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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, NASB).
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September 22, 2019
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Contents:
1) Belief & Truth (Irvin Himmel)
2) Making Plans (Greg Gwin)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
Belief & Truth
Irvin Himmel
No matter what your present belief, in this short essay I want to
set before you the truth. Please study carefully the following
points about belief and its relation to truth.
Believing Something Does Not Make It The Truth
The aged Jacob believed the story his sons told him which insinuated
that their brother Joseph had been devoured by an evil beast (Gen.
37:31-35). So sincere was Jacob in that belief, and so emotionally
moved by what he believed, he rent his clothes, put on sackcloth,
mourned for many days, and refused the comfort offered by other
members of the family. Young Joseph was not dead although his father
sincerely believed he had been killed. Joseph was very much alive!
Saul of Tarsus strongly and earnestly believed in his early life
that Jesus of Nazareth was an impostor, not the real Christ. He
"verily thought" that he ought to do many things contrary to the
name of Jesus (Acts 26:9). Saul's belief that Jesus was a fake did
not make Him a pretender.
Truth is not determined by what someone chooses to believe. One may
elect to believe the Book of Mormon, but that does not make the Book
of Mormon true. One may choose to believe that the Pope of Rome is
the Vicar of Christ, but believing it does not make it so. Some
people believe man has the same nature of a beast and no other
nature, but their belief does not make it true that man is wholly a
material being. A lot of people believe miracles are being performed
today (tongues, healing, prophecy, etc.), but their belief, which
sometimes moves them in emotional experiences, does not make it
true.
Failure To Believe Something Does Not Keep It From
Being The Truth
Many of the Jews refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, even
after He had preached to them, worked signs and wonders among them,
and had demonstrated supernatural insight, but their lack of faith
did not change the truth about His identity. Jesus explained, "for
if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John
8:24). The truth about His Sonship did not depend on their belief in
Him.
There are people who today refuse to believe there is a hell. They
suppose that God thinks as men think, and in their human reasoning
they cannot rationalize the idea of eternal punishment. But remember
this: refusal to believe there is a hell does not keep the doctrine
of hell from being the truth.
Some men refuse to believe there is a God. These men are called
atheists. They suppose there is no being higher than humanity. This
idea leaves them without any feeling of accountability to anyone
except themselves. Refusal to believe in God does not change the
fact that God exists and men are responsible to Him for their deeds.
Truth is determined by what the Scriptures teach, not by what
someone believes, or refuses to believe. Jesus said, "He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mk. 16:16); that is the
truth, and if every person on earth refused to accept it, that
teaching of Jesus would still be the truth.
One Must Believe The Truth To Be Saved
Jesus said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free" (John 8:32). "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is
truth" (John 17:17). Paul spoke of the "word of truth" as the
"gospel of your salvation" (Eph. 1:13). He explained that we are
chosen to salvation "through sanctification of the Spirit and belief
of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13).
This New Testament teaching is a far cry from the popular notion
that it really does not make a lot of difference what one believes.
Some have the idea that one can believe to a large degree whatever
he wants to believe and still go to heaven. To such persons it
matters not whether one believes baptism is essential to salvation
or is a mere symbol of salvation; whether one believes in the
impossibility of apostasy or that a child of God can fall away;
whether one believes in immersion only or sprinkling, pouring, and
immersion; whether one believes in tithing or giving according to
ability; whether one believes Christians should keep the Sabbath
(Saturday) or assemble for worship on the first day (Sunday);
whether one believes Christ was born of a virgin or not; whether one
believes in one faith or many faiths; etc., etc.
Refusal To Believe The Truth Brings Condemnation
Paul wrote about certain persons who did not love the truth,
explaining, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2
Thess. 2:10-12). We cannot obey the truth if we do not learn it and
believe it. The word of God warns that people "who do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness," will receive indignation and wrath
in the day of judgment (Rom. 2:8).
James taught that if one errs from the truth and is turned back
(converted) a soul is saved from death (Jas. 5:19, 20). This implies
that if one turns from the truth he is headed for eternal death.
Truth is fixed by the word of God. Truth does not depend on what you
and I believe or refuse to believe, but our eternal security does
depend on our believing that which is the truth and not turning from
that truth.
-- Via Navarre Messenger, July 28, 2019
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“O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your dwelling places” (Psalm 43:3, NASB).
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89,
NASB).
"For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the LORD is everlasting.
Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 172:2, NASB)
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-2-
Making Plans
Greg Gwin
A financial planner observed that most folks spend more time
planning their summer vacation than they devote to planning their
most important lifetime goals. That is, without doubt, a sad but
true fact. How can we hope to succeed in life without planning and
goal-setting? If you want to be a successful student, businessman,
politician, etc. - it takes planning!
Surely this same point can be made in regards to our spiritual
service to God. In fact, it may be even truer in this particular
realm. We might even say that some folks appear to spend more time
planning what they will do after supper on a given night than they
have ever spent charting their plans for serving God. It’s a sad
situation, to be sure.
The problem is that we have gotten our priorities out of order.
Notice what Jesus said:
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What
shall we drink? or, Where withall shall we be clothed?. . . for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:32,33).
Do you see it? Jesus said that we ought not to worry about the
things that we most often do worry about. And, He said that we
should give careful consideration to our spiritual work - putting it
first in our lives.
Christian, are you making your plans to be faithful to God and to be
active in His service? Have you spent any time lately planning
about the things that are really most important?
-- Via The Beacon, September 22, 2019
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-3-
News & Notes
Folks to be praying for:
Updates on Ron Daly, who was critically injured by a
hit-and-run driver, can be read at the following website:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/ron-daly-medical-expenses
Jim Lively had a bad fall last week. No bones were broken,
but it made a long abrasion on his arm, which is being treated.
Penny Medlock was hospitalized last week and then sent to
Saint Simons By-the-Sea.
Joyce Rittenhouse has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, which
she is now being treated for.
Jan Bartlett’s first chemo treatment had been rescheduled for
last Friday, which was kept. She will also have three more
every three weeks, and then sometime later go through radiation
treatments.
Rick Cuthbertson will be receiving two treatments this week
for his lung cancer. Last week, it was just one treatment,
which he did all right with, and even went back to work the next
day. His doctor has also been encouraged by the great
disposition that Rick has toward it all.
Melotine Davis is still awaiting to hear when the surgery
will be for her herniated disk.
Others also: Pat & A.J. Joyner; James, Bennie, and Deborah
Medlock; Shirley Davis; Mary Vandevander; Rex and Frankie
Hadley; Eva Mabry; and Stephanie Fals.
WordPress version for this week's bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/the-gospel-observer-september-22-2019/
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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)
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912)
614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
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