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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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December 28, 2014
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Contents:
1) "Work Out Your Own Salvation" (Bill Lambert)
2) The Whisperer (Paul C. Keller)
3) Drawing Strength from the Courage of Others (Bill Hall)
4) Why God Matters (Steven F. Deaton)
5) News & Notes
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-1-
"Work Out Your Own Salvation"
by Bill Lambert
In Phil 2:12-13, the apostle Paul writes about our relationship with
God and emphasizes the importance of our dedicated attention to
personal involvement in that salvation which is afforded us in
Christ Jesus. Note: "Therefore, my beloved, as ye have always
obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure." It is God working in us when we work. If we
are not interested in going to heaven above all else, we will not go
there.
This does not mean that we have to "work our way to heaven" in the
sense that what we do will earn us a place there. What is intended
is that we continually work, that we work until the end. There
is not to be a "let-up" in our activity as children of God. We
must have zeal for God.
A zealous person, according to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words, is an "uncompromising partisan." God's word teaches
us the importance of continuous, zealous activity. Paul writes
about the Lord, that he "gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). Are you
"zealous of good works?" This is what the Lord requires of his
"special (peculiar) people." Do you consider yourself one of God's
special people?
When it is said of a person that he has been "working out," we
understand that he has been actively involved in strenuous
exercises. So it is with the child of God. He must be an
active participant in his salvation, and must be that until the
end. Note these words of encouragement from the inspired
writer.
We are encouraged to be "steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in
vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). Are you one of God's good
workers?
-- Via the Eastside Enlightener
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-2-
The Whisperer
by Paul C. Keller
Of the many sins into which men fall, the position of a whisperer is
one of the lowest. His way is to be despised by a right
thinking people. The whisperer is engaged in a devilish
work. Envying the honor and good name of another he does all
he can to destroy it by baseless insinuations and
misrepresentation. He declares secretly, and with great
reserve, the supposed faults of others (always in the absence of
those whom he seeks to defame).
The whisperer is a cowardly sneak. He has not the courage to
come out in the open and say the damaging things about others.
He dares not have the light of fair investigation turned upon the
false things he tells. Secretly he peddles his slanderous
statements and insinuations against the object of his campaign of
spite. If he can, he will destroy a good name, and then gloat
over what he has been able to accomplish.
The whisperer sows discord among his brethren. Such is an
abomination unto God (Prov. 6:19). Yet, as a result of his
efforts to accomplish his ungodly purposes, discord and division
often result. But this does not bother the whisperer -- it
merely gives him opportunity for further practice of his nefarious
work. He will simply get busy with his "Whispering Campaign"
and seek to place the blame on someone else for the division that
he, himself, caused.
The whisperer is not particular as to the truth of what he
tells. The very method he employs bears testimony to this
fact. He may include a smattering of the truth to make his
lies sound plausible. But if he does, he so perverts that truth that
it is false when he spouts it forth. Yes, his very method
belies what he tells. No, his interest is not in the
truth. He will not tell the truth! His is interested in
defaming and destroying the good name of another. He will tell
what he thinks will accomplish this.
It is no wonder that the New Testament twice catalogues the sin of
"whispering" along with such sins as: Fornication, wickedness,
maliciousness, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, hateful to
God, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, swellings, tumults,
etc. (Rom. 1:29-30; 2 Cor. 12:20). Whispering has earned its
place among the blackest and vilest of sins.
In spite of the infamy of his sin the whisperer often succeeds in
harming the reputation of another. Thus, he impairs the
usefulness of that person. When one is robbed of his good
reputation, doors of usefulness are thereby shut in his face that
otherwise would have remained open. It is in such an unholy
work as this that the whisperer takes pride!
The whisperer is not worthy of a place among decent people. Only the
Lord can properly reward such a character! AND THE LORD WILL.
-- Via PAUSE-PONDER-PROFIT, Paragould, Arkansas
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-3-
Drawing Strength from the Courage of Others
by Bill Hall
How thankful we should be for wonderful examples of courage that
spur us on to greater strength in the Lord's service.
Paul was just such an example: "And many of the brethren in the
Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the
word without fear" (Phil. 1:14). These brethren, formerly timid and
reticent, were drawing strength from the courage of Paul.
Other examples abound. Stephen's plea, "Lord, lay not this sin to
their charge," surely had for its source of strength the forgiving
spirit of the Lord (Acts 7:60). The Thessalonian church found a
source of strength in the example of the churches in Judea (1 Thess.
2:14). The Philippian church, a model of courage and conviction,
could no doubt trace much of its strength back to the wonderful
example of patience and equanimity demonstrated by Paul and Silas
while in their midst. The Hebrew Christians were admonished to
"remember them that had the rule over you, men that spake unto you
the word of God; and considering the issue of their life, imitate
their faith" (Heb. 13:7).
Christians of this generation are similarly drawing strength from
the courage of others. Young men who refuse to miss services of the
church to play on a ball team; young women who refuse to be seen in
public in scanty attire; businessmen who would lose their jobs
rather than compromise their convictions; women who continue to
adorn themselves in "meek and quiet spirits" whatever the
sophisticated world thinks or says of them; sick people who bear
their afflictions with patience and faith; elderly people who
continue to attend worship when they are hardly able to go anywhere
else; dying people who demonstrate how Christians ought to die; all
are sources of strength and courage for others as they face similar
circumstances. These all share a common spirit with the great
characters of the Bible: they see in their temptations, trials,
afflictions, and persecutions a special opportunity to be like
Christ, to demonstrate their fidelity to Him, and to provide a
source of strength for those who might be weak and wavering around
them. They seize the opportunity and stand, and all of us are
stronger because of them. Of these courageous people this world
truly is not worthy.
Are we, however, to be always on the receiving end of the strength
of others? As we draw strength from the courage of others, we must
in turn become sources of strength and courage. Others look to us.
In the words of Charles Wesley, each of us has a "charge to keep,"
and "God to glorify," a present age to serve.
-- Via The Beacon, February 12, 2013
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-4-
Why God Matters
by Steven F. Deaton
Does God matter? Some behave as though He does not; living their own
way. They curse, drink, gossip, lie, cheat, steal, or commit
fornication. To them, God does not matter. However, logic and the
Bible, teach that God does matter.
God matters because He is the Creator. He made all things through
His Son (Gen. 1:1; Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16, 17). Being the Creator, He
is superior to the creature, man (Gen. 1:26, 27). He gave man life,
breath, and all things (Acts 17:25). He is not only the giver of
life, but the sustainer as well (Heb. 1:2; Acts 14:17). He matters.
God matters because He is the Judge. God is the giver of the law of
Christ (Jn. 16:7-15). All men will stand before God and be judged by
Jesus Christ according to His law (2 Cor. 5:10; Jn. 5:22; 12:48).
Hence, God matters.
God matters because He is God. The very nature of God demands the
conclusion that He is relevant. God is the Almighty (Gen. 17:1). He
knows all things and with Him all things are possible (Psa.
139:7-12; Heb. 4:13; Mk. 14:36). He is self-existent and eternal
(Ex. 3:14; Psa. 90:2). The President of the United States matters
because He is the president. The CEO of a company matters to people
in the company because he is the CEO. The God of the universe
matters because He is God.
-- Via the Hebron Herald, February 2014, Volume 38, Number 2
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News & Notes
Congratulations to Mark and Emily Cox (Jonathan and Anita
Abbott's son-in-law and daughter) for the birth of their first child
on December 30! Jim and Martha Lively's first great
grandchild!
Let those of us who are Christians be praying for the following
people:
A couple weeks ago, Deena Hensley Fields began suffering
sciatic pain in several places, but mainly in her knee, which is
probably due to her having lifted a small boat with some friends and
injuring a few lower discs in her back in the process.
Penny Medlock has been having a bad cough recently that might
require seeing a doctor.
Danny Bartlett has been experiencing severe pain, due to gout
in his big toe.
Judy Daugherty (Jim Lively's sister) had a serious fall a
couple weeks ago that required being hospitalized for several days,
but is now back home. No bones had been broken, but she did
receive bruises.
A prayer request has also been made for Jesse Bailey who has
been dealing with cancer for some time.
Dolly Downs Moody is now back home, after her stay in the
Mayo hospital for several weeks of cancer treatments and
tests. Until her white blood count starts building itself up,
she is now commuting once a week to a hospital closer to her home to
take care of that. Around mid February, she will then be given
an update on her condition.
Also to be praying for: Myrna Jordan, Jim Lively, Marie Turner,
Ginger Ann Montero, Ronnie Davis, Rex and Frankie Hadley, Jewel
Wilson, Mary Vandevander, Deborah Medlock, Shirley Davis, Dexter
Roberts, Robin Brown, Steve Vista, Sue Wooten, and Colleen
Henson.
It was so good to see Danielle Howard walking into the
services Sunday without the use of a walker! Since around
April, she hadn't been able to do that until about a week 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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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)