------------
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).
--------------------
April 29, 2018
--------------------
Contents:
1) Look Again (R.J. Evans)
2) He "Disrespected" Me (Greg Gwin)
3) How Happy Are You? (Tom Wheeler)
4) News & Notes
--------------------
-1-
Look Again
R.J. Evans
Some time ago I read an interesting story. I can't guarantee
its veracity, but it certainly makes a good point. It took
place one spring before the Civil War. A young man, in search
of a job, came to a prosperous Ohio farmer's place. The farmer knew
nothing about the boy except that his name was Jim, but he gave him
a job. Jim spent the spring and summer cutting stove wood,
bringing in the cows, and making himself generally useful. He
ate in the kitchen, but slept in the hayloft.
Before the summer was over, Jim had fallen in love with the farmer's
daughter. The young man asked to marry his daughter, but the
farmer refused to let him marry her -- telling him bluntly that he
had no money, no name, and very poor prospects. So Jim sadly
put his belongings in his old carpet bag and disappeared, never to
show up again.
Many years later, the farmer was tearing down his old barn in order
to build a new one. On one of the rafters above the hayloft,
he discovered that Jim had carved his full name into the wood --
James A. Garfield. At that time "Jim" was the President of the
United States!
What a shock that must have been to the farmer! His daughter
could have been the First Lady of the United States. We all
have, at times, made mistaken judgments about another person.
We think a certain person won't amount to anything, he will never
make a contribution to society, or he will never live a productive
life. But with regard to some, as the years pass, the person
matures, he is educated and trained, and applying his skills, he
becomes successful.
This is certainly true when it has to do with a sinner and the power
of the gospel of Christ. The Apostle Paul said it this way:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor.
5:16-17). Jesus taught that we must be born again (Jn.
3:3-5). When a penitent believer is baptized, that puts him
"in Christ, he is a new creation." This is clearly taught in
Galatians 3:26-27: "For you are all sons of God through faith in
Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ." The gospel has the power to transform us
from being an ugly filthy sinner, into a beautiful forgiven child of
God who has been conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 1:16; 8:29;
12:2).
Who could have foreseen that the Apostle Peter would become the bold
proclaimer of the gospel of Christ after his denial of the
Lord? Who would have thought that Saul of Tarsus would be such
a devoted servant and apostle after spending the first part of his
life persecuting Christians? Who could have predicted that
John would become known as "the Apostle of love" after he and his
brother were nicknamed "Sons of Thunder"? Remember, it was he,
and his brother James, who wanted the Lord to command fire to come
down and destroy a Samaritan village (Mk. 3:17; Lk. 9:54).
Yes, there are times when we need to look again -- take a second
look. John Billings, the 19th century American humorist, once
said: "I have lived in this world just long enough to look carefully
the second time, into things I am the most certain of the first
time."
************************************
“JIM” IN TODAY’S ARTICLE
James A. Garfield was a member of the Lord’s church. He obeyed
the gospel on March 4, 1850. He preached the gospel up until he
became president. He was shot 3 months into his presidency and
died 3 months later in 1881 at age 49. Another interesting
story is told about him. The first week after his inauguration as
President of the United States, a member of his cabinet insisted on
an urgent meeting at 10:00 Sunday morning to handle a threatened
national crisis. Garfield refused to attend because he had a
more important appointment. The cabinet member demanded to
know what it was. The president replied, “I will be as frank
as you are. My engagement is with the Lord to meet Him in His
house at His table at 10:00 tomorrow, and I shall be
there.” You can read more about him online.
Google: James A. Garfield, Church of Christ.
-- via bulletin for the Southside church of Christ, Gonzales,
Louisiana, January 28, 2018
--------------------
-2-
He "Disrespected" Me
Greg Gwin
It's common to hear the young folks speak of someone "dissing"
another person. That is a shortened slang word for "disrespecting,"
which means to treat with contempt or rudeness. Sadly, this happens
far too often. In fact, it happened to me just the other day. The
offender was a man in a position of governmental authority. I was a
simple law-abiding citizen. In a verbal exchange, he was rude and
mean-spirited. He "dissed" me!
Later, I was thinking about this episode, and considering what I
could have said or done. I imagined quick and cutting replies I
could have made. This man needed to be taught a thing or two. "Put
him in his place," I thought. Or, perhaps I should have gotten his
name and notified his superiors concerning his inappropriate
behavior. Let his bosses deal with this arrogant fella. After all,
if he is to be out in the public, he needs to know how to relate to
others in the right way. I was angry -- downright mad -- and there
was surely some way to "get even" with this haughty, obnoxious
individual.
But then, it occurred to me that it didn't really matter. So what if
he was rude? It didn't harm me in any significant way. The only
damage was to my pride, and that isn't important at all. In fact,
the only thing my pride does is get me in trouble. He "dissed" me,
but I'm no worse for the episode.
Our Lord taught us that when our pride is assaulted we ought to
"turn the other cheek" and "go the extra mile" (Matthew 5:38-42).
The only reason this is hard is because we are tempted to "think
more highly of ourselves than we ought to think" (Romans 12:3).
We are not implying that such "disrespect" is OK, or that it is
excusable. Neither are we saying that God won't hold men accountable
for such things. But, the lesson for us is that we learn to live
with it in a way that will not harm our relationship with the Father
or our influence on others. In the final analysis, that's really all
that matters.
-- Via the bulletin of the Collegevue church of Christ, March 18,
2018
--------------------
-3-
How Happy Are You?
Tom Wheeler
"Rejoice in the lord always: and again I say rejoice" (Phil. 4:4).
Look at all of the blessings that Christians have. The material
blessings are available for everyone and they are without number. We
live in a country that is well blessed with material things,
freedom, beauty of all kinds -- and how long could the list be! Even
the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the ground
that we walk upon are blessings from God. In addition to these
things Christians have the forgiveness of sins, fellowship with God
and fellow Christians, and the hope of an eternity in the presence
of God. God has written to us about the assurance of His love, the
blessedness of His hope, and the wonders of salvation. We can, by
adhering to His word, bask in the sunshine of His love.
When we look around us and observe fellow Christians, what do we see
and hear? There is murmuring and complaining. There is worry about
mundane things and things that we cannot do anything about, and we
complain about everything in sight.
We must learn to exercise our minds, and learn to separate the good
from the evil. God says "rejoice" and we need to be learning how.
— via bulletin for the Collegevue church of Christ, December 10,
2017
--------------------
-4-
News & Notes
Belinda Medlock (Bennie Medlock’s sister-in-law) recently
had a stroke, and her heart is functioning at only 35%. She
will be given a pacemaker. Let us be keeping her in prayer.
We are glad that Charles Crosby will be having his knee
surgery this Friday (May 4). Let us pray that all will go
well.
Let us also continue praying for Rick Cuthbertson
(Jim & Martha Lively’s son-in-law) who was recently diagnosed
with cancer in his liver.
I (Tom Edwards) solicit your prayer as a precautionary
measure for myself. This Tuesday (May 1) I'll be having my first
colonoscopy, simply because it is recommended for the average-risk
patient when 50 (and sooner, due to other circumstances, such as
having a parent or sibling who had colon cancer at 60 or younger).
Your prayer will be appreciated. Thank you.
Others to also continue to remember in prayer: Jim Lively,
Shirley Davis, Deborah Medlock, Rex & Frankie Hadley, A.J.
& Pat Joyner, Misty & Jason Thornton, Michelle
Rittenhouse, Jon Curto, and Mary Vandevander.
WordPress version of this week's bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/the-gospel-observer-april-29-2018/
--------------------
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).
--------------------
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: 2 p.m. (Ladies' Bible class) (New Time)
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)