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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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November 12, 2017
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Contents:
1) Setting Forth the Right Example (Tom Edwards)
2) Paul's Commitment to God (Tom Edwards)
3) "I've Been Studying This For A Long Time" (Greg Gwin)
4) News & Notes
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Setting Forth the Right Example
Tom Edwards
Back in the early 80s, I heard a sermon by Raymond Castillo about
“the legacy parents leave their children.” Though, perhaps, we
would normally think of a legacy as something tangible, such as
property or money obtained through a will, it has also come to have
a broader meaning. And the preacher then went on to point out
the most important kind of legacy that a parent can leave to his
children -- and it did not pertain to personal property nor material
wealth; but, rather, to the example of a godly life!
Setting forth the right example is what we are to do for the
Lord. As Paul instructs, "Do all things without grumbling or
disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and
innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked
and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the
world" (Phil. 2:14-15).
Yes, we are to be "lights"; and Jesus also spoke about that in
Matthew 5:14-16: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a
hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under
a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in
the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that
they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in
heaven."
As the "light of the silvery moon" is but a reflection of the sun,
the light that we are to shine as Christians is a light that comes
from Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For as He states in John
8:12: "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk
in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." And we learn how
to follow -- and thus acquire that Light -- through "the light of
the gospel" (2 Cor. 4:4). For God's word is, as the psalmist
declares, "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psa. 119:105).
People glorifying God because of the good works they had seen in
others was certainly true of the many whom the Lord's life had made
an impact upon: "So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute
speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind
seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel" (Matt.
15:31). "But when the crowds saw this [Jesus healing the
paralytic], they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had
given such authority to men" (Matt. 19:8).
Though we do not perform miraculous works today, yet our lives, when
following the Lord, can still cause others to look to and glorify
God. In writing to the Christians who were "as aliens,
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and
Bithynia" (1 Pet. 1:1), Peter exhorts, "Keep your behavior excellent
among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you
as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe
them, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Pet. 2:12).
Commenting on this passage, E.M. Zerr writes: "When the test comes
upon these disciples in the form of persecutions (the day of
visitation), and the heathen see how they are patient and law
abiding, it will disprove the false charges they have been
making. It will then be evident that such a conduct is caused
by their faith in God and as a result these heathen accusers will
give God the glory."
So being a light is being the right example; and Paul specifies
several things to Timothy to be an example in, which sum up how we
each should also be. He states: “...in speech, conduct, love,
faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe” (1
Tim. 4:12).
We are each probably often reminded of someone or of others whose
godly lives have made a lasting impression upon us. That
though these people are no longer in the land of the living, yet
they have left behind an encouraging, godly example that continues
to live on in the memory of those who knew them. And though these
deceased ones have not been gone as long as Adam and Eve's son Abel,
yet the principle is still true with them as it was with him that
"though he is dead, he still speaks" (Heb. 11:4).
May we each live our lives in such a way that we, too, will be good
examples for the Lord that will encourage others toward doing the
same. For what better legacy can we leave behind for our
children and for anyone else as well?
(All Scriptures are from the NASB unless otherwise indicated, and
all emphases mine.)
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Paul's Commitment to God
Tom Edwards
In our previous article, we considered the need to let our light
shine for the Lord by living that right kind of example that can
also encourage others to do likewise and give glory to God!
The apostle Paul was one who lived such a life -- a life of great
dedication to the Lord. And many of us have come to admire,
respect, and be encouraged by that dedication.
For those of us who are already familiar with the following
passages, how can we ever forget Paul's great commitment, zeal, and
determination to carry out the Lord's will in his life? For
Paul loved the Lord and His word and strove to live according to
that truth in spite of the adversities it led to, such as the
"shipwrecks,” “afflictions,” “hardships,” “distress,”
“imprisonments,” “tumults,” “sleeplessness,” “hunger” (2 Cor 6:4-6);
being “stoned,” “beaten times without number,” “in danger of death,”
having received “195 lashes,” experiencing “dangers from
rivers...from robbers...from countrymen...from the Gentiles,”
undergoing “dangers in the city...in the wilderness...on the
sea...among false brethren,” “in cold and exposure,” and “a night
and a day...spent in the deep” (2 Cor. 11:23-27). In spite of
all of these adversities that living for the Lord had brought upon
Paul, yet he continued to do so.
The Bible does not give graphic detail about the scourging Paul
underwent. But how terribly and permanently lacerated his body
must have been from those 195 lashes, mentioned above, that he
received. In Galatians 6:17, Paul declares, "...for I bear on
my body the brand-marks of Jesus." Here, he is referring to
those lashes. But Jesus, of course, was not the one who had
inflicted those upon Paul; but it was because of Paul's service to
Christ, and the persecution that led to, that those brand-marks were
made.
This is also the case with many of these other adversities and
sufferings that had befallen Paul. They happened because he
was living for the Lord. So this was all part of Paul's
carrying his "cross" for Jesus (cf. Luke 9:23). For when we
think of a cross we think of suffering; and when bearing our cross
for Christ, it refers to those sufferings, such as persecution, that
are incurred for serving the Lord -- rather than for just sufferings
in general that are for other reasons.
I don't imagine there is much of anything that anyone would want to
persist in, if it brought on the same hardships and tribulations as
what Paul's obedience to the gospel did -- unless one strongly
believed in that cause. Paul's faith in Jesus and love for Him
helped him through these difficulties. The ill treatment and
other terrible circumstances did not lead to his giving up, nor did
they lessen his love for the truth. Consider, for instance,
his regard for God's word, in spite of all the troubles that living
for it had brought upon him:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to
faith; as it is written, 'BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY
FAITH'” (Rom. 1:16-17).
Paul had a deep, undying respect for the gospel. He lived it
with great dedication and preached it with conviction, humility, and
thoroughness. To the elders of Ephesus, he reminded them that
“...'You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in
Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all
humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through
the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you
anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from
house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of
repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And
now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not
knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit
solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and
afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account
as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry
which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the
gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all of you,
among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my
face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the
blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the
whole purpose of God'” (Acts 20:18-27).
That Paul practiced what he preached can also be seen in 2 Timothy
4:6-8, near the very end of Paul's earthly life: “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 only to me, but also to all who
have loved His appearing.”
Because of the faithful life Paul lived, he was able to say, “Be
imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).
Is that true of us? Can we say we are following after Paul's
example? Or do we see the need to make some changes in our lives in
order to better do so? May his example, along with that of
every righteous soul we know, continue to encourage us to always
strive to be the imitators we are to be – until it all becomes a
natural part of our lives! For we are each to set forth that
right example, and may that unswerving commitment of Paul toward God
also instill within us that same kind of dedication!
(All Scriptures are from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)
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“I’ve Been Studying This For A Long Time”
Greg Gwin
It seems there is an increasing tendency to start a religious
discussion by claiming a lengthy and in-depth study of the
subject at hand. “I’ve been studying this for a long
time” is the initial assertion by one of the disputants.
We think this is a faulty approach to proving one’s position, and we
offer these observations in reaction to this common declaration:
1) The very statement (“I’ve been studying this...”) contains an
implication that others have not been doing so. This is an
affront to all other serious students and is an insulting way to
begin a discussion.
2) The one who argues this way seems to suggest that others have not
been clever enough to notice what he has now unraveled. Not
likely! True scholars have been pouring over the Bible for
centuries. Faithful brethren have devoted their lives to the
Word. Do you really imagine that you have discovered what they
did not find!?!
3) Is something learned after one year of study necessarily more
accurate than something learned after one day of study? We are
certainly in favor of deep, lengthy, dedicated study of God’s
Word. But the amount of time it took you to unearth the truth
is not the determinant of whether or not your conclusions are
correct. Truth is truth, no matter how long it took you to
find it.
4) There is a tendency on the part of some to assume that if a
thing has been believed and practiced for a long time by our
brethren it is probably wrong. We think the opposite. If
good men have traditionally held to a position we will not
immediately assume it is wrong. In fact, it’s probably
right. Yes, we want to search it out for ourselves, but we
will not start with the assumption that others have ‘missed it’
while we have ‘found it.’
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”
(Romans 11: 33). Let us all apply ourselves diligently to know
and obey His will. Think!
—- Via bulletin for the Collegevue church of Christ, October 29,
2017
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News & Notes
We extend our condolences to all the family and friends of James
“Buddy” Gornto who departed this earth-life September 10, near
midnight, with his family around him praying and singing hymns.
Knowing that Buddy is a Christian can be a comfort.
Due to the pseudoaneurysm and swelling of the leg from her heart
catheterization, Pat Joyner had been instructed to keep her
legs elevated, and which she still needs to continue to do for about
the next 3 weeks. She has been in much pain and also has need
for an aortic valve replacement.
Shirley Davis’ shoulder is doing somewhat better, but there
is still some pain when in certain positions — especially when
undergoing her therapy. She will be seeing her doctor again toward
the end of this month.
Others for prayer: the family and friends of those who recently
passed away: Mae Ila Highsmith Todd and Melissa Benson; and
those with physical ailments: Nolan McLaine, Charles
Crosby, Judy Daugherty, Misty Thornton, Michelle Rittenhouse,
Rachael Gerbing, Jarvis Williams, Cedell Fletcher, and Mary
Vandevander.
WordPress Version of this bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/the-gospel-observer-november-12-2017/
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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 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m.
(worship)
Tuesday: 7 p.m. (Ladies' Bible class)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (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, but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)