is it doing here in the middle of a treatise on love? Many questions could be raised. Who did Moses then see on the mountain? With whom did Jacob really fight? What did Isaiah or Ezekiel see? It would seem that on the basis of John's statement that these men all saw manifestations or representations of God, not God in His true spiritual form (cf. John 4:24). Nevertheless, John's purpose here is not to delve into the mysteries of how God appears to humans. He wants to emphasize the true nature of our relationship with God. God is love, after all (1 John 4:8), and therefore if we love one another, God abides in us (1 John 4:12). When we love one another, God's love is perfected, or completed, within us, for we are able to treat our fellow man as God has treated all of us (1 John 4:12). We then are told of a further confirmation that God abides in us-- He has given us of His Spirit (1 John 4:13). John has already indicated as much in 1 John 3:24; why must he mention it again? There may be some who doubt or are unsure that they are loving as God loves, and may question whether they are of God. It is more likely that the gift of the Spirit is a further demonstration of the love of God and a reason for confidence in Him. This confidence is also inspired by the testimony of John in verse 14: he has seen and bears witness to the fact that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Those who confess this truth-- that Jesus is the Son of God-- abide in God and God abides in him (1 John 4:15). The assurance that God abides in/with the believer is a consistent theme throughout 1 John. John has previously spoken of such things to make the contrast between true believers in God and those who have gone astray into false doctrine, especially those following the Gnostic belief systems (1 John 2:24-29, 3:19-24). As before, so also here: it would be foolish to turn John's statements into absolutes and believe that as long as someone confesses with their lips that Jesus is the Son of God that God definitively abides in them. More is required than just saying that Jesus is the Son of God-- one must also keep the commandments (1 John 2:3-6)! We have seen previously that God abides with those who have heard His Gospel and have His anointing (1 John 2:24, 27), who do not sin (1 John 3:6), and those who keep His commandments (1 John 3:24). To this we now add that God abides with those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 4:15) and also those who abide in love (1 John 4:16). This returns us to the theme of love. True believers come to know and believe deeply in the love that God has for us and that is present within us (1 John 4:16). Those who do not believe the truths of the Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection cannot truly understand or trust in that love. Only sacrificial love could motivate God to take on flesh and dwell among us (John 1:14). Only sacrificial love can explain why God would die on the cross for our reconciliation to Him (1 John 4:10). When we begin to understand the great love which God has for us, we will be motivated to believe in the message of the Gospel, declare that belief before others, do what He says, and thus to show the same type of love to others. When we have that kind of love toward our fellow man we demonstrate that even though our eyes may not have seen God, we abide in Him, and He in us. Do we abide in love? 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 donmcclain at sbcglobal.net Sun Mar 7 16:55:28 2010 From: donmcclain at sbcglobal.net (Don McClain) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 14:55:28 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Biblemat] daniel scheidecker Message-ID: <160297.12003.qm@web80703.mail.mud.yahoo.com> http://gmoneyindia.com/nathalie.html From donmcclain at sbcglobal.net Sun Mar 7 16:56:01 2010 From: donmcclain at sbcglobal.net (Don McClain) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 14:56:01 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Biblemat] Franka Heuer Message-ID: <428494.90083.qm@web80702.mail.mud.yahoo.com> http://tinmetal.com.tr/nadine.html From richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com Sun Mar 7 20:06:10 2010 From: richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com (Richard Thetford) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:06:10 -0700 Subject: [Biblemat] Walking in the Light (3/7/10) Message-ID: <001201cabe64$4b25dca0$e17195e0$@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) March 7, 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 "Bible Authority" (Richard Thetford) "Could It Be.." (Selected) SENTENCE SERMONS --- BIBLE AUTHORITY Richard Thetford All men must recognize the need for authority in all things that we do. If you were to take your vehicle to an auto mechanic and instruct him to put in some spark plugs but he also worked on the transmission and gave you a bill for $1,400.00 because he felt that you needed a new transmission, you know that he abused you. Since you did not authorize that work to be done, you have no obligation to pay for that transmission. If you instructed for your living room carpet to be replaced with blue carpeting before you went away for the day and returned to find that not only was the living room carpet replaced but two bedroom carpets were replaced with green carpeting, you once again were abused because carpet was added and color was changed without your authority. If a gasoline station were to guess at what to charge you rather than measure out the gasoline by a definite standard gallon, you would feel abused. ALL men recognize the need for authority in secular matters. But what about religion? Don't you think God has given man a standard to go by in the realm of religion? The Bible says: "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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3: 16-17). The Bible Teaches The Need For Authority Jesus performed many signs, wonders, and miracles, prompting people to come to Jesus and ask Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" (Matthew 21:23). These people recognized that authority is needed. In Colossians 3:17, the Bible teaches "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." All the things in which we DO in WORD (what we teach) and in DEED (what we practice) must be done in the NAME OF THE LORD (which means by the Lord's authority). To do something in anyone's name means to do it by that persons authority. To go beyond the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9) is to do something without the authority of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:6-9). What Does Religious Division Stem From? Anytime that two individuals disagree on anything religiously, the religious disagreement stems from: (1) A lack of respect for the authority of Christ or (2) An ignorance of how to establish proper Bible authority. There is no excuse for anyone who disrespects God's authority. In the denominational world today many examples of "disrespect" for God's Word can be seen. The attitude is, "wear my name," or "have the kind of music that pleases you," and "let the church be any kind of organization which pleases the people." There have even been others who have gone so far as to say '"we don't need Bible authority for everything that we do." However there are some today that do respect God's Word and desire to do all things that are pleasing to Him! These are the type of individuals that we need to have fellowship with. Respect For Authority The Old Testament is filled with example after example showing us how we should have a genuine, fearful respect of God's authority. In Leviticus 10:1-2 it says: "Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD." We can clearly see that these two added to God's Word. They did not respect His authority. We can also see examples of this in Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:2-9), King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:9-21), and Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:3-8). All of these examples are for our learning (Romans 15:4) and demonstrate to us that we must have respect for the authority of God in all that we do religiously. How Can I Establish Bible Authority? There are three ways in which to establish Bible authority. The first is command, which is a positive statement or a requirement. An example of a command can be found in Mark 16:16. The second is approved apostolic example. The New Testament example of this type of Bible authority can be found in Acts 20:7 where we are told when to take the Lord's Supper. The third way to establish Bible authority is necessary inference, which is something that is implied by scripture. An example of this can be found in Matthew 3:16 which says: "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him." This verse states that Jesus "went up" from the water. How do we know that He went down into the water? The answer is inference. In Hebrews 10:25, an ASSEMBLY is commanded. By inference a PLACE to assemble is required. In order to be pleasing to God we must ensure that we are doing all we do religiously based upon His will and not man's traditions. --- COULD IT BE.. Selected ..that people reject the Bible - not because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them? ..that some brethren do not attend various worship periods and Bible study classes because Christ is not really their "first love?" ..we utterly abhor the violence going on in the world, yet do not think twice about what our families entertain themselves with on television and at the movies? ..that some brethren honestly see no connection between commitment, attendance, and involvement? --- SENTENCE SERMONS He who is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else. The Bible never suffers from neglect, but those who neglect the Bible do. If we daily stand for truth and right, peace of mind is ours when we retire at night. Counting time isn't half as important as making time count. Wise men learn by the mistakes of others; fools insist on learning by their own. To have friends you must pay the price - be one. --- SERMONS What Is A Sound Church? (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/20100307/42e16795/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text 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/20100307/42e16795/attachment-0003.gif From myhan at cox.net Sun Mar 7 21:48:50 2010 From: myhan at cox.net (Bob Myhan) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 22:48:50 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] Faith Builder Email.2010-03-07 Message-ID: The Forest Hills Faith Builder Forest Hills church of Christ 800 Forest Hill Road - Macon, GA 31210 478-474-2233 Email: preacher at foresthillschurchofchrist.com Website: www.foresthillschurchofchrist.com March 7, 2010 Narrow-Mindedness By Cecil F. Cox Do you like narrow-minded people? I believe the majority of the people, if they answered that ques-tion honestly, would say "No!" Such an attitude re-flects the desire to preju-dice or belittle those who sincerely seek to go by the rules and laws in life. But I believe many of us appreci-ate narrow-minded people when we stop and really look at the facts. Check a few of these facts with me: A pharmacist who fills the prescription according to the doctor's orders and not according to some ideas he may have. The automobile driver who operates his vehicle according to the rules of the road in order to have a safe trip. The builder who builds a house according to the blueprint. If he does, there will be no surprises as to the looks and proper function of the building. The math teacher who insists on teaching ac-cording to the laws of mathematics. The football (or base-ball, etc.) official who in-sists on calling the game according to the rules and not giving favors to one team or the other. The chemist who insists on following the pre-scribed formulas viz. wa-ter is two parts Hydrogen and one part Oxygen. We can see that a broadminded attitude has no place in these things and many others we could mention. There is no room at all for the attitude which suggests that one may change rules and laws to please his own desires. With these comments in mind, we can see and appreciate the preacher who insists upon a "thus saith the Lord" and bases his sermons upon "book, chapter and verse." Sometimes such a one may be considered nar-row-minded. But such a tactic is used to prejudice the hearer against one who insists upon follow-ing the Word of God in all that is taught and prac-ticed in religion. For example, one may insist that faith in Jesus Christ is essential to ever-lasting life, and gives John 3:16 as his proof. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only be-gotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have ever-lasting life." He teaches that one must repent of his sins and give Paul's words to the certain phi-losophers at Mars Hill, "Truly, these times of ignorance God over-looked, but now commands all men every-where to repent ... (Acts 17:30). He may also insist that a confession of that faith is "unto salvation," He cites Romans 10:9, 10 "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto right-eousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." He also shows that one must be baptized for the remission of his sins. He gives 1 Peter 3:20, 21 for his proof. There is also an antitype which now saves us-baptism (not the re-moval of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resur-rection of Jesus Christ ..." Ananias told Saul of Tar-sus, "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." What are you going to say about such a one? Are you going to say he is "narrow-minded and by such seek to prejudice people against the word of God? I say, "Thank God for individuals who are determined not to follow their own rules in reli-gion. We do not need men who teach their own ideas and lead souls away from the will of God. I wish to leave with you the words of Paul in Acts 20:32, "And now, breth-ren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." * The Angels That Sinned By Bob Myhan To prove that "the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment" (2 Peter 2:4-9), the apostle refers to three events: 1. "God did not spare the angels who sinned," 2. He "did not spare the ancient world," "but saved Noah" and seven others, 3. He turned "the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes," while delivering righteous Lot. Inasmuch as certain angels sinned, they must have been under some law. There can be no sin where there is no law "for where there is no law there is no transgression" (Rom. 4:15). Angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14), Therefore, their sin undoubtedly involved the refusal to minister in this capacity. The angels who sinned and the devil's angels (Matt. 25:41) are surely to be indentified as the same beings. They are also referred to as "demons" and are part of the devil's kingdom (Matt. 12:22-29; Luke 11: 14-22). They evidently became his angels when they followed him in rebellion. Their punishment was swift and severe. God "cast them down to hell and delivered them into (everlasting) chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment" (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). The word translated "hell" here is "tartarus," and is elsewhere referred to as "torment" and "the abyss" (Luke 16:23; 8:31; Rom. 10:7) Thus, sin did not originate with man but with the devil and his angels. Everlasting fire was prepared for them. It is the judgment for which they are reserved. The same fate will be suffered by those who fail to qualify for entrance into the kingdom "prepared ... from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:31-41). * The Power of Example By Ken Tyler A fine lad entered the army. On the first night in the barracks when he went to bed, he faced a real test. At home, he had the habit of reading the Bible and kneeling down to pray before retiring. In the barracks, he was entirely surrounded by rough fellows. Many of them were cursing and joking loudly. The lad thought it might be wise to go to bed and read his Bible where nobody would notice him. Then he thought and boldly decided, "I'm a Christian! I ought to be an example for Jesus before the fellows. I won't pull down my colors. I will do here like I always did at home." So he took out his Bible and read it. Then he knelt down to pray. The barracks became quiet. After a while the talk began again, but it was more subdued. No one said anything about the young soldier's unusual behavior. The next night when he got out his Bible, eight other soldiers go out their Bibles. Within a month every soldier in the barracks would have fought for the lad. They came to him with their questions and their troubles. May you and I have the same type of dedication and courage as this young soldier. Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). * (Bulletin Digest, 844 Pine Street, Abilene, TX 79601) Is Truth Essential? 1. Truth Came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17) 2. Jesus Came to Bear Witness to the Truth. (John 18:37) 3. Truth Makes One Free. (John 8:32) 4. Truth Sanctifies. (John 17:17) 5. Truth Purifies. (1 Peter 1:22) 6. God's Judgment Is According to Truth. (Romans 2:2) 7. Everyone that Is of the Truth Hears the Voice of Jesus. (John 18:37) 8. It Is God's Desire that All Men Come to the Knowledge of the Truth. (1 Timothy 2:4) 9. Those Who Do Not Obey the Truth Will Be Lost Forever. (Romans 2:8-9) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100307/0f5bc633/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 2905 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100307/0f5bc633/attachment-0001.jpe From donmcclain at sbcglobal.net Sun Mar 7 21:52:52 2010 From: donmcclain at sbcglobal.net (Don McClain) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:52:52 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Biblemat] Suspicious Emails Message-ID: <195715.28519.qm@web80707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hello to all?- Please disregard the suspicious emails that appear to be coming from me. My yahoo address book has been hacked. http://w65stchurchofchrist.org/donmaccla/index.html? ?Don McClain donmcclain at sbcglobal.net 501-568-1062 (Office) 501-749-6928 (Cell) http://w65stchurchofchrist.org/home.htm ________________________________ From: Don McClain To: donmcclain at sbcglobal.net Cc: Bible Matters Mailing List Sent: Sun, March 7, 2010 4:56:01 PM Subject: [Biblemat] Franka Heuer **** * Bible Matters mailing list * http://biblematters.net/mailman/listinfo/biblemat * You are subscribed as: donmcclain at sbcglobal.net * Send postings to: biblemat at biblematters.net New Forum addresshttp://www.network54.com/Forum/602460 Join Bible Matters Group for forum at - http://www.network54.com/Group/158452 ?Don McClain donmcclain at sbcglobal.net 501-568-1062 (Office) 501-749-6928 (Cell) http://w65stchurchofchrist.org/home.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100307/4d67ec18/attachment-0001.html From crxtra at gmail.com Sun Mar 7 23:19:14 2010 From: crxtra at gmail.com (Steven C. Harper) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 22:19:14 -0700 Subject: [Biblemat] A> The Blame Game Message-ID: <000001cabe7e$e66cd7d0$b3468770$@com> The Blame Game Our current society loves to play what I call 'the blame game' - shifting the blame onto someone else, rather than accepting or admitting personal responsibility. Young men who planned in advance to murder their parents so they could then inherit their millions blame their privileged upbringing; taxpayers who cheat on their taxes blame government for being too intrusive and confiscatory; young folks who steal songs by downloading without payment to the musicians or their recording companies blame society or the ease of technology; those who illegally install software blame the "obscene profits" of the software companies; and the driver who is pulled over and is being given a ticket for speeding explains that he was "only keeping up with the flow of traffic." And we could go on and on. Don't we just love to play the blame game? Men and women have been doing it for centuries even though it has been clear from the onset that such attempts are futile, yet they keep on trying. Consider a few examples from the recorded history of the Bible: Adam and Eve. (Gen. 3:1-13) When the tempter deceived Eve and she ate of the forbidden fruit, she then offered it to Adam and he likewise ate of it. When God discovered their sin and asked Adam if he had eaten of the forbidden tree, Adam responded, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate" (v. 12); in other words, "God, it's YOUR fault because YOU gave me this woman!" When God asked the woman, she said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate" (v. 13); in other words, "The serpent is to blame - not me!" We see that, from the very beginning of sin, man has tried to shift the blame off of self and onto someone else. It didn't work. God handed down punishments to both the man and the woman for their sins (Gen. 3:14-24) and neither escaped by shifting the blame. Yes, the serpent received his due, but it did not release the man or the woman from their guilt. I'd like to say man learned from that example, but he did not. Aaron. When Israel was being brought through the wilderness and toward Canaan and Moses was up on the mountain receiving the Law from God, the people came and complained to Aaron, demanding that they make gods that they might serve (Exod. 32:1). Aaron complied, taking gold from the people and fashioning a golden idol in the form of a calf. Later, when questioned by Moses about it, Aaron began by saying, "You know the people, that they are set on evil" (v. 22); in other words, "It's the fault of the people!" He would go on to say that he had taken the gold and thrown it into the fire and out popped this golden calf (v. 24); in other words, "None of us is to blame; the fire did it!" Needless to say, that excuse didn't work, either. While Aaron was spared, God sent the sword against those involved (vv. 27, 28) and, later, a plague (v. 25). While they may have thought the excuses and blame-shifting would work, it did not. And this was merely the beginning of the habit of the Israelites to shift the blame, instead of accepting responsibility for their choices and their actions. King Saul. Much later, when Israel was established in Canaan and Saul had been proclaimed King, God gave him the task of utterly destroying the Amalekites (1st Sam. 15:3). To Saul's credit, he went and, before beginning the task, warned the Kenites to flee from the Amalekites so they would not be destroyed (v. 6) but, when he entered into the work of doing God's will, he "spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them" (v. 9). To put it plainly: He did not do the will of the Lord. But when Samuel came to him, Saul greeted him by claiming, "I have performed the commandment of the Lord" (v. 13). When Samuel further challenged him by noting the lowing cattle and bleating sheep, Saul then said, "The people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God" (v. 15). Saul was, like many others, trying to shift the blame! When Samuel basically silences him by noting his disobedience, Saul again pleads, "I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal" (vv. 16-21). It would not be until Samuel delivered the decree that Saul's kingdom would be taken from him and given to another that Saul would admit guilt (vv. 23, 24). But it was too late. Shifting the blame would not remove his guilt, and Saul was removed from being King! The Religious Leaders. And in one of the most famous [infamous?] displays of blame-shifting, we recall the words of the mob as they demanded Jesus be crucified. When Pilate saw that he would not persuade the crowd to release the innocent Man, Jesus, he washed his hands and told the crowd, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves" (Matt. 27:24). To this the crowd replied, "His blood be on us and on our children!" (v. 25). It seems clear that the people were more than willing to take the blame for this Man's death. At least for now. When the gospel first began to be preached, the apostles were brought before some of the main initiators of Christ's trial and crucifixion and the apostles told them that they were the ones who had crucified the Christ (Acts 4:10). The next time the apostles were brought before them, the council said to them, "You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this Man's blood upon us" (Acts 5:28). It seems they had a short memory! Did they not gladly welcome the blame for Christ's death at one time? Why are they trying to deny it now? Through denial, they are, in effect, trying to shift the blame to someone else. Later, when Stephen challenged some of these same men for their deeds and disbelief, he bluntly said to them, "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered" (Acts 7:52). Upon this statement and after other words, the men "were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him" (vv. 54, 57-58). I am fairly certain that many, if not all, of these men thought that absolved them of the guilt [or at least kept it hidden], but it did not and does not. They will have to answer someday (2nd Cor. 5:10). The Lesson. Now, what should we learn from these examples? Is there a lesson for us today? Can we shift the blame and escape the consequences of our sins? First, no one escapes responsibility. All men will face judgment after death (Heb. 9:27) and we will each one answer for self (Rom. 14:12). And in that judgment, nothing will be hidden from the eyes of the Righteous Judge, for all will be made known (Heb. 4:13) - even our motives (1st Cor. 4:5). While we may escape consequences while living here on earth, such will not be the case once we die. All will be made known and all sins for which we have not been forgiven will have consequences. Second, there is a better way - the only sure way - to escape the consequences for our sins: forgiveness! The simple fact is, all of us have sinned (Rom. 3:23) and, thus, we all face certain condemnation. But God, in His infinite mercy, has granted to us a means of removing the consequences for our sins and being once again justified and righteous in His sight. He sent His Son to die for our sins, with Jesus paying the price for our guilt (1st John 2:2) and, in this one act, God was both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:25, 26). When we believe in Christ and obey His will, it is then that, at baptism, God does the work of washing away the guilt of those past sin (Col. 2:11-13) and we can be reconciled to God. With that done, there is no need to shift the blame; our sins have been taken away! Have you been making excuses for your sins and trying to shift the blame to someone else? It won't work! The only sure way to be blameless is to be forgiven by God. The only way to forgiveness is by obedient faith. With the guilt removed, you can sleep soundly, and one day rest eternally with Him. -- Steven Harper -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100307/7d2ba73d/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Mar 8 04:26:34 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 05:26:34 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) TURNED Message-ID: <2e04.67a83a0.38c62ada@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 article from my files: TURNED As the ages keep unfolding, the inexorable march of years Pen to paper has been put, and stories did appear. Some were false, others true, all lines meant for the reader. But more poignantg line was never penned than, "The Lord turned and looked upon Peter." A man with stellar character, some flaws -- oh yes, indeed -- Would curse and swear, "I know not the man" in His hour of greatest need. The man who said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God" could not stay awake. But when Jesus turned and looked on Peter, we know his heart did break. The crow of the cock preceded the awful look from Him And as His eyes bore into Peter, so did Peter's sin. Peter could have turned and run away, seeking relief with each new step, But that's not what we are told he did; the Bible says, "He wept." On the great and glorious morning of not four days hence Through the mist of the early hours, four women walked An angel they were blessed to see and listened as he talked Go and tell His disciples, but Peter especially, That you have seen the empty tomb. And they will see the Lord in Galilee. When the Lord turned and looked at Peter, I know what I'd have done. I would have shaken my head and turned away and said He's not the one. He said if I must die with You that will be alright with me; But when the time did come to pass, he failed miserably. With arrogance born of pride and lack of empathy, I probably would have said, Peter, get away from me. We have gone from, "The Lord turned and look on Peter" to, "Go and tell him especially." That His Lord had risen from the dead and would appear to him in Galilee. Only the love of both Peter and Jesus, kept Peter by His side. With bitter tears I must admit, this same Jesus I've denied. I have not cursed and sworn and shouted that I do not know the man But there have been times when He needed me most I failed to say, "I can." What of the man on the corner, did he even have a bed in which to sleep? But I turned my head, averted my eyes, and with hand in pocket my money I did keep. What about the brother who can no longer cut his grass, Or what of the sister whose house-cleaning days are now passed? Why can I see where Peter failed, but myself I cannot see? "When you have done it unto one of these the least of My brethren, you have done it unto Me." I want to try much harder, for His love I don't deserve; And I know the reason I am here is to live my life to serve. Of all the lines ever written or words spoken in the unfolding tale of history I never want to have it written, that the Lord turned and looked at me. Greg Litmer in That You May Grow Thereby. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Mar 8 04:26:42 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 05:26:42 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) "KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (17) Message-ID: <2e0b.1327c8f1.38c62ae2@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the seventeenth install- ment of this particular subject. Use tot he glory of God. "KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT..." (17) THE ONE BAPTISM (continued): -- If You Have No Faith And You Are Lost: -- Jesus makes His doctrine simple for us to grasp. People who come to faith will be baptized to be saved. People who reject faith will be lost. They will not do any of the things Jesus commands (including being baptized) because they have already rejected Him. Lack of faith will bring condemnation. The presence of genuine faith will bring baptism and salvation. What do the apostles say about baptism? They Say We Must Die To Our Sin: -- "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the like- ness of His resurrection" (Rom. 6:3-5). The apostle Paul is re- minding the Roman Christians of what happened when they were baptized. Paul knows that all Christians needed to be bapt- ized to be saved. Jesus said so. Now Paul reminds them what baptism does. When we are baptized, we die to sin and are buried. It is im- portant to die to sin? Only if you want to know God and salvat- ion. When do we die to sin? According to Paul, we die to sin in baptism. When We Are Baptized We Join Jesus: -- In baptism we not only die to sin, but we are buried with Christ in baptism. We join Jesus in death. We take advantage of His blood, shed for us. Just as it was important for Jesus to die, so it is important that we join Him in death. We do that when we are baptized. If some- one tells you baptism is optional or just a symbol of what has already taken place in your heart, compare that with What Paul says. He says we join Jesus when we are baptized. When We Are Baptized, We Start A New Life: -- When we come up out of the waters of baptism we start a new life. Is it import- ant to you to be forgiven and start over? Is it important not only that you die to sin, but that you start a new live with new values and standards to live by? Then you need to be baptized. And, notice that baptism is a burial in water. It is not a sprinkling or a pouring of water on a person. I have attended and conducted many funerals in my sixty years of preaching the gospel, but I have never seen anyone buried by having a little dirt sprinkled on the top of their casket. They are always completely immers- ed or covered with the soil that was taken from the earth when the hole was dug for their burial. But, someone says, "What happens if you were baptized as an infant with a little water sprinkled on you?" What if you have not been baptized in the right way and for the right purpose in the first place? If you have not fully followed the teaching of the Bible in the matter of bapt- ism, you have not really been baptized. So, you need to do it right. I Know That Some Have Been Baptized With The Wrong Type Of Baptism And For The Wrong Purpose. What Should A Person Do In Such A Case? "It happened that while Apollos was at Cor- inth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephe- sus, and found some disciples. He said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' And they said to him, 'No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.' And he said, 'Into what then were you baptized?' And they said, 'Into John's baptism.' Paul said, 'John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him that was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.' When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:1-5). It should not surprise us today that people have experienced the wrong baptism. It even happened back in the first century too. So, if you were baptized in the wrong way or for the wrong reasons, don't give up. These men did that as well, and God found a way to get the truth to them in the matter. If you will just forget about the "baptism" you had before, and obey what Jesus and Paul commanded, you can get it all straightened out. (More will be posted on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS). From kerux at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 8 10:41:52 2010 From: kerux at bellsouth.net (Kent Heaton) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:41:52 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] A>Tradition (Kent Heaton) Message-ID: <14682071209F4385895226F4FA1E459A@D2381J91> Tradition (Kent Heaton) In the United States, the standard railroad gauge, or distance between the rails, is four feet-eight and one half inches. American track builders used that odd measurement because that is the way railroads are built in England. The English engineers used that measure because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways. Trams used that gauge because they were built on the same construction jigs and tooling used for building wagons. This odd wheel spacing of wagons was designed to fit the ruts of old English roads, which were carved out by Roman war chariots and transport wagons. The Romans derived their chariot designs from the Hittites who developed the use of the chariot in war. The Hittites found that four feet-eight and one half inches was the ideal width for chariot wheels to provide a stable platform for the three men who would occupy the chariot: the charioteer, the warrior, and the arms bearer. Modern railroad gauge today is based on the amount of space needed in a chariot by three soldiers fighting for a nation that fell over three thousand years ago. So often in life the pattern of what we do or why we do what we do is not based upon an original idea but one that has been held for generations. Mom cut the end of the ham off because that is what she was taught growing up; not realizing that great-grandmother started cutting the ham off because she did not have a pot big enough to cook a whole ham. Traditions are good things we pass from generation to generation. Many of these are harmless until they begin to be a pattern of our worship to God. "Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches" (Mark 7:4). Cleanliness is a very important part of hygiene. However, the Pharisees and scribes were following after a tradition that was handed down from their fathers and not from God. Jesus would rebuke them saying, "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men" (Mark 7:8). The lesson we must learn here is that whatever we do in our service to God must be based upon what God says and not what has been the tradition of the past 500 years. Peter writes, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God" (1 Peter 4:11). It matters not what the church has practiced in the last one hundred years but it does matter what the church practiced in the New Testament. Our authority must come from the Bible; not traditions of men. So much of what we find in religion today cannot be found in the Bible but the pages of man's tradition. The faith of many is running on tracks invented by man centuries old. In order to be found faithful to God we must return to the Book and to establish every word upon the precepts of the original pattern. Holding to the religious traditions of men will make void the word of God. The word of God alone is truth (John 17:17) and the traditions of men will fail (Matthew 15:13-14). Kent Heaton 206 NE Fourth Avenue Trenton, Florida 32693 (H) 352-463-6916 (O) 3793 (C) 352-283-3889 www.trentonchurchofchrist.com Articles, audio and information www.northfloridabiblecamp.com 2010 CAMP OPEN FOR REGISTRATION -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100308/b4ff8ba1/attachment-0001.html From donmcclain at sbcglobal.net Mon Mar 8 17:09:55 2010 From: donmcclain at sbcglobal.net (Don McClain) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 17:09:55 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] Recently updated our website Message-ID: <003b01cabf14$788b0bb0$69a12310$@net> Here is an update on the latest sermons available on our website. (power Point, MP3 Audio, PDF's) Many have had trouble downloading the Power Point files and after researching the issue - the problem seems to be with Internet Explorer 8's default settings which recognize files by content - not by extension. I have been using PPT 2007 for the last couple of years and have recently been using PPT 2010 Beta - and both saves files by compressing them - thus IE 8 recognizes them as "Zip Files" and will not open them - there are a couple of ways around this - 1) Right click on the PPT icon on our site and select the "Save Target As" option from the dialogue box - choose where on your computer to download the file - after the file has downloaded - you ought to be able to open it with PPT 2007 or PPT 2007 viewer - 2) Reset your IE 8 settings - go to "tools" in the upper right hand corner of IE - select "Internet Options" (should be the last option in the dialogue box) - Select the "Security" tab - In security settings, scroll down to "Open Files Based on Content, Not File Extension" - select "DISABLE" - 3) OR - Download "Mozilla Firefox" and use it as your web browser - you will have no trouble. I have also been uploading PDF's of the PPT charts - great for viewing but they are bigger - and have no functionality. Also - I use a lot of different fonts in my presentations so you may find some that you do not have, therefore they may not fit correctly on the charts when you open them. I try to update our site every Monday with the latest sermons - so please check back regularly. http://w65stchurchofchrist.org/donmaccla/2010SermonPage.html . Planning Our Future - James 4:13-17 - January 3, 2010 . Two Men, Two Prayers, Two Attitudes, Two Verdicts - Luke 18:9-14 - January 10, 2010 . The Book of Romans - Introduction And Theme - Romans 1:1-17 - January 10, 2010 . Growing As A Christian - The Need, The Means & The Results - January 17, 2010 . The Book of Romans - The Wrath of God Revealed - Sins of The Gentiles - Romans 1:18-32 - January 17,2010 . Abortion - A Nation Polluted With Blood - January 24, 2010 . The Book of Romans - The Wrath of God Revealed - Sins of The Jews - Romans 2:1-3:20 - January 31, 2010 . The Tie That Binds - How To Have A Happy And Successful Marriage - February 7, 2010 . The Lost Sheep, Coin & Son - How Do We View The Lost? - Luke 15 - February 14, 2010 . The Book of Romans - The Righteousness of God Revealed In Christ - Not The Law - February 14, 2010 . Are You Drifting? - The Danger, Some Symptoms & Solutions To Drifting - February 21, 2010 . The Book of Romans - Benefits of Justification Through The Death of Christ - Romans 5:1-21 - February 21, 2010 . Some Questions About Your Baptism - When? How? Why? - February 28, 2010 . Decisions Determine Destiny - We Are Free To Choose - - But We Are Not Free Not To Choose - March 7, 2010 http://w65stchurchofchrist.org/donmaccla/2010SermonPage.html Sincerely, Don McClain 501-568-1062 501-749-6928 donmcclain at sbcglobal.net http://w65stchurchofchrist.org/home.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100308/1e04ee42/attachment-0001.html From PatDonahue at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 8 23:53:11 2010 From: PatDonahue at bellsouth.net (Patrick Donahue) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 23:53:11 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] II Corinthians 5:10 versus "Original Sin" Message-ID: <005001cabf4c$d3aeabe0$7b0c03a0$@net> II Corinthians 5:10 reads, "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, whether it be good or bad." Three key words in this verse help us to understand the doctrine of "Original Sin" to be false: done - we will be judged by things that we do, not by something that we inherit, as the Calvinist says. his - we will be judged by things that we do, not by something Adam did. body - we will be judged by things that we do while in our body, not by things done after we are in our body (as the Mormons teach), or things done before we are in our body, as the Calvinist teaches. Supposed inherited sin would not be something a person did in his body would it? If there were such a thing as inherited sin (which there is not), this verse would prove that we will not be judged by it. God says a person will be judged by the things done in his body. The Calvinist says we will also be judged by things done by someone else before we even had a body. Who do you believe? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100308/91952a84/attachment.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Tue Mar 9 03:37:04 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 04:37:04 EST Subject: [Biblemat] A) NARROW MNDEDNESS Message-ID: <19f9.7fa0f45e.38c770c0@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Tuesday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an artic- le from my files: NARROW MINDEDNESS Do you like narrow-minded people? I believe the majority of the people, if they answered that question honestly, would day "NO!" Such an attitude reflects the desire to prejudice or belittle those who sincerely seek to go by the rules and laws in life. But I believe many of us appreciate narrow-minded people when we stop and really look at the facts of the matter. Check a few of these facts with me: A pharmacist who fills the prescription according to the doct- or's orders and not according to some ideas he may have. The builder who builds a house according to the blueprint. If he does, there will be no surprise as to the looks and proper function of the building. The math teacher who insists on teaching according to the laws of mathematics. The football (or baseball, etc.) official who insists on calling the game according to the rules and not giving favors to one team or the other. The chemist who insists on following the prescribed formul- as viz. water is two parts Hydrogen and one part Oxygen. We can see that a broadminded attitude has no place in these things and many others we could mention. There is no room at all for the attitude which suggests that one may change rules and laws to please his own desires. With these comments in mind, we can see and appreciate the preacher who insists upon a "thus saith the Lord" and bases his sermons upon "book, chapter and verse." Some- times such a one may be considered narrow-minded. But such a tactic is used to prejudice the hearer against one who insists upon following the Word of God in all that is taught and practic- ed in religion. For example, one may insist that faith in Jesus Christ is ess- ential to everlasting life, and gives Jno. 3:16 as his proof. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." He teaches that one must repent of his sins and give Paul's words to the certain philosophers at Mars Hill, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,..." (Acts 17:30). He may also insist that a confession of that faith is "unto salvation," He cites Rom. 10:9,10 "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteous- ness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." He also shows that one must be baptized for the remission of his sins. He gives 1 Pet. 3:20,21 for his proof. "There is also an antitype which now saves us -- baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..." Ananias told Saul of Tarsus, "And now why tarriest thou, or why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." What are you going to say about such a one? Are you going to say he is "narrow-minded and by such seek to prejudice people against the Word of God? I say, "Thank God for individuals who are de- termined not to follow their own rules in religion. We do not need men who teach their own ideas and lead souls away from the Will of God. I wish to leave with you the words of Paul as is found in Acts 20:32, "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." ------ Cecil F. Cox in The Gospel Power, Vol. 17, No. 2, Feb. 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Tue Mar 9 03:37:12 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 04:37:12 EST Subject: [Biblemat] S) "KEEPING THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (18) Message-ID: <1a03.6c0ebc1d.38c770c8@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the eighteenth install- ment on this particular study. Use to the glory of God. "KEEPING THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT" (18). THE ONE BAPTISM AS MENTIONED IN EPH. 4:1-6. (continued): Some Need Teaching On The One Baptism: -- What I like about this event is how calm Paul is with these men of Acts 19:1-5. They claim to be followers of Christ, but have little understand- ing of Him. They know nothing of the Holy Spirit and in fact, have had the wrong baptism for the time of the occasion of Paul's meeting them. But, Paul doesn't rant and rave. He doesn't condemn them. He gently teaches them about the role that John played in the ministry of Jesus. He tells them that the baptism they had was inadequate for the time. And he tells them what they need to do about their situation. This is an important lesson for those of us in the kingdom. We should not be alarmed when we come across those who say they follow Jesus but have the wrong baptism. Our task with them is to do what I am attempting to do in this article. Our job is to teach them some more concerning Jesus. Instead of rant- ing and raving and condemning others, we should simply teach them the truth on the matter. When We Teach The Truth On The One Baptism, Some Will Want To Do Right On The Matter: -- I love how these men in Acts 19 reacted. They don't argue the point. They don't complain that their mom or dad didn't do it that way. They didn't raise object- ions and call Paul names. They simply did what he said and were baptized in the right name for the right reason. If you are wondering what you should do if you were sprinkled or had water poured upon your head, do what these twelve men did. Don't argue, don't fuss, just obey the Lord and you will be right with Him. So, what does this process of baptism look like in practical terms? Lets look at the baptism of Saul himself for our answer. In This Matter Of The One Baptism, Be What God Planned For You To Be: -- Paul is telling the story of hsi conversion many after the fact. Notice what he said happened on his occasion: "And he (Ananias) said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His Will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, adn wash away your sins, call- ing on His name" (Acts 22:14-16). The first thng Ananias tells Saul is that God has great plans for his life. Whatever sins he has committed, and they were many, whatever mistakes, what- ever missteps, he can start over and become all that God plan- ned for him to be. This was not just true with Saul. It is true with you and me. God never intended for us to spend our lives in sin and waste. He wants to redeem us and make us everything He always plan- ned for us to be. God has a plan for your life just as He did for Saul's. Yes, We Are To Be Baptized With The One Baptism Of Eph. 4: -- Consider some of the details of this story. Saul had seen Jesus three days earlier. He was blinded. In those three days he had come to the faith in Christ, probably immediately upon meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. He must have spent time in repenting, regretting all the evil he had brought upon the church of the Lord. But, when Ananias comes to Saul, three days later, he is still blinded, and still in sin. That is why Ananias commands that Saul be immersed in water. If baptism was not an important factor in Paul's conversion, then why did Ananias command it here? If you can be saved without it, why was Saul still in his sin three days after coming to know Jesus? You see, you need to do what Saul did and what all first cent- ury believers did. You need to be baptized in water, into Christ, for the remission of your past sins (Acts 2:38). And, when you do, you will die to your sins as Saul did on this occasion. We Need To Accept And Obey The Requirement Of Christ By Being Baptized: -- This cleanses us from our past sins. Ananias promises Saul just what he must have wanted to hear. He can have his sins washed away in the waters of baptism. This is not done in some prayer of faith, inviting Jesus to come into your heart and save you from your sins. It is done by surrendering your complete self to the Lord in baptism. If you have baved after a hot, sweaty chore, then you know how good it feels to be clean in the flesh. Why not be baptized in water for the remis- sion of your sins and feel the wonderful clean feeling you have in a spiritual sense. Do you want to be clean before the Lord? Do you want that newness of life feeling the Paul himself taught? Then you need to do what he did, what the men in Ephe- sus did and what all Christians have done in order to be saved and added to the Lord's church by the Lord Himself. Put your faith in Christ, turn from your former life and be baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Why not come to Him today? (More will be posted on the subject found in Eph. 4, tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS), From richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com Sun Mar 14 19:59:00 2010 From: richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com (Richard Thetford) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:59:00 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] Walking in the Light (3/14/10) Message-ID: <000601cac3da$ded15cb0$9c741610$@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) March 14, 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 "Jerusalem Has Fallen" (Richard Thetford) "How to Become a Christian" (Selected) SENTENCE SERMONS --- JERUSALEM HAS FALLEN Richard Thetford Jeremiah is overcome with emotion as he writes the book of Lamentations. He is basically describing the funeral of a city that was once filled with great beauty and promise. Jerusalem was a proud city, rich in history and service to God. But now it is a city that has been reduced to rubble by the army of Babylon. Jeremiah was sent by God to prophecy to the children of Israel concerning the impending doom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. But why? Why did this terrible thing have to happen to a beautiful city, a city that Solomon spent a fortune on to build, that housed the great temple that the Jews could go to and worship the God of heaven? The answer is because the children of God turned their backs on their creator, and were carried off into the adulterous idol worship of pagan gods. They became a self-centered people that had lost their trust and faith in the almighty God! Jeremiah was a faithful servant of God and knew of the rich history of Jerusalem. He had the tough task of warning the people of God and then to actually see the city be totally devastated by a foreign army, all because the people turned their back on God, the God that loved them so dearly and wanted so much to give them nothing but blessings. But instead, God was forced to keep the second part of His promise, to punish His children for their lack of obedience! In the book of Deuteronomy, long before Jeremiah was called upon to prophesy, God gave His Word to a great leader by the name of Moses. In the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy we can read where God stipulated what would happen to His chosen people if they would obey His Word and what would happen if they chose not to obey His Word. The Curses on Disobedience In the first fourteen verses of the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, God announced all the blessings that would take place if the children of Israel would obey His Words. But then in verses 15-68 the curses were announced to Moses on what would happen to these children if they did not obey. The all-knowing God truly knew what was going to take place in their history. He spent a lot of time letting Moses know exactly what was going to happen to these chosen ones. God has always kept His promises, whether good or bad, in dealing with all man-kind. All of the promises that God told to Moses in this 28th chapter came true. Jeremiah was there serving as the mouth piece for God when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians because of disobedience. God's people did not harken to the Words of God and as a result paid an awful price. Many were killed by their enemies and most of the others were carried off into captivity, and would not return for 70 years. Will Our "Jerusalem" Stand or Fall? When I speak of our "Jerusalem" I'm talking about our soul. Have we listened to the Word of God and prepared ourselves to fully obey Him? We better make sure we have because Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, 21: "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." The things of old were written for our learning (Romans 15:4), so we can know how God has dealt with man. We have the written Word to see that God most assuredly kept His promises in dealing with His own chosen people of long ago. In the same way, we can KNOW that God WILL keep His promises in dealing with His people today. The only ones that will get to heaven are going to be those that love, trust, believe, and obey God. The Hebrew writer said: "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9). We know that those that did not obey Him long ago received His curses and those that do not obey God today will also receive His curses. Paul wrote: "and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Knowing then that God will bless us when we obey by providing us a home with Him in heaven (Ephesians 1:3), and also knowing that we will be punished with everlasting destruction if we do not obey, what is the condition of our "Jerusalem?" Will it stand in eternity with God? Or will it fall, even though we have been warned and warned by God's Word what will happen if we do not obey? The outcome of our "Jerusalem"(our soul) is totally up to us! --- HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN Selected 1. Begin studying the Bible, the only source of truth. "and they searched the Scriptures daily" (Acts 17:11). 2. Believe what the Bible teaches about God and about Jesus. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb 11:6). 3. Repent of all past sin and turn to God. "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" (Acts 3:19). 4. Confess Jesus as Lord. "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom 10:9). 5. Be immersed (baptized) in water for forgiveness. "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" (Acts 2:38). After these things, remain faithful to God (Revelation 2:10), by continuing to study diligently God's truths (2 Timothy 2:15), and by worshiping with faithful Christians in a faithful congregation that follows the Lord as the ultimate authority in life. --- SENTENCE SERMONS To err is understandable; to admit it is unlikely. A wayward child is sometimes straightened out by being bent over. People determine your character by observing what you stand for, fall for, and lie for. Folks who follow the crowd usually get into a jam. He who lives for himself does not have much to live for. The Bible has survived the ignorance of its friends and the hatred of its enemies. --- SERMONS Success Comes to Those Who Rely on the Lord (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/20100314/95917e7c/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/20100314/95917e7c/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/20100314/95917e7c/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/20100314/95917e7c/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/20100314/95917e7c/attachment-0003.gif From PatDonahue at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 15 00:14:53 2010 From: PatDonahue at bellsouth.net (Patrick Donahue) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:14:53 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] Does Ephesians 2:1 Teach "Total Depravity" ? Message-ID: <000001cac3fe$77bc0240$673406c0$@net> Ephesians 2:1 reads, "And you hath he quickened, who were DEAD in trespasses and sins." Does Ephesians 2:1 teach the Calvinistic doctrine of "Total Depravity" ? Thayer defines the word "dead" in this verse as - destitute of a life that recognizes and is devoted to God, ... INACTIVE as respects doing right ? Not inability, but inactivity ! If Ephesians 2:1 means sinners can?t do right, then Romans 6 would mean Christians can?t sin: verse 11 Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead (same Greek word, #3498) indeed UNTO SIN verse 2 How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Ephesians 2:1 says these dead sinners were quickened and Psalms 119:50b says that "thy word hath quickened me." So obviously, sinners aren?t so ?dead? they can?t respond to God?s word. The Ephesians were ?dead? in sin, not by birth, but for what they did: verse 2 walked according to the course of this world verse 3 lived in the lusts of our flesh verse 3 indulging the desires of the flesh (NASV) BibleDebates.info -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100315/5fc58c3a/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Mar 15 00:17:30 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:17:30 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) THE VINDICATION OF DANIEL Message-ID: <204e6.b551e67.38cf1cea@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 article from my files: THE VINDICATION OF DANIEL In Dead Men Tell Tales, Harry Rimmer devotes a section to the Book of Daniel. He writes, "The school of higher criticism pounded with great glee on the alleged inaccuracies and histori- cal errors of the Book of Daniel." One of the historical errors was said to a "mythical" king by the name of Belshazzar. Not only is he not mentioned in secular history, but there could be no place for him in the succession of the kingso of Babylon. Yet a whole chapter (Dan. 5) is devoted to this king. When Nebucha- dnezzar died his son Evil-Merodoch succeeded his father and was succeeded by Neriglissar because he had married a daugh- ter of the great king. After Neriglassar died Nabonidas (believed to be the son-in-law of Nebuchadnazzar) occupied the throne. He reigned from 555 to 438 B.C. In that year Cyrus the Great cap- tured Babylon. There just could not be a king by the name of Belshazzar as the Bible suggests. But, during excavations at Mukkayyor, one of the great build- ings uncovered was the temple of the moon god. In each of the four corners of the building, Nabonidus, who had built the temple, had caused a clay cylinder to be buried. On this cylinder he engraved a prayer for his son. The name of the moon god was Sin (very appropriate). Part of the wording on the cylinder is given: "Oh, Sin, thou lord of the gods, thou king of the gods of heav- en and earth, and of the gods who dwellest in heaven...And as for me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon, protect thou me from sinning against thine exalted godhead and grant thou me graciou- sly a long life and in the heart of Belshazzar, my first born son, the offspring of my loins, set the fear of thine exalted godhead so he may commit no sin and that he may be satisfied with the ful- ness of life." Mr. Rimmer said, "Perhaps no single event in the long records of archeology so startled and delighted the careful stud- ents whose interest was in the authority of the Word of God, as did this discovery of the name Belshazzar." He is there for all to view in the British Museum. He evidently was made co-regent with his father. This would explain why Daniel could be made only the third ruler in the Kingdom. But we, who believe the Bible knew ti all the time. ----- Douglas Matlock via. Tidings, Vol. 24, No. 3, March 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Mar 15 00:17:39 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:17:39 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) THE POWER AND CONSEQUENCES OF SIN (1) Message-ID: <204f2.6ca6af01.38cf1cf3@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the first installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. THE POWER AND CONSEQUENCES OF SIN (1) Over the sixty-two hears I have preached the gospel. I have many times heard statements tht indicate a very casual accept- ance of sin. "One little sin won't hurt anyone" or, "Well, every- one sins, so why make such a big deal over it?" The implication of such thinking is that sin in our lives is nto very important. But tht overlooks the power of sin in the life of the sinner, and the inevitable consequences of that sin. Make no mistake, the devil is busy: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempt- eth no man. But each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath con- ceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death...Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (Jas. 1:13-15; 1 Pet. 5:8). Satan tries to convince us that certain things are not wrong. And if that fails, he then will try to convince us that sin is a minor matter and we ought not to be very concerned about it. But if we learn to view sin as God does, and as He pictures it in the Scriptures, we will be aware of justg how ugly and dangerous it is, and thus beware of its power and consequences. So, in this study let's take a Scriptural look at sn and see just how it affects us when we give in to the temptations of the devil and commit sin. Sin Hurts The Sinner's Loved Ones: -- No one goes into a life of sin without hurting those who love him. When a child goes wrong, the parents suffer. When parents go wrong, the chldren suffer. After the rebellion and defeat of Absalom, David is brought the news that his son is dead. Read David's words in 2 Sam. 18:33 and see if Absalom's sins hurt David: "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" A drunken man breaks the hearts of his wife and his children, the ungodly woman hurts her child- ren and her husband. And quite often the children walk in the same sins as their parents. Jeroboam, first king of Israel, after the kingdom was divided, is referred to in Scripture more than twenty times as "the man who made Israel to sin." Not only did he sin, he led the whole nation into sin. When he died, his son Nadab reigned: "And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin" (1 Kgs. 15:26). The son followed the father, to his hurt and the hurt of the kingdom. But if it were possible to sin without hurting anyone else on earth, we would still hurt God. When Joseph was propositioned to commit adultery with Potiphar's wife, he asked, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:9). That act would have been a sin against Joseph, too! But the main thing in the sight of Joseph was that he sin was against God. And so is every sin against God. To see just how much sin hurts God, consider that He allowed His Son to die on the cross, even at the cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsak- en Me?" (Matt. 27:46). Our sin hurts God enough that He could leave His only begotten Son to die to rid us of our sins. (More will be posted on this tomorrow, he Lord willing, JWS), From kerux at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 15 13:16:43 2010 From: kerux at bellsouth.net (Kent Heaton) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:16:43 -0400 Subject: [Biblemat] A>God Does Not Need A Label (Kent Heaton) Message-ID: <4D27DC52ECC746C6A1AE6F9D9797BFE4@D2381J91> God Does Not Need A Label (Kent Heaton) Someone wrote, "God doesn't have to put His name on a label in the corner of a meadow because nobody else makes meadows." Ethan the Ezrahite wrote in Psalm 89, "The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them. You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain; You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them. The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name. You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand" (Psalms 89:5-13). Man has been able to accomplish some spectacular things in the generations since Eden. Pyramids stand today that are thousands of years old. Great buildings testify to the architectural prowess of ancient man. Medicine and science is an increasing field of growing knowledge. Space yields small secrets with each adventure by man into the darkened world. Technology has shrunk the world to within the space of cell-phone. What man has accomplished is remarkable yet still pales in comparison to what God created in six days. "You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You" (Nehemiah 9:6). Man cannot make a meadow nor create a mountain as majestic as Everest (Matthew 6:28-29). The beauty of the Hummingbird can only come from the hand of God. A baby's cry is borne by the hand of angels from the mouth of God. The starry host is without number and yet the Lord God has a name for each one (Isaiah 40:26). Can man create a force as powerful as the Sun or soothing as the Moon? To feel small before God consider His words to Job in Job 38-41. We need to feel small before the beauty and the power of God's creation - because we are small. The meadow bears the mark of God because nothing else has the power to establish the divine nature but Jehovah God. Who are we to argue with God and pretend He does not exist? How can we stand in a world of testimony and suggests there is no God? "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalms 19:1). Who is like God? What can man do that would even compare to the mighty works of God? "Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord (You are great, and Your name is great in might), Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You" (Jeremiah 10:6-7). "Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord's name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, Who dwells on high" (Psalms 113:1-5). Kent Heaton 206 NE Fourth Avenue Trenton, Florida 32693 (H) 352-463-6916 (O) 3793 (C) 352-283-3889 www.trentonchurchofchrist.com Articles, audio and information www.northfloridabiblecamp.com 2010 CAMP OPEN FOR REGISTRATION -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100315/6371b98b/attachment-0001.html From kerux at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 15 15:56:59 2010 From: kerux at bellsouth.net (Kent Heaton) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:56:59 -0400 Subject: [Biblemat] A>What Does The Lord Require Of You? (Kent Heaton) Message-ID: <613FF898412342C2B1F1E915ED605774@D2381J91> What Does The Lord Require Of You? (Kent Heaton) The essence of God's law has always been the same. Whether examining the first laws given man in Eden; the laws governing early man in the days of Noah; the smoke of Abraham's sacrifices as he followed the promises of God; the success and failure of the nation of Israel; through the ages to modern man - the Lord requires of all men certain things. There are things the Lord wants from man and expects man to obey. The creation is not at liberty to reject the will of the Creator without consequence. As the world was created and established within defined laws so mans creation and life is established within divine laws. The summation of the law of God given in Deuteronomy presents the case for Israel's obedience. The new generation of God's people must heed the lessons of their fathers. Remembering the law of God was paramount to the success of the people as they entered the promised land. The question is posed in Deuteronomy 10:12, "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you"? There are five things listed in this text that present the fundamental nature of God's will for man. First, "fear the Lord your God." The people of Israel had seen the mighty works of God from the beginning of deliverance from Egypt to the Jordan River. The ten plagues brought upon Egypt (Exodus 7-12) showed God's power over all nations. The Red Sea was parted by the hand of God (Exodus 14), manna came from heaven, water from the rock and quail from the sea to nourish the people (Exodus 16-17; Numbers 11). Nations were defeated before the nation through God's power (Exodus 17:8-16; Numbers 21,31). Fearing God is respecting the mighty power of God and what he can do (Isaiah 40; Matthew 10:28). Second, "to walk in all his ways." The path of man must be directed by the will of the Lord. "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). The wise man said, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil" (Proverbs 3:5-7). The Lord requires walking and that walking must be on the path he sets forth. Third, "to love Him." Love is an active emotion that does not just respond with only words or thoughts but with action. The demonstration of love is keeping the commandments of the Lord (John 14:15). Love is demonstrated in our devotion to the Lord in everything we do (Luke 10:27). We love him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). As we fear the Lord and walk in his paths we express our love by obedience. Fourth, "to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." Being a child of God is a life of servitude. We are servants of the most high God. Our life is forfeit for Jesus Christ. This demands all we have to submit ourselves (James 4:7). It demands all of our heart and all of our soul - nothing less will do. Finally, "to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I commanded you today for your good." Often people have the idea that as long as they love the Lord they do not have to follow any commands. Without keeping the commands and statutes of the Lord there will be no blessing. This one sums up the other four. Kent Heaton 206 NE Fourth Avenue Trenton, Florida 32693 (H) 352-463-6916 (O) 3793 (C) 352-283-3889 www.trentonchurchofchrist.com Articles, audio and information www.northfloridabiblecamp.com 2010 CAMP OPEN FOR REGISTRATION -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100315/0e8cc111/attachment.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Tue Mar 16 00:53:17 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:53:17 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) WHY WE CANNOT ACCEPT EVOLUTION Message-ID: <7db40.5ab5a54b.38d076cd@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Tuesday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an artic- le from my files: WHY WE CANNOT ACCEPT EVOLUTION Is it possible for the Christian to believe in the theory of evol- ution? The evidence demands the answer is NO! There are rat- ional, logical, and scientific reasons for rejecting evolution. Like- wise there are solid Biblical reasons why the Christian must RE- JECT this false theory. 1. The Bible teaches a fiat creation (a creation by the comm- and of God, Gen. 1:3,6,9,14,20,24; 2 Cor. 4:6; Psa. 33:6). Evolut-ion denies this saying that the earth came about by a slow, pure- ly materialistic process. 2. The Bible record reveals that the first plants and animals were created full grown (Gen. 1:11,12, 20-25). Evolution denies this, teaching that the first life forms were quite small and incom- plete. 3. The Bible states that plants and animals only produced "after their kind" (Gen. 1:11,12,24,25). However, evolution, by its very nature implies that plants and animals must produce off- spring NOT after their kind. 4. The Bible presents man in the image of God and reveals his decline and fall (Gen. 1:27; 3:1-24). Man, then, began at the highest point and fell to the lowest depth. Evolution, on the other hadn, has man beginning as a small mass of protoplasm and out of this climbing to the heights. 5. The Bible teaches that all things were created through Christ (Jno. 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). It would be interesting to hear evolutionists explain how Christ worked through the evol- ution process. Such an idea is absurd. Under no circumstance can the Christian believe the philoso- phy (mere theory) of evolution. These two concepts are separat- ed by a vast gulf. ---- Jon Gary Williams via The Sower, Vol. 55, No. 2, Mar/April, 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Tue Mar 16 00:53:24 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:53:24 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) THE POWER AND CONSEQUENCES OF SIN (2) Message-ID: <7db45.7ea009f0.38d076d4@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the second installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. THE POWER AND CONSEQUENCES OF SIN (2) Sin Enslaves The Sinner: -- We often kid ourselves tht we can "quit sin any time." But it isn't that simple. Sometimes the sin doesn't want to quit us! As Jesus explained, "Everyone that comitteth sin is the bondservant of sin" (Jno. 8:34). Slaves are seldom voluntarily freed by their master, and sin is a hard mast- er. We may become bondservants (slaves) of sin by our own free will, but we cannot, just by our own will, break the bonds of sin. If we are to become free of the slave-master, we must have help from above. People today promise a "high" or "freedom" or "expansion of mind" -- by taking "this drug" or by following "this lifestyle." The tragedy is that so many believe the false promises and are made slaves to sin instead of being free. But this is not new. The Scripture says of some, "For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; promis- ing them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage" (2 Pet. 2:18,19). There you have it. Doesn't that sound like the dope pusher or drunk of today, try- ing to get someone else mixed up? A clear choice is revealed in Rom. 6:16-18, "Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedien- ce, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness? But thanks be to God, that whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteous- ness." No one else can make the choice for us. It is up to each of us to choose for ourselves. No one can make me a slave of sin, except me. Sin Will Get Worse And Worse: -- The Scripture records the warn- ing of the apostle Paul to Timothy, "But shun profane babblings for they will proceed further in ungodliness" (2 Tim. 2:16). Then in the next chapter he says: "Evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Tim. 3:13). That is always the course of sin. One of the reasons is that we become "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13). We practice a thing, even though we don't feel good about it. Then we begin to justify ourselves in doing that. Finally, we become so hardened in conscience that we even convince ourselves that it is right for us to do it. That is the course of sin. The account of King David and Bathsheba (in 2 Sam. 11) shows the progression of sin. First, David looks on the nude woman as she bathes (vs. 2), then he sends for her and they commit adultery (vs. 4). When she told him that she was preg- nant, David sent for her husband (who was away with the army of Israel). David tried to trick Uriah into sleeping with Bathsheba so he woudl think the child was his own. He even got him drunk to try to accomplish that. But it didn't work. So, as a last resort to hide their guilt, King David sent orders to the army command- er to put Uriah in the fiercest of the fighting, then withdraw from him, so he would be killed. David just got himself in deeper and deeper. He went from bad to worse. Doesn't the event of Peter's denials of the Lord Jesus show the very same progression? First, when Peter was charged with being a disciple of Jesus, he denied that he knew Jesus. The second time he was accused, Peter denied "with an oath." The third denial of Peter, "Then began he to curse and to swear, I know not the man" (Matt. 26:74). With us today sin progresses the same way: a sin is committed, then we "cover" that one by committing another, and both lead to yet another sin, and so on and on. (More will be posted on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS), From myhan at cox.net Tue Mar 16 06:31:31 2010 From: myhan at cox.net (Bob Myhan) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:31:31 -0400 Subject: [Biblemat] We Are Not Free - We Are Free Message-ID: <7448652DA41145ACA7C20F4867AB7FD8@desktop> We Are Not Free By Bob Myhan That is, we are not free to do whatever we might want in worship to God. Everything we do, in teaching and in practice, must be authorized in the Scriptures. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Col. 3:17) This does not mean everything must be specifically authorized. It may be authorized specifically or generically. For example, when God commanded Noah to build an ark, He specified the type of wood Noah was to use, the dimensions of the ark and the means by which the ark was to be made water-tight. Noah was not free to deviate from these specifics. But God did not specify what tools Noah was to use. Hence, he was generically authorized to choose his own tools for felling trees, splitting the wood, forming planks, joining the planks together, etc. Similarly, we are not free to worship God however we might want. It is imperative that we worship God "in spirit and truth." "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24) Thus, we are not free to worship in spirit only or in truth only. Our worship must be both "in spirit and truth." This is equivalent to what Joshua told the Israelites while they were settling in the land of promise. "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!" (Josh. 24:14) To worship "in spirit" is to worship in sincerity, that is, with a sincere heart. To worship Him in truth is to worship in accordance with truth. Thus, sincerity alone is not sufficient. If one wishes to know how to "worship in spirit and truth," he needs to look no further than the New Testament. The apostles were guided into "all truth," which includes the truth about acceptable worship (John 14:26; 16:12-15). After the first gospel sermon of the New Testament era, we see the apostles directing the worship of the first Christians. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:41-42) Later, Christians were urged, "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). And "on the first day of the week." they were to "lay something aside" (1 Cor. 16:2). The Lord's Supper was also restricted to "the first day of the week" (Acts 20:7). Thus, five acts of worship are specifically authorized. No man is free to add to them or take from them, with impunity. And those who are "teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" are worshiping God "in vain" or to no avail (Matt. 15:9). * We Are Free By Bob Myhan That is, we are free from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:18-22), the condemnation of sin (Rom. 7:24-25; 8:1), the curse of law (Gal. 5:1; 3:1-14, 19-29), fear (Rom. 8:12-15; 1 John 2:1-2), religious division (John 17:20-21) and religious error (2 Tim. 3:16-17). But we are not free from restraint. Freedom from restraint results in anarchy. The apostle to the Gentiles wrote, encouraging the Galatians to "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1). But the yoke of bondage was not law; it was sin. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32). The Jews did not like the sound of that. They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:33-36). The Gentiles were also in bondage to sin, for they had failed to live up to God's moral expectations (Rom. 1:18-32). The Galatians, having been made free from sin, were in bondage to it again by their unsuccessful attempt to be justified by keeping the Law of Moses (Gal. 5:1-4). * Bob Myhan 3901 Northside Drive, Apt. 2L Macon, GA 31210 myhan at cox.net 478-476-4768 www.foresthillschurchofchrist.com Get InstaVerse FREE http://www.wordsearchbible.com/InstaVerse -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 15760 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100316/da3cf0ed/attachment-0001.jpe From tedwards at onemain.com Tue Mar 16 12:28:07 2010 From: tedwards at onemain.com (tedwards at onemain.com) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:28:07 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] B> Gospel Observer 3/7/10 Message-ID: <4B9F7957.17428.959DB2@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). -------------------- March 7, 2010 -------------------- Contents: 1) Lessons My Dad Taught Me (Leon Mauldin) 2) News & Notes -------------------- -1- Lessons My Dad Taught Me by Leon Mauldin When a loved one dies, it is normal to engage in some reflective thinking on the life of the deceased. One's memory seems to select those incidents and occurrences, which, now that death has come, take on special significance. Perhaps this is a factor that helps the survivors in the "healing process" that needs to occur when we "have said 'Good-bye' to the dearest on earth" to us. It has just now been two years since my father died of cancer. This has given me the occasion to reflect upon lessons that I learned from him, for which I will always be thankful. The Bible Is Right My father had absolute faith in the inspiration and infallibility of Scripture. For example, he had unquestioning faith, childlike faith, in the Genesis account of creation. When God's Word said in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," that settled the matter. In looking up at the skies, the handiwork of God was seen. No theory of evolution was ever seen as a plausible explanation of the things "that have been made" (Rom. 1:20; Heb. 11:3). Likewise, in the matter of God's provision for our salvation in Christ (Isa. 53; John 3:16) and obedience to the Gospel that we might receive salvation, the Bible is right (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). One of my Dad's favorite passages was that of the conversion of the Ethiopian nobleman (Acts 8:26-40). Just weeks before his death, when he was no longer able to locate references, he asked me to find that text for him. I learned from my Dad that in all matters, the Bible is right. "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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16,17). The reason that this attitude toward Scripture is important, is because it is the attitude that Jesus had toward the word of God: God's Word is right "and the Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). My father taught me that Scripture is that which is spoken to you by God; that it is God's word for us today. When Jesus was asked a "knotty" marriage question that was really intended to disprove the resurrection, He replied, "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not God of the dead, but of the living" (Matt. 22:31-32). Although the words to which Jesus referred (Exodus 3) had been spoken more than 1400 years earlier, the Scripture had direct application and relevance for His audience. This is the exact view of Scripture which we must have! The Futility of Denominationalism While there was never hatred or malice for our friends and neighbors who were members of various denominations, I learned from my father a very important principle: that the doctrines and traditions of men are futile. If name, or doctrine, or belief or practice was not from heaven (revealed in God's Word), then it was man- made, and was to be rejected. With my father, it was as simple as that. This principle is not true because he believed it, but because God's word reveals it: "Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition...And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt. 15:6,8-9). "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted... And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matt. 15:13-14). (Please read also Gal. l:6ff; 2 Jno. 9; Matt. 7:21-23; Lk. 6:46). That Liberalism Is Wrong When we moved to Sumiton, Alabama, in the early 60's, the Sumiton church had not been established. I remember my Dad making a call to brother Pryde E. Hinton, who was preaching at Sayre (Jefferson County), whom we had never met, and asking him how the Sayre church stood regarding church support of human institutions. Upon learning that the church was scriptural in its organization and work, we began to worship there. Even before that, I remember hearing discussions with relatives, where Dad would maintain that there is a difference between an individual's money, and the treasury of the church, and a difference between what he could do with his money, and what the church could do with the Lord's money. Regarding this subject, as well as much of these matters included in this article, I have had the occasion to thoroughly study for myself. My faith is not my father's faith; it is my faith, as indeed it must be for me to be pleasing to God. But it is the word of God that speaks of local churches with bishops and deacons (Phil. 1:1); of elders who tend the flock among them (1 Pet. 5:2). It does not authorize such arrangement as the sponsoring church, with elders overseeing the funds and work of many churches. The Bible teaches that the work of the church is evangelism, edification and benevolence (relief of needy saints). The work is not recreation, entertainment, or social program. Jesus did not shed His blood to purchase unto Himself a people that would duplicate the services of various human organizations (Red Cross; Human Services, etc.). I learn from reading the Bible that the church is not authorized to build and maintain human institutions that propose to do the work that God assigned to the church. Sensitivity To People >From my father I learned to care about people; to be sensitive to people. He was observant as to whether one "had something on his mind," or was upset, or had hurt feelings. In this regard, he readily saw what others either do not see, or else have to be told. Repeatedly in the ministry of Christ, we read that He was moved with compassion. We also should have a heart of compassion (Col. 3:13) that is sensitive to the needs of others, and be tenderhearted (Eph. 4:32). This should find expression in our family. Truth must be lived and practiced, but that includes conveying to one's spouse and children tenderness toward them, and genuine care for them. This is true regarding our brethren; sensitivity is needed here also. Each of us are at different levels of growth. It is clear that if one is unruly (disorderly, ASV), he is to be warned (1 Thess. 5:14); and if that warning is not heeded, he is to be withdrawn from (2 Thess. 3:6). Truth must never be compromised. But we need to be sensitive to the fact that not all are unruly; some are faint-headed, others are weak. Some may struggle with problems which they have not informed others about. "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faith-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all" (1 Thes. 5:14). This calls for wisdom, and for sensitivity. In all of this our goal should be to strengthen our brother's hand in God (1 Sam. 23:16). Toward those not yet children of God, there is a need for sensitivity. I must ever keep in mind that "by the grace of God, I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). Error must be met forcefully, but I must not be motivated by glee in answering the opponent's argument. Remembering that people in error have feelings too, I need to approach them as I would want someone to teach me if I were in their shoes (Matt. 7:12). Each Christian is told to be "ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15). That individual we teach in his home, in an effort to convert him, must see that we are not merely filling our quota of calls for the week; he must see that we have a genuine interest in and love for his soul. Conclusion: I have not written about opportunities that were fumbled, and blunders that were made. There were many weaknesses in his life of which my father was aware, and many things of which he was rightfully ashamed, but I will always be thankful to have had these foundational truths from God's Word to build on. These principles have helped fortify my faith, and it is my desire that in some small way they may strengthen your faith also. -- Via Searching the Scriptures, November 1990, Volume 31, Number 11 -------------------- -2- News & Notes Back issues of The Gospel Observer, going back to March 1990, can be accessed at the following website: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go Some of my audio sermons (in MP3 format) can also be accessed at the following: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/audioser.html --------------------- 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/20100316/4d028056/attachment.html From robertwater at gmail.com Wed Mar 17 13:59:05 2010 From: robertwater at gmail.com (Robert Waters) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:59:05 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] D) Donahue Waters Debate on MDR Message-ID: Donahue Waters Debate The proposition: *The scriptures teach that God approves marriage for every unmarried person, including those who have divorced a mate or have been divorced by a mate, regardless of the reason.*Robert Waters affirming Pat Donahue denying Tomorrow, Pat will post his questions and Robert's answers. The next day Robert will post an affirmative followed by Pat's negative. This will go on each day until each participant has posted four installments of approximately 2,500 words each. Robert Waters Questions and Answers Robert Waters' Questions for Patrick Donahue Followed by Pat?s Answers: 1. Scenario: A woman in Jesus' day is sent away, repudiated, put out of the house, dismissed by her husband who hates her. His finances are such that he can't afford more than one wife at a time nor can he afford to pay back the dowry. The man marries another. She departs, leaves, and is consequently separated from her husband. Is the woman who was *apoluo*- ed divorced? If the man has committed adultery, whom was it against or with whom and at what point did he do it? If he decides to take her back could he do so and what legal arrangements, if any, would need to be made? *Answer:* If the man never completed the divorce, then she was not "*apoluo*-ed" in the sense the word is used in Matthew 19:8. If the man has committed adultery, then it would be "against" his original wife and "with" whichever woman he had unlawful sexual relations with (and at that point). Assuming there was a divorce, if the original wife subsequently remarries, and that marriage ends in divorce or death, then the original husband cannot take her back (Deut 24:1-4). 2. If the woman in the scenario above was not divorced, and other men were merely sending wives away and marrying another, would this not be "adultery against her" and would this not be something Jesus would take opportunity to condemn, rather than fall for their trap to get Him to take sides on the controversial issue of whether divorce itself could be done for any reason? Remember, the apostle Paul (by inspiration) would soon deal with questions from Christians regarding who could marry. So why at this point teach something contrary to the Law that would make Him a liar, transgressor of the Law, teacher of an unjust practice of punishing innocent people and something that would for sure result in His enemies having something to use against him. *Answer:* Jesus was asked about divorce in Matthew 19:7, not about a woman who was not divorced. In verse 8 he told why Moses allowed "putting away," and contrasted that teaching with God's teaching on MDR from the beginning. While on earth, Jesus did begin to explain facets of his soon to come into force New Testament law, and he did that because it would have been the wise and prudent thing to do under the circumstances. Jesus' MDR law does not punish innocent (or guilty) people. Instead, it is designed to keep people from committing adultery. It is just like when I forbid my children from doing illegal drugs - that is not a punishment in any sense of the word. Regarding a woman not divorced, New Testament law forbids separation and divorce in passages like Matthew 19:6 and I Corinthians 7:10. 3. Please explain how a man under the Law (that allowed divorce and polygamy) could possibly commit adultery by legally divorcing a wife and legally marrying another. Keep in mind WHO was addressed--people present rather than people in the future and the current Law that was in effect. Please go into detail as to how a man and a wife (legally married) can commit adultery if they are faithful to each other. Please answer in view of the fact that immediately before teaching regarding "putting away" Jesus said He was not going to change the Law in the least before "all is fulfilled," and that the Jews evidently did not look upon Jesus' condemnation of their CURRENT practice as something contrary to the Law. *Answer:* If a man divorced his wife for a reason less than uncleanness, then he violated Deuteronomy 24:1 and therefore sinned. It does not call the sin adultery. A man and his wife can commit adultery today if, for example, the wife is bound (obligated) to another man (Romans 7:2-3). When a man unscripturally divorces his wife and has sexual relations with another (within unscriptural marriage or outside of marriage), the unscriptural divorce does not change the fact that he has an obligation to the first woman he is supposed to be married to, and therefore the sexual relations with another constitutes cheating on the first. 4. If a municipality enacted Deuteronomy. 24:1-4 as its legally recognized definition of divorce (write certificate of divorce, present it to her, and put her out of the house) would such be contrary to the Lord's teachings? *Answer:* It would be different than New Testament law, because Deuteronomy 24:1-4 allows divorce for uncleanness, while Jesus' New Testament law only allows divorce for fornication. As far as the divorce itself is concerned (without respect to the cause), a municipality today could enact the procedure for divorce that Deuteronomy 24:1 details, and it would not be contrary to the Lord?s New Testament teachings. God does not bind the exact procedure for marrying or divorcing, except that we (the ones getting married or divorced) must comply with societal laws and customs. 5. If Jesus abrogated (abolished) the Law before "all is fulfilled" by changing the divorce law from "A divorced woman may go be another man's wife" to "A divorced woman will commit adultery if she marries," why did the Jews (who sought to kill Him) not charge Him with breaking His promise and with teaching contrary to the Law? *Answer:* Jesus did not abolish the law until the cross (Colossians 2:14). When Jesus contrasted his New Testament law with Old Testament law in Matthew 5:21-48, he was quick to let his listeners know in verses 17-19 that the Old Testament law would still be in effect until he finished fulfilling that law (which especially included dying on the cross). 6. Do we agree that if we want to understand the MDR issue we must use good hermeneutics, which means we must not start with an obscure passage, draw a conclusion on it, and then seek to force all related scriptures to harmonize with our original conclusion? *Answer:* We must use good hermeneutics. No passages are obscure ("of little or no prominence") to God, and shouldn't be to us. Instead we should try to be familiar with all of the Bible, especially the New Testament law. I do think it is good judgment to interpret "hard to understand" passages in a way that will harmonize with "clear" ones, but sometimes people call clear passages "unclear" so they can ignore them and teach false doctrine. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100317/4be5ea43/attachment.html From Mikejohnson104 at aol.com Wed Mar 17 08:47:17 2010 From: Mikejohnson104 at aol.com (Mikejohnson104 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:47:17 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A> Some Facts About the Judgment Message-ID: SOME FACTS ABOUT THE JUDGMENT Mike Johnson What does the Bible teach about the judgment day? It is very important for us to understand certain facts about the judgment. The judgment is frequently mentioned in God's Word and was often preached (Acts 24:25; 10:42). Consider some facts in God's Word about the judgment. IT IS CERTAIN There are few things in life that are absolutely certain. The judgment, however, is something that we know will happen. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Paul says in Acts 17:31 that God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world. To say that the judgment will not occur is to deny the Word of God ALL WILL BE JUDGED There are few things that we absolutely have to do. Just as the judgment is certain, it is also an event which ALL must face. We cannot bribe our way out of it or hide from it. II Corinthians 5:10 says that all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Romans 2:11 tells us that God is not a respecter of persons. This principle certainly applies to the judgment. GOD'S WORD IS THE BASIS We will not be helped on the judgment day by: a) our earthly possessions (Lk. 16:19-23); b) our own claims of righteousness (Mt. 7:21-23, Lk. 18:10-14); c) our color, race, or sex (Gal. 3:28); d) our own feelings (Lk. 18:10-11); e) what our parents have done (Rom. 14:12). We will be judged by God's Word. In John 12:48 Christ said, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the words which I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." Romans 2:16 tells us, "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." Our life must correspond to God's Word. II Corinthians 5:10 also points out, in speaking of the judgment day, ". . . that everyone may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." IT WILL BE FINAL There are many things that we can get a second chance on today. A student might fail a grade in school and yet have a chance to repeat the grade later. A criminal might be taken from society because of his crimes but may serve his time and get a second chance to live in society. The judgment, however, is quite different. It is final! There will be no second chance! Matthew 25:46, in describing the judgment says, "and these shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal." The thought of dwelling eternally in hell is frightening, while the idea of dwelling eternally in heaven is joyous. It is very important for us to consider the facts about the judgment. Toward what eternal destination are you now headed? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100317/be1d268e/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Mar 17 10:00:40 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:40 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) THE MIND OF CHRIST Message-ID: <20968.306e42fb.38d24898@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Wednesday morning to each and every one. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: THE MIND OF CHRIST "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the like-ness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:5-8). The more I study this passage, the more I marvel at our incre- dible Lord Jesus. Paul affirms that before He became man, Jesus was really and objectively God. Everything that was dis- tinctively divine, Jesus possessed. John put it so simply in Jno. 1:1 where he wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Existing "in the form of God" --- possessing everything distinctly divine (the whole nature and essence of Deity) --- Jesus was equal with God and was God. Taking it one step further, Paul tells us that Jesus did not consider this equality as a robbery, or as a thing to be used to snatch or seize. You see, it was not necessary for Jesus to "snatch" or "seize" equality with God: He was already equal with God. And that being true, it was certainly not necessary for Jesus to maintain equality by force. So being "equal with God" was not what the seizing or the snatching was about. Being "equal with God" was not the subject of the "seizing" or "snatching." The "seizing" or the "snatching" under consid- eration in this passage begins with the equality with God. It is something that would radiate from it. That is true, but what does it mean? Jesus did not view His equality with God as a means of prom- oting Himself. He would not use His divinity to gain, or to profit in "an egoistic or despotic way form what and who He was." As a matter of fact, Jesus did just the opposite. Even though man is made in the "image of God" (Gen. 1:26), how differently from Him do we act!!! We so often pursue such trivial things as position and power, and then use it to get our way and to serve ourselves, as Paul implied in Phil. 2:4, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." But Jesus is not like that, meaning that God is not like that. He didn't come demanding His rights. He didn't come seeking to assert His own position for His own benefit. He came here to give and to be spent for us. I am reminded of Paul's words in Rom. 15:1-3, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmit- ies of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me." Jesus, instead of acting as He could have acted (and by that, I mean using His equality with God to seize and snatch every- thing good on earth for His own personal benefit), acted exactly opposite of that. He made Himself of "no reputation." Some use the term "emptied" there, and that is okay as long as we under- stand that Jesus "emptied" Himself, and not that He emptied something out of Himself. It all relates in the context to how Jesus viewed His equality with God. He didn't lose or negate His equality with God in any way. What He did do was to put Himself totally and completely at the service of others, humbling Himself even to the extent of "taking on the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men." And continuing the thought, Jesus did that so He could die in the flesh on behalf of all mankind. Paul said to let that same mind be in us. Is that difficult? Sure, it is! But it a part of what it means to be Christ-like. -------- Greg Litmer in That You May Grow Thereby. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Mar 17 10:00:52 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:52 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) THE POWER AND CONSEQUENCES OF SIN (3) Message-ID: <20995.330d6b02.38d248a4@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the third and final in- stallment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. THE POWER AND CONSEQUENCES OF SIN (3) Sin Separates The Sinner From God: -- When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God drove them out. The reason is shown in Isa. 59:1,2, "Behold, Jehovah's hand is not shorten- ed, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, so that He will not hear." God will not dwell where sin is, and He will not allow sin to dwell where He is. When the apostle Paul describes the state of sinful Gentiles in Eph. 2:12, he writes, "Ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world." In a sense, that descrip- tion fits all who are living in sin. One of the great men of t he Bible was a judge named Sam- son. Yet this man, whom God had blessed so much, gave him- self over to lustful pursuits. When Delilah nagged him into tell- ing her the secret of his strength, God had enough. And when Samson awoke, the sad words of Jdgs. 16:20 are these: "He awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free. But he knew not that Jehovah was de- parted from him." Many seem to feel that they can live any way they want, then when trouble comes God will be there to "rescue" them. But He says that He will not listen to them: "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination" (Prov. 28:9). And notice this reading in Prov. 1:24-28: -- "Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretch- ed out my hand, and no man hath regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof: I also will laugh in (the day of) your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as a storm, And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; When distress and anguish come upon you. Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me." The Wages Of Sin Is Death: -- God warned Adam and Eve about the tree of knowledge of good and evil: "In the day that thou eat- est thereof, thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). God said plainly: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezk. 18:20). And it remains that way yet. The apostle Paul wrote: "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). But it isn't just physical death that these passages discuss. For those who reject God and the gospel of Christ, "To you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flam- ing fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thes. 1:7-9). In Rev. 20: 10-15 this is called "The lake of fire and brimstone, the second death." Again, a progression is seen, that leads to this death. "But each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death" (Jas. 1:14,15). Just as the apple is the end result of the progression from apple seed, so death is the end result of the progression of sin. But we do not have to allow sin to progress, Sin hurts, but Christ -- the "great Physician" -- is anxious to heal and reconcile. Sin enslaves, but our Lord promised, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (Jno. 8: 32. Sin is progressive, from worse to worse. But Christ can "make all things new" (Rev. 21:5) and give us a new direction for our lives. Sin separates us from God, but Christ died so that we might be, God, but Christ died so that we might be, "Reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom. 5:10). Sin brings death, but Christ "died for all," so that in Him we have "passed from death to life" (Jno. 5:24). What sin has done Christ overcomes when we com to Him in obedient faith. The apostle Paul wrote to those who had through faith, "Been bapt- ized into His death, raised to walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3, 4). He said, "There is therefore no, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:1,2). You see, when we, through faith, submit to the Will of the Lord, the progression of sin is halted. We are no longer enslaved, but "made free from sin?(Rom. 6:18). Friend, don't ever take sin lightly. The devil doesn't take it light- ly, he uses it against you. God doesn't take it lightly either. -------- Clem Thurman, in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 37, Sept. 4, 2009. From Mikejohnson104 at aol.com Wed Mar 17 17:06:10 2010 From: Mikejohnson104 at aol.com (Mikejohnson104 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:06:10 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] B.Elon Challenger Vol 7 no 2 (Oct 09) Message-ID: <7fff8.2a350289.38d2ac52@aol.com> The Elon Challenger ELON CHURCH OF CHRIST New Hope, Alabama Seeking to challenge your interest in things spiritual & eternal (Eph. 6:10-18). Volume VII Number 2 October, 2009 =================================================================== HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAD? Marshall Patton Obviously, the Holy Spirit does lead certain ones. ?Sons of God? are thus led. ?For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God? (Rom. 8:14). Jesus was ?led up of the Spirit? into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil (Matt. 4:1). Paul and his companions were being led on their journey by the Holy Spirit when they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, ?having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia,? and when ?they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not? (Acts 16:6-7). The Holy Spirit led Peter to the house of Cornelius, and Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to the eunuch. No one denies the fact that the Holy Spirit leads or guides. Many, however, differ on the matter of how he leads. Some believe and teach that the Holy Spirit acts miraculously in leading to salvation and sanctification, without means or instrumentality. These fail to recognize a difference in ordinary and miraculous manifestations. They want to make every action of the Spirit toward the sinner or saint miraculous. Some who claim to be Christians feel that the Holy Spirit dwells in them personally and leads them to speak in tongues, heal, make utterances (preach) as the Spirit gives it to them, and even directs them in various experiences in life. One told of the Holy Spirit leading him to a parking space when he sorely needed one. Some seem to feel that the Holy Spirit in them serves like a radar beep leading, guiding, and warning always. We need to look to the Bible and see what it reveals about the leading of Deity. Each member of the Godhead is said to lead just as each is said to dwell in us. Learning how Deity leads and dwells in us should clear up the confusion in the minds of many about the ?how.? Some speak of the dispensations of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. They are referring to the times when God spoke directly with man or led by direct contact, when Christ was here on earth, and after Christ ascended and sent the Holy Spirit. Looking at how God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit led during these periods should help answer the question of this article. God led Noah to build an ark wherein he and his family were saved from the flood (Heb. 11:7). The Genesis account tells us that God ?said unto Noah . . . make thee an ark of gopher wood . . . and this is the fashion which thou shalt make it? (Gen. 6:13-16). ?And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him? (7:5). How did God lead Noah to build the ark? He spoke to him in a language Noah understood, giving detailed instructions, and Noah followed (did) all that God commanded. God led Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees. How? Abraham received instructions from God and his faith resulted in obedience (Heb. 11:8-9; Rom. 10:17; Gen. 12:1-4). God led Abraham by speaking to him and Abraham obeyed. God led Israel out of Egyptian bondage, and through the wilderness (Deut. 8:14-15; 29:4-5). In doing this he used the instrumentality of Moses and Aaron. ?Thou leadest thy people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron? (Psa. 77:20). He confirmed his leadership and his appointed agents by many miracles (plagues, parting waters, pillar of cloud and fire, etc.). God led them by choosing and equipping Moses who spoke God?s will to the people and they obeyed. Christ made disciples by teaching instruction. He commanded and they obeyed (Jn. 1:43). No mysterious or supernatural power possessed the individuals to make them follow Jesus. Miraculous proof that Jesus was from God, and was God, was given to induce faith in the individual to accept the instruction Jesus gave, and to follow him. People became followers of Christ by being taught - hearing, learning, and coming (Jn. 6:44-45). Jesus led people by speaking truth to them (taught in a way that they could understand) and they followed him. This is the same way that God led Abraham and Israel in their day. The Spirit?s Leading We have already pointed out that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by divine instruction and led Paul in his journeys by divine instruction. The word of God teaches that the Holy Spirit leads sons of God today (Rom. 8:14). Does he do it differently from other examples of the leading of Deity? A careful study of Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit, an intelligent speaking person, also speaks to people and they hear and obey. There were different manifestations of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-7). The apostles were promised baptism of the Holy Spirit for revelation and confirmation of the word of truth (Acts 1:5; Jn. 14:26; 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:12-13; Mk. 16:20). There were ?gifts of the Spirit? (miraculous powers) used in revealing and confirming truth (1 Cor. 12:1-11,28) that were bestowed on certain ones by the laying on of an apostle?s hands (Acts 8:17-18; 19:6). These gifts of the Spirit were temporary and would vanish away when maturity (complete, finished revelation and confirmation of truth) was reached (1 Cor. 13:8-10). The Holy Spirit led three thousand souls to be saved on Pentecost. How? The Holy Spirit came to the apostles with miraculous demonstrations, giving proof that these men were truly messengers of God. Peter spoke ?as the Holy Spirit gave utterance.? Many were convicted by the truth spoken and asked, ? What shall we do?? The Holy Spirit, speaking through Peter, said, ?Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins? (Acts 2). Thus about three thousand were led by the Holy Spirit to salvation, when they heard, believed and did just what the Holy Spirit said for them to do. This is exactly how the Holy Spirit leads Christians today. Redeemed people need the leading of the Spirit in living the Christian life as much as they did in coming to Christ. In leading, guiding and edifying the Christian, the Spirit uses the instrumentality of truth - the revealed, confirmed word of truth. The word of God is said to be the ?sword (instrument) of the Spirit? (Eph. 6:17). The Holy Spirit ?speaks expressly? (1 Tim. 4:1-2) giving instruction, warnings, exhortations through the New Testament. The Holy Spirit has never laid aside the agency of truth, substituting fleshly feelings, emotions, or imaginations, in the guidance of Christians. Sons of God are led by the Spirit of God as they hear the Spirit revealed message of truth, believe and obey it. This is the way that Christians walk after the Spirit,? ?mind the things of the Spirit,? are in the Spirit,? ?live in the Spirit,? and are ? led by the Spirit? (Rom. 8:1,4,5,9,13,14). Deity has always led by the agent/agency of revealed, confirmed truth (God? s will) being made known to man, coupled with man?s faith and obedience. The leading of Deity never overrides the will (free moral agency) of man, so that he cannot choose to do or not do the will of God. __________ CHURCH Growth IX Why Churches Die (2) Not Having Needed Leadership Mike Johnson There are a number of, what might be called, external factors which can contribute to a congregation?s demise. Such factors as the location of a building, the wicked times in which we are living, an inability to attract Christians who move into the area, and a lack of young people in a congregation can all be factors in the decline in membership of a church. Other factors may exist which pertain more directly to the spirituality of the members who make up a congregation and which, over time, will cause a congregation to die. For example, some congregations may eventually die because they do not receive sound preaching and teaching. But, other churches may suffer because they have a ?leadership? problem. Leadership is critical to the growth of any congregation. It is important to understand that God has revealed in the Scriptures the way that a congregation is to be organized and led. The Bible teaches that each congregation is to be overseen by elders (Acts 14:23). Elders are to ?feed,? or ?pastor? the church (Acts 20:28; I Pet. 5:2; Eph. 4:11). Although elders are to serve as good examples for the flock (I Pet. 5:3), they also ?rule? the church (I Tim. 5:17). Elders watch out for our souls (Heb. 13:17). In the New Testament, we also learn that each church was autonomous, and the elders of a local congregation only oversaw the church ? among them? (I Pet. 5:2), i.e., which they were a part of. Sometimes, elders, instead of overseeing the spiritual needs and growth of the church, become more like business managers, focusing primarily on matters pertaining to money and the maintenance of the facilities. For sure, elders are to make decisions in this area, but they must also be the spiritual leaders and the shepherds of the church that they oversee. Failure to do so can be very detrimental to the growth and strength of the congregation. Capable elders leading a congregation can be a very important factor in church growth. Understandably, an important issue to many people when they consider placing membership at a congregation is whether or not the church has elders. If a church does not, they will often seek a congregation that does. However, in many congregations, because of a lack of qualified men, elders do not exist. Decisions must be made in meetings by the men of the congregation. In this situation, no one, including the preacher, is vested with any special authority in the church. Yet, when congregations do not have elders, it is still important for certain faithful members to take on the role as leaders in the church. In any group of people, at least someone will generally take on a leadership role. Consider, for example, citizens called for jury duty. They listen to the court testimony, and then they are asked to deliberate in the jury room. When they get there, someone will usually speak up and say, ?We need to appoint a foreman.? The person who makes this remark takes a leadership role. If no had spoken, the jurors would have never gotten started. The person who is appointed as a foreman has a leadership role, although he doesn?t have any more actual authority than the other eleven. Similarly, it is important to have leaders in the church ? people who will make suggestions, encourage others, and get people started. Without leaders, without people taking some initiative, a church will not prosper. Many are hesitant to take a leadership role in the church because a leader is often subject to criticism. It is easier to not be a leader and, instead, to just sit back and be critical of those who are. People who are leaders in the church are often criticized. A preacher, for example, is in a difficult position. If he tries to be a leader, he may be criticized for trying to ?run the church.? If he does not, he is criticized for not being a good leader. In reality, one can actually step over the line, while trying to be a leader in the church, and end up improperly assuming authority in the church (III Jn. 9-10), but leaders (acting in a Scriptural fashion) are still needed. Sadly, some will only take a leadership role in the church when they think that the elders or the preacher ought to be gotten rid of. At other times, they sit back doing nothing in the area of leadership in the church. In conclusion, elders need to have the courage that it takes to actually lead the church, and those not leading the church need to start doing so. Elders are not just to be ?vote counters? for the congregation. But, even with elders, and especially without elders, the church needs people with ? vision? ? it needs people who will say ?Let?s get going,? and who will work themselves and will encourage others in the same direction. __________ OUR CHRISTIAN WALK Richard Thetford There?s a saying that has been out for a long time that says: ?Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks more than your talk talks.? We can give lip service forever and it won?t really amount to much until it is backed up by our actions in life. Therefore, we should learn that our Christian walk needs to be a walk of duty and devotion to our God! Knowing that this is so, then we should not ask others to carry us, but rather we should be ready to bear the burdens of one another (Galatians 6:2). Since our Christian life is a walk, we must also understand that it is an individual duty. Nobody can take our place in our walk, we must do it individually, on our own. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 it says: ?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, whether it be good or bad.? The object of our Christian walk is to reach a desired destination and that destination is heaven. Paul wrote: ?I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing? (Philippians 3:14-16). As we press on toward heaven, that high calling, we realize that we must strive to live a life faithful to God here on earth. When others see our walk, do they see us striving for that high calling, being faithful to Jesus? Walking in Newness of Life Paul wrote again in Romans 6:4: ?Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.? Again in 2 Corinthians 5:17 he wrote: ?Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.? When an individual is baptized INTO Christ he is a new creature. All those old things that were of the world are now dead. We are brand new, striving to live a life of godliness. That is why EVERY Christian should be known by their walk. A Christian is different because they are now in God?s family, living and practicing only those things that are righteous! We should walk worthy of our vocation as it says in Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; and 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12. Walking in Faith, Love, and Honesty I believe that one thing that keeps some Christians from walking the Christian walk is a lack of genuine faith. We must have a sincere faith in God. ? For we walk by faith, not by sight:? (2 Corinthians 5:7). Can all of us sincerely say that? When we have Bible faith, then we can get on with living our lives as God intended for us to. Before we can ever hope to ?walk the walk?, then we MUST have faith in God. The Hebrew writer wrote: ?But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him? (Hebrews 11:6). Without proper faith, we can?t please Him in our life because our heart, mind, soul, and strength will not be present to serve Him. A Christian?s walk is also a walk of honesty. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren and said: ?But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man?s conscience in the sight of God? (2 Corinthians 4:2). This verse lets us know some things that a Christian will not do. It also tells us that a Christian?s conduct is upright and handled with all honesty. Do others see that kind of walk in our lives? In addition to faith, love, and honesty, a Christian?s walk should be a walk that copies that of Jesus. John writes: ?He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked? (1 John 2:6). Simply put, does our Christian walk mirror Jesus? walk? __________ THE INTOXICATED CAT John Clark A letter in the newspaper was written by an unhappy woman who complained that her husband thought it funny to make her pet cat drunk by pouring gin in its milk. The distressed woman complained that the cat would dance like man, stagger around in circles and finally fall in a heap in the corner and go to sleep. Besides, the cat was losing all her hair as a result of the diet; and what did a cat look like without any hair? Immediately, letters poured into the newspaper from aroused readers all over the country, denouncing the husband and suggesting various degrees of punishment for a man who would be so cruel to animals. Perhaps I have a warped sense of human; but the reaction of readers struck me as ironically funny. Give an animal liquor and you are considered cruel. Give a man liquor and you are considered sophisticated. Let an animal reel, act foolish, fall in a drunken stupor and immediately it is an occasion for readers from coast to coast to howl in protest. Let a man do the same thing, and we simply ignore it. We shouldn?t give liquor to a dog or a cat. It is inhumane. Yet we give it to our sons and daughters, business associates and friends. With all the advertising media at our command we continually urge them to drink it. It ?s not fit for a dog or cat, but is fit for our children! How crazy can we get? __________ LIES ABOUT SIN Becoming like Christ is a never ending process. A Christian will not come to a point when he can say there are no struggles with sin in his life. Only in heaven will we be without sin. I believe that ?s why John warned us to look out for three lies about sin: 1. Saying, ?we have fellowship with Him? while we ?walk in darkness? (1 Jno. 1:6). 2. Saying, ?we have no sin? (vs. 8). 3. Saying, ?we have not sinned? (vs. 10). After each of these lies, John gives us the truth. First, if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another and Jesus? blood cleanses us from all sin (vs. 7). Second, if we confess our sins, He forgives and cleanses us (vs. 9). Third, if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus speaks in our defense (2:1). He is the propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins (2:2). We all struggle with temptation. We make mistakes and sin. Denial doesn?t do us any good. We must see sin for what it really is ?Shane Williams, The Lilbourn Light __________ Evangelist: Charles G. Maples Sr. Phone-256-530-0772 Evangelist & Editor: Mike Johnson Phone -256-776-2223 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100317/8c394c2b/attachment-0001.html From PatDonahue at bellsouth.net Wed Mar 17 21:14:52 2010 From: PatDonahue at bellsouth.net (Patrick Donahue) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:14:52 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] Waters/Donahue Debate on MDR Message-ID: <005d01cac640$cca4a7f0$65edf7d0$@net> Patrick Donahue's Questions for Robert Waters Followed by Robert's Answers: 1. If Jesus is just explaining the true meaning of the Old Testament MDR law in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9, what New Testament passage would authorize divorce (even for adultery) today? Answer: God gave the universal divorce law long before the New Testament went into effect. The only passage in the Bible that defines divorce is Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Man's idea of divorce, merely putting away, resulted in adultery. The fact that Jesus alluded to that law and that his words are in what we consider the New Testament (Mark 10:5), indicates that the universal divorce law should still be respected. Remember, we are not talking about New Testament church doctrine here. At any rate, by implication it is apparent that Paul understood and respected the universal law on divorce. The following are two such passages: First, he said: "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn" (1 Cor. 7:8, 9). The word "unmarried" obviously includes those who are divorced, and Paul's emphasis was on the NEED for marriage rather than the CAUSE of the divorce. In fact, he said NOTHING about the cause anywhere in his writings. Second, he wrote: "I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife" (1 Cor. 7:26-27). The word "bound" means "married" and "loosed" surely has reference to being divorced. 2. In the Waters/Thrasher debate, Tommy wrote "However, Jesus' teaching often pointed people to a time beyond Moses' law to the arrival of His kingdom (Matthew 4:17- 'From that time Jesus began to preach ... Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'). For example, He taught people about the Lord's supper (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20), the new birth (John 3:3-5), and church discipline (Matthew 18:17). Although He kept Moses' law perfectly while it was still in effect, He also prepared people for service to God according to the 'new testament' (Hebrews 9:15; 12:24; 2 Corinthians 3:6-11). While His life was consistent with the law of Moses, Jesus unquestionably proclaimed New Testament doctrines in anticipation of His kingdom." You replied "Indeed, Jesus did often do what Tom affirms." Considering those two quotes, did Jesus ever do (while on earth) what I call "preparatory teaching," that is, did he ever teach New Testament law that would not be applicable as law at the moment he said it? Answer: Of course Jesus did preparatory teaching, but the issue here is, "Did Jesus tell the people things that were unequivocally contrary to Moses regarding some existing law?" Look at the entire context of Matthew 19:3-10. Notice to whom the words are addressed. Notice that the text says "and he said unto them" and "I say unto you." Who were they? They were the Pharisees who came to tempt him (19:3). Those words Jesus spoke were true when he spoke them. The idea that Jesus' teachings here were merely "preparatory teachings" is nothing but an effort to get around the conundrum that the traditional MDR view has Jesus contradicting Moses and breaking his own promise not to change the law at that time. 3. Did Jesus, according to Matthew 19:8-9, suffer the same thing that Moses suffered? Answer: Absolutely not! The thing that Moses "suffered" was the whole problem. But it wasn't divorce that he suffered or allowed. Moses gave a command (which Jesus acknowledged), but what he suffered was putting away without proper divorce proceedings (Deut. 24:1-4; Mark 10:5). Thus, you can see that Jesus' statement was not a contradiction of the Law. Rather, it was an observation (Matt. 19:8) that something was allowed (without punishment), even though wrong, that was never intended from the beginning. No punishment was exacted for what the men were doing, which was a treacherous act (Mal. 2:14) against the wife (Mark 10:11) that Jesus called adultery. Malachi, as well as Jesus, dealt with this situation of putting away without proper divorce proceedings. Men in Malachi's day had simply put away their wives without giving them a bill of divorce so they could be another man's wife. This makes it easy to understand why a woman that is put away could be said to commit adultery if she marries another man. 4. If I legally divorce my wife Carol as it is normally done today, would I have "apoluo-ed" Carol? Answer: The answer to your question depends on whether you actually put her away physically after the papers are served. Under the Law the wives were property. The men could "apoluo" (send away a wife) but that would not release the wife, which she would welcome so she could "go be another man's wife" (Deut. 24:1-4). I know a case (and it is not all that uncommon) in which a man divorced his wife but the separation did not last--they continued to live together. Eventually, they got married again and are happily married to this day. So, the ambiguity of asserting that "put away" (apoluo) means divorce is rather obvious. That being said, since "apoluo" is part of the divorce process you would have "apoluo"-ed her if you sent her out of the house, but it should be very clear to anyone who has studied this subject that saying you have put your wife away does not indicate you divorced her. It could mean you had her committed to an insane asylum. In fact, when you look up the definition of "put away" in an online dictionary you will see that the phrase can mean several things, but divorce is seldom given as a meaning. 5. What is the difference between being "bound" to one man and being "married" to another (in Romans 7:2-3)? Answer: Brother Pat, before I answer I want us to read the text from God's Word translation (1-4): "Don't you realize, brothers and sisters, that laws have power over people only as long as they are alive? (I'm speaking to people who are familiar with Moses' Teachings.) For example, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he is alive. But if her husband dies, that marriage law is no longer in effect for her. So if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she will be called an adulterer. But if her husband dies, she is free from this law, so she is not committing adultery if she marries another man. In the same way, brothers and sisters, you have died to the laws in Moses' Teachings through Christ's body. You belong to someone else, the one who was brought back to life. As a result, we can do what God wants." I see nothing at all in this text that supports the idea that one can be "bound" but not "married" to someone. We have no reason to conclude that "obligation" and "bound" mean the same thing. One can be obligated to a woman in some way financially or otherwise, yet not be "bound" to her in any way related to marriage. The law of the land (authorized of God Rom. 13) is what binds a man and woman. A woman bound (married) could not marry or have sex with another as this would make her an adulteress. Did you ever wonder why Paul spoke of the woman and not the man? Under the Law (which is that to which Paul alluded), the man was allowed to have more than one wife. Thus, we can't use this text to teach who may marry because it is not applicable to both the man and the woman of our day. If you look at verse four (which I have supplied) you will see that Paul is using the marriage law (as it previously applied) to make a point regarding the change of law. Those who are now in the body of Christ are married to another because the first husband (the Law) is dead. Christians are therefore free from it and are married to Christ. This text was never intended to teach regarding divorce and it certainly does not teach that there is a difference between being "bound" and "married." That idea seems to have been conjured up in the mind of J.T. Smith and then published in Searching the Scriptures in 1984, as a way to explain Paul's clear teaching regarding the "unmarried," to harmonize with the false assumption that Jesus taught that a divorced person could not marry unless the divorce was for adultery. But then nowhere in Paul's writing does he talk about the "cause for divorce." If this text proves that one is still married unless his spouse dies, it proves too much. Regarding the "marriage and bond" teaching, Gene Frost (in his conclusion of an article) offered some very wise advice. Below are his concluding remarks from his article published in Gospel Truths: Marriage and Bond "I fear that there has been such a desire to rush into print any and every thing that seems to support a position that clarity of thought and properly reasoned arguments have suffered. I therefore appeal to all who are involved in this controversy to slow down, to calmly and fully study the points to be made. A lot of time can be wasted in correcting foolish arguments, which should not have been made in the first place. Study the Bible to learn the truth, what God would have us to believe, rather than to support a preconceived idea. Now is the time for cool heads and reasoned studies to prevail." Gospel Truths Volume XV, Number I (January 2004) It is unfortunate that the above did not follow Smith's article in Searching the Scriptures in 1984. 6. Do you consider incorrect all of the following 32 lexicons, grammarians, and translations that indicate "put away" (apoluo) and "divorce" are basically synonyms in the MDR passages? If not, please explain. Greek Lexicographers Greek-English New Testament Lexicon (Berry, 1952): "... to release, let go, to send away, ... divorce ..." (p. 12) Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Thayer, 1967): "... to set free ... to let go, dismiss ... to let go free, to release ... used of divorce ... Mt. i.19; v. 31 sq; xix.3, 7-9; Mk. x.2, 4, 11; Lk. Xvi.18 ... " (p. 66) The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, Danker, 1979): "... set free, release, pardon ...let go, send away, dismiss-a. divorce ... Mt 1:19; 5:31f; 19:3, 7-9; Mk 10:2, 4, 11 ... Lk 16:18 ..." (p. 96) Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Gingrich, 1975): "... release,, set free, pardon ... let go, send away, dismiss, ... Divorce ..." (p. 24) Index-Lexicon to the New Testament (Young, n.d.): "...dismiss, divorce, forgive, let depart, let go, loose, put away, release, send away, set at liberty ..." (p. 61) A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament (Strong, 1890): "... to free fully ... relieve, release, dismiss ... divorce ..." p. 14) The Analytical Greek Lexicon (Zondervan, 1970): "... to loose ... to release ... to divorce to remit, forgive ... to liberate, discharge ... to dismiss ... to allow to depart, to send away ..." (p. 46) An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Vine, 1966): "... to let loose from, let go free ... it is further used of divorce in Matt. 1:19; 19:3, 7-9; Mark 10:2, 4, 11; Luke 16:18 ..." (vol. I, p. 329) The Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament (Wigram, 1970): "... depart, dismiss, divorce, forgive, let depart, let go, loose, put away, release, send away, set at liberty" (p. 953) Greek Grammarians Learn To Read the Greek New Testament (Powers, 1982): "release/send away/divorce/ forgive" (p. 321) Teach Yourself New Testament Greek (Macnair, 1995): "release, send away, divorce" (p. 462) Greek Translators (Matthew 5:32) New King James Version: "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery." New American Standard Version: "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." New International Version: "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery, and anyone who marries a woman so divorced commits adultery." Revised Standard Version: "But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." New English Bible: "But what I tell you is this: If a man divorces his wife for any cause other than unchastity he involves her in adultery; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Today's English Version: "But I tell you: if a man divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, then he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also." A New Translation: "But I tell you, anyone who divorces his wife for any reason except unchastity makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." King James Version: "But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." Greek Translators (Matthew 19:9) New King James Version: ".whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." New International Version: ".anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." New American Standard Bible: ".whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." New Living Translation: ".whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery-unless his wife has been unfaithful." English Standard Version: ".whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." New Life Version: ".whoever divorces his wife, except for sex sins, and marries another, is guilty of sex sins in marriage. Whoever marries her that is divorced is guilty of sex sins in marriage." Holman Christian Standard Bible: ".whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." New International Reader's Version: ".Anyone who divorces his wife and gets married to another woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him." Today's New International Version: ".anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." Revised Standard Version: ".whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery." New Revised Standard Version: ".whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery." Complete Jewish Bible: ".whoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery!" Weymouth New Testament: ".whoever divorces his wife for any reason except her unfaithfulness, and marries another woman, commits adultery." Answer: All of the lexicons say "apoluo" means what I have been saying it means-- NONE say "apoluo" always means divorce. Thus, we have to consider the context and I think we agree that we must do that ourselves rather than accept the opinions of others, no matter how highly they are regarded. The statement "used of divorce" comes up rather frequently in the writings of the scholars you noted. But what does that prove? Since "apoluo" means "put away, send away, repudiate," it is impossible to tell from the word itself whether one meant a legal divorce (that required a certificate) or if he only meant what he said-what the word means. Why, a number of preachers who teach as you do consistently use the phrase "put away" when speaking of divorce-all the while knowing that one can put away and not divorce. It is misuse of the language because it does not make clear what is meant. Jessie Jenkins, in Gospel Truths, took the position that "separation" is divorce, which is obviously wrong. (Link to my refutation of that teaching) We should not let the uninspired writings of men determine what we believe, especially when it comes to divorce and remarriage, which is a topic regarding which many of the scholars of note were influenced by Catholicism that teaches error regarding who may marry. Rather, we must determine the meaning by the context as we apply other hermeneutical rules in our study. But let the reader not be deceived into thinking that all scholars were greatly influenced by Catholic tradition, because many of the best translators refused to translate "apoluo" as "divorce" anywhere in the New Testament. The KJV would be among the list below had it not been for its inconsistency in ONE place, which was probably because groups worked independently and did not compare their work for consistency. At least, this has been given as the reason for lack of consistency such as different spellings or different translations of certain words that are found in various books of the Bible. (ASV) but I say unto you, that every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress: and whosoever shall marry her when she is PUT AWAY committeth adultery. (Bible in Basic English) But I say to you that everyone who puts away his wife for any other cause but the loss of her virtue, makes her false to her husband; and whoever takes her as his wife after she is PUT AWAY, is no true husband to her. (Darby) But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except for cause of fornication, makes her commit adultery, and whosoever marries one that is PUT AWAY commits adultery. (DRB) But I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, excepting the cause of fornication, maketh her to commit adultery: and he that shall marry her that is PUT AWAY, committeth adultery. (KJ3 Literal Translation Bible) 32 But I say to you, Whoever puts away his wife, apart from a matter of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry the one put away commits adultery. (LITV) But I say to you, Whoever puts away his wife, apart from a matter of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry the one PUT AWAY commits adultery. (MKJV) But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is PUT AWAY commits adultery. (Worldwide English) But I tell you, no man may send away his wife unless she has committed adultery. If he does send her away, he is making her commit adultery. And if a man marries a woman who has been sent away from her husband, he commits adultery. (World English Bible) But I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery. (Wuest) Whoever marries her who has been dismissed commits adultery. (WYC) But I say to you, that every man that leaveth his wife [that every man that shall leave his wife], except (for) [the] cause of fornication, maketh her to do lechery, and he that weddeth the forsaken wife, doeth adultery. (Young's Literal Translation) But I-I say to you, that whoever may PUT AWAY his wife, save for the matter of whoredom, doth make her to commit adultery; and whoever may marry her who hath been PUT AWAY doth commit adultery. Look up the phrase "put away" in an online dictionary. It does not mean divorce. The fact that many of the best and most trusted translators NEVER translated "apoluo" as divorce should tell us something. If Deuteronomy 24:1-4 gives a correct definition of divorce, one cannot translate "apoluo" as "divorce" without making a great assumption and being guilty of interpolation. Also, some of the most highly regarded scholars explain 1 Corinthians 7:11 as referring to a couple that is separated, rather than divorced, thus destroying (if you accept scholarship as proof) the argument that Paul taught that a divorced person cannot marry again. We will visit this later, I am sure. Patrick Donahue 256-721-0726 home 256-682-9753 cell go to www.BibleDebates.info to subscribe to the "Doctrine Matters" weekly email message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100317/44aa0d29/attachment-0001.html From thornhill1 at frontiernet.net Sat Mar 20 08:02:38 2010 From: thornhill1 at frontiernet.net (thomas thornhill) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 08:02:38 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] The Buckhorn Teacher - 3-21-10 Message-ID: <8F3542F458FE41C5A08E24A445C9B5D5@your4dacd0ea75> THE BUCKHORN TEACHER "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." 2.Tim.4:2 Buckhorn church of Christ - Thomas Thornhill - editor. 13675 Hwy 341, Randolph MS 38864-9117. Tel. 662-568-2960. Cell 662-419-5378.E-mail thornhill1 at frontiernet.netTV program - the internet - w07bn.com Vol.8 March 21, 2010 No.22 As I was contemplating what to write for this issue, I ran across something that I had used in 1996 while working with the church in Lake Wales FL. I thought it good enough to publish again. The article was written by a 13 year old student in 1992, who was then attending Athens Bible School, Athens AL. This means the young man is now 30-31 years old, but his thoughts are still applicable to 2010. His article is dated for the 90s, so as you read the article mentally update the years to the present. - t.t. - ONE NATION UNDER GOD - THE FORGETFULNESS OF AMERICA Chad Carter, Athens AL - via "The Sower" - Sept-Oct. 1992 "A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do." These words of Woodrow Wilson accurately describe the need for Americans to "remember" their nation's heritage. It is not an accident that America is the greatest nation that has ever existed. And, if America is to remain "great" we must "remember" what it was that made her great and re-apply those principles to the America of the '90s. (now 2010 - t.t.) The foundation upon which our founding fathers built this nation was a belief in the Almighty God. They were confident that God was blessing their endeavors as they forged the most prosperous nation in all history. They prayed that He might guide their efforts and acknowledged that God was responsible for their success. And they used His word as the basis for the value system they established. America's reliance upon God can be traced all the way back to the year 1492. History records that when Columbus discovered this land, he planted a cross in the new soil, and kissing the earth, he took possession of this continent for God. History also records that the majority of the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were devout believers in God. They boarded the Mayflower in hopes of shaking the Church of England and settling in an area where they could worship God in the way they believed the scriptures taught. They were the first of many settlers who came to America seeking religious freedom. Then, on July 4, 1776, our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence to bring into existence the United States of America. The closing words of the document declare: "With a firm reliance on the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." Truly, God was at the center of the American experience. Our laws and institutions are based upon the teachings found within God's Holy Bible. Our coins and currency bear the motto: "In God We Trust." Our patriotic songs recognize the hand of God in the fortunes of America. And, our pledge of allegiance describes America as ".one nation under God." The prominence of God in the heritage of America cannot be denied. Yet, America in 1992 (now 2010 - t.t.) is suffering from amnesia. For the most part, we have forgotten God's central role in the founding of our nation. And, we have also forgotten God is the only one that can sustain our nation in the generations to come. A history teacher once asked a disinterested student, "What are the two greatest problems in America today?" The student answered, "I don't know, and I don't care!" And to the surprise of the student, the excited teacher replied, "You are absolutely right!" The United States faces many difficult problems. Yet, the most dangerous problem of all is that there are too many citizens who neither "know" nor "care." They may understand that America is the greatest nation in all the world. But they do not "know" what has made America great. And they do not "care" what it will take to perpetuate greatness for future generations. Man's nature is such that he is prone to be forgetful of God. In particular, when things are going well, it is easy for individuals (and even nations) to forget that God is the giver of all prosperity. They may even deceive themselves and image that their blessings are the result of some virtue of their own. All too often success leads to a feeling of self-sufficiency and God is forgotten in the process. If we review the history of the rise and fall of Israel in the Old Testament, one principle is quite obvious; when Israel acknowledged the authority of God, their nation was blessed; and when they turned away from God, their nation suffered reproach and was ultimately destroyed. The same principle can be applied to any nation. For example, consider the American experience. It is true that most of our founding fathers were not Christians. Nonetheless, they did acknowledge God's authority and based their early documents and laws upon scriptural principles. God blessed their efforts and lifted America to a position of world prominence. Like Israel, America has experienced valleys where the remembrance of God would be diminished. America is currently in one of those valleys. Our nation is moving farther and farther away from Christian values - the same values upon which our nation grew strong. The question is, "What will in take for the America of 1992 (now 2010 - t.t.) to be awakened to the need for God? Edmund Burke once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good ment to do nothing." If America is to be reawakened, it must be through the activity of good men and women; it must be through Christians. Christians cannot afford to sit idly by and let the evil of America take over. We must actively pray to God for the return of America back to righteousness. We must actively keep ourselves unspotted from the evil of our nation. We must actively teach our children to remember their creator while they are young. We must actively influence those with whom we associate to turn from their evil ways. By reaching upward to God, inward to ourselves, and outward to our fellow man, the Christians of America will be able to turn our nation back toward God. America was not formed as a nation apart from God, but a nation under God. May history record that it was the influence of Christians in the 1990s (2010 - t.t.) that turned our nation back on the path to respecting the authority of God.- Chad Carter A couple was touring the capitol in Washington and the guide pointed to a tall, benevolent gentleman, as the congressional Chaplain. The lady asked, "What does the Chaplain do? Does he pray for the Senate or the House?" The guide answered, "No, he gets up - looks at the Congress, then prays for the country." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100320/9026ef33/attachment-0001.html From myhan at cox.net Sat Mar 20 09:47:15 2010 From: myhan at cox.net (Bob Myhan) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:47:15 -0400 Subject: [Biblemat] Faith Builder Email.2010-03-21 Message-ID: <7FFFE40533B64167A198BE7EB66921FB@desktop> Please send any and all responses to preacher at foresthillschurchofchrist.com. _____ The Forest Hills Faith Builder Forest Hills church of Christ 800 Forest Hill Road - Macon, GA 31210 478-474-2233 Email: preacher at foresthillschurchofchrist.com Website: www.foresthillschurchofchrist.com March 21, 2010 Faith In Search of Understanding By Bob Hutto As the reader knows, faith is to be one of the primary virtues of every Christian. The New Testament teaches that we are saved by faith, justified by faith, have peace with God by faith, and should walk by faith. Our spiritual journey begins with, is sustained by, and will be completed in faith. Faith has to do with confidence in the unseen and the unproved (Heb. 11:1). As people of faith we are as certain of the reality of things we cannot see, as we would be if we could see them. We are sure that certain things are true, though our powers of logic and reason take us only so far in proving them. Without this kind of confidence in the unseen, we cannot please the God whom we have not seen (Heb. 11:6). Yes, we claim to be people of faith, and yet it seems that at times we do not want to allow a place for faith in our lives. God says of Himself, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are My ways your ways...For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8,9). There may be many ways in which God's ways are higher than ours - when He does what is not possible for us to do, when He does what we do not understand, or when He does the opposite of what we would expect in order to accomplish His purpose. At times we must accept by faith that God has accomplished a thing in a way that we do not understand fully. Perhaps we have a partial understanding of it, or it may be that some have a better understanding of it than others, or we may draw an analogy or two to help explain it. But in the final analysis, the process belongs to God and we must accept it by faith. HOW? -- For example, do we know for sure by what process Jesus performed miracles? Did Jesus merely manipulate natural processes? Did He simply "speed up" a series of natural causes and effects or provide a single necessary ingredient to initiate nature's work? Perhaps, but no one knows with certainty what happened when miracles were performed. Apart from avoiding a few mistakes, no explanation is needed. We don't accept the reality of miracles because we can explain how they worked to our or anyone else's satisfaction. We accept them by faith -- faith in the power of the Person who did them. It's giving up on providing a plausible explanation and accepting things by faith that gives some people trouble. HOW? -- And how did inspiration work? Were the writers of the Bible overpowered by the Spirit of God so that as they wrote they had no idea what the content of the book they were writing would be? Were they unaware of what word or even letter would be the next one out of their pen? Or did God guide the intellect and abilities of the authors in some other way to produce the books of the Bible? It seems likely that God worked in concert with the will, consciousness, and intellectual abilities of the writers to produce His inerrant word. But no one knows exactly how inspiration "worked" in every case. We don't accept the inspiration of the text because we can adequately explain how God produced it through human beings. While acknowledging that some explanations may be better than others, after all is said and done we accept it by faith. HOW? -- Christians believe that the blood of Jesus atones for sins, and that when people respond to His gracious gift in obedient faith, their sins will be forgiven. But how are the sins of one person borne by another? How does the death of Jesus in the first century satisfy the requirements of God so that He is able to forgive the sins of someone who lives in the 21st century? We can offer explanations and draw analogies that may help us understand these things, but the mystery of the atonement will likely remain just that -- a mystery. We accept the work of Christ by faith. Not a blind faith, to be sure, but faith nonetheless. FAITH! -- The New Testament says that we are to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Requiring a plausible explanation before we accept a thing as true is not walking by faith. It comes closer to walking by sight and is faith in us, not in God. Of course, we should seek to understand the deeper elements of the gospel, but our efforts should be "faith in search of understanding," not faith conditioned upon understanding. In the final analysis, after all of our reasoning and attempted explanations, we must abandon our powers, accept our limitations, and confess our faith in a God whose ways are higher than our ways. * Bob Hutto in Biblical Insights, Vol. 8, No. 10, Oct. 2008 Alas, Poor Uzzah! By Bob Myhan He meant well. His only crime, so far as we know, was touching the ark of the covenant while it was being transported on the new oxcart. And he only touched it to keep it from falling off the cart when "the oxen stumbled" (1 Chron. 13:9). But God had said that the sons of Kohath were to carry the furnishings of the taber-nacle on their shoulders. And even the Kohathites were not to "touch the holy things, lest they die" (Num. 4:15). We are not told whether Uzzah knew this, but "ignorance of the law is no excuse." "But," one might insist, "it wasn't Uzzah's decision to carry the ark on the oxcart. It decision it was David's. And he apparently only wanted to do something nice for the Lord." After all, the ark had been taken by the Philistines more than sixty years before, when the Israelites-at the behest of Eli's sons-had taken it into battle without divine authority. David probably just thought it would be nice to bring the ark back with pomp and circumstance. Even when God had living prophets on the earth, He did not always punish sins in such a tragic way. Nor did He constantly interfere with the day-to-day duties of the prophets, priests and kings. During the sixty plus years that the ark was not in the tabernacle, for example, the Day of Atonement could not be observed, because such observation involved sprinkling the blood of the atoning sacrifice on the mercy seat. And there is no indication that God ever said anything about this during that time. The Passover was not observed from the days of the judges to the time of King Josiah (2 Kings 23:21-23). The Feast of Tabernacles was not kept from the time of Joshua till the return of Judah from Babylonian captivity (Neh. 8:14-18). God clearly did not punish Israel for each instance of sin. But we can learn the same lesson from the incident with the oxcart that David learned. Afterward he said, And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. He said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order." (1 Chron. 15:11-13) Not even the northern kingdom of Israel was punished immediately for going into idolatry under King Jeroboam. It was not until Elijah "prayed earnestly that it would not rain," that God withheld the rain (James 5:17), which Moses said He would do if His people went into idolatry. After 850 false prophets were executed for their crimes at Elijah's command, God allowed it to rain again (1 Kings 17 & 18). And He eventually allowed Israel to be destroyed by the Assyrians. Should we not conclude that God expects to be obeyed? And should we not obey Him even in the smallest matters? * Is Truth Essential? 1. Truth Came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17) 2. Jesus Came to Bear Witness to the Truth. (John 18:37) 3. Truth Makes One Free. (John 8:32) 4. Truth Sanctifies. (John 17:17) 5. Truth Purifies. (1 Peter 1:22) 6. God's Judgment Is According to Truth. (Romans 2:2) 7. Everyone that Is of the Truth Hears the Voice of Jesus. (John 18:37) 8. It Is God's Desire that All Men Come to the Knowledge of the Truth. (1 Timothy 2:4) 9. Those Who Do Not Obey the Truth Will Be Lost Forever. (Romans 2:8-9) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100320/c76c107b/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 3663 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100320/c76c107b/attachment-0001.jpe From disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com Sat Mar 20 10:13:14 2010 From: disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com (Ethan R. Longhenry) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:13:14 -0400 Subject: [Biblemat] Good News for Norwalk: Volume V, Number 10: March 21, 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 10: March 21, 2010 ------------------------------------------------------------- Racism and Prejudice Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all (Colossians 3:11). One of the saddest parts of the story of America involves the history of relations among people of different races and ethnicities. It is a sad "heritage" that we have inherited-- for hundreds of years, people were judged as inferior or unworthy of full human rights because of the color of their skin or because of their ethnicity. Even though the nation no longer actively discriminates through legislation, and we have a President of mixed racial ancestry, plenty of racial and ethnic tension still exists. While this could be expected from those in the world, sadly, it also existed among those who claimed to serve Jesus Christ. Even though the Bible has always taught that Christians should not be respecters of person just as God is not a respecter of persons (cf. Romans 2:11), the church also has a sad history of racism and prejudice. It is good for us to recognize this and work to move forward, confessing and declaring that everyone is welcome to repent of their sins and to join the Body of Christ, and that believers should not be prejudiced against anyone on the basis of their race, ethnicity, or class (Ephesians 2:1-18, Galatians 3:28). Let us first work to "clear the air" and demonstrate the error of many terrible arguments that were made in the past. For generations it was accepted as "common sense" that different races had reached different levels of development, and that the "white race" had developed better than all others, and it was believed that other races, especially the "black race," were inferior and not worthy of equal rights with "whites." Many believed that the "mark" that God gave to Cain in Genesis 4:15 was black skin, and thus it was accepted that black people were "cursed." Others appealed to Noah's cursing of Ham's descendants in Genesis 9:20-25 and declared the same regarding black people. Segregation was encouraged and justified by appealing to Genesis 1:24-25 and the principle of "every creature" propagating with its "own kind": thus, whites should propagate with whites and blacks with blacks. These arguments were entirely wrong and based in misinterpretations and distortions of what the Bible taught. The nature of the "mark of Cain" is never revealed, and since we have no reason to believe that any of Cain's descendants survived the Flood, the issue is really moot. The "curse of Ham" was limited in Genesis 9:25 to one descendant, Canaan, describing why it would be that Israel (the descendant of Shem) would dispossess Canaan. Furthermore, "according to its kind" refers to within a species, and as Paul confesses and modern science confirms, racial and ethnic differences do not lead to different species: "And [God] made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17:26). Despite the racism and prejudice of the past, in the new covenant, God has always affirmed the equality of all men and women before Him (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11). We are all "of one," that is, Adam. Therefore, we want to make it known that there is no Biblical justification for racism or prejudice. All human beings-- regardless of race, ethnicity, language, class, or any other distinction-- are all descendants of Adam, of the same species, and have the same opportunity to repent of sin and become servants of God (Ephesians 2:11-18)! Therefore, while we must recognize that there are differences among people on account of race, class, ethnicity, language, and the like, such differences are not to justify segregation or exclusion-- instead, they are to strengthen and encourage. We can all be part of the Body of Christ, and we can all bring different strengths and weaknesses, and we can all be made better people because of the strengths of others (1 Corinthians 12:12-28). God actively seeks for those in His church to break down barriers like racism and prejudice. Paul declares in Ephesians 2:11-18 that God killed the hostility between Jew and Gentile through the death of Christ on the cross. The mystery of the Christ in Ephesians 3:4-6 is that Gentiles are to be fellow-heirs of life. This represents, at least in part, the "manifold wisdom" of God manifested in the church, and that "manifold wisdom" was according to God's "eternal purpose" realized in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:10-11). Therefore, God's wisdom is demonstrated when people who otherwise would not work together come together in Christ! The Bible speaks clearly about the hostility felt between Jews and Gentiles (cf. Acts 11:1-3, etc.) and the prejudice that existed among them. God intended to break this wall of prejudice down, and that He did, and for that we must be eternally grateful, for the majority of us are Gentile by heritage! If God exhibited the racism and/or prejudice that is so prevalent even to this day, what would have been our eternal fate? As God desired for Christians to break down the walls of prejudice between Jews and Gentiles in the first century, so God desires for Christians to break down walls of prejudice in their own lives among white people, black people, Hispanics, and people of different ethnicities and classes today. Let us therefore work to remove all prejudice from among us. Let us accept of people and families of different races from our own. Let us not condemn people who marry someone of another race or ethnicity. Let us not fall into the trap of stereotyping people of other races and ethnicities on the basis of their race or ethnicity. There are people of every race and ethnicity that are quite sinful; there are people of every race and ethnicity that seek to do what is right and honor God. Let us always remember that we are all of the same blood (Acts 17:26), and that if God exhibited racism and prejudice, we would be the ones excluded, shut off from salvation, and waiting condemnation (cf. Romans 6:23). Let us instead welcome and honor all those who turn from their sin toward Jesus Christ, and work together to demonstrate God's manifold wisdom to a sin-sick and dying world! Ethan R. Longhenry evangelist at norwalkchurch.org ------------------------------------------------------------- 2010 Spring Meeting Please join us as Randy Yerby presents lessons from the Scriptures on encouragement. Sunday, March 28 9:30am, 10:30am, and 6:00pm Monday and Tuesday, March 29-30 7:30pm each evening ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 PatDonahue at bellsouth.net Sun Mar 21 13:27:01 2010 From: PatDonahue at bellsouth.net (Patrick Donahue) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:27:01 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] Does Romans 5:12-21 Teach "Original Sin" ? Message-ID: <000d01cac924$1eb08150$5c1183f0$@net> Romans 5:12 reads, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Verse 12 and the context teach two indisputable facts: 1. Sin entered into the world through Adam, and death by sin. So men die spiritually due to Adam's sin only in that he started it. He sinned, therefore he died spiritually. That opened the door for others to do the same. But they all die spiritually due to their own sin. That brings us to the second fact . 2. Death (spiritual) passes upon all men, because "all have sinned." Romans 5:12-21 blames Adam for the introduction of sin into the world, but puts blame on us for our own spiritual death. Other verses in the context, e.g., verse 19 ("by one man's disobedience many were made sinners") are true in that through Adam, sin entered into the world. He got the ball rolling. But verse 12 adds that "death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." This point can be illustrated by the "Jackie Robinson" story . A parallel to verse 12: "Wherefore, as by one man black players entered into Major League Baseball (MLB), and big money to black MLB players; and so big money passed upon all black MLB players, for that all black MLB players have played." You wouldn't think all the black players inherited Jackie Robinson's salaries would you? A parallel to verse 19: "For by one man's play many blacks were made MLB players." Jackie Robinson paved the way for other blacks by being the first. He got it started; he got the ball rolling. Adam paved the way for other people to sin by being the first to sin. He got it started; he got the ball rolling. Romans 5:12b proves the Calvinist wrong: "death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned"! Patrick Donahue BibleDebates.info 4607 Old Railroad Bed Rd Harvest, AL 35749 256-721-0726 home 256-682-9753 cell -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100321/e077bf30/attachment-0001.html From tssullivan at charter.net Sun Mar 21 16:09:45 2010 From: tssullivan at charter.net (T. Sean Sullivan) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:09:45 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] The Messenger Vol 005 Iss 012 Message-ID: <168FD950AA3049F4B6AAD25F68071FCE@seansdesk> The Messenger 2010 Published Weekly by Main Street Church of Christ 306 West Main Street, Newbern, TN 38059 mainstreetcofc.com Bulletin Editor: T. Sean Sullivan VOLUME 005::ISSUE 012: March 21, 2010 This Week's Article: Discovering Joy Introduction: What difference does joy make in one's life? Is joy only for the lucky; the select; the few? Is it possible that I have missed out on joy because I have failed to discover it? Is there hope of knowing joy, even after many years of life? All of the important points of life are revealed in the scriptures. The Bible is the most important information that you possess. Joy being important should be revealed to us in the scriptures. Let's open the Bible and search out the secret of joy. Begin With You We must refuse to have a poor opinion of self-it will stop you from being joyful. Far too many have a defeatist attitude toward joy and are convinced that they are not important enough for, or deserving of, joy. Some believe that it is their personal destiny to be disappointed in life and not joyful. Perhaps some believe that joy is not a true state but it is only a front, put on for others. In order to discover joy we need to understand some true things about ourselves. You are valuable. God placed such high worth on us that He gave us His Son to remedy our self-inflicted wound of sin (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). The value of your soul is the value of the Son of God dying (Hebrews 9:22-28; 1 Peter 1:18). You are worthy of joy. The angel told the shepherds that "joy" was given to man in the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:9-14). God has seen fit to offer the opportunity of joy to us (Romans 8:31-39). Who are we to deny God's opinion? We are not self-sufficient. Too often we try to do everything ourselves-discovering true joy cannot be done solo. We lack the capability of direction (Psalm 14:12; Jeremiah 10:23). Our wisdom alone is insufficient (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)-we need help. Look to Jesus There a many sources that claim to offer joy. Worldly pleasures entangle many souls both young and old (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21). The pursuit of riches has also consumed many (1 Timothy 6:9-10). The elevation of self takes away the hope of joy (Matthew 16:24). Higher knowledge of man is just not high enough; our philosophies will fail (Colossians 2:8). Our hope for true joy has one source: Jesus. All that He accomplished, and continues to accomplish, for us is for our ultimate joy. His earthly life was purposed to bring joy (Luke 2:9-11). His sacrifice was to bring us into the joy of salvation (1 Peter 1:6-9). His word is given to bring joy (John 15:11). Knowing that Jesus is the source for joy is not enough. We also need to know what separates us from the joy He offers, what is between you and Jesus? All that Separates You from Jesus In the pursuit of "Jesus" man has dreamed up so many strange conclusions. Everything from ritual rites-to a scripted prayer; simply ask Him and He cannot refuse-to Jesus loves everybody no matter what. By asking men's doctrines for answers we will never know the truth. We must not listen to men as our source of truth-even ones we know and trust. Even the apostles encourage verification for their teaching (Acts 17:11). Do not hand your soul over to anyone else's opinions-seek God's advice. We need the truth. The truth takes effort (2 Timothy 2:15); it takes time (1 Timothy 4:13, 15-16); it takes focus (John 8:31-32). The truth must however be obeyed. We must hear and do the word (James 1:17-25). We must keep the commandments (John 14:15). There is no hope for those who have faith but refuse to do (James 2:14-17). We must obey Jesus, to have Jesus. Conclusion: Obedience is what separates you from Jesus and the joy that He offers. Our key verse for this lesson is John 15:11 where Jesus says, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." So what are "these things"? Look at John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." Jesus reveals the secret of true joy that has been obscured by centuries of false doctrines and men's pursuit of self-importance. True joy, to its full extent, is in knowing the joy of Jesus-through the obedience of His commands. The only thing that separates you from Jesus is obedience. To opportunity to obey is yours right now; come into His joy. ~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/20100321/a08648c4/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/20100321/a08648c4/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/20100321/a08648c4/attachment-0003.gif From crxtra at gmail.com Sun Mar 21 21:22:53 2010 From: crxtra at gmail.com (Steven C. Harper) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:22:53 -0700 Subject: [Biblemat] A> Worthless Knowledge Message-ID: <000001cac966$95411cc0$bfc35640$@com> Worthless Knowledge Have you ever played the game Trivial Pursuit? It used to be one of those games my wife and I would play every chance we got, but it seems it has been awhile since we last played. The basic premise of the game is that you roll a die and move to a certain spot on the game board and, depending on the color of the spot, then answer a question from one of several categories. The person or team that collects a ?pie? from all six categories and answers the final question [from a category chosen by the opponents] wins the game. It can be a fun game [or a really long one if no one knows many of the answers], but let us not lose sight of the subject matter: it is all trivial. The word trivia is from the Medieval Latin, [from Latin] crossroads: tri-, tri- + via, road. Its origin is drawn from the word that describes an intersection of three roads and eventually came to mean commonplace. The current meaning comes from a negative connotation drawn from that intersection of roads, implying that what is trivial can be found anywhere [thus, not of much value]; early on, it had a more negative application, implying the trivial thing was something one might find in the gutter [found at the intersection of those three roads]. [By now, you might be thinking this article is nothing but trivia!] Unfortunately, there are many men and women who spend much time in trivial pursuits, seeking value in that which is trivial and overlooking the thing that is actually most valuable of all. Especially in spiritual matters, it seems many are self-deceived, or deceived by others, into thinking trivial things are important even as they are oblivious to the true treasures that await their discovery, and this is seen in various ways. Could you be one who is looking for something spiritually valuable, but who has been led astray and is looking among the spiritual junkyard instead? Some have convinced themselves they can find salvation or peace with God by spending an inordinate amount of time reading the latest best-sellers that promise them happiness, new insight on spiritual truths and/or mysteries, answers to life?s important questions, or even promises of explaining what the Bible ?is really all about.? I see the evidence of this when I go to garage sales where it was apparent someone was diligently searching for answers in these books of human origin. I?m guessing, but I don?t think they found the answers they were looking for in those books because [1] they were getting rid of them, and [2] they had so many books that it was painfully obvious that they didn?t find the answer they were seeking. Others begin with the assumption that the Bible is just a myth [never having made a personal investigation of it] and so they look for, or create their own, theories about the meaning of life. Some seek an answer to life in ?science? and its many fanciful, yet unprovable, theories; some rely on popular psychology or the words of self-described ?intellectuals? who will gladly sell you their snake oil excuse me, philosophy. Sometimes, their words make your head spin trying to figure out what they are really saying and, in the end, they cannot even explain in clear terms what they are saying. And I am the one who is a sucker because I believe the Bible? The apostle Paul wrote to some Christians in the first century, warning against falling for these worthless words and empty promises. To those in Coloss?, who were surrounded by philosophers, political power-seekers, and spiritual ascetics, as well as pagan idol-worshipers, he would confront the false hopes these people and their doctrines brought. The answers he gave are still meaningful to us today because some of those same errors persist and truth-seekers and even some brethren may still be deceived. The Philosophers. Paul was concerned that some of the brethren may have been persuaded by these intellectual-sounding philosophies and be drawn away into fruitless discussions of meaningless theories, to the point they forgot the most important things. He sought to get them to, instead, walk in Christ (Col. 2:6) and to be grounded and built up in the knowledge of Him (v. 7). He gives a clear warning not to be deceived by these philosophies, and makes a clear distinction between these things of men and the teachings that come from Christ (v. 8). In what may be the central verse of the entire letter, Paul wrote [as a contrast to the philosophies of men], ?For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power? (2:9, 10). Let us recognize the futility of chasing after the latest philosophical discussion and involving ourselves too much in the arguments among men over things that are mere distractions from the most important matter: our eternal salvation. If our words and arguments are not of Christ they are, at best, ?empty deceit? and will do nothing toward the salvation of even one soul. Let us rest in Christ and on His word, content that we are all we ever need to be in Him. Let us also recognize that the human-originated schemes, doctrines, and ploys to draw men into the church do nothing of the sort; only Christ can do that. Let us be content to offer Him alone to those who need Him most. The Jewish Legalists. In using an analogy of the one act that was central to the Jewish idea of approval in God?s sight [circumcision], Paul reminds them that when they were baptized into Christ [the ?circumcision of Christ,? Col. 2:11], it was there that their sins were ?cut off? and, now raised with Him ?through faith in the working of God? (v. 12) they were now alive in Christ and forgiven of ?all trespasses? (v. 13). Literal, physical circumcision was merely a shadow of the act of obedient baptism, where man was in fact right in the sight of God. Paul went on to remind them that Christ, too, had ?wiped out? those very ordinances under which the Jews of old had lived, and by which no man could be justified (v. 14). Now, in Christ, they could be truly forgiven and called righteous in the sight of God! In that same act [His death on the cross], He conquered all ?principalities and powers? and made ?a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it? (v. 15). By that death, and the subsequent resurrection, Jesus destroyed ?him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release[d] those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage? (Heb. 2:14, 15). Why would these brethren now want to return to that state? Again, Paul reminds them that those things under the Old Law were merely ?a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ? (Col. 2:17). Again, Christ was the solution! Keeping feasts and sabbaths and refraining from restricted foods did not justify them, but Christ did. Let us never forget that it is in Christ that we, too, are justified. Occasionally, we may start to think we have ?done enough? to gain entrance into the eternal city, but let us never forget that it is in Christ that we have any hope of salvation and it is upon Him we fully depend. ?Going to church? every Sunday and putting in your weekly contribution is not the ticket to heaven; Christ?s blood was the price paid that made that possible and let us not fool ourselves into thinking we would ever ?earn? our way there. The Ascetics. Paul gets right to the point here and calls such ideas as those which rest on the ?basic principles of the world? (v. 20) [i.e., not of God] and, in reality, ?are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh? (v. 23). [If you doubt this, just take a look at what celibacy has brought to the ?priesthood? within the Roman Catholic Church.] Paul bluntly warned them not to be ?cheated? out of their reward by listening to these men, who were self-confident though they knew nothing about the things they spoke (v. 18). Paul again pointed them to Christ as that to which they should have been holding fast, and through Him alone could the body [the church] grow ?with the increase that is from God? (v. 19). It would not be by the prohibition of foods, legitimate sexual relationships [Ex., celibacy], or any other physical sensory perception that brought them closer to God (vv. 20, 21) ? only through Christ. These things were, again, not of God but ?according to the commandments and doctrines of men? (v. 22). Need we be reminded of what Jesus said about human traditions (Mark 7:7-13)? Let us not fool ourselves into thinking certain rituals or practices, and even the denial of legitimate physical pleasures, is the road to heaven and spiritual perfection. These things may make you appear humble and godly in the sight of men [and you might even be a little more healthy] but they are otherwise meaningless ? unable to produce forgiveness or salvation. These worthless words ? philosophies of men, doctrines that demand perfect obedience for salvation, and any teaching that requires the denial of legitimate behaviors or practices ? will not bring anyone closer to God. Oh, they make you feel self-righteous, but they will not make you truly righteous. That can only come through faith in Christ and obedience to His will. Christ?s words are the ones we should follow because they are the words by which we will all be judged, in the end (John 12:47, 48). ?? Steven Harper -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100321/8c7f0bdb/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Mar 22 05:18:29 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:18:29 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) A LONELY WORLD (3) Message-ID: <3746d.1e9765cd.38d89df5@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 the third installment of this particular study: A LONELY WORLD (3) People who have no purpose in their lives are lonely people. So many folks feel so empty. The get up in the morning and go to work; they come home -- day after day and year after year. They feel a sinse of discomfort, wondering if that is all there is to life. They make money; they spend money. They have marriag- es, children, and friends. Yet they feel empty. They have no sense of a higher purpose, other than making it through another day. They feel so alone. Some folks try to fill that empty spot with social pursuits. Others get som sort of a hobby. Still others seek higher educat- ion or athletic skills; perhaps physical fitness or a thousand other pursuits aimed at hiding that feeling of aimlessness that plagues so much of mankind. The truth is that only in God can man find a higher purpose with real quality and lasting power. Again, after devoting himself to a search for happiness and contentment, in an attempt to find real meaning in life. Solomon's conclusion was, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commands: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:13,14). Only by learning about God, only by submitting to God, only by following God's Will for life can anyone discover real satisfact- ion. To pursue any other goal will ultimately end in disappoint- ment. I believe this is part of what Jesus was saying in Matt. 16: 24,25 when He said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life whall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it." When people attempt to find purpose with- out God they ultimately fail, no matter how noble the cause. But with God, people find both purpose and fulfillment. Any life lived without God at its center will turn out to be a lonely life. People are lonely who do not know God. In Paul's address to the Athenians on Mars Hill in Acts 17:26-28 he said, "He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for HIm and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist; as even some of your own poets have said, For we are His offspring." This sums up the basic problem of loneliness. God created man to seek Him and to know Him. When man sins, he isolates him- self from God. Yet, as we are created to know God and to serve Him, isolation from Him is to be without purpose, without any real satisfaction. To be isolated from God is contrary to our very reason for being. Remember Paul's words in 1 Cor. 6:13b, "Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord: and the Lord for the body." Without God, we cannot fulfill our very purpose for existence, and that is the height of loneliness. (More will be post- ed on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS). From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Mar 22 05:18:35 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:18:35 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) GOD OR EVOLUTION? (4) Message-ID: <37477.75c25126.38d89dfb@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the fourth installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. GOD OR EVOLUTION (4) It Is All A Matter Of Faith: -- The unbeliever tells us that God is a matter of faith with us. That is right. We can know the past only by memory or by testimony. Since there is no one around who remembers how things go started, we have to accept it on testi- mony. We present here some of the testimony that has produc- ed our faith. We ask only that you read it, compare it with the testimony evolution offers, and see if you think it justifies the conclusions which we have reached. III. ORDER IN THE UNIVERSE: -- William Paley was born in 1743. He ate-dated Darwin by about sixty years. Paley published a book which he called Natural Theology." Dr. R.E. Clark said of Charles Darwin, "His life was one long attempt to escape from Paley." (Darwin Before and After, Grand Rapids, International Pub. 1958, pg. 85). You have but to read Paley's work to under- stand why it bothered Darwin. The entire book was written to prove one fact: That the whole realm of nature, from man on down, shows evidence of intelligent design, planning and con- trivance. If there was intelligence behind the universe and the life that is here, then there was a personality -- and that means GOD. From this conclusion there is no escape. Paley begins the book with an illustration. Passing through the "heath" he stubs his foot against a stone. For all he knows that stone was always there. But if he finds a watch he knows that it has not always lain there because it shows evidence of having been made; made by intelligence for a purpose. The Cosmos Demands An Intelligent Creator: -- The magnitude of the knowable universe and perfection with which it moves, staggerrs the imagination. This earth is one of the smaller plan- ets that make up our solar system. There are nine of them and they all revolve around the sun. Jupiter is 1,300 times larger than earth and has 12 moons or satellites. Four of them revolve from east to west; eight revolve form west to east. But they never collide. Saturn has 9 moons of which Titan is the largest. Another of Saturn's moons is Phoebe. Phoebe is eight million miles from Saturn. Phoebe revolves from east to west and the others all go from west to east. Uranus has 5 moons that are visible, and they all revolve from east to west. Neptune has 2 moons that have been found. One revolves from east to west, the other from west to east. Pluto, Mercury and Venus have no moons. The earth hs only one moon and it is 240,000 miles from earth. The Sun is so large that if it were hollow like a coconut with a wall 100,000 miles thick, there would still be room inside for both the earth and the moon, 240,000 miles apart. If this seems like a lot of matter, look at this one: Although our sun is 1,300,000 times larger than the earth, there is one star in the con- stellation of Orion, Betelgeuse, that is 248 times larger than the Sun. Antares in the constellation of Scorpio is 400,000,000 miles in diameter. So large that if it were hollow, both the earth and the sun could be put inside at 93,000,000 miles apart. Our sun with its nine planets is onle ONE solar system. They tell us there are more than 300,000,000 solar systems. The milky way is a galaxy of worlds. Think of all the space required for these millions of solar systems. We cannot measure the distance between these worlds by miles. We have no figures that run that high. We measure it in light years. The closest "fixed" star to this earth is so far away that the light which lift it 3 1/2 years ago is just now reaching it, travelling at the rate of 186,000 miles per second! If you have trouble comprehending an ETERNAL God or unending existence, try to imagine unending space! If unend- ing space bothers you, try to imagine space with limits. What would be there? The earth makes an annual trip around the sun of more than 292 million miles, traveling at the speed of about 70,000 miles an hour. Did you ever look up the word "year" in the dictionary? Webster says, "the length of time it takes the earth to make one complete revolution around the sun; 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minu- tes, and 45.51 seconds." Leap-year taks care of the time above 365 days. That is why we have leap year. For all these thousan- ds of years the earth has made this annual trip and is never off time one second. There was never a watch made to operate with such precision. Then some little "popgun" sticks hsi claws behind his galluses and says "that an eternal, self-existent God designed and created all of this is not to be thought of". ---------- Luther Blackmon via The Sower, Vol. 55, No. 2, March/April 2010. From GLClair at aol.com Mon Mar 22 10:51:14 2010 From: GLClair at aol.com (GLClair at aol.com) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:51:14 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] NEWS & VIEWS from Cemetery Road church HILLIARD OH Message-ID: <3c6d3.1259c6c5.38d8ebf2@aol.com> News and Views from Cemetery Road church of Christ Hilliard, Ohio ? March 15, 2010 THE VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF GOSPEL MEETINGS The value of gospel meetings [i.e. revivals] has 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 not 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, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. =============================================== GOSPEL MEETING Church of Christ 4840 Cemetery Road ? P.O. Box 96 Hilliard, OH 43026 April 22-25, 2010 Thursday through Saturday - 7:30 PM Sunday ? 9:30 & 10:30 AM Question & answer session - Sunday 6:00 PM SUBJECT: Addiction and the Christian SPEAKER INTRODUCTION ARTHUR ADAMS is a licensed social worker and certified drug and alcohol counselor in the state of Indiana. Other certifications include: Tobacco Sessions (Tap n Teg, Quit Smart), Crisis De-escalation, and Critical Incident Management. He holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan; a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Purdue University; and a Certificate of Achievement for the completion of four years in the Bible Department at Florida College. Mr. Adams has preached full-time for seventeen years followed by fourteen years in part-time evangelism. He currently works with the church of Christ in Plymouth, IN. During his seventeen years in mental health and addiction, he has served as therapist, supervisor, clinical director, and is currently Corporate Vice President for Operations at Cummins Behavioral Health Systems. In addition, he is board chair For Associates in Clinical Psychology Group Homes and serves on multiple committees including the Advisory Board to the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addictions for Homeland Security. EVERYONE WELCOME Additional information contact: CALL (614) 850-7252 ? EMAIL - glclair at aol.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100322/88b35a4d/attachment-0001.html From richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com Sun Mar 21 20:26:29 2010 From: richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com (Richard Thetford) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:26:29 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] Walking in the Light (3/21/10) Message-ID: <000f01cac95f$10d808b0$32881a10$@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) March 21, 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 "You Who Have Fallen From Grace" (Richard Thetford) "Getting Help to Misunderstand the Scriptures" (Doy Moyer) SENTENCE SERMONS --- YOU WHO HAVE FALLEN FROM GRACE Richard Thetford Can an individual fall from grace? There are some who would say no. Many feel that once one is "saved," they are always saved. This would be really great if it were true, but that is not what the Bible teaches. In Galatians 5:4, the apostle Paul told the Galatian brethren: "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." Now if it were not possible to fall from grace, why would Paul say "you have fallen from grace?" He said that because it is a fact - one CAN fall from God's grace. It is possible to fall into apostasy (fall away) from the word of God. And you know what, this is nothing new. Long ago, before Christ was even born into this world, Ezekiel addressed the problem of apostasy. Notice: "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies" (Ezek 18:24-26). A righteous individual, based upon his own initiative, can and sometimes does decide not to follow the ways of Christ any longer. It is not God's fault this happens, it is man's fault! We are totally responsible for our actions, good or bad! We Can "Wander From The Truth" In the book of James 5:19-20, we can read where one can be turned back to serving the Lord. It says: "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 sins." One can only be turned back, because they wandered in the first place. No doubt you know of or have heard of one that has stopped serving the Lord and slid back into the ways of the world. We often call this type of person a "backslider." A backslider is one that begins to wander from the truth, or falls from God's grace because they have decided to stop serving the Lord the way that they know that they should. There are Bible examples of men that have fallen from God's grace. In 1 Timothy 1:18-20 Paul tells Timothy about two of these individuals. He writes: "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme." Two individuals, Hymenaeus and Alexander obviously deserted the faith of our Lord and Paul describes this type of action as "suffering shipwreck." Our ship (body) will be eternally shipwrecked if we do those things that are contrary to God's will. God's grace is upon us if we obey, but God's grace will no longer be upon us when we choose to disobey. "Some Will Depart From The Faith" The Bible is very clear in letting us know "that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron" (1 Tim 4:1). A hypocrite is one that has departed from the faith of our Lord. Jesus said: "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad" (Matt 12:30). We can't have it both ways (Matt 6:24), we're either keeping the faith or we're departing from the faith. We're either in God's grace or we've departed from God's grace. The Hebrew writer said: "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God" (Heb 2:12). God Offered His Grace - We Must Choose To Accept It God loved us so much that He gave us His only Son (John 3:16). He offered us His grace in His Son Jesus. His grace is here if we choose to accept it. Otherwise we will lose our soul if we refuse His grace. Some have accepted His grace by believing in Jesus and being baptized for remission of sins, but then later rejected His grace. I am reminded of Paul's writing to the Romans when he said: "Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off" (Rom 11:22). We are promised goodness, and that goodness consists of eternal life with our Lord IF as he wrote "we continue in His goodness." Don't let anyone try and tell you that you can't fall from God's grace because it simply is not so. We can only be saved when we do all of His will and are faithful in doing His will unto death (Matt 7:21; Rev 2:10). Be careful, because man CAN fall from the grace of God! --- GETTING HELP TO MISUNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES Doy Moyer Yes, there are those who would help you to misunderstand what the Bible says. The Bible speaks of them in 2 Peter 3:16-17: "...speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked" We are thus told to "Be on your guard." Something as simple as, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16). Is twisted to say, "He who believes is saved, and he can be baptized if he wants to, as long as he understands that it has nothing to do with salvation." As the Scripture says, "Be on your guard." --- SENTENCE SERMONS There is no moral difference between legal and illegal stealing. Truth will win every argument if you stick to it long enough. There are two sides to every question and if you want to be popular take both. --- SERMONS Saved By Grace (with PPT Charts) The Fall of Jericho (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/20100321/d1aba636/attachment-0003.gif From tthornhill06 at yahoo.com Fri Mar 26 11:28:18 2010 From: tthornhill06 at yahoo.com (Tom Thornhill) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:28:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Biblemat] Help with prophecy about WHEN Jesus would come Message-ID: <845423.63408.qm@web50906.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Greetings brethren I am seeking passages in the Old Testament that prophesied the TIME when Jesus would come. I know of the passages that deal with the Kingdom being established with indirectly prophecy of Him - i.e. Daniel 2:44, Isa. 2:2-4, etc. But is there a prophecy that puts the Messiah coming during the Roman Empire (i.e. the 4th kingdom after Daniel 2:44)? Thanks for your replies. Tom Thornhill Jr. www.roseavenue.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100326/84b68de9/attachment-0001.html From robertwater at gmail.com Sat Mar 27 12:32:08 2010 From: robertwater at gmail.com (Robert Waters) Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:32:08 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] D:> MDR Waters 1st Affirmative Message-ID: Greetings to the list, This debate on BM was started some time ago. The questions have been asked and answered by each participant. The rules require one post per day for 10 days. Perhaps there has been some kind of mix up that will explain why the rules have not been followed. I know Mike Hughes has been ill. At any rate, below my signature is my first affirmative. Pat will then post his reply. Robert Waters *Donahue/Waters Debate* Waters' First Affirmative The proposition: *The scriptures teach that God approves marriage for every unmarried person, including those who have divorced a mate or have been divorced by a mate, regardless of the reason. * It is my pleasure to be a participant with Pat Donahue in discussion of this very important Bible subject. I wish to begin by appealing to the reader to have such a love for truth that you are willing to sacrifice anything to have it. We must realize that under certain circumstances we might not be as objective, because of the consequences of making a change on this issue, as we otherwise might be. Therefore, we must be diligent and careful in our endeavor to find the truth. Perhaps you are one that has serious doubts about the traditional MDR teachings. Maybe you have observed that it is not characteristic of God's justice to change the Law from a divorced woman may "go be another man's wife" to "a divorced person is still 'bound' and cannot marry" even if he/she has committed no marital sin. Perhaps you realize that it is inconsistent to say 'let them marry"..."thou has not sinned" when speaking of unmarried people (which includes those who are divorced) and then turn around and declare that divorced persons may not marry. Of course Paul, in his teachings, was not inconsistent. But this is simply the erroneous interpretation of some when they read his words. Or, maybe you have been divorced and have a great need for companionship of the opposite sex (1 Cor. 7:7) and want to avoid fornication (1 Cor. 7:2), but you also want to go to heaven. If such is the case you may well be more inclined to look at the whole picture rather than what men have assumed and insist that Jesus taught. In this debate I will show from the scriptures that the position I hold is reasonable, logical, consistent and scriptural. Pat says it is not, but the truth is that his position is unreasonable, illogical, unscriptural, inconsistent and unjust. In addition, his position forces him to misuse and misapply a number of clear scriptures. Pat's position makes Jesus look like a liar and has Moses teaching what God never wanted. It makes Jesus contradict Moses (God actually) and Paul contradict Jesus as well as himself. Pat's teaching also shows God to be unjust by giving us a law that requires punishing people who are innocent of marital sin. Furthermore, this punishment (which is often called "consequences") takes away God's means of helping people "avoid fornication" (1Cor. 7:2). Yet Pat continually insists in private letters that his position has no problems. It is nice to have confidence in what you believe, but such is only profitable if you have truly faced reality and dealt with it properly, resulting in having a position that is based upon facts. Note that the proposition says *"regardless of the reason."* A position that requires a certain "reason" for a divorce before it is truly a divorce 'freeing both parties to marry another' is contrary to the teaching of both Jesus and Paul. In Luke and Mark, Jesus did not mention an exception clause, making one wonder why he did not, if the exception is as important as some think it is. Indeed, many have misunderstood Jesus' teachings on the exception clause, but Paul's teaching is clear. Pat knows this. When speaking of the "unmarried" (no qualifications given) Paul said *"let them marry"* (1 Cor. 7:8, 9). This text (along with 27, 28) is proof that the divorced, regardless of the reason, may marry. No amount of verbal gymnastics can make Paul's words mean something different or make them not apply to all the unmarried. I have explained my position on Jesus' teachings, related to what Pat thinks is divorce, in my answer to Pat's questions. His main argument was to provide quotes from uninspired men on the meaning of "apoluo." However, I showed numerous highly respected versions that never translate "apoluo" as divorce. No one can deny that it is indeed possible to "put away" a spouse without going through the process of divorce. This was a problem in Jesus' day, and it continues to be a problem to this day. Thus it should come as no surprise that Jesus would deal with this specific problem rather than boldly stand before the Jews and tell them, "Moses was wrong and you are living in adultery if you have divorced and remarried." (See http://www.totalhealth.bz/divorce-and-remarriage-jewish-women-in-chains.htm .) *Reply to Pat's answers to my questions:* 1. I presented a scenario where a woman is "sent away" by her husband because he hates her. He does not give her a certificate of divorce. I asked Pat if she was "apoluo"-ed. He admitted that if the man never completed the divorce she was not "apoluo"-ed. Thus, he surely can see the plausibility of the idea that Jesus dealt with this situation instead of making new law. Pat also admits that the man commits adultery "against her" in putting her away, but he also has to try to defend his position by asserting that it is WITH the woman he marries. But if you look carefully at the text you will find that it does not say that. This is because the men (Jews under the Mosaic Law) to whom Jesus spoke could have more than one wife. This observation presents another problem for Pat's assertion that Jesus' teachings didn't apply at the time. *Question:* In my scenario, the woman was sent away because the man hated her. Pat says this was "divorce" but it does not free the woman. (I think he admitted it wasn't divorce if the man did not complete the process.) Pat, let us say that the woman had the certificate in her hand. Would you still tell her she would commit adultery if she married another? Would she then not think you were guilty of: 1) forbidding marriage and all that is involved; 2) punishing her and calling it God's teachings; and 3) causing her to commit fornication because you deny her a marriage (1 Cor. 7:2)? I recognize it would be possible to just show her Matthew 5:32 while withholding Paul's teachings (which is typical), and convince her to your way of thinking. 2. In my second question I asked: If the woman in the scenario was not divorced, and other men were likewise sending away wives and marrying another, would this not be something Jesus would address, especially since he could avoid falling into the Jews' trap and taking sides on the highly controversial issue? Pat refused to properly answer this. He answered it in view of "separation" being "part" of a legal divorce, which he says Jesus condemned. My question dealt with the issue of men's merely putting away, which is to this day a real problem among the Jews. To admit that Jesus would take advantage of such an opportunity would clearly make my position appear to be credible. Therefore, even though we made a prior agreement to answer all the questions, Pat evaded answering this one. My friend misleads the reader in the first sentence of his answer. Jesus was initially asked, *"Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" (vs. 3).* Jesus dealt with what they *asked*, regardless of what they may have meant. It was not until the Jews heard Jesus' reply (which cut to their heart because of their guilt) that they referred to Moses' teachings that allowed divorce if the certificate was given. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that one consider the situation. Pat has the situation all wrong, and therefore has come to believe something that is not true. It is obvious that Jesus was addressing the Jews who were determined to find something they could use against Jesus. Yet, in his reply Pat insists that it was wise and prudent for Jesus to teach as Pat claims he did. Paul did deal with Christians' questions regarding marriage and divorce not many years down the road. So why would Jesus at that time teach against Moses, especially in view of all the consequences if he were to so do? It is prudent to hear and obey Paul's inspired teachings. But since Jesus settled everything on the issue of divorce (according to Pat) we must explain passages like "let them marry" in a way that harmonizes with Jesus' teachings. Bottom line: Pat's position requires that we accept teaching directed to the Jews and reject inspired teachings to Christians on the MDR issue. Pat thinks his idea of Jesus' law on MDR does not punish people but rather keeps them from committing adultery. This is circular reasoning. You cannot prove an assertion based upon nothing but an assumption. When you see that Jesus addressed a current problem and did not teach contrary to the Law of Moses, you will see that Pat's teaching does indeed punish people (some innocent) and it actually results in people's committing fornication as it takes away marriage, which is God's tool to avoid fornication (1 Cor. 7:2). My friend denies that Jesus contradicted Moses, and so do I. But instead of giving up his doctrine he thinks he has a way around this obvious problem. He says the teaching was merely "preparatory" and applied only to New Testament law. But one needs only to observe Jesus' audience and their reply, to see the irrationality of that argument. Pat cannot bring himself to admit that "apoluo"-ing but not divorcing was and is a problem among the Jews; and he refuses to answer my queries about this situation, although he agreed to answer all questions. Jesus would surely have addressed the problem of putting away without proper divorce proceedings; and Pat's admitting this would obviously help my position and help the reader see the truth. Therefore, he did not answer. However, I believe the reader can understand that the passage commonly used to support the idea that a divorced person may not marry, is being misused to teach a doctrine that is not according to the will of God. I want to repeat that if a problem of putting away without divorce existed, Jesus would surely have dealt with it. As I have proven, the problem did exist and we therefore know Jesus dealt with it. Since these scriptures we are discussing are the only ones about this issue, obviously he dealt with it here. But since Pat's position stands or falls upon the idea that Jesus dealt ONLY with legal divorce, he is only willing to say that Jesus dealt with the problem of "separation" by condemning divorce. But divorce and separation are two different things. 3. I asked Pat to explain how a man under the Law could possibly commit adultery by legally divorcing a wife and legally marrying another. It is noteworthy that he stated that a man would not commit adultery by divorcing his wife, regardless of the reason. He is more liberal than I on that point. Just putting away is adultery/treachery even if he does not marry another. The man had a right to marry another. His sin was "treachery" against his wife because he threw her out and therefore was not being faithful in his duties. Furthermore, his actions placed her in a very difficult situation that is said by Jesus to cause her to commit adultery. This is the issue that Jesus dealt with, yet Pat says it is not so. He says that Jesus changed the law and that Jesus used the word "divorce" instead of "put away." But that does not help him because he says the new law of Jesus didn't apply until later. Of course, he recognizes the problem with asserting that Jesus contradicted Moses and he is just vainly trying to be consistent. Pat misuses Romans 7, which I explained in my answer to his questions. 4. In his reply to #4, Pat stated that Jesus' New Testament law allows divorce only for the cause of fornication. But that is not what Jesus said. Jesus said if a man sends away his wife, except if it is because of fornication, he commits adultery against her. "Because of adultery" is something you have to read into the exception clause text, which is commonly done. Actually, Jesus was saying that the putting away he condemned would not result in adultery if the marriage was illegal/unscriptural--such as incestuous marriages. This, of course, makes perfect sense. *Follow-up question:* Is God's marriage law (given by Moses) universal? If not, what if Florida recognizes jumping over a broomstick as being a divorce? Would the divorce be scriptural? Would it accomplish what God intended? Would it follow the example that he gave (Jer. 3:8)? Could a state also recognize "separation" as being divorce and not require anything at all? Wouldn't this put the world back in the situation before God's divorce law was given (Deut. 24)? 5. Jesus did not contrast his New Testament law with Old Testament law, as Pat stated in his answer. That would have been a reason for the Jews to kill him. He took issue with the Jews' misunderstanding and misapplications--not with Moses who taught God's law. (See Barnes notes.) *Question:* What evidence can we find that indicates that Jesus' enemies understood Jesus to be a law giver and that he was speaking of future law? It was a discourse with no feedback from the Jews to support Pat's assertion; thus his statement that Jesus was giving new law is based upon assumption, as is his conclusion regarding what Jesus taught pertaining to divorce. 6. Pat agrees that we must use good hermeneutics, but he fails to get the point about building a doctrine based upon an "obscure" passage. Pat, your answer indicates you do not understand what is meant when one talks about an "obscure" passage. When I right click on "obscure," at the top of the thesaurus list is the phrase "difficult to understand." I agree that Matthew 5:32 is really not all that difficult to understand, but I'm not the one basing a doctrine on it and then forcing Paul's clear teaching (denying it actually) to conform to what some believe Jesus was teaching. The passage is difficult for many people, but that is mainly because of what others have taught them. *Conclusion* The clear teachings of Paul (1 Cor. 7:2; 8, 9 and 27, 28) prove my proposition. I have explained the teaching of Jesus in a way that harmonizes with Paul's teaching. So far, my opponent has unsuccessfully tried to make Paul's teachings harmonize with his convoluted, erroneous and problematic idea of what Jesus taught. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100327/8535abe3/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Mar 26 04:24:14 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:24:14 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) STAY ON COURSE Message-ID: <953da.4cf9df0.38ddd73e@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 art- icle from my files: STAY ON COURSE If you were to venture out on the ocean very far, you need to know some important details to be successful your location, your destination, and your course. By referring to a map and using a compass, you can end up where you want to go. The hard part comes in determining where you are at any given moment. Difficulties can arise creating conditions that can be confusing for navigation. Bad weather, strong wind, high waves, swift tides or limited visibility can throw one off course very easily. How does a follower of Christ stay on course and avoid a spiritual shipwreck? Paul wrote something of importance on this subject: He said: "Timothy, my son, I give you this instruct- ion in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have hand- ed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme." (1 Tim. 1:18-20). He places emphasis on holding on to "faith and a good con- science." Rejecting these and not fighting the good fight will cause one to shipwreck their faith. How can we be successful and stay on course? We can do that by carefully reading and following the directions in God's Word, conforming our will to the Will of God (Rom. 12:2). "Faith comes by hearing the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). We know the destination we seek (heaven). How are you doing? Are you on course or in danger of shipwreck? Determi- ne right now to live in faith and holiness, staying on course until you are safely Home. --------- Shane Williams in The Lilbourn Light, Vol. 10, No. 10, Feb. 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Fri Mar 26 04:24:22 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:24:22 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) "The Night Is Coming" Message-ID: <953df.54ed47a.38ddd746@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is a study from my files. Use to the glory of God. "THE NIGHT IS COMING" You probably don't recognize the name of Henry Allingham, do you? How about Jeanne Calment? No? Well, there's really no reason why you should; they both lived an entire ocean away, he in England, she if France. Why, then, should we link their names together, you ask; what did they have in common? Just this: they were both recognized as the oldest person in the world at the time of their death. Mrs. Calment died in 1997 at the age of 122. Mr. Allingham, at 113 years and 13 days, died in July 2009. This pair were members of a rather select group dubbed super-centenarians. There are only seventy-seven of them in the world at the moment, at least according to those who keep count of such things. And, they also say, there have been only something over a thousand of these hoary heads documented in history. Whether that includes -- what shall we call them? -- the super super centenarians of Gen. 5 is doubtful. Many people consider the Bible as only a myth. Christians are not in that number; we believe that the Bible is history and not myth. If so, the patriarchs of Gen. 5 are the hoariest of all the hoary heads on record, with ages ranging from 777 to 969 years. But aside from the advanced ages of these men of old, there is anot- her hard fact that jumps out at us from this text: each brief biography (with the exception of Enoch's) ends with the worlds, "and they died." It happened tht way with Mrs. Calment; she liv- ed 122 years and she died. And Henry Allingham; he lived 113 years and he died. That's how my story endes -- and yours, and the story of all humankind. What's more, it's no big secret; "the living know tht they will die" (Eccl. 9:5). We'd have to be dense to overlook the constant parade of hearses that are moving reg- ularly throughout the earth. Why bother, then, to write about the certainty and universal- ity of death? Why spend the time and ink and paper? Surely, it's superfluous, isn't it? My answer is no. Even though we know it, we don't seem to get it. We hide it back in some dark recess of our minds; we deny it. Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" (17:9). We have to teach about things we already know because the human heart has a remarkable capacity for blocking out things it doesn't want to hear. And if we don't block them out entirely, we convince ourselves that we have plenty of time to deal with them. Consider, then, two questions suggested by the fact of death: When Must We Get Serious?: -- My short answer to this is: imme- diately, if not sooner. But let's look at the issue in Biblical lang- uage. The writer of Ecclesiastes wrestled with the meaning of life, and here is his reply to our question: "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them'" (Eccl. 12:1). Life is fleeting, he says, so it's best to enjoy your youth while you can (11:9f). Just do so with an eye on judgment. Enjoy- ment and seriousness are not mutually exclusive. But what if youth passes us by and we fail to sober up until later in life? My answer is still the same: get with it now. Jacob uttered a bit of unstudied wisdom after he learned that his lam- ented son Joseph was alive. He said: "I will go and see him be- fore I die" (Gen. 45:28). Before I die -- those are the pivotal words. It's the only time we have to act. And procrastination is folly; who can say when death will batter down our door? We all know someone to whom it was a sudden and cruel intruder. Even Jesus was constrained by time. "I must work the works of Him Who sent Me while it is still day, the night is com- ing when no one can work" (Jno. 9:4). If this is true of the Master of all time, how much more true of us. The wise will take it to heart. What Must We Be Serious About? -- Birth and death are common to us all; it's what comes between that distinguishes us from one another. Life is a stream of everflowing choices, and they all matter because they all have consequences. The wise son of David tried them all. Here's wht he found: Wisdom, though preferable to folly, falls short of being the key to life. To the contrary, "In much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow" (Eccl. 1:18). The party life is a washout. Pleasure, wine, laughter -- "What does it accomplish?" (2:1-3). Possession don't cut it. Fine houses, servants, gold, silver, vineyards, flocks and herds -- he denied himself nothing. And it was about as satisfying as a handful of wind. So he wound up hating life "because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to him" (2:17). But then, finally, he worked his way to what he called "the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is the whole duty of man" (12:13). So what will it be? God has set before us "life and death, blessing and cursing" (Deut. 30:19). With Moses, I urge you, "Therefore, choose life," and one more thing: do it now, because "The night is coming when no one can work." ------------ Jim Ward in The Lost River Bulletin, Vol. 60, No. 1, March 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Sat Mar 27 05:39:52 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 06:39:52 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) GOD HAS SPOKEN Message-ID: 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 Of how much HONOR do you consider GOD to be worthy? If one risked his life to save you from a burning house, would you attend a ceremony honoring him, or would you decline because of your work or recreational schedule? If one were to DIE while saving you, would you attend his memorial gathering? DO YOU BELIEVE THAT HONOR SHOULD BE GIVEN TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE (Rom. 13:7)? GOD gave you life, sustains you daily with everything essential to life, gave you a sense of value and appre- ciation, and provided through the giving of His Son a means of redemption from bondage to sin and hope of life eternal for you and all others who will honor and obey Him (Acts 17:28; Jno. 3: 16; Heb. 5:8,9). He has said, "...for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed" (1 Sam. 2:30). Further He has determined "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him" (Jno. 5:23). How are the Father and the Son to be honored? A king is honored when his subjects love and obey him. THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS is honored when people learn of Him, learn His ways and His commands, love Him for His good- ness and mercy, and obey Him as carefully as they can in every- thing (Isa. 2:2-4; 1 Jno. 1; Rev. 22:14). Friend, where do you stand? Opportunity is yours. Are you too busy with your own affairs and desires to honor your Creator, Sustainer, and Judge? ----------- Gilbert Alexander. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Sat Mar 27 05:39:59 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 06:39:59 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) "BLESSED IS THE MAN" (1) Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the first installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. "BLESSED IS THE MAN" (1) How would you define success? For some, success means they are at the top of their field. For others, success is a lot of attention and a good reputation. For still others, success can only be measured in financial terms, how much I have and own. And, some people find their success in noble causes, such as helping to preserve the environment or civil rights or politics. Interestingly, as the Book of Psalms begins, there is a brief text that tells us God's definition of success. "Blessed Is The Man": -- As the Psalmist starts this first Psalm, he starts by talking about being blessed. This word in the Heb- rew can also mean "happy" or "fulfilled." The word carries the idea of real success. This blessed man will feel good about his life and his place in life. He will be content, free of worries and anxiety. So, this Psalm really introduces all the other Psalms, trying to get our attention to understand what true success is. So, the question for each of us is simple: "Do you want to be happy?" If you want to enjoy real success, the Psalmist has some simple, yet powerful words that can bring you genuine happiness. But, as we shall see, that happiness will not be found in what we own, or in what we accomplish, or even in what we do. Blessedness will be found in where we choose to center our life. The Counsel Of The Wicked: -- "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the path sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psa. 1:1,2). The first thing we learn is that the happy man does not move in the way of the wicked. He does not listen to their counsel. That is, he knows there are many voices out there that will try to influence him. But, he chooses to avoid the path of those who are wicked. The challenge for each of us is to consider whose counsel we will listen to. If we listen to a lot of news shows, that is who is probably shaping us. If we listen to talk radio, that will shape us. If we listen to sports or entertainment shows, they will shape us. So, whose counsel are you taking? The happy man will find his delight, not in the voices of the world, but in the Word of God. The happy man does not come to God's Word and dread what he will discover. The man who is truly blessed will be delighted to spend time in the law of God. "Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation" (1 Pet. 2:2). This is find- ing real joy in coming to know and apply the Words of God. So, who shapes your thinking? Is it television? Or, is it radio or music? Or, is it the Word of God? Be Careful Where You Stand: -- The happy man will not stop in the company of evil. He will keep moving to avoid the problem of getting stuck in sin. When we listen to the wrong counsel, we will be tempted to stop and consider what we are hearing. Be careful where you choose to stand. If you stop and watch the temptations around you, very quickly you can be caught up in those sins. "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." (Jas. 1:14,15). All of us are tempted. All of us listen to the wrong counsel at some point. But, when you find yourself stopping to stare at the chance to sin, keep moving. Don't stand in the path of the wicked. Instead, spend your time considering the Will of God. Then, when you are tempted to stop and stand in the path of sin, you will have a clear and simple alternative. You can then discern what the Will of God is and keep moving. Be careful where you stand. Sitting With Scoffers: -- Finally, when you listen to the wrong counsel and stop in the wrong path, you will find yourself hang- ing out with the wrong crowd. You will be around those who scoff at God. His Will and His Ways. When the people of the greatest influence in your life deny the Lord, it will be easier and easier for you to do so. But, if you spend your energy in the Will of God, keeping it in mind day and night, you will find real happiness. The fact is, most people who are scoffers are not very happy. They find their amusement in making fun, in ridicule, in criticisms. But, this sort of fun is fleeting. If you want to find real happiness, you will center your life in God. Planted Firmly: -- "And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away" (Psa. 1:3,4). The Psalmist uses wonderful imagery to des- cribe the man who is focused on God and His Law, he draws the image of a master gardener, planting a tree in just the right place so it can thrive and produce. The man who delights in the Will of God is like that tree. As Jesus will say later: "Therefore everyone who hears these Words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock" (Matt. 7:24,25). Even better, this man will produce fruit in its season. That is, when the time is right, the man who is centered in the Law of God will produce the fruit of happiness, contentment, joy and on and on the list can go. The fruit doesn't come immediately, but it comes when it is time. The man centered in the Will of God waits for the time of harvest, whent he success of his life is prov- en. (More will be posted on this particular subject next Monday the Lord willing, JWS). From PatDonahue at bellsouth.net Sat Mar 27 18:06:04 2010 From: PatDonahue at bellsouth.net (Patrick Donahue) Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:06:04 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] D:> MDR Donahue 1st Negative In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <002101cace02$149eac40$3ddc04c0$@net> Patrick Donahue?s First Negative I certainly appreciate my friend and brother Robert Waters being willing to stand up for what he believes. However, his position on divorce/remarriage is dead wrong, and I intend to make that clear in this debate. Robert begins by suggesting it violates God?s justice for his marriage law to change from the old covenant to the new covenant, but this same reasoning would mean we still must keep the Sabbath today, men still must be circumcised today, and Christians still must sacrifice animals in worship today. We are not under the old covenant today period; we are under the new (Hebrews 7:12)... And Galatians 5:3 teaches those trying to be justified by the old law are not allowed to pick and choose which parts of the old law still apply today (as Robert and the Sabbatarians do). Deuteronomy 24:1-4?s context confirms it is only Old Testament teaching: ? Verse 5 reads ?When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.? Is this teaching applicable today? ? Verses 10-11 read ?When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you.? Does that command apply today? ? Verse 18a reads ?But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there.? We see then this chapter?s teaching has never applied to Gentiles. Jesus? MDR law is significantly different than Moses? MDR law. The following chart specifies some of those differences ? Moses' MDR Teaching Deuteronomy 24:1-4, etc. (OT) Jesus' MDR Teaching Matthew 19:9, etc. (NT) divorce for any uncleanness Deut 24:1 divorce only for fornication Matthew 5:32a may let captive wife go if ?no delight in her? Deuteronomy 21:10-14 for fornication only Matthew 5:32a adulteress put to death Leviticus 20:10 adulteress divorced Matthew 19:9a divorcee could remarry Deuteronomy 24:2 divorcee may not remarry Matthew 19:9b polygamy allowed Exod 21:10, II Sam 12:8, Deut 21:15-17 polygamy disallowed I Corinthians 7:2 must marry wife of dead brother Deut 25:5 no such requirement Robert, would you also say it?s ?not characteristic of God's justice to change the Law? in any of the above respects? The reader is correct to figure out Robert isn?t consistent with own argument here. Robert argues from I Corinthians 7:8-9 that the ?unmarried? (without qualification) may marry. But we only have to look at the next two verses to see this argument refuted. Verse 11 presents a situation where a woman is ?unmarried,? yet she is told to ?remain unmarried.? This directly contradicts Robert?s conclusion that all the unmarried (divorced) may remarry. Matthew 5:32b also directly contradicts Robert?s point when it says ?whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.? The woman is divorced and therefore unmarried, but she is still forbidden from remarrying. When we take I Corinthians 7:8-9 in context, we see it is not just talking about any unmarried person, but about unmarried people who are ?loosed? (verses 27-28). And verse 10 provides a clear example of someone who is unmarried, but not loosed (free to marry), since they are told to remain unmarried or be reconciled. Next Robert refers to my question #6 where Tommy Thrasher supplied 32 lexicons, grammarians, and translations that say the Greek word (apoluo) translated ?put away? in the MDR passages means ?divorce.? Robert counters by saying there are ?numerous ? versions that never translate ?apoluo? as divorce.? If true, Robert?s argument would also mean ?put away? is not a valid translation for ?apoluo? since there are ?numerous ? versions that never translate ?apoluo? as? ?put away? (e.g., the NKJV). Robert makes out like it has to be one way or the other, that his translations are right and therefore my 32 sources have to be wrong. The truth is both Robert?s sources and my sources are all correct. There?s no contradiction. When the KJV (for example) translates ?apoluo? ?put away? in Matthew 5:32a, that doesn?t mean ?divorce? is a bad translation. The KJV goes on to translate ?apoluo? in the ?b? part of the same verse as ?divorce,? and since the two instances of ?apoluo? in the verse are used interchangeably, the translators obviously intended the idea of ?divorce? when they translated ?put away.? The same is true for the average reader; when they read ?put away? in the MDR passages of the KJV, they are thinking ?divorce.? Robert?s view is that all 32 scholars I quoted are wrong and his are right, but the truth is my scholars and his scholars are in agreement ? ?apoluo,? ?put away,? and ?divorce? are all synonymous in the New Testament MDR passages. Why is this so important? Because Robert?s position is that all divorced people can remarry, but when you understand ?apoluo? is used to mean ?divorce,? then Matthew 5:32b, Matthew 19:9a,b, Mark 10:11,12, and Luke 16:18a,b all say that people after unscriptural apoluo/divorce commit adultery upon remarriage. Even though I am just quoting what God has to say on MDR, Robert accuses me of ?forbidding marriage? in violation of I Timothy 4:4. Surely the reader can see the shallowness of Robert?s argument here, because its consistent application would mean John the Baptist sinned when he forbad Herod?s marriage in Mark 6:18, and Robert sins when he forbids polygamous and homosexual marriages. It?s clear from verses like Matthew 5:32b (?whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery?) that God expects us to forbid some marriages. The truth is I Timothy 4:4 is talking about forbidding scriptural marriages, not adulterous ones. The Bible doesn?t contradict itself. Robert then asserts my position punishes the innocent party, but we never read that God?s marriage law is to punish anybody. The scriptures always reveal that the reason for any marriage prohibition is to keep someone from committing adultery. When I forbid my teenage sons from doing illegal drugs, am I punishing them, or trying to keep them from harm? When God tells a man too homely to find a wife that he must remain celibate, is God punishing him, or is God trying to keep him from committing fornication? Robert knows the answer. One of the more critical mistakes Robert makes is thinking Moses allowed a man to kick his wife out of the house without divorcing her, and that problem is what Jesus is dealing with in Matthew 19:8-9 and etc.. If that were the case, Jesus should have said whoever puts away their wife ?except he divorces her? (instead of ?except for fornication?). Notice Mark 10:4 says Moses ?suffered? (allowed) a man ?to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.? So Moses only allowed the putting away if a bill of divorcement was given. Jesus confirms this truth in verse 5 where he says Moses wrote ?this precept,? that is, the precept of ?bill of divorcement plus putting away.? Robert agrees Moses wrote this precept in Deuteronomy 24:1, which commands the bill of divorcement to accompany the sending away. And just like a bill of sale is not the sale itself, but is a written record of a sale and only legitimate if a sale takes place, a bill of divorcement is not the divorce itself, but is a written record of a divorce and only legitimate if a divorce takes place. So Moses never allowed a kicking out without a bill of divorce (which implies a divorce took place). In other words, Moses required the divorce. Now let me explain why Robert?s error here is so critical. You?ll remember Jesus teaches in Mark 10:5 that Moses allowed ?bill of divorce plus putting away? because of the hardness of the Israelites? hearts. [Robert agreed with this in his debate with Tommy Thrasher when he said ?The Law under which Jesus lived ? made provisions for a marriage to be dissolved (Deut. 24:1-2) because of the hardness of man's heart (Matt. 19:8).?] Next, in Matthew 19:8-9 Jesus contrasts his teaching with what Moses allowed because of the hardness of their hearts. Matthew 5:32 details this as Jesus contrasts his teaching with the ?putting away plus writing of divorcement? in verse 31. So because of hardness of hearts, Moses allowed putting away as long as it was accompanied by a bill of divorce. And that is exactly what Robert allows - putting away as long as it?s accompanied by a bill of divorce. But in my question #3, Robert agrees that Jesus didn?t allow what Moses allowed, therefore the inescapable conclusion is that Jesus didn?t allow what Robert allows. To reiterate, in Matthew 5:31-32 and 19:8-9, Jesus clearly contrasts his teaching with what Moses allowed. Therefore Jesus does not allow (except in the case of fornication) what Moses allowed, which was the ?putting away plus writing of divorcement.? Robert thinks since Jesus was talking to Jews that his teaching on MDR must necessarily have applied to the Jews. But Robert admits in my question #2 that Jesus sometimes did what we call ?preparatory? teaching while on earth, meaning teaching that would not apply until the New Testament came into effect. We conclude such based upon verses like the following: ? Luke 16:16 ?The law and the prophets were (proclaimed, NAV) until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached? ? John 14:26 ?But ? the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall ? bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you? (meaning the apostles would teach things after Pentecost that Jesus taught them while on earth) The following illustration demonstrates the wisdom and prudence of preparatory teaching in such a situation: If America decided to change its road system so that everybody was to drive on the left side of the road like they do in England, don?t you think the authorities would tell people about the new system before the implementation date? We might call this ?preparatory teaching.? A good example of preparatory teaching done by Jesus is found in Matthew 18: 17. There Jesus gives instruction about withdrawing from the unfaithful by the church before the church was yet in existence (Matthew 16:18). So this didn?t apply per se when Jesus said it, but was to apply during the church (Christian) dispensation ? just like Matthew 19:9, etc.. Robert?s point that Jesus teaching would have to apply at the time he spoke it isn?t valid. I?m sure Robert would agree Jesus? teaching in Matthew 24:16-17 didn?t apply at the time he spoke it. Robert might reply, ?but the context lets us know that teaching wouldn?t apply until the time of the destruction of Jerusalem.? I agree, and further emphasize that we know Jesus? MDR teaching would not apply while the law of Moses was in effect, because Jesus contrasts his MDR teaching with Moses? MDR teaching in both Matthew 19:8-9 and 5:31-32 (?Moses ? allowed/said? so-and-so, ?but I say unto you?). Robert says under the law a man could divorce his wife ?regardless of the reason? and then ?had a right to marry another.? Robert implies the same should be true under New Testament law. But this flatly contradicts Matthew 19:9a (?whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery? NKJV). It also contradicts I Corinthians 7:10-11 (explained above) and Romans 7:2-3. Robert says I misuse Romans 7:2-3, but what the passage actually says is that if a woman is married to a second man while her original husband still lives, she is committing adultery. The passage does not tell us the status of her first marriage, whether it ended in divorce or never ended, so we must not assume one way or the other. Either way, whether she is still married to her first husband or if the first marriage ended in unscriptural divorce, Romans 7:2-3 teaches the woman is guilty of adultery while married to another man. That is why this text contradicts Robert?s position: Robert says a woman may remarry after unscriptural divorce; Romans 7:2-3 calls her an adulterous if she does. Why is she an adulterous?: because she is still bound (?under obligation? Thayer) to her original husband. Robert questions my view of the exception clause in Matthew 19:9 because the text uses the word ?fornication? instead of ?adultery.? But Robert already agrees with the answer to his logic: fornication includes adultery. Jesus likely used the word ?fornication? because he wanted to also include other forms of fornication such as homosexuality, bestiality, and possibly unlawful relations before the marriage. Robert asks me if God?s marriage law (given by Moses) is universal. My answer is that Moses? law only applied to the Jews at that time, and applies to nobody today since we are under New Testament law. I am surprised a gospel preacher doesn?t know we are not bound by the law of Moses today. Robert asks me some questions about what procedure God requires for marriage and divorce. My answer is God requires no particular procedure, except that we must follow the law and custom of the society we live in. If the laws of Alabama say all you have to do to get married is what Isaac and Rebekah did in Genesis 24:67, then that would be all that is required. And if the law says all you have to do to get a divorce is get a permanent separation, then that would work. But in the U.S., both marriage and divorce are a legal matter, and so those legalities must be followed. Robert says ?Jesus did not contrast his New Testament law with Old Testament law,? but he has no proof. In all six ?ye have heard it said by them of old time, but I say unto you? cases in Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus contrasts his New Testament teaching with the law of Moses. Let?s take swearing in verses 33-37 as a test case. Notice that what was ?said by them of old time? in verse 33 correctly represents what the Old Testament taught ? if you swear to do something, you had better do it (Leviticus 19:12, Number 30:2, Psalms 15:1,4b). But Jesus? new law says don?t swear ?at all? (verse 34), a prohibition repeated by James 5:12. In all six cases, the thing said by them of old time is Old Testament law - either quoted verbatim or its meaning given correctly. And even Robert would agree in all six cases, Jesus? contrasting teaching represents New Testament law correctly. For a fuller treatment of this point, see my ?Swearing, No Exception, and Matthew 5:21-48? debate charts at www.BibleDebates.info. Jesus leaves no doubt in Matthew 19:9 and its parallels that remarriage after divorce (for reasons other than fornication) results in adultery. Why try to get around that plain fact? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100327/ad5affed/attachment-0001.html From tssullivan at charter.net Sat Mar 27 22:05:50 2010 From: tssullivan at charter.net (T. Sean Sullivan) Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:05:50 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] The Messenger VOl 005 Iss 013 Message-ID: The Messenger 2010 Published Weekly by Main Street Church of Christ 306 West Main Street, Newbern, TN 38059 mainstreetcofc.com Bulletin Editor: T. Sean Sullivan VOLUME 005::ISSUE 013: March 28, 2010 This Week's Article: Not Standards of Truthfulness Introduction: Truth should be placed on the endangered list. There are fewer and fewer people every day who consider truth to be absolute. Many seek "situational truth" or "flexible truth" today. Over time our culture has adopted a sentimentalist view of truth. We have drifted from things being "right" or "wrong". We have a desire to see right or wrong being dependant on the "who" or "what" and mostly on the "why". In this emotional slide away from absolute, as a culture we have departed from truth's true essence-we have left truth behind. The greatest danger in this cultural shift is that you and I are living in this culture The toxins of the world will come into the minds of the church and soon will rob us of God's will, which is absolute, and replace it with situational emotion-based decisions. To guard against these dangerous ways let's expose three things that have begun to creep in as standards-that are not truth. Let's open our Bible text to consider these thoughts. Faithfulness Does Not Determine Truthfulness This is one of the most popular emotional points of reasoning that we encounter Some admire how determined and faithful "religious people" are and just know God will save them. This view also enters into statements like: "I was born in this belief; I will die in this belief" or "I won't change even if the Bible says something different", and even, "Go to the church of your choice". These ideas circulate with no scriptural validation. Faithfulness without truth is not sufficient for salvation. On the day of Pentecost, in devotion to their faith, men from every nation had gathered in Jerusalem-their faithfulness was not sufficient; they were told to change. Later in Paul's letter to the Romans the Jews were rebuked for their "zeal without knowledge" (Romans 10:1-3). Think about the specific example of Paul. He was zealously faithful to his belief (Philippians 3:5-6). If faithfulness were a marker of truthfulness, it would be rare to find a more truthful man than Paul. Paul however was not acceptable in his faithfulness-he had to obey the gospel (Acts 26:12-18). Tradition Does Not Determine Truthfulness: It is a common to hear things justified by the words "we have always" or things denied by the words "we have never". We must be careful to not expect from others what we ourselves would not do. We expect others to leave their traditions and come to the obedience of truth (Mark 16:15-16). What do we demonstrate by not questioning our own traditions, by the truth? The Bereans search daily to verify truth; so should we (Acts 17:11). We are all told to "test all things, hold fast to what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We must seek God's approval by rightly divided the word (2 Timothy 2:15). It has been said, "If it's right we will do it. If it's wrong we will stop." Has that declaration become unfit? There are two ways that the scriptures look at "traditions": Those things proven steadfast (2 Timothy 2:15) are to never change. Traditions handed down from the apostles that we must maintain (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Then there are the things of men's devising (Mark 7:7-9)--the inappropriate traditions wherein we declare ourselves unteachable, refusing to change, regardless of what anyone says-even God. In these traditions the adherents refuse to search the scriptures for validation (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and refuse to accurately know what God approves (Ephesians 5:8-10). These who refuse to be taught-acting like the first century Jews described in Acts 28:27. Opinion Does Not Determine Truthfulness: Opinion plays a limited role in religion. This may not seem to be the case in today's world-but this fact comes from the greater reality called truth. There is a place for opinion, only when God has approved, but not specified. Example: God approves only the Lord's Day the first day of the week for our specific worship practices; He has not specified which time during the Lord's Day we should gather (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). It is the opinion of this congregation to gather at a specific time for a Bible study session and then specific time for worship. We have also in our opinion deemed it necessary to offer the opportunity again at a specific time in Sunday evening. This is an area where we are called upon to have an opinion, however, our opinion does not determine the truth for any other congregations-our brethren can meet whenever it is most appropriate for them during the Lord's Day and they are just as right as we are. Another example is the gathering place for worship. God approves of gathering, but has not specified the type of place. By our opinion we own a building to secure a place for gathering, this is what is best for us and we are right in doing so. If others borrow, or rent a facility they are also right. The danger is when we allow our opinion to determine the truth for everyone. We must remember that opinions are only allowed in areas of liberty. Which means that if you are allowed to have an opinion, so is everyone else-all opinions are equally right. We must not curtail anyone else's liberty by enforcing our opinion (1 Corinthians 10:29). We must also love enough to not offend anyone conscience by expressing our liberty against their own decision (Romans 14:15). Conclusion: When we begin to believe that we are the standard of truth we are treading the wrong path. When we believe that our faithfulness will cause God to overlook error-we are wrong. When we see our traditions as more important than truth-we are wrong. When everyone whose opinion differs from our own is in our eyes in error-we are wrong. God has set the standard of truth and we can know it (John 8:31-32). We need to grow toward: Being faithful to God's will-not just some religion we favor. We need to be studiers of the truth-not willing to be unteachable. We need to be careful with opinions-not enforcing them on anyone else. There is a great message of truth that we need to understand today. The truth about a soul's salvation-the opportunity to obey in truth is yours. ~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/20100327/810bec9e/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/20100327/810bec9e/attachment-0002.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 7798 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100327/810bec9e/attachment-0003.gif From disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com Sat Mar 27 15:05:25 2010 From: disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com (Ethan R. Longhenry) Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:05:25 -0400 Subject: [Biblemat] B:> Good News for Norwalk: Volume V, Number 11: March 28-30, 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 11: March 28-30, 2010 Special Spring Meeting Edition ------------------------------------------------------------------- The Value of Encouragement Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Recent research has confirmed a trend that has been quite evident for some time: people are not going to church these days like they did in the past. Many people attend assemblies of churches very rarely. Others have come to the conclusion that they do not need to belong to a church to be a Christian. It is not as if everyone has turned their backs on God and have rejected the claims of Jesus-- they find value in Jesus, but not in church. Sadly, this trend is understandable. Many churches have turned their assemblies into a collection of lifeless rituals. Other churches have gone along with trends in society and just offer another venue for entertainment: their assemblies are really performances. For generations too many went to church only for social reasons. When the church does not seem to offer much, is not participatory, and is no longer a social hub, it is clear why so many no longer attend religious assemblies. Is the problem with God or with Jesus? Absolutely not. The New Testament does not provide the impression that the assemblies of Christians were designed to be performances or merely social occasions. Instead, the Bible makes it clear that the assemblies were intended to be opportunities for Christians to encourage each other in their faith (1 Corinthians 14:26, Hebrews 10:24-25), and that the church is much more than just its assemblies (1 Corinthians 12:12-28)! While we might feel better when we tell ourselves that we are independent people and do not need the help of others, we should all recognize that we are all weak at many times in our lives. Our spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak (cf. Matthew 26:41). Our Adversary is too strong for us as individuals to stand against him (cf. 1 Peter 5:8)-- if we have a chance, it is because we are there to strengthen one another in the faith (1 Corinthians 12:12-28, 1 John 1:5-7). Therefore there is great value in encouragement. When we are weak, others can lift us up, and we can lift others up in return when they are weak. We are all better off because we have one another. But that can only be the case if we actually have one another and know one another and are active in the lives of one another! And that is why God, in His wisdom, established local congregations for His people-- a group of Christians who would assemble frequently to strengthen and build one another up in the faith (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:26, Hebrews 10:24-25). In assemblies, they pray together, sing together, jointly participate in the Lord's Supper, give for the needs of the congregation, study God's Word, and hear it preached (Acts 2:42, 20:7, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-26, 14:17, 16:1-3). But the local congregation is supposed to be more than just assemblies-- Christians also get together at other opportunities to strengthen one another, and the church is to become more like family than a social club or organization. Perhaps you believe in Jesus Christ but have been turned off by various churches or do not feel that the church is necessary. Please consider, however, how important it is to encourage and be encouraged. Come and be a part of our family! Ethan R. Longhenry evangelist at norwalkchurch.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2010 Spring Meeting Please join us as Randy Yerby presents lessons from the Scriptures on encouragement. Sunday, March 28 9:30am, 10:30am, and 6:00pm Monday and Tuesday, March 29-30 7:30pm each evening ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Mikejohnson104 at aol.com Sun Mar 28 07:16:43 2010 From: Mikejohnson104 at aol.com (Mikejohnson104 at aol.com) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:16:43 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] B.Elon Challenger Vol 6 No. 12 (Aug 09) Message-ID: <4a949.1174b645.38e0a2ab@aol.com> The Elon Challenger ELON CHURCH OF CHRIST New Hope, Alabama Seeking to challenge your interest in things spiritual & eternal (Eph. 6:10-18). Volume VI Number 12 August, 2009 =================================================================== CHURCH GROWTH (VII) Factors in Church Growth (3) Christians Who Move into the Area Mike Johnson A church may grow for various reasons. Some churches grow a great deal because they are located in a city or in a part of town, where many people are relocating to. Some of these people moving in may be members of the Lord? s church, so the congregation located there may experience growth as a result. Many congregations get most of their growth in that way. Most of their growth is not based on people being converted from the community. Converting people from the community is, in a way, the best kind of growth. The ? shifting of the sheep? which can occur from people moving into an area or from people simply changing congregations within an area is a type of growth where one congregation grows at the expense of another congregation, and there is no real ?net gain? in the Lord?s kingdom. A similar principle exists in the retail world. A man, for example, who owns the only grocery store in town, might decide to build a new store across the street from his old location. When it is finished, he moves to the new location and closes the old store. People may be excited about the new facility, but do they have an extra grocery store in which to shop? The answer is ?no.? They still have one grocery store, plus, now the town has an empty building. When growth occurs in a local congregation due to people moving their membership from another congregation, not a single person has been added to God?s kingdom? no overall gain has occurred. Nevertheless, this type of growth typically does occur in most rapidly growing congregations. This form of growth can be very encouraging; and it can very quickly supply (like a trade in the sport of baseball) some missing elements which are needed to make a congregation strong. A man might, for example, move in who may become an elder (Acts 14:23) in a short time, or perhaps a good song leader, personal worker, or Bible class teacher might move in. Women who place member-ship may very well become an important part of the strength of a church. Some churches do not experience very much growth in this way. This is often because their building is not in a growing community or is perhaps in even an economically-depressed area. Some churches, however, may be in a growing area, but due to their strict adherence to the Scriptures or due to the doctrinal looseness so prevalent among weak Christians today, may not gain many new members. We must not, however, compromise the teaching of God? s Word for the sake of numerical growth (Eph. 5:11, II Jn. 9-11). It is not uncommon for Christians to visit a congregation in order to decide if they want to place membership. In talking with these people, we should not, of course, deceive them in any way, but we should point out the good attributes of our congregation. We should not dwell on the negatives; we should emphasize the positives; we should not present a picture to them of doom and gloom. There are certain good qualities of even a small congregation which can be emphasized. It can be pointed out, for example, that, although the church is small, a person who is a member of a small group has more opportunities to participate in the worship service, and thereby develop his skills. Basically, we can point out that they are greatly needed. Further, it can be emphasized that a small group will tend to have a very close, tight-knit, family type relationship. These factors might appeal to some. It is important to gain the growth that can come from Christians moving into the area. But, to do this, we need to make sure that the congregation that we are a part of is the kind of congregation that a newcomer would want to be a member. First, we must strictly adhere to the truth (Phil. 1:17). We must strive for the unity spoken of in the Scriptures (Phil. 1:1-2). A spirit of love (I Pet. 1:22) and kindness (Eph. 4:32) ought to prevail as most people would prefer not to be a member of a church which is full of hatred, strife, and dissension. __________ CHURCH GROWTH (VIII) Factors in Church Growth (4) The Young People Issue Mike Johnson Having a number of children in a congregation is certainly desirable. When this situation exists, the future of the church would seem to be very bright. Someone once referred to the sound of babies crying in the assembly as music to his ears because it indicated a congregation with a future. Although babies and young children at times may be distracting to others in the assembly, it is a sad situation when no children are present. What is a congregation to do which has, for whatever the reason, few or even no young people? Is that congregation doomed? It may be unless additional growth can take place. A congregation lacking in young people must begin working on that problem immediately. Consider some avenues to help alleviate this problem. * Members of the congregation who have grandchildren (who are not already attending services at all or at a sound congregation) should do all that they can to bring them to services on a regular basis, even it means making a special trip. These children need to be getting teaching anyway; in addition, their being there can give the congregation a ?start? for getting more young people. * We should do all that we can to covert people from the community (Mt. 28:18-20; II Tim. 2:2). We should do this anyway, but when we convert people from the area, some of them will have children, and these converts are more likely to place membership with the congregation where they were taught. * We need to have teachers ready to teach any young people who might visit. If visitors come with children, and if classes don't exist for every age group, someone needs to be prepared to teach them when they do come. It is most embarrassing for a congregation when young children come as visitors and must sit in the adult auditorium class. The chances are that the visitors will not return. * When families visit who have children, members should not approach them with a pessimistic, negative and apologetic type attitude. Emphasize the positives of being a member at your congregation, not the negatives. A congregation with a number of children may not necessarily be as good a situation as it may at first seem for parents contemplating membership. First, the children in some congregations may not be the type of influence that parents want their children to associate with. From a character standpoint, they might be better off not being around the children in some congregations. Next, age differences with young people can be very important. A man of 25 might appropriately choose to marry a woman who is 22 years old. But, a teenager of 15 years old will not likely want to ?hang around? with a child of 12. The value of having a number of young people attending a particular church may be overestimated by some parents if the congregation does not have children very close to the age of their own. The positive side of few children attending at a particular place is that the few who are there will usually receive much positive attention from the congregation. This would also be true in the teaching program of the church. In secular education, small classes are supposed to be better for the children. This is no doubt true with Bible classes, as well. Further, there is much for young people to gain from being around older, wiser people who are often happy to encourage and help them out in a variety of ways. When people are looking for a congregation, they often ask, What can this congregation do for ME? Very few will ask, ?What can I do for THIS CONGREGATION?? On the other hand, ?Does the congregation where I am contemplating placing membership really need me?? is a question, I am afraid, that is seldom asked. Some people like to attend a larger congregation where they can slip in and slip out without really being noticed; where they will not be expected to be very active, and they avoid a congregation where they will be expected to really roll up their sleeves, get to work, and be active. For a young person to attend at a congregation surrounded by a number of other young people who are being raised by godly parents is obviously a good situation. But, this should certainly not be the only factor for parents in choosing a congregation for themselves and their children. Small congregations, even with few children, can have a lot to offer for everyone in the family. _________ ?LEST WE DRIFT AWAY . . . ? Charles G. Maples, Sr. Having established the fact that ?God...has spoken ...unto us by His Son,? (Hebrews, chapter one), the Inspired writer urges, ?...therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, LEST WE DRIFT AWAY.? (2:1) ?Drift?-?deviation from a set course...to be carried along...by force of circumstances...to wander aimlessly...? (Random House Dictionary) If the helmsman is not careful, the ship will drift off course. If the driver becomes drowsy or careless, the car might drift across the centerline, into oncoming traffic! If the pilot is not watchful, the plane might drift off course; even into ?enemy airspace,? as was claimed in the case of the Korean airliner that was shot down by Chinese rockets some years ago! It should be noted that whereas ?drifting? requires no special effort, the safeguard against such requires ?diligence!? Such tendency to ?DRIFT? is of much more critical importance in Spiritual matters! God, in His Divine wisdom, has established the Course - ?THE WAY? that He would have us follow to be pleasing to Him (individually and collectively), and so that we might reach our desired destination - Heaven! We are, in this text, being urged not to ?deviate from that set course;? to CAREFULLY pursue it! (And note that in verses two and three He warns that to ?drift away? will not only result in our missing our desired destination, but in addition, ?just recompense of reward,? as did those in times past!) THE DANGER OF DRIFTING is constantly before us! You may note that in the King James Version of our text, we read, ?...lest AT ANY TIME we should let them slip!? As was true of God?s people, Israel, so it is with His people in this dispensation and time (note verse two!) The ?falling away,? of which the apostle Paul warned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, DID come; and such has happened over and over; again and again! The same Inspired apostle warned the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:28-31), that disciples would be ?...led away..!? That warning was not heeded; at least not for long; as is indicated in Revelation 2:4-5. There is never a generation that should just ?relax;? or ?get in a comfort-zone,? and feel immune to this danger! In recent years/months, we have observed brethren drifting from the ? right way,? into many speculations of human wisdom! CAUSES; one of the reasons why ?drifting? is so DANGEROUS, is that there are so many potential CAUSES! (1) CARELESSNESS - lack of alertness, ?NEGLECT ? (text); simply failing to be on guard! (2) IGNORANCE; lack of teaching/learning of the ?Narrow Way.? This results in weakness of faith; and since we are to ?...stand by faith,? (Romans 11:20), we are ill-prepared to ? stand,? but are susceptible to drifting! (3) Lack of WATCHFULNESS! The apostle Paul urged and warned the elders of the church at Ephesus to be watchful; assuring them that ?grievous wolves (would) enter in, not sparing the flock!? When the Lord sent that same church a letter, they had ?left their first love? (Rev. 2:1ff); they were in danger of having their ?lampstand removed!? (V. 5) (4) BEING ?BEWITCHED!? - Galatian Christians had ?run well? for a time, but someone had ?bewitched? them into believing in ?another gospel,? leading to their ?drifting? away from ?Him who called (them) into the grace of Christ...!? (Galatians 1:6ff) (5) And then there is what in recent times has been referred to as ?BRINKISM? - the philosophy that encourages disciples to steer a course just as close to ?the outside line;? just as close to error as they think the Lord might allow, rather than the clear and well-defined ?doctrine of Christ!? (2 John 9); this leads to a danger of ?drifting? over that ?line of demarcation!? - God?s ?Plumb line!? (Amos 7:7) CONSEQUENCES; and there are many; but consider a few: (1) Getting out of step with Christ! (I Peter 1:21); and if we would have fellowship with Him, we must ?walk just as He walked? (I John 1:7; 2:6). (2) We might become ? ...like children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine...!? (Ephesians 4:14). (3) We might be consumed by ?savage wolves!? (Acts 20:29). (4) We might so sicken our Lord that He might ?vomit (us) out of (His) mouth!? (Revelation 3:16). FINAL RESULT: As an airliner; drifting off course; might end up at the wrong airport; unintended DESTINATION; just so, we might ?fail to enter into that REST... (that) remains for the people of God...!? (Hebrews 3:12-4:1!). And - consider the warning in verse two, in the light of Matthew 25:46, ? And these shall go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT.....!? ?LET US, THEREFORE GIVE THE MORE EARNEST HEED to the things we have heard, lest we drift away!? In the words of the apostle Peter, let us ?be even the more DILIGENT to make (our) calling and election sure, for if (we) do these things (vs. 5-7) we will never stumble (drift away), for SO an entrance will be supplied to (us) abundantly into THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!? (2 Peter 1:2-11). Let US be of the determination of the Hebrew writer, ?...WE are not of those who draw back (?drift away?) unto perdition, but of those who BELIEVE UNTO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL!? (Hebrews 10:19). __________ Are You Saved? Carroll R. Sutton Are you saved? Of course, you are not saved eternally in heaven at the present time, but are you now saved from your past sins? You are NOT saved just because you may desire salvation. The rich young ruler desired to be saved but he was not willing to pay the cost involved. So he went away from Jesus sorrowful (Matt 19:16-22). You are NOT saved just because you may think you are saved. Saul of Tarsus thought he was right while persecuting Christ but he was wrong (Acts 26:9). You are NOT saved just because you may think you have had ?an experience? with the Lord. Our ?experiences? is not God?s power to save. You are NOT saved just because you may ?feel like? you are saved! Feelings are not evidence of salvation! Feelings are produced by ?belief? whether that ?belief? is right or wrong. Saul felt like he was right with God while persecuting Christians unto death. He had a ?good conscience before God? and ?verily thought? he was pleasing God, but he was lost (Acts 26:9-11; 22:4; 23:1)! You are NOT saved just because you may be ?happy.? If you think you are saved, you will be ?happy? although you are lost! You are NOT saved just because some preacher may have told you that you are! Jesus warned of ?many false prophets? who have gone out into the world. We are told to ?believe not every spirit? but to ?try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world? (1 John 4:1). You are NOT saved just because you are religious. Your religion may be in vain (Jam 1:26-27; Prov 16:25). If you are dead in trespasses and sins, you are not saved! You need to be ? quickened? by the gospel which is God?s Word (Psalms 119:50; Heb 4:12; Rom 1:16; Jam 1:18-22; and 1 Cor 4:15). If you are living in sin, you are not saved! You need to die to sin! This is accomplished by repentance (Rom 6:1-23; Acts 17:30-31; 2 Cor 7:10)! If you haven't believed in Jesus Christ, repented of your sins, confessed Christ and been baptized INTO Christ, YOU ARE NOT SAVED (John 20:30-31; Acts 17:30-31; Rom 10:9-10; Gal 3:27; Acts 2:38; Mar 16:16). ?Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.? __________ AIN?T IT FUNNY Selected * How we set our clocks to arise at 5:00 A.M. to be at the job by 7:30; yet, when Sunday comes we can't get to the church building for the 9:30 A.M. Bible study to learn more about the one who gave us our jobs. * How we call God our Father and Jesus our brother; but find it hard to introduce them to our family and friends. * How small our sins seem; but how big ??their? sins are. * How we demand justice for others; but expect mercy from God. * How much difficulty some have learning the gospel well enough to tell others; but how simple it is to understand and explain the latest gossip about someone else. * How we can't think of anything to say when we pray; but don't have any difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a human friend. * How we are so quick to take directions from a total stranger when we are lost; but are hesitant to take God?s direction for our lives. ARE THESE THINGS REALLY FUNNY? __________ Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned. ________ Evangelist: Charles G. Maples Sr. Phone-256-530-0772 Evangelist & Editor: Mike Johnson Phone -256-776-2223 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100328/ddb9f6ca/attachment-0001.html From crxtra at gmail.com Sun Mar 28 08:36:07 2010 From: crxtra at gmail.com (Steven C. Harper) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 06:36:07 -0700 Subject: [Biblemat] A> Dear Soldier Message-ID: <000001cace7b$a0bb2900$e2317b00$@com> Dear Soldier Dear Soldier, You are at war! If this comes as a shock to you, stop reading this letter for a moment and take a good, hard, look around you - this is your battlefield. This is where you take a stand or where you fall victim to a ruthless adversary. Be advised that this is not the only battlefield you must fight on. The battle also rages on in your home, your car, your place of worship, your job, your school, your favorite restaurant, the line at the grocery store, the battle is EVERYWHERE. At this very moment, no matter what battlefield you are on, the enemy is watching you, stalking your every move, waiting for an opportunity when you are most vulnerable to attack. He wants to seduce you, enslave you and eventually destroy you. You and I both know that the last thing you want is to fall into the hands of the enemy and be killed, so pay close attention and you will make it through this battle alive. I have some more things to say about the enemy later in this letter, but first I have a very important question for you. What's in your hand? By now I hope you realize that this war is not a physical one, but a spiritual one. If you want to survive this war you must be on God's side. If you are not with God, you are against Him (Luke 16:13) and have been taken captive by the enemy. So I ask again soldier, what's in your hand? If you are not holding a Bible right now, go get one. Got it? This book that you have in your hand contains everything you need in order to endure the fight (2 Pet. 1:3). Do not let it out of your sight. Study it, keep it continually in your heart and mind (Psa. 119:97-99), follow its instruction and it will keep you alive (John 6:68-69). Without the direction it provides, you cannot navigate the battlefield. Without the warnings it gives, you will not be aware of the tactics of the enemy. This book which you hold in your hand was written by faithful men who were inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16) and is able completely equip you for the battle. Now, with your Bible in hand, let's continue. I'm writing this letter to you in order to remind you to stand strong and stay alive on the battlefield. If you want to avoid being captured and killed then read Ephesians 6:10-13 in your Bible. After telling the Ephesians to put off the old man of sin and corruption and put on the new man of righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:22-24), Paul gives them three keys to making them effective in battle: stand strong in the Lord, take up the whole armor of God and know your enemy. If they could do these three things and maintain their new life of righteousness and holiness, they would be effective warriors for God and would not lose their life on the battlefield. Soldier, these three aspects of battle are vital for your survival too. I am going to cover each one of these in more detail so that, when you do these things, you will stand strong and stay alive during the battle. Be Strong In The Lord. [v. 10] Are you a strong soldier? Without the Lord on your side, you are not strong enough. You cannot stand against the enemy or even direct your own steps without the Lord's help (Jer. 10:23). Earlier in the Ephesian letter, Paul prayed to God that the brethren would "be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Eph. 3:16-17). Paul is saying that true strength is not a result of physical exercise, but it comes when Christ dwells in your heart as a result of study and belief in His word. Are you beginning to see the value of the book in your hand? True strength comes only when you read, understand, apply and teach the things in this book. "Put on the Lord," (Rom. 13:14) by imitating His example found in the Bible and by having a mind like His. As I have already mentioned, the battle you are engaged in is a spiritual one. As Paul said, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds," (2 Cor. 10:3-4). God provides you with the strength in this spiritual battle to overcome even the greatest strongholds. Remember how Joshua and Caleb told the nation of Israel, who was afraid following the report given by the ten spies of Canaan, that if God wanted them to have the land then they would be able to take it (Num. 14:7-9). "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31). It is your responsibility as a good soldier to fight, endure hardship, and be pleasing to the Lord who enlisted you (2 Tim. 2:3-4). You are no longer to be caught up in the cares and concerns of this life, but instead you are to be focused on the heavenly kingdom where your treasure lies (Matt. 6:21). Do not think that just because you stand in battle with the Lord on your side that you will not have to fight. Jesus clears up this point by saying, "Remember ... 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also." (John 15:20). You will constantly face hardship and temptations at the hands of the enemy, but remember that strength comes as a result of enduring the trials and hardship. If you remain in the Lord during your trials (weaknesses), just like Paul did (2 Cor. 12:8-10), your strength will perfected. To provide you with courage, fellow soldier, listen to the words of Jesus to the church at Smyrna "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10). Put On The Whole Armor of God. [v. 11,13] What kind of soldier leaves his armor at home and runs into battle without putting it on? Sure, the young shepherd boy David refused to take Saul's armor when fighting against Goliath, but that was physical armor which is useless for a spiritual battle. You can be assured that David had on the true armor during his battle with Goliath, that of faith and righteousness. If you want to be successful on the battlefield, you must put on your armor. You will not be successful in your battle if your armor is sitting at home. This probably seems so obvious, but many a soldier has been on the battlefield and found himself unprepared. Many soldiers will put on some armor, but for whatever reason they neglect to put on the whole armor. The enemy is already examining you closely, looking for the hole in your protective armor, searching for a weak point to focus his attack. He is not foolish enough to try and attack you where you are already protected, but he will focus his attacks where you are protected the least. Paul lists and describes each piece of the armor in Ephesians 6:14-20 as: truth, righteousness, preparation of the gospel, faith, salvation, the word of God, prayer and watchfulness. You have everything you need to equip yourself for service in this spiritual battle (2 Tim. 3:16-17). How much of this armor do you have on right now? If you are missing some (or all) of your armor, you probably place little value on obtaining eternal life. Excuse my bluntness, but how would you respond to a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan going out to the battlefield in their t-shirt and shorts? You would probably grab them by the shoulders and demand that they put on their armor unless they simply have a death wish. If you do not have on the whole armor of God, consider this my shoulder-grabbing plea for you to consider your eternal home and if you are willing to suffer eternally simply because you forgot or refused to arm yourself for battle! Know Your Enemy. [v. 11, 12] Throughout this letter I have referred to "the enemy" but now it's time to talk about him in more detail. Paul says that he is "the devil" and that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." The enemy is the devil and his agents who are seeking your destruction. Peter warns us that "your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Pet. 5:8). If you stood in the cage with a roaring lion, wouldn't you want the protection of all the armor you could get your hands on? It should be said that the devil does not fight according to any set of rules and that he is not afraid to fight dirty. He is the father of liars (John 8:44) and will use crafty deceit to take you captive. He will try to seduce you with your own fleshly lusts and desires, but you must resist him as Peter said, "I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11). It is your responsibility, fellow soldier, to make NO provision for the lusts of the flesh, as Paul said (Rom. 13:12-14). It is also important to remember that when Satan entices you he will likely be in disguise (2 Cor. 11:14), so look a little closer to see if you are being drawn in by the temptations of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21) and you will see clearly beneath his disguises. Instead you should be sure to cling to those things which are of the Spirit of God (Gal. 5:22-23). How could you hope to stand against such a formidable adversary? The answer is simple, "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7). By resisting the devil, it will cause him to flee if you have first submitted yourself to God. Many soldiers have fallen because they could not resist the temptations that the devil provided, but as a soldier of the Lord we must resist the him just like Jesus did by saying, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written ..." (Matt. 4:10). Finally, fellow soldier, I leave you with a few questions. Will you stand against the enemy? Will you call on the Lord for strength? Will you put on the whole armor that God has provided you? Will you open your eyes to the wiles of the devil? Will you put off your old life of sin and embrace a new life of righteousness and holiness? Do not forget - you are at war! -- Bryan Schiele -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100328/158ef7f5/attachment-0001.html From richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com Sun Mar 28 18:27:33 2010 From: richard at thetford.dot5hosting.com (Richard Thetford) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:27:33 -0600 Subject: [Biblemat] Walking in the Light (3/28/10) Message-ID: <000c01cacece$9d642010$d82c6030$@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) March 28, 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 Meaning of Discipleship" (Richard Thetford) "A Note for the Preacher" (Bob Pulliam) SENTENCE SERMONS --- THE MEANING OF DISCIPLESHIP Richard Thetford Before we can ever hope to be an effective Christian, Husband, Father, or Leader in the Lord's church we must understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. A disciple is defined as "A pupil or follower of any teacher or school; A follower of Jesus." (Webster). A Christian learns that we must forsake everything and every person and put Christ FIRST in our life. To Forsake is to "Give up; renounce; to leave; abandon; desert." (Webster). Those unwilling to do so, will not enter into heaven and will never become the leader and servant that Jesus wants us to be. When we grasp the true meaning of discipleship and the importance of FOLLOWING CHRIST then we will become an effective leader and servant in His kingdom. Many are not able to grasp the true meaning of discipleship and as a result find themselves trying to serve God and at the same time trying to conform to society. Let us understand the truth of Jesus' words as He said: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt 6:24). Jesus Calls Us Jesus appeals to all mankind to come unto Him. His words are tender and sweet as he pleads "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt 11:28-30). As a result of this invitation, many follow Him, seeking to become His disciples. Jesus warns that we cannot be His disciples UNLESS we first count the cost. We must take a stand for Jesus above all else! Notice from the following verses the cost one must pay to be a true disciple of Jesus: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Matt 10:34-39). "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matt 16:24-25). "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luk 9:57-62). We can see from these scriptures that the Lord wanted all to follow Him - but they first had to count the cost of doing so. If one is not willing to be TOTALLY committed to Jesus he cannot be one of His disciples! By His own life Jesus demonstrated what it meant to be a follower and to deny self (John 7:16; 17:4). A True Disciple Indeed Is One That Will Continue In His Word Jesus expects us to serve Him all the time. If one serves only when it is convenient and pleasant he has not denied himself; neither is he the Lord's disciple. To be His disciple we must REMAIN in His word. Jesus said: "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). Paul reveals that it was for this that Jesus died, so that those of us who "live" as a result of His death might stop living for our own pleasure, but for the pleasure of Him who died on our behalf (2 Cor 5:15). We are exhorted to continue in the faith and as a result will encounter tribulation but all is worth while as we strive for the everlasting kingdom (Acts 14:22; Rev 2:10)! A Disciple of Christ will therefore study his Bible daily and desire to come to a full knowledge to the truth and his teacher. Are we like our teacher? If so, then be determined right now to follow Jesus. If we do, we can have peace through His word which says: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellow-ship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). --- A NOTE FOR THE PREACHER Bob Pulliam I found your note on the door the other day. I just imagine that you came by to see why we were not at the services last Sunday. Well, I feel that I should explain so there will be no misunderstanding. You know that one thing we will never do is miss church without some kind of a real good reason. Last week was the birthday of the sister of my wife's sister-in-law (by her first marriage). We never miss attending any birthday in either of our families. So we just had to be out of town. We left here in time to go to worship over there, but they had early services at 10:30. Is it scriptural to have them earlier? Well, anyway, we did not get to go that morning. We planned to return early enough to make the evening services, but the children raised such a ruckus that we stayed until 7:00 PM. The services started over there at 7:30, but we had to leave in order to keep from staying out too late with the kids. Preacher, it would do you good to be out on the road on Sunday morning sometimes. It would give you some idea as to how careless the world is about worshiping Christ. Many of the people we passed had boats behind their cars. Now you know they could at least have gone to services first. Think of all the money they spent for motors, boats, and supplies. I wonder if they ever thought of giving some of that money to the work of the Lord? Don't worry about us; I'm convinced that we should leave our contribution here at home. We gave the new members across the street our $2.00 to put in for us. I hope that they see it pays to be a regular and liberal giver and attend the services regularly. We will see you Sunday. Oops, I forgot! Deer season opens next week. But after that we will see you every Sunday. (Signed: I.M. Weak) --- SENTENCE SERMONS Blessed is the man who does not speak until he knows what he is talking about. Many physical giants are spiritual runts. Master selfishness or it will master you. --- SERMONS The God of Heaven Does Exist (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/20100328/4fadbce7/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/20100328/4fadbce7/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/20100328/4fadbce7/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/20100328/4fadbce7/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/20100328/4fadbce7/attachment-0003.gif From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Mar 29 03:48:59 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 04:48:59 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) "I DO" Message-ID: <5546f.272898af.38e1c37b@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: "I DO" I seem to remember bringing this to our attention several years ago. No matter, it bears repeating. Especially with our emphasis this year on Home and Family. Author and business leader Fred Smith writes: One of my treasured memories comes from a doughnut shop in Grand Saline, Texas. There was a young farm couple sitting at the table next to mine. He was wearing overalls and she a gingham dress. After finishing their doughnuts, he go up to pay the bill, and I noticed she didn't get up to follow him. But then he came back and stood in front of her. She put her arms around his neck, and he lifter her up, revealing that she was wearing a full-body brace. He lifted her out of her chair and backed out the front door to the pickup truck, with her hang- ing from his neck. As he gently put her into the truck, everyone in the shop watched. No one said anything until a waitress remarked, almost reverently, "He took his vows seriously." (Leadership, XVI:I:38). Every year about 2.3 million couples promise to remain hus- band and wife "for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sick- ness and in health, to love, honor, cherish, comfort, and be faith- ful as long as we both shall live." Or something along those lines. But unhappily, morality has suffered a terrible blow in this country. Nowhere is this more evident than in the marriage vows that are broken every day. Every divorce declares that a husband or wife -- or both -- has sinned against the other. And now they are headed for the divorce court. What are some poss- ible sins involved? Lying: -- Every divorce declares that someone has lied. "As long as we both shall live" has turned into "until things get tougher than I thought they would get." Or "untill I find some- one who suits me better." Or.... Adultery: -- In accord with the express will of God, most couples promise to remain faithful to each other. But rampant sexual immorality has invaded the marriage bed. Abuse: -- Verbal or Physical. What happened to the vows to cherish, honor, comfort, and protect? Why has the beloved now become the feared? Husbands and wives need integrity and honor. Without these qualities we'll likely not take our "vows seriously." ------- Lawrence P. Kelley in The Lost River Bulletin, Vol. 60, No. 1, Mar. 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Mon Mar 29 03:49:10 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 04:49:10 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) "BLESSED IS THE MAN" (2) Message-ID: <55473.24d9e8bd.38e1c386@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the second and final installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. "BLESSED IS THE MAN" (2) Driven By The Wind: -- The wicked, in contrast to the man of God, will not stand. They are like chaff, the waste product from grains and cereals. The chaff is light, and is easily moved. God's point here is simple. If you want a stable, happy life, it is found only when you let the Lord plant you and bring fruit out of your life. If you choose the path of the wicked, you will find your life is built on the wrong foundation. Again, as Jesus continued to say: "And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall" (Matt. 7:26,27). Where are you planted? What fruit are you discovering in your life? Is your foundation strong? No Place For The Wicked: -- "Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psa. 1:5,6). The final scene is one of isolat- ion and loneliness. The wicked will not stand at the judgment. That is, their lives will not stand up under the scrutiny of God's Will. As the Bible often says: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). The fact is, when the wicked face the Lord, they will have no ground to stand on. Those who rejected His Will, those who scoffed at His reality will have no foundation on which to put their weight. And, even in this life there is no place for the wicked among the righteous. They cannot stand in the assembly. And it is not just that they are not allowed to be there, it is that the choices they have made keep them from being there. Anyone can come to God and be saved. But the wicked and scoffers chose a self- ish life style that keeps them from wanting to be with people who hold to God's values and standards. There will be no place for the wicked, but there is not place for them now among God's people. The Lord Knows The Way: -- The Lord knows the way of the righteous. This word means much more than mere awareness. It is not just that God knows the way, but He is intimately familiar with the way of the righteous. After all, it is the path God Himself takes in all things. This Hebrew word implies intimacy and famil- iarity. God knows the way and He knows His own children inside and out. That is why the righteous are so blessed with the Father. A relationship that is close, safe and familiar. This is why we need to know the Lord as well. When we meditate day and night on His Word we will become more and more familiar with His Will. You see, if you love God, you want to know Him better. I love my wife. But that is not a bunch of facts about her, it is being with her, seeing her smile, enjoying her laugh, crying with her tears. That is the way we want to know God, hungering for time with Him and His Word. The Wicked Way Won't Work: -- The way of the wicked will perish. While God has a path tht leads to happiness, the way of the wicked leads to destruction. "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it" (Matt. 7:13,14). There are two paths available to each of us. Which one have you chosen? So: Get Into The Word: -- The path to blessed happiness is found in the Word of God. While some ridicule it, others pick at it, rejecting pieces of it, the happy person is delighted to spend time in the Word of God. "Be diligent to present yourself approv- ed to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of truth" (1 Tim. 2:15). We need to be like the people of the city of Berea. "Now these were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whetehr these things were so" (Acts 17:11). We should be deep into the Word of God. This is not to pass some test on the information we find. Rather, we shold be in the Word so we can come to know God better and better. Long after Paul became a Christian, he still hungered to know Jesus better. "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of HIs sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Phil. 3:10,11). Simply put, if you want to find happiness, learn to meditate on the Law of God day and night. So: Trust God To Plant You: -- It may take time for the fruit to mature. But, if you will surrender to god and His Will, the fruit will come. Just trust God that He will plant you in a place where happiness will follow. All you need to do is trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent of your sins, and come to Him by being baptized into Him. That is the beginning point. That is when God saves you (or plants you where He wants you). In Christ, you can find all the happiness and success you could hope for. Be baptized into Him today. ----- David Thurman in Gospel Minut- es, Vol. 59, No. 10, March 5, 2010. From kerux at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 29 13:41:13 2010 From: kerux at bellsouth.net (Kent Heaton) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:41:13 -0400 Subject: [Biblemat] A>Intending After Easter (Kent Heaton) Message-ID: <018CCBC5DB574CD7A3364188084655F8@D2381J91> Intending After Easter (Kent Heaton) The celebration of Easter is "a Christian festival marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (Encarta Dictionary). Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox (with the exception of the Eastern Orthodox Church which uses a different time table for calculating the date). For most people Easter is a Biblical observance in accordance with Luke's account in Acts 12:4 which reads, "And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternion of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people." Herod had "killed James the brother of John with the sword" and arrested Peter to meet the same fate. Luke writes of Peter's deliverance from prison by the angel of God and Herod's violent death (Acts 12:5-24). If you tell a lie long enough people will believe it to be a truth. Remarkable as it may seem with many people, Easter is not in the Bible. It is found in the King James Version of the book of Acts but true Bible students understand the gross misrepresentation of the text by the King James translators. Albert Barnes writes, "There never was a more absurd or unhappy translation than this. The original is simply after the Passover. The word 'Easter' now denotes the festival observed by many Christian churches in honor of the resurrection of the Savior. But the original has no reference to that, nor is there the slightest evidence that any such festival was observed at the time when this book was written. The translation is not only unhappy, as it does not convey at all the meaning of the original, but because it may contribute to foster an opinion that such a festival was observed in the time of the apostles." Paul warned the church at Colosse of those who would establish "festivals" and "not holding fast to the Head" (Colossians 2:16-19). With the exception of Christmas, celebrating Easter is one of the most important religious holidays enjoyed by the Christian religious world. Neither Christmas nor Easter were celebrated by the New Testament disciples, ordained by the apostles, suggested by Christ, instituted by the Holy Spirit and yet many professing Christ pretend these celebrations are Biblical. It is only a pretense without Biblical authority. The result of attitudes that embrace Christmas and Easter is a view toward what is written in the Bible and what is not written in the Bible. The Lord told the people of Israel not to add too nor take away from His law (Deuteronomy 4:2). John affirmed in the Revelation that man should not add or take away anything from that message (Revelation 22:18-19). Yet every year thousands of people add Easter to the Bible and celebrate it as if the Lord instituted it. Is it wrong to celebrate Easter as a religious holiday inspired by God? No more than adding anything else one desires to the Bible. Jesus did institute one celebration that most of the religious world fails to observe in accordance with divine scripture. "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:26-29). The New Testament disciples celebrated the resurrection every first day of the week. Kent Heaton 206 NE Fourth Avenue Trenton, Florida 32693 (H) 352-463-6916 (O) 3793 (C) 352-283-3889 www.trentonchurchofchrist.com Articles, audio and information www.northfloridabiblecamp.com 2010 CAMP OPEN FOR REGISTRATION -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100329/f4ee62dd/attachment.html From robertwater at gmail.com Mon Mar 29 19:55:22 2010 From: robertwater at gmail.com (Robert Waters) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:55:22 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] D:> MDR Waters' Second Affirmative Message-ID: Waters' Second Affirmative The proposition: *The scriptures teach that God approves marriage for every unmarried person, including those who have divorced a mate or have been divorced by a mate, regardless of the reason. * Previously I showed that Pat's position cannot be true for a number of reasons. The one argument that destroys Pat's position is that Jesus could not have said what Pat says he said without those comments contradicting Moses and therefore giving the Jews a reason to kill him. Pat's retort was that the statement was "preparatory" and was intended to apply only when his new law came into effect. Pat thinks he proved his point by noting "preparatory" remarks Jesus made that did not contradict Moses. But the problem Pat faces is that Jesus was addressing a problem that was *current*. Pat has failed to provide evidence that the people understood Jesus to be speaking words that would apply to a future dispensation. My friend's theory is totally divergent to the context of Matthew 19. We see that the Pharisees came to Jesus (verse 3). The next three verses contain Jesus' reply. Then we see their response in verse 7, followed by "He [Jesus] saith unto *them*." Question: Which is it: 1) "He saith unto them" or 2) "He saith unto people in a dispensation to come"? Next, the very passage upon which Pat bases his doctrine begins with "And I say unto you." Thus, it is obvious who Jesus' audience is. Also, there is no question about WHEN it applied. The people that were addressed were told certain things and Jesus expected them to make corrections immediately. *Am I wrong, Pat?* Yes or no, please. If Jesus' words didn't apply to them then he lied and made them feel guilty for their sin when really the thing he condemned wasn't a sin yet. We have no basis to say that Matthew 19:9 was merely "preparatory." Only in desperation would one make such an argument, but Pat has to give some explanation, and he can't give up the argument without giving up his belief that Jesus taught that divorced persons are still bound and may not marry. And when we observe that the Jews did not even charge Jesus with contradicting Moses it becomes more apparent that he actually said nothing related to MDR that contradicted Moses. Paul's Teachings Pat's doctrine is based upon what he believes to be Jesus' teachings. Until he faces certain facts and gives up his erroneous belief he will have to continue to twist Paul's teachings to conform to what he believes Jesus taught. For example, Romans 7:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 7:11 are passages that he clearly misapplies. I previously dealt with the Romans text. Now I want to deal with some other passages that Pat misuses. 1 Corinthians 7:11 Context, beginning with verse 7, is very important here. Paul talks about celibacy, but acknowledges that because people have different "gifts" marriage must not be denied. In verse 8 he speaks to the "unmarried and widows" saying that it is good that they be as he (unmarried), BUT "if they cannot contain, let them marry" to avoid lust and fornication (verse 2,9). The above is very clear language that Pat has to deny because it is contrary to what he believes Jesus taught. Transition Passage: 10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: 11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. It is important to note that Paul stopped talking about the "unmarried" and proceeded to talk about the "married." He tells the wives not to "depart" from their husbands, which simply means "don't leave." Nevertheless, realizing that some would do so anyway because some husbands would be unbearable to live with, and some would be unfaithful, he said "but if you depart remain unmarried." Now, needing something to support their doctrine, those who hold Pat's position like to think and to assert that "depart" means "divorce" and that Paul tells the divorced women they cannot marry another. But "chorizo" is properly translated. We know what "depart" means and that it results in nothing but a non-legal and unscriptural separation, which some errantly call divorce. Thus, it is presumptuous to reject the context, assert that Paul is dealing with the unmarried, and contend that he is teaching that one who is divorced may not marry. The fact that Paul makes no mention of the "cause" for the assumed divorce presents a real problem for Pat's position. Pat, are we to believe that Paul failed to tell the whole truth--leaving it to the responsibility of the recipients of the letter to learn what Jesus said and determine what he meant? The truth is, Paul was simply telling those who separated, or would (for whatever reason), to reconcile or remain in that state (because of the "present distress," verse 26). It might be that "context" alone is not good enough for Pat and that he needs to hear from scholars before he will see that Paul did not teach celibacy. Since his position on MDR is based upon what he asserts that scholars say about "apoluo" you would think he would be quick to accept what they say on this text. The following scholars explain "depart" and/or "let her remain unmarried": *The Greek New Testament* by Bloomfield - : "From the use of ?????? [reconcile] and the air of the context it is plain that the apostle is not speaking of formal divorces, affected by law, but separations whether agreed on or not, arising from misunderstandings or otherwise." Indeed, it is plain. *STRONG* "[Grk. 5563] chorizo (kho-rid'-zo) from 5561; to place room between, i.e. part; reflexively, to go away:--depart, put asunder, separate." Below is a comment from Robertson that makes it clear that he thought Paul was talking about "separation" when he spoke of departing: *Robertson's Word Pictures*: "But and if she depart....If, in spite of Christ's clear prohibition, she get separated...." *JFB - "But and if she depart --* or 'be separated.' If the sin of separation has been committed, that of a new marriage is not to be added (Matt. 5:32)." Indeed, to marry would result in adultery as Jesus stated, but not because the woman was divorced but because she was not divorced. Since Paul's command was directed to the woman that is or would be separated, rather than divorced, it is imprudent and even presumptuous to try to use 1 Corinthians 7:11 to support the false assumption that Paul taught celibacy. That idea is contrary to everything recorded in the chapter relating to marriage. In essence, Pat's view says that in this text Paul is "forbidding to marry," but that is not consistent with the context or the language nor is it consistent with the gist of Paul's teaching since he was totally against requiring celibacy and classified it as "doctrines of devils." Below are two versions that translate "unmarried" in verse 11 as "remain as she is." *Waymouth* - "Or if she has already left him, let her either remain as she is or be reconciled to him...." *Montgomery* - "Or if she has already left him let her either remain as she is, or be reconciled to him)...." The very fact that "reconciliation" is commanded, rather than marriage, is indicative of the fact that divorce is not under consideration. Evidently, when Paul spoke of being "loosed" he understood it to be legal and that it ended the marriage and freed the parties to marry. Three times he said to let them marry (or have a marriage, 2,9,36) and in at least four additional instances in the chapter Paul emphasized that it is not sinful to marry. To take away the right to marry from those who have no marriage is to be guilty of "forbidding to marry." Obviously, to tell a "man" he cannot marry a "man" would not be what Paul was talking about because it would not be disallowing him to marry a woman. Question: If Paul had intended to tell the divorced (who fall into the category of the "unmarried") that they must remain celibate, would he not have done it when he was talking to the "unmarried"? It is clear that Paul allowed marriage for the "unmarried" and his inspired command should settle it. But Pat seems determined to explain away Paul's command. He asserts that Romans 7:1-4 makes a distinction between being "bound" and being divorced. Notice *Barnes'* comments on 1 Corinthians 7:27: "Marriage is often thus represented as a tie, a bond, etc. See [Ro 7:2]. Seek not to be loosed. Seek not a dissolution (~lusin~) of the connection, either by divorce or by a separation...." 1 Corinthians 7:27-28 "Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. *But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned....*" In contrast to Paul, Pat teaches that one is destined for hell if he is involved in a divorce and marries again, unless he *initiated* the divorce for fornication. Do we see that in Paul's teachings? No, careless teachers who misunderstand the words of Jesus simply assume and assert this. Verses 27-28 present a big problem for the position Pat holds. Pat may insist that this is talking about people who have never been married. Nevertheless, it is clear that Paul is talking to those who are "bound" (married) and he is saying, "Don't try to get loosed from the marriage." He then gives advice to the man who is "loosed" (by death or divorce) and advises that he should not seek a wife. But if he does marry he does not sin. It is evident that Paul is not specifically addressing widows here, as he addresses them in verse 39. Those who teach the doctrine Pat holds will be able to accept Paul's teachings only after they realize Jesus did not teach that a divorced person commits adultery in marrying another. Jesus' Teachings are Not Pat's Teachings Jesus addressed a problem that was current in his day--men's "putting away" their wives without proper divorce proceedings. This problem still exists today among the Jews. Jesus explained that such action (putting away) was treacherous/adulterous and that these men were causing their wives to commit adultery. The only way to make sense of Jesus' teaching is to understand that "apoluo" means "put away" (and it does) and that the woman "put away" was still married because her husband refused to give her the required certificate of divorce. Had he done that, regardless of the reason for the divorce, she could "go be another man's wife" (Deut. 24:1-4). "Bound" But Not Married Pat's position stands or falls on whether or not his "bound" but not married theory has merit. God gave a procedure for dissolving a marriage so the woman could "go be another man's wife," yet this strange doctrine of Pat's is saying that a divorce really does not do what it was designed to do. Pat does not believe God's teaching on divorce--he says Jesus changed it completely. But if we reject the universal divorce law we can't even define what divorce is and we reject the personal example that God gave (Jer. 3:8). Marriage is the ONLY thing that the scriptures teach binds a couple together. Take away the "marriage" and the "bond" no longer exists. If the bond still exists after divorce then the "bill of divorcement" that God commanded be given to the wife means nothing (Deut. 24:2; Mark 10:3-5). The fact that Jesus asked, "What did Moses command you?" clearly indicates that he was looking to the Law for answers, rather than rejecting it and making a new law. But Pat refuses to see this and accuses me of not understanding the fundamental fact that the New Testament church does not look to the Old Testament for its authority for worship and practice. Is it not true that "All scripture is profitable for doctrine" (2Tim3:16)? A Misrepresentation Pat stated, "Robert begins by suggesting it violates God's justice for his marriage law to change from the old covenant to the new covenant...." This is a classic straw man, which Pat wastes much space battling. If an injustice exists, it is Pat's requirement that a young man or woman, totally innocent of marital sin, must be forced into celibacy because his or her guilty spouse managed to arrive at the court house first. This idea punishes the innocent and encourages divorce proceedings, yet Pat insists his position, which he attributes to Jesus, has no problems. Did Jesus make a mistake in changing God's universal divorce law? No, he didn't change it. If the Bible contains a new law on divorce it is the teachings of Paul found in the New Testament. But my friend will not accept what Paul says; he has to explain it to harmonize with what he has assumed Jesus taught. But Jesus dealt with putting away. Those who hold the position that Jesus condemned divorce actually contribute to the promotion of the very thing Jesus sought to bring to an end--treachery, adultery and fornication. Before I can be accused of promoting adultery it has to be proven that Jesus changed the Law at the time He spoke regarding putting away. But Jesus made sure that reasonable open-minded people would not make that mistake (Matt. 5:17-19). More Conundrums Those who are disposed to take upon themselves the job of "forbidding to marry" are often met with situations and circumstances that are such that they cannot make a sound judgment. Because of the divergent marriage and divorce laws it is sometimes impossible to determine whether one involved in a divorce was ever married. And on and on we could go. Pat asserted that no revelation from God (that applies to us) tells us what constitutes a divorce. Yet the passages he uses in his effort to deny my proposition were spoken to Jews while Jewish law was in effect. And it is important to note that the very passage that was the CENTER of controversy was Deuteronomy 24:1-4. This passage makes some things very clear: 1) a divorced woman could "go be another man's wife"; 2) the divorce certificate was effective when she received it and was useful to her; and 3) God gave a command that men do this rather than simply send away the woman, which would leave her in doubt as to her marital status, cause "her to commit adultery" and be "adultery against her." In addition, God gave us a personal example to teach us the need to give the "bill of divorcement" (Jer. 3:8) and Jesus confirmed that it was a command (Mark 10:3, 5). We have all this revelation from God regarding divorce; nevertheless we are told it is meaningless because Jesus made a new law. Friends, marriage binds and divorce unbinds. This was a law given by God for a purpose and Jesus did not go against God by changing it. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100329/f5383241/attachment-0001.html From PatDonahue at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 29 20:48:52 2010 From: PatDonahue at bellsouth.net (Patrick Donahue) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:48:52 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] D:> MDR Donahue's Second Negative In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <003f01cacfab$27d2bcc0$77783640$@net> Patrick Donahue's Second Negative Robert begins his second affirmative by repeating the same claim he made previously - that if Jesus changed the Old Testament law on divorce, then he sinned by contradicting it. I responded to this extensively in my first negative, but Robert didn't address one solitary argument I made against his assertion. I pointed out Jesus contrasted his teaching with Old Testament teaching six times in Matthew 5:21-48. Within that I specifically proved Jesus' teaching on swearing in verse 34 was different than the Old Testament law on swearing as given in verse 33. . Does that mean Jesus sinned by "contradicting" Moses on swearing? Robert asked me who Jesus was talking to, those present or those in a dispensation to come? This ignores the fact that by definition, "preparatory teaching" is spoken before it actually applies. Robert's argument here disregards the Matthew 24:17-18 example of Jesus' instruction I gave that was said to his disciples over 35 years before it applied. I gave Matthew 18:17 as an example Robert would agree is preparatory. I also provided a chart detailing six ways Jesus' MDR teaching differed with Moses' MDR teaching. And I introduced John 14:16 and Luke 16:16 to prove Jesus spent much of his time on earth giving New Testament teaching. But Robert ignored everything I said on this, and instead just repeated his argument as if I had never addressed it. Robert thinks I have a problem because "Jesus was addressing a problem that was current," but there is nothing to keep Jesus from dealing with current questions (Matthew 19:3-6) and future problems in the same discourse - our political speakers do that all the time. Robert said I "failed to provide evidence that the people understood Jesus to be speaking words that would apply to a future dispensation." Again, this completely disregards the indisputable evidence that I most certainly did provide, that in both Matthew 5:31-32 and 19:8-9, Jesus contrasted his teaching with Old Testament teaching. In Matthew 5:31 Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 24:1, and then begins his teaching in verse 32 with the word "But," clearly a contrast word. In Matthew 19:8a Jesus also refers to Deuteronomy 24:1, and again begins his teaching with the contrast word "but" in 19:8b. More than once Jesus explicitly tells us his teaching is different than Moses' - Deuteronomy 24:1-4 does not apply today! Robert asked me about Matthew 19 if Jesus expected the people "to make corrections immediately"? Yes, if they had been divorcing their wives "for every cause" (less than "uncleanness"), but verse 9 and "for fornication" would be New Covenant teaching. One final thought to keep in mind about "preparatory teaching": Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written many years after New Testament law went into effect. Those books wouldn't have served much purpose if all they did was talk about Old Testament law. Robert again said I Corinthians 7:8-9 proves any unmarried person (including the unscripturally divorced) may marry. My reply to this earlier was that just two verses later (verse 11) we have an example of an "unmarried" woman that is forbidden from marrying another. Robert's responded that this woman was not unmarried (even though the text says she was), and he gave a couple of non-standard translations that render the phrase "let her . remain as she is" instead of "remain unmarried." But this won't wash, because the Greek word translated "unmarried" in verse 11 is exactly the same word (Strong's #22) translated "unmarried" in verse 8. Robert's argument here depends upon the fact that verse 8 is talking about "unmarried" people, so why wouldn't the same word (in Greek and English) three verses later also mean "unmarried"? Robert says "depart" ("chorizo") in verse 10 means "separate" and so divorce isn't intended. Robert has the meaning of this word correct, but what he is overlooking is the fact that divorce is a subset of separation. When a couple divorces, almost without fail they separate. In fact the laws of many states say a divorce cannot be finalized unless the couple has been separated, sometimes for up to a year. As you would expect, the Greek word translated "unmarried" in verse 11 is the same basic word translated "married" in verse 10, but with a negative prefix tacked on. So if the woman in verse 10 was married (and Robert agrees she was), then after she departed, she was not married anymore. I Corinthians 7:11 proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that at least some "unmarried" people are forbidden from marrying, and that falsifies Robert's theory. Robert thinks I have a problem because a cause isn't mentioned in verse 10, but I would have no more problem than Jesus did when he didn't mention the cause of fornication in Luke 16:18, while he did in Matthew 19:9. I Corinthians 7:10, Luke 16:18, Mark 10:11,12, Matthew 19:6, and Romans 7:2-3 are all stating the general rule that divorce and remarriage are sinful. Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 state the one exception to that general rule. Robert asks "If Paul had intended to tell the divorced (who fall into the category of the 'unmarried') that they must remain celibate, would he not have done it when he was talking to the 'unmarried'?" My answer is no, he wouldn't have wanted to tell all of the unmarried (including the never married) to remain celibate, so he waited until verse 11 when he was only addressing the divorced/separated. Robert declares "loosed" in I Corinthians 7:27 refers to any divorced person, and therefore verse 28 teaches it is right for them to remarry. But not all divorced people are loosed (free from obligation). I proved this in my last article using Matthew 5:32b, Romans 7:2-3, and I Corinthians 7:10-11, but let me present an additional verse now. Mark 10:11 reads "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her" (NKJV). Notice this man is divorced, but is obviously not loosed from his obligation to his original wife, because when he remarries another, the verse says he commits adultery "against" her (the original wife). Robert says "take away the 'marriage' and the 'bond' no longer exists." But if the divorced man of Mark 10:11 wasn't still bound (obligated) to his former wife, why is his new relationship cheating against her? Robert admits teaching against homosexual marriages wouldn't violate I Timothy 4:4's censure of "forbidding to marry," thereby in effect admitting the verse is only referring to forbidding scriptural marriages. Homosexual marriages, polygamous marriages, and adulterous marriages after unscriptural divorce (like Mark 6:18) are not under consideration in I Timothy 4:4. It's clear from verses like Matthew 5:32b ("whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery") that God expects us to forbid some marriages. Robert insists the "only way to make sense of Jesus' teaching is to understand . that the woman 'put away' was still married because her husband refused to give her the required certificate of divorce." I spent 438 words of my first negative responding to this assertion, but Robert said not one word in reply. Because it is most crucial, I repeat verbatim my two paragraph response here: One of the more critical mistakes Robert makes is thinking Moses allowed a man to kick his wife out of the house without divorcing her, and that problem is what Jesus is dealing with in Matthew 19:8-9 and etc.. If that were the case, Jesus should have said whoever puts away their wife "except he divorces her" (instead of "except for fornication"). Notice Mark 10:4 says Moses "suffered" (allowed) a man "to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away." So Moses only allowed the putting away if a bill of divorcement was given. Jesus confirms this truth in verse 5 where he says Moses wrote "this precept," that is, the precept of "bill of divorcement plus putting away." Robert agrees Moses wrote this precept in Deuteronomy 24:1, which commands the bill of divorcement to accompany the sending away. And just like a bill of sale is not the sale itself, but is a written record of a sale and only legitimate if a sale takes place, a bill of divorcement is not the divorce itself, but is a written record of a divorce and only legitimate if a divorce takes place. So Moses never allowed a kicking out without a bill of divorce (which implies a divorce took place). In other words, Moses required the divorce. Now let me explain why Robert's error here is so critical. You'll remember Jesus teaches in Mark 10:5 that Moses allowed "bill of divorce plus putting away" because of the hardness of the Israelites' hearts. [Robert agreed with this in his debate with Tommy Thrasher when he said "The Law under which Jesus lived . made provisions for a marriage to be dissolved (Deut. 24:1-2) because of the hardness of man's heart (Matt. 19:8)."] Next, in Matthew 19:8-9 Jesus contrasts his teaching with what Moses allowed because of the hardness of their hearts. Matthew 5:32 details this as Jesus contrasts his teaching with the "putting away plus writing of divorcement" in verse 31. So because of hardness of hearts, Moses allowed putting away as long as it was accompanied by a bill of divorce. And that is exactly what Robert allows - putting away as long as it's accompanied by a bill of divorce. But in my question #3, Robert agrees that Jesus didn't allow what Moses allowed, therefore the inescapable conclusion is that Jesus didn't allow what Robert allows. To reiterate, in Matthew 5:31-32 and 19:8-9, Jesus clearly contrasts his teaching with what Moses allowed. Therefore Jesus does not allow (except in the case of fornication) what Moses allowed, which was the "putting away plus writing of divorcement." Robert correctly says I accused him of "not understanding the fundamental fact that the New Testament church does not look to the Old Testament for its authority for worship and practice." Robert replied with "All scripture is profitable for doctrine (2Tim3:16)." But even Robert should know that while the Old Testament is profitable for doctrine, it doesn't constitute any part of our law for today. For a fuller treatment of this point, see my debate charts on the "Sabbath" issue at www.BibleDebates.info . Robert continually tries to promote the teaching of Deuteronomy 24:1-4 as if it applies today. But as I pointed out in my last article, the fact that he doesn't believe verse 5 or verses 10-11 of the same chapter applies today confirms he is inconsistent on this point. Robert proclaims "We have all this revelation from God regarding divorce; nevertheless we are told it is meaningless because Jesus made a new law." A Sabbatarian couldn't have said it any better. Robert again states my position punishes the innocent divorced by requiring their celibacy, but he conveniently disregarded everything I said in response to his punishment argument, including my illustration asking if the man too homely to get a woman to agree to marry him is being punished by having to remain celibate. Robert is begging for the reader's emotional sympathy with this argument, but don't be deceived - it would also be Robert's position that even the divorced pervert may remarry. Remember his proposition says "God approves marriage for every unmarried person." That would even include a man divorced for pedophilia. Jesus leaves no doubt in Matthew 19:9 and its parallels that remarriage after divorce (for reasons other than fornication) results in adultery. As I argued in my first negative (with no response), Robert's proposition "God approves marriage for every unmarried person" is directly contradicted by Matthew 5:32b ("whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery"). The woman is divorced and therefore unmarried, but is still forbidden from remarrying. Why do so many circumvent the plain meaning of the MDR passages? The reason mentioned in an article by Dan Knight hits the nail right on the head: "Even though we are aware of what the Bible teaches, we can't seem to reconcile that teaching with a realistic approach to the human circumstance. Therefore, we will 'wink' at Scripture, and move on." Patrick Donahue 256-721-0726 home 256-682-9753 cell go to www.BibleDebates.info to subscribe to the "Doctrine Matters" weekly email message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100329/cb032c94/attachment-0001.html From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Tue Mar 30 01:23:40 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:23:40 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) SOME "IF'S" AND "WHY'S" ABOUT BAPTISM Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Tuesday morning to each and everyone. May God bless you and yours. Here is an article from my files: SOME "IF'S" AND "WHY'S" ABOUT BAPTISM IF baptism is not necessary to salvation, WHY did Peter say that "baptism doth also now save us?" 1 Pet. 3:21. IF one can be forgiven of his sins without baptism WHY did Peter command "be baptized for the remission of your sins?" Acts 2:38. IF sins are taken away before baptism, WHY was Saul of Tarsus told by Ananias to "arise, and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord?" Acts 22:16. IF one is a child of God without being baptized, WHY did Paul say that the Galatians were "children of God by being baptized into Christ?" Gal. 3:26,27. IF baptism is of no importance, in one's service to God, WHY was Cornelius and his household told to be baptized in water? Acts 10:48. IF baptism is not essential to one's salvation, WHY did Jesus say: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved?" Mk. 16:16. IF one becomes a member of the body of Christ, the church of Christ, without baptism, WHY did Paul write to the Corinthians saying: "by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body?" 1 Cor. 12:13. IF baptism is for the remission of sins, to wash away sins, to put one into Christ, a command of God, in order to salvation, WHY will men refuse to obey God in being baptized?" Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, accord- ing to the riches of His grace." 1:7. Jesus shed His blood to re- deem us from our sins. QUESTION: -- Where and at what time did Jesus shed His blood? He shed His blood when He died upon the cross. Paul says that we are baptized into His death Rom. 6:3,4. He goes on to say in that very same chapter that when we are baptized into Christ, we obey that form of doctrine that is presented in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Rom. 6:16-18. So, we urge you to humbly submit your life to Christ by being baptized into Him, into His body, the church of Christ. --- Cecil F. Cox in The Gospel Power, Vol. 17, No. 3, March 2010. From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Tue Mar 30 01:23:47 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:23:47 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) GREAT REASONS FOR FAITH (1) Message-ID: Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the first installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. GREAT REASONS FOR FAITH (1) "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). What a response to the preaching of the gos- pel! Jesus had been crucified seven weeks before. And undoubtedly the events of the final week of His life before the cross was the main topic of conversation of all those in Jerusal- em. Some had thought He would deliver Israel from Roman rule and set up an earthly kingdom. And others considered Him a blasphemer and false prophet. But probably very few were neut- ral. Then, within a twelve hour period, Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of His apostles, and He was deserted by the other apostles, arrested and tried by the Jewish council, then scourg- ed and crucified by the Romans. For the next seven weeks the apostles are silent, so far as public preaching goes. Then the Day of Pentecost arrives. A feast day of the Jews that brought them to Jerusalem from many differentr parts of the world. The apostles waited for the "power" which Jesus had promised would come upon them (Acts 1:8). Then the promise was fulfilled: "When the Day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1). The day's events close with the words with which we began this article. What happened? Why did 3,000 people become Christians in one day? The events that led to this day had prepared them, and the apostles' preaching on this day gave great reasons for their faith: Reason No. 1: -- The Miracles Of Jesus Of Nazareth: -- Very near the beginning of his sermon to the Jews, on the Day of Pente- cost, Peter speaks of Jesus: "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know" (Acts 2:22). What Jesus had done throughout His ministry was no secret. As Paul stated later, "This thing was not done in a corner" (Acts 26:26). And this is the point which Peter made here: "As ye yourselves know." When disciples of John came asking Jesus whether He was the Christ, He replied: "Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up" (Matt. 11:4,5). Peter could have made reference to the healing of his mother-in-law by Jesus, and the multitudes then brought their sick to be healed (Mk. 1:30-34). And they were healed. The apostles were with Him when He stilled the storm on Galilee (Matt. 8), when He raised the dead (Lk. 7:11-15; 8:49-56). Many knew of His raising of Lazarus, which took place just outside of Jerusalem. Peter could have asked: "Does anyone here know Lazarus? Were you present that day?" Why did Jesus do miracles, anyway? Part of the answer is found in Jno. 3:2, when one of the rulers of the Jews came to Him and said, "We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." The Jews on Pentecost must have felt the force of this logic, for they could not deny the power Jesus manifested. They one time watched to see if He would heal a man on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse Him of violating the law (Mk. 3:1-5). But note the point: they did not doubt that He had power to do the miracle! For this reason He told them, "Though ye believe not Me, believe the works...Believe Me for the very works' sake" (Jno. 10:38; 14:11). John gives the reason for recording so many of the miracles "Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His discip- les, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might beleive that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name" (Jno. 20:30, 31). That is the point made in Acts 2:22, and one reason why so many put their trust in Him that day. Yes, the working of miracles was a reason for the faith of the early believers. (More will be posted on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS) From robertwater at gmail.com Tue Mar 30 14:09:16 2010 From: robertwater at gmail.com (Robert Waters) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:09:16 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] D:> MDR Waters' Third Affirmative Message-ID: Waters' Third Affirmative The proposition: *The scriptures teach that God approves marriage for every unmarried person, including those who have divorced a mate or have been divorced by a mate, regardless of the reason. * Pat stated, "More than once Jesus explicitly tells us his teaching is different than Moses' - Deuteronomy 24:1-4 does not apply today!" How can Pat say Jesus didn't contradict Moses and also say he did? Well, he explains it by saying Jesus' teachings didn't apply at the time, yada, yada, yada. But since my friend accuses Jesus of contradicting Moses on other issues ("more than once") he shows himself to be confused, incoherent and illogical. There is hope though. He would be just fine if he would receive the truth and give up his MDR teachings. Pat needs to understand that the phrase "But I say unto you" does not establish his position. It only indicates that Jesus was taking issue with someone or some group. Who it was is very important and it is easy to determine. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 was the focal point of Jesus' discussion with the Pharisees (Mat19). Pat uses this setting and this text as a foundation for his MDR doctrine, yet he asserts that the only Bible text that defines divorce "Does not apply today!" If one does not apply, *and BOTH are directed to the Jews*, how can the other apply? Pat, if the universal divorce definition/law is to be rejected why shouldn't Matthew 19:9 also be rejected, since both came from Hebrew prophets, both were directed to the Jews and both applied to the Jews? The key verse of the entire Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5:20. *"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." *Jesus stressed that righteousness is necessary to be part of the kingdom. He made it clear that this righteousness must be greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees. Remember, previously (verses 17-19) Jesus made it clear that he was not going to change the Law, and now he finishes setting the stage, assuring there will be no misunderstandings, for what he is about to say. What did he say? There are two possibilities: 1) He took issue with what Moses said, asserting that Moses' law no longer applied because Jesus was changing it; or 2) He took issue with the scribes and Pharisees who held false notions about Moses' teachings. That Jesus was taking issue with the false notions (interpretations) of the Jews, rather than Moses' or God's teachings, is fundamental and generally accepted by scholars and brethren. Since Pat has used scholars to "prove" his thinking that "apoluo" means legal/scriptural divorce let us see if he will accept scholars when they say something that destroys a foundation stone of his doctrine. Note the resources and men in the list below: *Barnes, Preceptaustin, JFB, Clark, Gill, Mark Copeland and Don Martin.* I'm certain many more could be added to the list. Here is a link to quotes from the above: http://www.totalhealth.bz/divorce-and-remarriage-it-has-been-said.htm . Matthew 5:21-35 is the text these men deal with. Pat, these people are very confident that Jesus did not teach contrary to Moses. Pat said, "...By definition, 'preparatory teaching' is spoken before it actually applies." I have no problem with that; however, it does trouble me that Pat refuses to recognize who Jesus' audience is. Also, instead of seeing the real problem Jesus addressed, Pat insists that Jesus made new law. But what Pat says is the new law, only made things worse for women and men--innocent people continue to be punished. Jesus' teaching on baptism (Mk 16:15-16) is "preparatory" teaching. But clearly it speaks of the future --the time when the apostles will be going out into the world preaching the gospel. The Lord's Supper is another preparatory teaching. In saying, "...I will not drink henceforth...until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom," Jesus indicated that the memorial supper was a future event. The disciples had no authority to take it before the kingdom and without the Lord's participation. Pat has no basis on which to claim that Jesus' teaching in Matthew 19, as is the case with the two examples Pat gave, are merely preparatory. Clearly this nonsensical theory was dreamed up in the mind of someone who was seeking to make his MDR doctrine appear to be scriptural. Pat asked, "Does that mean Jesus sinned by 'contradicting' Moses on swearing?" My answer: No, but Pat sins by accusing Jesus of contradicting the Law of God, which would have been sin had Jesus actually done it. I'm not ignoring the concept of "preparatory" teaching. It exists, but not in the "divorce" texts. Pat is ignoring the fact that Jesus specifically addressed the Jews and their current problem in Matthew 19. He is also ignoring the fact that every word in the text indicates that what Jesus said applied to the Jews, but nothing indicates that it was meant to apply only in the future. Pat's only argument is that some texts are indeed "preparatory" teaching. The argument is so weak, and so easily defeated, it hardly warrants a reply. Pat said, "I also provided a chart detailing six ways Jesus' MDR teaching differed with Moses' MDR teaching." No, Pat, you provided a chart detailing six ways YOUR MDR teachings differ from Moses'. Your teachings also differ from the teaching of both Jesus and Paul, and goes against justice, reason and logic; so I don't really think your argument warrants a detailed reply. An argument was made using Luke 16:16. I'm not sure what Pat intended by his use of this scripture. Pat, are you suggesting that the New Testament went into effect when John was born? Next Pat used John 14:26 to make a point that I agree with, but which neither hurts my position nor helps his substantially. "Robert thinks I have a problem because 'Jesus was addressing a problem that was current....'" My argument was not just that it was a "current" issue, but that it was current *and* was *specifically addressed to* the Jewish men. Pat may have some wiggle room on the "current" issue, but none in the matter of who Jesus' audience was or when Jesus' teachings were relevant. It is clear to whom Jesus addressed his comments, and Pat can't change it no matter how much he wants it to be different. Pat hurts his credibility by having made this flimsy argument in the first place. Pat stated, "...But there is nothing to keep Jesus from dealing with current questions (Matthew 19:3-6) and future problems in the same discourse - our political speakers do that all the time." I have heard brethren defend the Jews on law keeping, assert that Jesus contradicted the Law, defame great scholars and great translations, and now Pat compares the Lord's actions to that of politicians. How far men will go in their defense of tradition! "Robert asked me about Matthew 19 if Jesus expected the people 'to make corrections immediately'? Yes, if they had been divorcing their wives 'for every cause' (less than 'uncleanness'), but verse 9 and 'for fornication' would be New Covenant teaching." Pat, please explain how you determine the transition point from Jews being addressed to Christians in the future being addressed. Maybe I have misunderstood this all along. When Jesus said, "And I say unto *you*" maybe he really didn't mean "you." Perhaps he meant people that were not present and who would live under his new law after his death. Why, that has to be the case because of the COC teachings on MDR. Indeed, our tradition is the standard and any view that contradicts it has to be wrong. (A little satire.) *Question for Pat:* If the men (Jews) had been "apoluo"-ing (using the common meaning of the word) their wives--committing adultery against them and causing them to commit adultery, as well as the person they married--would they need to stop? Pat states that the Gospels, "...Wouldn't have served much purpose if all they did was talk about Old Testament law." True. But I never said anything kin to that. Pat makes no mention of the scholars that I quoted to show that "unmarried," in 1 Corinthians 7:11, refers to those merely separated and not divorced. The men I quoted are highly respected and their words were clear. Pat did note that the two translations were not well-known. Well, they are better known than Pat who says they are wrong! The text says if the woman departs (separates) she should remain unmarried or be reconciled. My friend says I'm denying what the text says. No, I'm denying the illogical interpretation that Pat has made of the text because he refuses to consider the context, the language and scholarship. He needs SOMETHING from the chapter to contradict Paul's clear commands to "let them marry." Otherwise, the reader will perceive his position to be unsupported. Pat, do you agree that in some cases what a passages appears to say is not what it means? In your personal teachings have you not had to deal with clear statements that seem to support errant teachings? In doing so do you not demonstrate the need to use good hermeneutics? If/when a person refuses to hear your reasoning do you, at some point, perceive that he does not have an open mind or is not willing to give up his tradition? The Greek word for unmarried is "agamos"--the same word that is used in verse 9. But we all know a word can have different meanings based upon its usage. In verse 9, the "unmarried" obviously includes those divorced. Paul commands: "LET THEM MARRY." But in verse 11 the context is a woman who "departs" or leaves her husband. "Reconciliation" (not marriage) is the solution here. Paul evidently understood that a divorce ends the marriage and therefore did not deal with such situations. *Thayer* said "agamos" CAN mean "single," which is not the same as divorced. "He that is *unmarried* [agamos] careth for the things that belong to the Lord" (1Co 7:32b). Are we to conclude that Paul had reference only to those who were divorced? No, here "unmarried" includes the "single" person, as * Thayer* suggested. A single person can marry. A wife who just left may be single but she may not marry just anyone--only be reconciled to her husband. *The Greek New Testament* by Bloomfield - : "From the use of ??????[reconcile] and the air of the context it is plain that the apostle is not speaking of formal divorces, affected by law, but separations whether agreed on or not, arising from misunderstandings or otherwise." Pat, is *Bloomfield* wrong? A number of versions translate "agamos" as "single" (CEV, GNB, GW) and at least two "as they are," i.e. in the separated state. Pat says that "Divorce is a subset of separation." I wonder why Pat cannot see that the Jews had problems with separation, a "subset" of divorce. Pat wrote, "I Corinthians 7:11 proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that at least some 'unmarried' people are forbidden from marrying, and that falsifies Robert's theory." If we consider the context, the language and what the scholars say, the woman was actually still married. Thus, *she had a marriage*. She needed only to "reconcile." Pat ignores the gist of Paul's teaching, including clear commands, and asserts that Paul is guilty of "forbidding to marry," which is the very thing Paul himself called "doctrines of devils." Unbelievable! *The Cause* Luke, Mark, John and Paul ALL omit the "cause." Therefore it evidently was not a greatly important point. Pat asserts that a divorce does not do what God intended it to do unless it is initiated (by the one that gets to the court house first) for a certain "cause." The cornerstone of Pat's doctrine is the false idea that the exception clause refers to unfaithfulness by the spouse. Jesus, in the one Gospel, simply noted that if the sending away by the man was due to fornication [which likely referred to an illegal/unscriptural marriage (Mk6:18; 1Cor5:1)] it would not be "adultery against her." Pat's doctrine encourages divorce proceedings. He has ignored this but he knows it does, yet he closes his eyes to the "red flag" that should tell him he is on the wrong track. Pat asks, "But if the divorced man of Mark 10:11 wasn't still bound (obligated) to his former wife, why is his new relationship cheating * against* her?" Pat, he was not "cheating"--he could have more than one wife. I have previously explained why it is adultery. The marriage (bond) still existed because he only sent her away--there was no legal divorce. *Question for Pat:* If a person is divorced yet "bound" to the sender legally, but not by marriage, what reasonable explanation is there for your theory that the binding force should forbid marriage? Please answer without using circular reasoning. Pat continues to try to get around the "forbidding to marry" problem. He says, "...God expects us to forbid some marriages." But this is not the issue. Indeed, some marriages would be wrong. But Pat forbids some people who have NO marriage to have a marriage. That is what Paul says is wrong and it is what Pat is guilty of. Paul's additional teachings, like "*let them marry*" etc., are consistent with his letter to Timothy. "Robert insists that the 'only way to make sense of Jesus' teaching is to understand ... that the woman 'put away' was still married because her husband refused to give her the required certificate of divorce.'" Moses commanded the certificate to be given, which was confirmed by Jesus. But Moses suffered the putting away in the sense that there was no legislation or punishment for it. Jesus called it adultery "against her." In view of the fact that reconciliations take place after separation (1Cor7:10-11), is it not reasonable that God would not give a law that punished one for departing or sending? It would encourage divorce and close the door to the possibility of reconciliation. *Question for Pat:* If there is a legal divorce (which we agree ends the marriage) how can marrying result in adultery, since adultery is something that married people cannot do with each other? Moses commanded the men to legally divorce, as opposed to merely sending away. As was often typical of the Jews, they did not obey for various selfish/mean reasons, which brought about the problem that Jesus addressed: "putting away." Pat says Robert "Allows - putting away as long as it's accompanied by a bill of divorce." Separation can be a sinful act. Initiating divorce proceedings can be a sinful act. The Jewish practice of sending a woman out without the certificate was/is treachery and worse than divorce. Again, Pat encourages divorce by insisting that the one to get to the court house first is the only one that may marry another. Pat continues to deny 2Tim3:16, regarding "all scripture" and the universal marriage definition (law). He admits Moses' teaching is "profitable for doctrine" even while rejecting it. Figure that out. *The Homely Man* This is different. We are talking about making a law that forbids marriage versus a man's not being diligent to find a woman who is also "homely." That Pat's doctrine punishes innocent people is an irrefutable fact. Pat mentioned Dan Knight's excellent comment about "winking" at scripture. Knight teaches the truth on MDR. Here is a link to some of his work: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Focus_On_Truth/message/28542 RobertWaters at yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100330/2c212635/attachment-0001.html From PatDonahue at bellsouth.net Tue Mar 30 19:04:09 2010 From: PatDonahue at bellsouth.net (Patrick Donahue) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:04:09 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] D:> MDR Donahue's Third Negative References: Message-ID: <005001cad065$b18e5590$14ab00b0$@net> Patrick Donahue?s Third Negative My friend Robert?s position that ?put away? in Matthew 19:9 does not mean ?divorce? (but only ?kick out of the house?) poses an additional problem for him, because Matthew 19:9a shows a man may scripturally ?put away? his wife ?for fornication? and remarry. If Robert?s theory is correct, a man could simply kick his wife out of the house ?for fornication? without a divorce and marry another. He would be legally married to two women at the same time! The law of the land would recognize the new couple as bigamists, as the man never divorced his previous spouse before marrying again. But the couple would be okay in that status according to the logical conclusion of Robert?s argumentation. In his third affirmative, Robert repeats his foundational idea that Jesus (in his MDR texts) was dealing with ?putting away? to the exclusion of legal divorce. But I have already responded to this twice (in detail) with no reply from Robert. Following I repeat my two paragraph response verbatim for the third time because this idea is so very crucial to Robert?s position: One of the more critical mistakes Robert makes is thinking Moses allowed a man to kick his wife out of the house without divorcing her, and that problem is what Jesus is dealing with in Matthew 19:8-9 and etc.. If that were the case, Jesus should have said whoever puts away their wife ?except he divorces her? (instead of ?except for fornication?). Notice Mark 10:4 says Moses ?suffered? (allowed) a man ?to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.? So Moses only allowed the putting away if a bill of divorcement was given. Jesus confirms this truth in verse 5 where he says Moses wrote ?this precept,? that is, the precept of ?bill of divorcement plus putting away.? Robert agrees Moses wrote this precept in Deuteronomy 24:1, which commands the bill of divorcement to accompany the sending away. And just like a bill of sale is not the sale itself, but is a written record of a sale and only legitimate if a sale takes place, a bill of divorcement is not the divorce itself, but is a written record of a divorce and only legitimate if a divorce takes place. So Moses never allowed a kicking out without a bill of divorce (which implies a divorce took place). In other words, Moses required the divorce. Now let me explain why Robert?s error here is so critical. You?ll remember Jesus teaches in Mark 10:5 that Moses allowed ?bill of divorce plus putting away? because of the hardness of the Israelites? hearts. [Robert agreed with this in his debate with Tommy Thrasher when he said ?The Law under which Jesus lived ? made provisions for a marriage to be dissolved (Deut. 24:1-2) because of the hardness of man's heart (Matt. 19:8).?] Next, in Matthew 19:8-9 Jesus contrasts his teaching with what Moses allowed because of the hardness of their hearts. Matthew 5:32 details this as Jesus contrasts his teaching with the ?putting away plus writing of divorcement? in verse 31. So because of hardness of hearts, Moses allowed putting away as long as it was accompanied by a bill of divorce. And that is exactly what Robert allows - putting away as long as it?s accompanied by a bill of divorce. But in my question #3, Robert agrees that Jesus didn?t allow what Moses allowed, therefore the inescapable conclusion is that Jesus didn?t allow what Robert allows. To reiterate, in Matthew 5:31-32 and 19:8-9, Jesus clearly contrasts his teaching with what Moses allowed. Therefore Jesus does not allow (except in the case of fornication) what Moses allowed, which was the ?putting away plus writing of divorcement.? Robert only has one more article in this debate. Will he deal with the above this time? Or will he finally just admit Moses allowed ?bill of divorcement and to put her away? (Mark 10:4-5, Matthew 5:31, Deuteronomy 24:1), not kicking out of the house without divorce? And now that we?ve learned Moses did allow divorce (for less than fornication), and since Robert has admitted Jesus didn?t allow what Moses allowed (Matthew 19:8-9), then I am hoping Robert will realize Jesus is forbidding divorce for any cause less than fornication, as Matthew 19:9 actually states. Robert thinks if Jesus taught New Testament (NT) law while on earth, then he contradicted Moses. There is no contradiction however, because two different laws are in view. Jesus? new teaching on MDR doesn?t run contrary to Matthew 5:19 because preparatory teaching means Jesus was giving law that would be binding in the future; he wasn?t changing Moses? law until it was ?fulfilled? (verse 18) at the cross. Paul taught in many places (e.g., Galatians 5:6) that circumcision isn?t necessary today, but Moses? law taught one must be circumcised. Similarly, the law of Moses taught it was right to swear as long as you performed your oath (Leviticus 19:12), but Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:34 it is wrong to swear at all. Are these two examples conflicting? No, different covenants are under consideration. Robert thought I was saying from Luke 16:16 that the NT law went into effect at the time of John the Baptist. No, I was suggesting what the verse says - that since the time of John, NT law has been preached. Of course, that would have been in the form of preparatory teaching by Jesus until after his death. John 14:26 also confirms Jesus taught NT law while on earth. Robert wants me to explain how we determine the ?transition point? of when Jesus is addressing current questions and when he is addressing future problems (preparatory teaching). Robert suggests if Jesus says ?I say unto you? that he couldn?t be giving preparatory teaching. This won?t work as we have passages like John 3:5 where Jesus says ?I say unto thee,? but Jesus was discussing the NT requirement of water baptism for salvation. As a matter of fact, all preparatory teaching was ?said? to people it didn?t apply to at the time it was spoken. Robert, the way you can tell Jesus is presenting future law in our case is that in Matthew 5:31-32 and 19:8-9 Jesus uses ?but? to contrast his MDR teaching with Moses? MDR teaching. And if Jesus is teaching something different than the law of Moses, then he must be giving the law of Christ ? there was no in-between law. Robert says ?the phrase ?But I say unto you? ? indicates that Jesus was taking issue with someone or some group.? I agree. Now let?s notice who Jesus is ?taking issue? with. In Matthew 5:31-32 he is ?taking issue? (I would use the term ?contrasting?) with Moses? teaching in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Jesus does the same in Matthew 19:8-9. This is how we know Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 are preparatory teaching. Indeed, Jesus? teaching on MDR is different than Deuteronomy 24:1-4. This confirms Deuteronomy 24:1-4 doesn?t apply today. Robert of course is claiming Deuteronomy 24:1-4 does still apply today, but the aforementioned fact that Jesus contrasted his NT teaching with Deuteronomy 24:1-4 proves it doesn?t apply today. Robert calls Deuteronomy 24:1-4 the ?universal marriage definition (law),? but he gives no evidence for that. Just like a Sabbatarian, Robert claims that since OT scriptures are ?profitable for doctrine,? they must be binding today. But all of the OT is ?profitable for doctrine? according to II Timothy 3:16. Therefore according to Robert?s logic, all of the OT (including animal sacrifice, the Sabbath, and circumcision) is binding as law upon Christians today. I am confident the reader can see how Leviticus 10:1-2 is ?profitable for doctrine? today in that it shows God will be very displeased if we don?t worship him the way he has specified, but at the same time, Leviticus 10:1-2 isn?t our law today in the sense we must burn incense in worship today. We certainly can learn from things ?written aforetime.? For example, though Mark 6:18 isn?t directly dealing with NT law, we can learn from the Herod/Herodias example that if a person today contracts an unscriptural marriage according to NT law, he must get out of that marriage. He must stop sleeping / committing adultery with his unlawful spouse. By claiming Deuteronomy 14:1-4 still applies today, Robert is trying to be justified by the law, therefore he is fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4). Robert wants to pick out this one OT law to apply today so he can allow a put away woman to remarry. Robert is making the same mistake as most denominations, trying to go back to the OT for one or two laws. Paul said if you do that, you are ?a debtor to do the whole law? (Galatians 5:3). Robert isn?t even consistent enough to believe verses 5 and 10-11 of the same chapter apply today. Robert mentions Matthew 5:20 that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, and that is certainly true, as Jesus follows up with six cases where NT law is stricter than OT law. In this case, our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees in the sense we are amenable to a stricter law than they were. Robert says in those six cases ?Jesus was taking issue with the false notions (interpretations) of the Jews,? but how can this be so when Jesus quotes OT law in all six cases? Since when does a correct quote of God?s law represent a false notion? Robert says scholars/brethren agree with him that in Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus isn?t contrasting NT law with OT law, but there are scholars/brethren on both sides of the question. Besides, men aren?t our authority; only the Bible is. Yes, we use lexicons to determine the meaning of Greek words, but commentaries prove nothing. Many times even lexicons add commentary after giving their definitions for a word. For example, does Robert agree with the following ?scholarly? commentary?: ? ?the perfect state of all things, to be ushered in by the return of Christ from heaven, I Corinthians 13:10? (Thayer, page 618, #5046) ? "on behalf of the dead, i.e. to promote their eternal salvation by undergoing baptism in their stead, I Corinthians 15:29" (Thayer, page 94, #907) ? "in Acts 22:16 ? this 'washing away' was not in itself the actual remission of his sins, which had taken place at his conversion" (Vine?s, found under "wash") If there is one thing I have learned in debating the denominations, it is that commentaries can be quoted on both sides of just about every question. Only the inspired word of God is a reliable standard. In our case, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 24:1 in Matthew 5:31, and then begins verse 32 with the contrast word ?But? in order to make it clear his teaching is different than the law of Moses. Robert claims my view of Jesus? MDR law only makes things ?worse for women and men.? That is kind of like the drug addict thinking stricter laws against illegal drugs only make things worse for him and his friends. To the contrary, God?s law is designed to help people by keeping them away from things that hurt them (like broken homes and adultery). Robert says it was only my teaching on MDR (not Jesus and Paul?s) that contrasts with the law of Moses on MDR. Robert doesn?t really believe this or he would have to conclude that today ? ? the adulteress should be put to death Leviticus 20:10 ? polygamy is allowed Exodus 21:10, etc. ? a man must marry his brother?s widow to raise up seed Deuteronomy 25:5 Robert again asserts the woman of I Corinthians 7:11 isn?t unmarried. But the Greek and English text specifically use the word ?unmarried? to describe her. And she is told not to marry another, therefore we have a clear case contradicting Robert?s proposition. To be sure, not all unmarried (divorced) people may remarry. Robert?s use of commentaries that deny what the verse clearly says doesn?t help him. The wisdom of God trumps the wisdom of men every time (I Corinthians 1:18-31). Robert has two obscure translations that have ?as they are? instead of ?unmarried,? but even that wouldn?t argue the woman is only separated. If she was divorced she could still be told to remain as she was (as opposed to marrying another). Should anyone wonder why Robert understands this Greek word ?agamos? to mean ?unmarried? in I Corinthians 7:8, but just three verses later it means something else? Robert says ?unmarried? in I Corinthians 7:8 ?obviously includes those divorced,? but the same word in verse 11 doesn?t. That is strange logic, since verse 8 could possibly only be talking about people who have never been married, but verse 11 can?t since it is talking about a woman who has been married in the past (verse 10). If a married person departs to become ?unmarried,? that necessarily implies a divorce has occurred, right? Paul uses the Greek word ?agamos? in this chapter four times, and for some reason Robert understands it to mean unmarried every time except in verse 11. Consistency, thou art a jewel. Robert asks me ?If a person is divorced yet bound ? but not by marriage, what reasonable explanation is there for your theory that the binding force should forbid marriage?? The reason is God expects us to fulfill our marriage vows (not be ?covenant?breakers? Romans 1:31). We cannot circumvent that obligation simply by sinfully divorcing our wives. Romans 7:2-3 shows this when it gives the rule that a woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. Unscriptural divorce is never given in the NT as an exception to that rule. Matthew 5:32b shows the same when it says a divorced person commits adultery when they remarry. Why would this remarriage be adultery if the divorced person were not still bound (obligated) to their original spouse? About I Timothy 4:4 Robert agrees ?some marriages would be wrong.? Once he admits that, Robert?s argument on I Timothy 4:4 falls, because he is acknowledging we have to look elsewhere to find out what marriages we are not to forbid and which we are supposed to forbid. Robert asks ?If there is a legal divorce (which we agree ends the marriage) how can marrying result in adultery, since adultery is something that married people cannot do with each other?? My answer is that married people can commit adultery with each other (if the marriage is unscriptural). Following is proof: ? Matthew 5:32b whoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery ? Matthew 19:9a and shall marry another, committeth adultery ? Matthew 19:9b whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery ? Mark 10:11 and marry another, committeth adultery ? Mark 10:12 and be married to another, she committeth adultery ? Luke 16:18a and marrieth another, committeth adultery ? Luke 16:18b whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery ? Romans 7:3a if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress As seen from Romans 7:2-3, married people commit adultery with each other every time one of the parties in the marriage is supposed to be married (bound) to a previous spouse. Robert is honestly mistaken when he says I insist ?the one to get to the court house first is the only one that may marry another.? What I really believe is a person must obtain a divorce for fornication in order to remarry without sin (Matthew 19:9a). And that if a person marries a put away person, they commit adultery (Matthew 19:9b). And repentance would demand a person cease committing adultery (stop sleeping with their unscriptural marriage partner), which would mean adulterous marriages must be terminated (Mark 6:18). For more detail on this point, please consider my ?MDR ? Must an Unscriptural Marriage Be Terminated?? debate charts at www.BibleDebates.info . Patrick Donahue 256-721-0726 home 256-682-9753 cell go to www.BibleDebates.info to subscribe to the "Doctrine Matters" weekly email message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100330/aefcccd4/attachment-0001.html From PatDonahue at bellsouth.net Tue Mar 30 19:38:43 2010 From: PatDonahue at bellsouth.net (Patrick Donahue) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:38:43 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] For The Young People by Greg Gwin Message-ID: <006101cad06a$88fa8270$9aef8750$@net> More and more we hear folks deciding to attend a certain 'church' because "there are lots of good activities for the young people". Often it is the sole basis for making this important determination. 'Pro-grams', 'activities', and 'groups' for the young people - that's the drawing card. And, what activities are these folks searching for? Are we talking here about carefully arranged Bible classes that seek to instill an understanding of God's word in the hearts of our young people? Is it sound teaching from the pulpit and scrip-tural practice in the way the church does its business so that the young folks can learn respect for Bible authority? Is it love between brethren that manifests it-self by each individual demonstrating "hospitality one to another" (1 Pet. 4:9). Sadly, the answer is no. Instead, the activities that are desired "for the young people" are fun and games - 'youth groups' that sponsor parties, retreats, outings, camps, softball and basketball leagues, etc. The bigger the better and the more the merrier seem to be the rule. Lest anyone misunderstand, let it be known that we love basketball, baseball, camping, parties . . . and fun and food in general! We strongly favor such things being provided as an avenue of 'good, clean fun' for our young folks. But we insist that there is no authority in the Bible for the church to provide such. Let parents who really care see to it that the kids have these needed diversions, and let the church keep to its important au-thorized work. There's nothing better for our young people than this. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100330/a024e9c9/attachment-0001.html From tssullivan at charter.net Tue Mar 30 21:00:10 2010 From: tssullivan at charter.net (T. Sean Sullivan) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:00:10 -0500 Subject: [Biblemat] PT#3043 Message-ID: <866DBC42A24A4286B7079C6D68C55E22@seansdesk> Precious Thoughts #3043 What is a Christian supposed to be like? If you ask the average person in the world, they may suggest that a Christian is any "church-goer". Some have an opinion so loose that it includes anyone and everyone; others have determined a standard so incredibly tight that it hedges out even willing souls. We must cut through the clutter and get to a more reliable source of information. We need to put aside the guess work of men and seek God's answers. There is a passage of scripture that answers our question. In truth the majority of the New Testament is the guide for a Christian's completion. A good place to start is with the inspired writings of Peter. In Peter's first epistle we can read "As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word"(1 Peter 2:2). This passage tells us to emulate a baby's desire for milk, with our desire for God's word-this is to all Christians not just babes in Christ. So, in essence, to be as we should be, we would need to develop a strong desire for God's word. There are several examples of what Christians should be like in this short epistle. For now, we will focus our attention on 1 Peter 1:13-15. In verse thirteen, and the two that follow, we are going to be admonished to become, "as we should be". Our first admonition, "Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober." Just what is Peter asking us to do? We don't normally use this term "gird." When you hear "gird" I want you to think of the more common terms "gather" and "tighten." This term "gird" used to be much more common. There was a time when women, and some men, voluntarily inflicted themselves with the use of "girdles". They were a stiff undergarment that was tightened around the mid-section to make its wearer appear thinner. To "gird up" is to gather and tighten. The readers in the first century, and Peter himself, knew exactly what "to gird up" meant since they all wore clothing that resembled very long loose night shirts. When they intended to move about during the day they would gather the looseness of those garments at their waist with a belt so as to free their feet from tripping on the material. So where is the lesson in this? The parallel would be to gather up our loose thoughts and tighten them in, so that we might think soberly. In other words gather your mind and focus. A Christian is constantly focused. It is easy to lose focus and wander away so purposely reset the focus of your mind and all your intentions today. ~Sean -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100330/d4080b7a/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 24477 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100330/d4080b7a/attachment-0001.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 2201 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20100330/d4080b7a/attachment-0001.gif From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Mar 31 03:22:58 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:22:58 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] A) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? Message-ID: <4693f.24fa65db.38e46062@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. A very good Wednesday morning to each and everyone. Here is an article from my files: WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? It Is A Gift, A Blessing From God: -- Recognize its source and be grateful to Him Who made it possible (Acts 17:24,25; Job 12:10; Dan. 5:23). Don't regard it as a mistake or an accident. It Is A Great Opportunity For Good: -- Diligently use each golden moment (Gal. 2:20; Phil. 4:13). You can do so much with it. It Is A Solemn Responsibility: -- You must try to faithfully dischar- ge it (Acts 22:10; Eccl. 12:13). God gave you your life and has the right to tell you how to use it. Don't make the mistake of doing as you please. It Is A Precious Commodity: -- Be conscious of its value and re- solve not to waste it (Matt. 16:26). Life is precious. Each mom- ent is valuable; don't misuse or waste it. Life Is What You Make Of It: -- Make of it what it should be (2 Chron. 21:20; 35:24; Matt. 26:24; 2 Tim. 4:6 - 8). Our Thoughts, ideals, desires, aims, ambitions, words, deeds, and characters are what we make of them. Life Is An Example For Others To Follow: -- Make your life an ex- ample that is absolutely safe for others to follow (1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Tim. 4:12). You have no right to set for others a bad example (Matt. 18:6). Life Is A Vapor That Appears For A Little Time And Then Vanish- es Away: -- (Jas. 4:14). Consider its brevity and use each day in the right way (1 Pet. 1:23,24; Job 14:1,2). Don't count on a long life, intending to serve God "some day." Life Is The Seedtime Of An Eternal Harvest: -- Use it to make your eternal destiny a happy one (Gal. 6:6-8; 2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 16:27). Our lives cannot be what they should be until we see them in their relation to eternity. Your destiny is in your hands (Psa. 119:109). ---------- Author Unknown. A little boy asked his dad: "Dad what is a Christian?" The father answered: "A Christian is oen who receives Jesus into his heart and obeys Him. He love hsi friends and neighbors and even his enemies. He prays often, is kind, gentle, holy and is more interested in going to heaven than in owning all of earth's riches." "That, my son, is a Christian." The little boy asked his father, "Dad have I ever seen one?" From J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com Wed Mar 31 03:23:06 2010 From: J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com (J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:23:06 EDT Subject: [Biblemat] S) GREAT REASONS FOR FAITH (2) Message-ID: <46947.18620964.38e4606a@wmconnect.com> Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here. Here is the second installment of this particular study. Use to the glory of God. GREAT REASONS FOR FAIT