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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).
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May 2, 2010
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Contents:
1) The Veneration of Mary (Connie W. Adams)
2) Revenge or Kindness (Alan Smith)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
The Veneration of Mary
by Connie W. Adams
Somehow the word got out that Mary was to put in an appearance at a
Catholic church building in Cold Spring in northern Kentucky around
midnight on August 31. As might be expected a large number of people
gathered, some from distant places, to witness this event. The media
gave it wide coverage. A professor from a Catholic school said it was
his "opinion" that Mary did appear to the "pastor" of that church and
thought that this place might become a shrine. Another party said she
saw Mary in a pine tree. One woman said she had already had a miracle
-- her silver colored rosary beads turned to gold.
What is behind all this excitement? Numerous claims have been made over
the years that Mary has appeared in unlikely places. At Conyers,
Georgia, a woman claimed that Mary appeared now and then to her on her
computer screen. Bus loads of pilgrims have been there. We have all
heard of Fatima and Lourdes. Many miracles have been claimed at these
spots. Entrepreneurs have seized the moment to hustle all the traffic
would bear. At Cold Spring, before the day was over,
T-shirts were being stamped and marketed.
But all of this grows out of ignorance of the Bible and what it teaches
about Mary. Superstition thrives on ignorance. The Bible teaches that
Mary was a devout young Jewish woman who was favored by God when she
was allowed to be the mother of Jesus our Lord. Isaiah had prophesied
that "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and thou shalt call his
name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14). Mary was that virgin. An angel of God
appeared to tell her, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is
with thee: blessed art thou among women" (Lk. 1:28). Then she was told,
"The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee: Therefore also that holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (v. 35).
Mary was a virgin at the time of conception and remained so until after
the birth of Jesus. "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the
angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew
her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his
name Jesus" (Mt. 1:24-25). But she was not a perpetual virgin as
Catholic dogma insists. The expression "knew her not" means they had no
fleshly relations "till she had brought forth her firstborn son." The
implication of that is clear. He did not "know her" until after Jesus
was born. Did he "know her" after that? Yes, indeed. Jesus not only had
a mother, he also had brothers.
"While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren
stood without, desiring to speak with him" (Mt. 12:46). When he came to
Nazareth the people who knew him there said, "Is not this the
carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren,
James, and Joses, and Simon and Judas?" (Mt. 13:55). In Mark 6:3
his brothers are named again and it is added that he had sisters.
That Mary was a devout, God-fearing woman we stoutly believe. That she
was a virgin at the time of conception we also confidently believe. But
to teach that she remained a virgin is to flatly dispute what the Bible
clearly states. The doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary is
false. "Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled" (Heb.
13:4). That was true for Joseph and Mary as for others. Mary was never
intended to be the object of veneration. She was not declared in
Scripture to be a mediator or intercessor for God's people. There is
not a trace of a hint in the word of God that prayers were ever
addressed to her so that she might "pray for us sinners." "There is one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). Jesus
taught his disciples, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name,
he will give it you" (Jno. 16:23). In fact, the whole notion of dead
saints interceding for the living is foreign to the Bible.
Christians constitute a "royal priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:9) and we have
every right to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb.
4:16). Every Christian is a priest unto God and may "offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).
We have only one high priest, Jesus Christ. "Which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into
that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even
Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek"
(Heb. 6:19-20).
For centuries the Roman Catholic church has required superstitious
relics to keep the ignorant deceived. I have witnessed at St.
Peter's in Rome a long line of pilgrims waiting their turn to kneel and
kiss the foot of a metal statue seated in a chair which purports to be
a statue of Peter. The truth is, it was originally a statue of the
Greek god Jupiter which was taken in one of the crusades and brought to
Rome and given a new identity. The foot which these pilgrims kiss is
actually the third one welded to that leg, the first two having been
kissed so many times they were worn away. There are two Catholic
churches in Rome each claiming to have as a relic the skeletal head of
John the Baptist. Two-headed, was he? Near Rome is the Church of
the Three Fountains where it is claimed Paul was executed. The legend
goes that when his head was severed from his body at the executioner's
block that it bounced three times and that each time it struck the
ground a fountain burst forth. They have an abbey there and a church
building is constructed so that the altar is near the spot of these
three fountains. Near the catacombs is a small church building with a
velvet rope around a plaster caste of what is claimed to be the
footprint of Peter preserved for centuries in the sand and now given
more permanent form for posterity to see. This is in the "Quo Vadis
Church." In the cathedral in Turin there is a vial of cloudy looking
substance which purports to be actual milk from the breast of the
virgin Mary. The relic in numerous locations is a splinter from the
actual cross of Jesus. One Catholic church building in Rome displays
the chains of Paul. On and on it goes with legend after legend to
dazzle the faithful.
The religion of the Lord Jesus Christ has been revealed by the Holy
Spirit to inspired men in the first century who spoke that message
orally and who write it down on the pages of Scripture. Divine
Providence has preserved that sacred message for all the world to read.
It is an absolute standard by which every doctrine and practice may be
measured. It says the same thing to everybody. We may misunderstand it
differently, but if we understand it, we will understand it alike. That
message was confirmed by miraculous demonstrations in the time frame in
which it was being revealed and attested by witnesses who told what
they saw and heard. 2 Pet. 1:16-18 and 1 Jno. 1:1-3 speak to this
point.
In spite of all the excitement and expectation on August 31, 1992 in
Cold Spring, Kentucky, the only appearance was in the imagination of
those who willed it so. Of the resurrection of Christ, Paul said, "this
thing was not done in a corner." After his resurrection Paul said,
"After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of
whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen
asleep" (1 Cor. 15:6). How different that is from a professor saying
that it was his "opinion" that the "pastor of the church" did receive
an appearance of the virgin, Mary, or a woman saying that she saw her
in a pine tree. Frankly, I would not turn around for the difference in
this whole affair and the claim of Oral Roberts that he saw a 900 ft.
Jesus who talked with him for several hours and told him to tell his
viewers on television to each send him $40 so he could get his troubled
"ministry" out of debt. Both of these claims are based on subjective
evidence.
Respect Mary for her devout character and rejoice that God so favored
her to bear our Lord. Absolutely! But venerate her beyond the
role God gave her and address prayers to her and invoke her to "pray
for us sinners?" Well, no, we have one mediator to do that for us and
through his name we may come before the throne of the Almighty
ourselves with our petitions.
-- Via Searching the Scriptures, October 1992, Volume 33, Number 10.
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-2-
Revenge or Kindness
by Alan Smith
I suspect that few of us would admit to living by the motto, "An eye
for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" (Matthew 5:38), but let's be honest
-- there is something in us that enjoys the idea of getting revenge.
Some of the more popular movies throughout the past years have been
those that opened with someone being mistreated. We spend the rest of
the movie anxiously waiting for the hero to get the opportunity to
exact his revenge -- and then we cheer!
It's not much different on a personal level. I suspect that whenever
somebody does you wrong, the temptation is there to immediately start
thinking of what you can do to get them back. But, if you find yourself
tempted to take revenge, may I suggest two things:
(1) Resist the temptation to exchange evil for evil. That temptation
will always be strong and we need to realize that it will be there. But
we also need to remember the emptiness and hollowness of revenge and
resentment.
(2) Show your enemy kindness. Abraham Lincoln was once accused of being
too nice to his enemy. He was told to be firmer; he must destroy his
enemies. He replied, "I do destroy them when they become my friends."
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and
hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who
curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matt. 5:43-44).
-- Via The Beacon, April 20, 2010
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-3-
News & Notes
On May 7, it will be three weeks after I was told that my mother would
live only about another week. She has been an exception to the
rule and continues to amaze the hospice crew that works with her.
Though often confused, due to her pain medication (which she takes
every 4 hours) and the cancer that has probably also gone to her brain,
she is still responsive; but says little in her now whispery
voice. Her memory, along with her appetite, is also going; and
she now has even forgotten me and my sister (Helen Bott). If you
are a Christian, please remember my mother (Marian Edwards) in your
prayers.
Let us also continue praying for Agnes Shuff's (who is being treated
with medicine for her heart and arteries), and Eloise Craver (who has
continual pain in her hip from her surgery serveral months ago).
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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).
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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
tedwards@onemain.com
tedwards1109@gmail.com
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/audioser.html (audio sermons)
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.
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