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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 12, 2016
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Contents:
1) How Do We Pray? (Matt Arnold)
2) "Turning a Stray" (Dan Shipley)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
How Do We Pray?
Matt Arnold
There are many ways in which each of us could answer this question.
Before we try to tell ourselves that God is satisfied with our
prayer, let's take an honest look at what we're doing and compare it
to a few passages in the Bible that show us what God expects.
James 5:16 says "The effective prayer of a righteous man can
accomplish much." I believe we sometimes skim over this without
realizing the gravity of that statement. Based on this short phrase,
and an even shorter phrase in 1 Thess. 5:17, I'd like to look at the
"Three Qs" of prayer.
Quality- Now this doesn't mean that every prayer we say to
the Lord must be perfectly eloquent or long, but it does mean that
when we talk to God, we should want to really talk to God. Prayer,
while it should be something we participate in often, shouldn't be
routine or common. It is a wonderful gift, and I think far too often
we take it for granted. Be mindful of what it is you're saying to
God when you approach the throne. Are we praising Him? Thanking Him?
Confessing to Him? Asking for spiritual strength? There are a lot of
things we might pray about that wouldn't particularly be considered
effective, as James laid out. Let's reconsider the things we say and
the way in which we say them to God.
Quantity- There isn't a number given to us for how many
times we ought to pray each day. I'm happy about that; because I
believe that if there were, we would be tempted to make it habitual
and meaningless. But Paul does instruct us to "Pray without ceasing"
(1 Thess. 5:17). This doesn't mean we must have a constant prayer
running all day long. What Paul is saying to us is that we should
never give up prayer. It is such a powerful tool that God has given
us, and it should be the first thing we do when faced with a
problem, or with a wonderful blessing. When we look at people like
Nehemiah, David, Daniel, Paul, Peter, and Jesus, we see they are
consistently communicating with God! Quantity, or the amount you
pray, is really more about your entire attitude toward communication
with God. The amount of times that you earnestly and sincerely talk
to God will reflect the place He has in your life.
Qualifiers- Let's not fool ourselves and think that
everyone's prayers are answered indiscriminately by God. If we
aren't in a right relationship with God, He is not obligated to
answer our prayers. We may claim to be a Christian, but if we aren't
truly following Him or if our hearts are in the wrong place, it's
not guaranteed that He will give us what we request. Thankfully, if
we are living and striving in a way that pleases God, James gives us
reassurance in the power of our prayer. James 1:5-8 contrasts the
double-minded man and the humble servant in their requests. James
again qualifies prayer in James 5:16. There are three, which I
emphasized. Effectiveness goes back into the quality of what we are
saying to God, whether it is vain repetition or fervent
supplication. Righteous here refers to the state of the man's soul
when praying, his relationship with God. And then James says it can
accomplish much. That is a reference to the power of the One to whom
we are praying.
The 3 Qs are something I think about a lot, but it can be difficult
to apply without specifics or some guidelines to get us thinking
about the different things we ought to be praying about. So,
continuing with alliteration, this is a list I saw in a sermon
several years ago; and I wrote it down because I found it very
helpful. I'm hoping you do as well.
Purpose- Sometimes we begin to wonder why we matter or what
we should be doing with our lives. God knows, ask Him.
Pals- Friends, family, etc. Praying for their needs and their
safety can help them more than we know.
Personal- Time to talk about our needs, blessings, and
growth. We can't be afraid to get really intimate with God, because
after all, He already knows. But He wants us to talk to Him about
it.
Purity- Whether mental, sexual, or spiritual, this is
something we have to address when we come before God. Remember the
prayer of David, "Create in me a clean heart, O God..." (Psalm
51:10).
Possessions- It's not wrong to pray about the physical things
you have or need, but what I mean here is really the attitude with
which you talk to God about money and your other blessings. Ask Him
to help you be a good steward.
Pointers- We must always ask God for advice or help when
faced with a problem. He has the solution, and He has made it known
that He is willing to help. Let's overcome our pride and realize
that we cannot rely upon ourselves like we can rely upon God.
Perspective- Going back to James 1, we need to ask God for
wisdom. When kneeling before the throne, ask for God's wisdom and
His help in seeing life the way we ought to. This past year, I had a
lot of issues with my perspective on life, and after a lot of asking
for the wrong things the wrong ways, I finally came back to this
list and saw that I'd been going about my communication with God all
wrong.
I hope and pray that this was helpful to you, and remember that I
keep you all in my prayers.
-- Via articles of the Danville church of Christ, Danville,
Kentucky, April 6, 2016
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-2-
"Turning a Stray"
Dan Shipley
The bank just presented me with my annual dividend -- a new wall
calendar. I like it. Mostly, I guess, because it
features a western scene. Its central figure is a hard riding
cowboy attempting to turn a galloping steer back to the herd.
The painting is appropriately called, "Turning a
stray." As I reflected on this scene and its title, it
brought to mind another kind of stray -- one whose plight
ought to be the concern of every faithful Christian.
The spiritual stray represents one of the oldest and most
perplexing problems among God's people. Scarcely a
congregation has escaped his hurtful effects, not to mention what he
does to himself. Many have agonized over solutions. What
can we do? Well, regardless of what we decide, it may
be helpful to ponder his plight for a moment. How does one get
to be a stray to start with? Obviously, it is not a deliberate
thing, as the world itself indicates. Another word describing
the same process is the word "drift" as found in Hebrews 2:1.
In this context (verses 1-3) we find a clue, not only to the cause
of this condition, but to its cure as well: "Therefore we ought
to give more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest
haply we drift away from them...how shall we escape if we neglect
so great a salvation...?" It is not that one plans to
stray and many are a long time in realizing they have.
Herein we see the deceptiveness of this gradual
and almost unconscious process. It always begins with a slight
loss of spiritual appetite; a little less interest;
and a bit less involvement -- almost imperceptible at first,
not only to the stray but to his undiscerning brethren as well.
In fact, what we normally consider to be the first sign of drifting
may be nearer the last -- and that is absenteeism from Bible
classes and worship services. This may be due to a faulty
concept of faithfulness; one that is more oriented to the church
than to the Lord. While it is true that faithfulness involves
our presence in assemblies, it does not follow that merely attending
services makes one faithful. Being in the pew and in the faith
are not the same. Lips that say "Lord, Lord," even from the pew,
mean very little when the heart is far from Him (Matthew
15:8). And such a heart is where the problem begins. In
spiritual deterioration the heart is always the first to go.
So it is the straying heart and not so much its symptoms that must
be dealt with if meaningful changes are to be effected. And this
brings us back to the remedy suggested in our context.
The key to faithfulness is giving heed to "the things that were
heard"; the Word of God -- and the "more earnest"
the better. The more one's attention is on God's truth, the
less apt he is to stray. Not only will this keep one with God,
it will restore the stray (if anything will). You might say
that heeding truth will keep us from turning astray and at the same
time help us turn a stray. Only an appeal to truth can bring
men to God or return men to Him. With it we can instruct,
remind and admonish; but it is our only power to turn a
stray. The need is to heed!
-- Via the University Heights Messenger, Volume 8, Number 17
(April 24, 2016), Lexington, Kentucky
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-3-
News & Notes
Brianna Mackey (Felicia's daughter and Cheryl Corbitt's
4-day-old grandchild) will be spending the next couple weeks in the
hospital, due to meningitis. She was admitted Saturday and
flown from the hospital in Dublin to one in Macon.
Easton Cox had CT scans Tuesday on his chest and abdomen that
showed "clear," which is good. He continues, however, to have pain
from neuropathy, which causes him to be restless at night and have
trouble sleeping. He will be having 3 more chemo treatments
over the next 11 weeks, which will be stronger.
For the Medlocks, Penny is coming along well from
the extraction of all her wisdom teeth. Recent tests have
found "nothing unusual" with James, but he will be having
another sleep test today. And though Bennie might be having
another sleep test, previous results have shown "Everything is
good."
Carole Drain had her chemo treatment Friday, which was her
second to the last, and with her final one being the third Friday
from now.
James Green can use our prayers as he is undergoing stressful
difficulties.
Let us also be remembering in our prayers Mary Vandevander
(who is housebound), and Sue Wooten (in the nursing home).
WordPress version of this bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/the-gospel-observer-june-12-2016/
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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, living for the Lord;
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)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Ladies' Bible class)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com
(Gospel Observer website with pictures in WordPress)
http://thomastedwards.com/go
(Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)