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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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June 23, 2013
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Contents:
1) Dealing With God's Divine Providence (Harold Hancock)
2) 'I Don't Want My Kids To Be Different' (Greg Gwin)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
Dealing With God's Divine Providence
by Harold Hancock
If one believes the Bible, he must believe in providence.
Providence is divine care, and the Bible teaches that God cares for
us. Jesus called the attention of His disciples to the fowl of
the air -- how they sow not, neither reap, nor gather into barns and
yet God feeds them. He asked, "Are not ye much better than
they" (Matthew 6:26)? If God cares for the birds, does He not
much more care for man who is created in His image (Genesis
1:26)? Peter told us to cast all our troubles upon the Lord,
saying, "He careth for us" (I Peter 5:7).
God in His wisdom has provided food for man by furnishing the earth
with animals and fruit bearing trees (Genesis 9:3; 1:29). He
makes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on both the just and the
unjust (Matthew 5:45). He gives us fruitful seasons (Acts
14:17), and in Him we "live and move and have our being" (Acts
17:28). He has also provided great spiritual blessings for us
in Christ Jesus, including salvation (Ephesians 1:3; Titus
2:11). He is longsuffering not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). All of
these things manifest God's great care for man and are a part of
God's providence.
But does God intervene in the lives of men today to make things
happen or to work His plans? He has in times past. After
Joseph had been sold by his brothers, had been cast into prison by
Potiphar, and had interpreted the Pharaoh's dreams, he was made
second in Egypt. He revealed himself to his brothers when they
came to Egypt for grain, and said to them, "Now therefore be not
grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God
did send me before you to preserve life. God sent me before
you to preserve you a posterity in the earth and to save your lives
by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me
hither, but God" (Genesis 45:5,7,8). Modecai suggests that God
may have made Esther queen to Ahasuerus, king of the Medes and
Persians, just so she could deliver the Jews from destruction.
Modecai asked Esther, "Who knows whether thou art come into the
kingdom for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). I see nothing
in the Scriptures that teaches that God cannot work this way in the
lives of men today. It seems to me that Scriptures such as
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and
it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7), and "Be careful for
nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God" (Philippians
4:6), assure us that God is active today in the affairs of
men. Some are quick to deny "special providence." They
say that such makes the laws of nature less than perfect. Were
the laws of nature less than perfect when God worked in the life of
Joseph? No! And neither must they be less than perfect
for God to work in our lives today.
Providence does not demand miracles as some suppose. James
tells us "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he
prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on earth
by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and
the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit" (James
5:16-18). On this latter occasion Elijah "went up to the top
of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face
between his knees, and said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward
the sea.' And he went up and looked, and said, 'There is
nothing.' And he said, 'Go again' seven times. And it came to
pass at the seventh time, that he said, 'Behold, there ariseth a
little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand...' And it came
to pass ... that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and
there was a great rain" (I Kings 18:42- 45). Clearly God
answered Elijah's prayer on this occasion. But He did not
answer it with a miracle. A miracle is something that is
supernatural. It is not supernatural for clouds to arise from
the sea and for rain to fall from them. Without working a
miracle today God can answer our prayer and give us our daily bread
(Matthew 6:11) or open doors for us to preach the gospel of Christ
(Colossians 43). Do not limit God. All of nature is at
His command, and He may use it to work His will in the lives of men
today.
Even though God may work in this manner in the lives of persons
today, this does not mean that we will know just how or when God is
doing it. Mordecai's words to Esther were, "And who knoweth
whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this"
(Esther 4:14). Mordecai did not know for certain that God had
made Esther queen for this purpose. Paul wrote to Philemon and
encouraged him to accept back Onesimus, a runaway slave whom Paul
had converted to Christ. He said, "For perhaps he therefore
departed for a season, that thou should receive him for ever; Not
now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved" (Philemon
4:15,16). "Perhaps" suggests only the possibility of the thing
spoken of by Paul and not the certainty of it. If these people
could not discern with certainty the workings of God in the lives of
people, how can we?
There are several reasons why we cannot know how and when God is
working through providence in the lives of people today. God
does not speak to men today separate and apart from the Bible (II
Timothy 3:16,17). He is not going to thunder down special
instructions to men today from heaven, nor speak to us today by a
"small still voice from within us" and reveal to us the "specific
plans" He may have. We can know today only what the Bible
reveals to us.
Things happen also for reasons other than God's intervention.
We know that through the evil Joseph suffered, God preserved a
posterity for Israel. But why did Cain kill Abel (Genesis
4)? We are told of no "special plan" of God's that was worked
by Abel's death. As far as we know, Abel's earthly life was
wasted because of the envy and jealousy of Cain. It was Satan
that caused Job to suffer, not God (Job 12; 2:6). One hundred
and eighty-five thousand men of Sennacherib's army were destroyed in
one night by an angel of the Lord. But many men die because of
the laws of nature. "Man that is born of a woman is of few
days..." (Job 14:1). We cannot distinguish God's workings
through providence.
The reason we know that God was working in the life of Joseph to
make certain things happen is because of the side of the story on
which we stand, and because God has told us so in the Bible.
We sometimes sing "Farther along we'll understand." We may
have to wait until we get to the other side of life to understand
all of God's workings, and even then, I do not know for sure that we
will be told why all things happened as they did.
The secret of dealing with God's providence is not to ponder "the
why" of every situation, but it is to always do what is right in
each situation. When Joseph was sold into slavery, he did not
whine and cry and say, "why me?"; he was the best slave he could
be. When he was pursued by Potiphar's wife and resisted the
temptation, he was cast into prison; but Joseph did not give up with
despair; he was the best prisoner he could be, and God made him
second in Egypt and worked a great work by him. If we too will
always do what is right, no matter what happens in this life and no
matter whether it occurs by the design of God or by happenstance, we
will be judged faithful by a Lord who cares.
God cares for man and is active in the lives of men today. If
I will work with God by doing those things God has declared in the
Bible as right, all things will work to the good of my soul. I must
trust God and obey Him (Job 13:15; Hebrews 5:9).
-- Via Gospel Truths, September 2010, Volume 1, Number 9
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Romans 8:31,32: “What shall we then say to these things? If
God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him
also freely give us all things?”
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-2-
'I Don't Want My Kids To Be Different'
by Greg Gwin
Although most Christians wouldn't say it in so many words, many
parents seem to be very concerned about things that might make their
kids look 'different.' They are concerned about raising their
children in strict, disciplined ways that might make them stand out
in contrast to others. They mistakenly feel a need to have
their kids 'blend in' with kids at school, etc.
Well, let's see about that . . .
* Statistics indicate that 13% of teens in America have had sex
before their 15th birthday, and 70% have had intercourse before they
reach 20 (1). 'But, I don't want my kids to be
different.' Really!?! Are you sure about that?
* 6.5% of 8th graders, 17% of 10th graders, and 23% percent of 12th
graders used marijuana in the past month, while 3.6% of 8th graders,
14.5% of 10th graders, and 28% of 12th graders reported getting
drunk in the past month (2). But you say, 'I don't want my
kids to be different.' Are you kidding!?!
* 35% of teenage boys and 26% of teenage girls admit to
shoplifting. 83% say they have lied to their parents about
something significant, and 64% admitted to cheating on tests
(3). Yet, you're still worried about your kids being
'different'? How can that be!?!
Why are parents so worried about their children being viewed as
'normal' in such a wicked, immoral world? NOW is the time to
be teaching them, training them, and helping them to realize that
pleasing God will require a way of life that is truly 'different' --
even 'weird' -- by the norms of the ungodly society that surrounds
us. If you don't instruct them in their youth to 'come out
from among them and be separate' (2 Cor. 6:17), don't be surprised
if they reach adulthood without a true and sacrificial love for
God. Think!
(1) Guttmacher Institute
(2) National Institute on Drug Abuse
(3) Josephson Institute
- Via The Beacon, January 22, 2013
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-3-
News & Notes
Let those of us who are Christians be remembering the following
people in prayer:
Virginia Fontenot recently had a colonoscopy that
revealed almost a complete obstruction, due to a tumor, which will
require surgery for an intestinal resection. Every other
Monday she receives chemo, and the last time was the most difficult
yet. She couldn't walk or even stand afterwards -- so had to
be wheeled in a wheelchair. But for the good news, her cancer
markers have dropped incredibly! Originally, they had been at
497; but now they are all the way down to just 14. So the
treatment is working. The doctor wants her to have another
round of chemo and then see the surgeon about the bowel
resection. After her surgery, she will then undergo 6 more
rounds of chemo, like she has been having. After which she
will then be put on a maintenance dose.
Linda Blevins, who was recently told that her kidneys were
working at only 50% and has been diagnosed with bilateral renal
artery stenosis and has hydronephrosis, will be seeing another
nephrologist July 9.
Penny Foley (Jackson Moon's great aunt) had surgery June 21
to remove a tumor in her leg.
Ellen Gordy recently had a heart attack that required several
days in the hospital and three stents.
Jean Calloway is recuperating from a cardiac arrest on May 8
and continues receiving dialysis three times a week, therapy, and
other treatments.
Jennifer Crews is back in the hospital. She has been
dealing with mental disorders for more than 25 years.
Janice Webb (Anthony's mother) is healing from the removal of
her thyroid, due to a malignant tumor. Her voice is not
completely back yet, but it soon should be.
Cindy Crews is now healing from her second surgery for breast
cancer.
Ashley Robertson Walters' recent bout with a kidney stone has
not been troubling her lately, but there is an uncertainty as to
whether it is no longer with her.
Pam MacDonald is still healing from major back surgery that
required adding 16 pieces of metal to her spinal
column.
Bill Barfield (Virginia Fontenot's brother) has now spent
about 15 months in a few different hospitals continuously.
Robert Howton will soon be having surgery, due to bladder
stones that he has had for about a year.
* Let us also be remembering the following
in prayer: Tom
Smitherman (Lee's father) who has been diagnosed with an
aggressive prostate cancer; Cheryl Crews who has
some chronic ailments; and Shirley Young who suffers
continually from fibromyalgia.
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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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Park Forest
CHURCH OF CHRIST
9923 Sunny Cline Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 6 PM (worship)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)