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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 29, 2019
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Contents:
1) What Does True Love Look Like? (Jay Dixon)
2) A Faithful Man Who Served God Above Many (Mike Johnson)
3) Amazing Design! (Greg Gwin)
4) News & Notes
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-1-
What Does True Love Look Like?
Jay Dixon
“The fruit of the Spirit is love…” (Galatians 5:22).
What does the love spoken of in Galatians 5:22 look like?
This love manifests itself in various ways. One of those ways is
when one is seen extending love toward their enemy.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you…” (Matthew 5:44).
The typical reaction of the flesh is to respond according to the
manner in which we have been treated. In other words if someone has
cursed me, I must curse them back. If some hate me, I must hate them
back. If someone uses me, I must seek revenge. If I am persecuted,
if given the opportunity I must retaliate. On the other hand, if
someone loves me and is kind to me then I must love them and be kind
to them.
To love those who love us is not uncommon. There’s nothing
exceptional about repaying love for love. Jesus says, “…if ye love
them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans
the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than
others?” (Matthew 5:46-47) This type of love is a love that is
shared by both believers and unbelievers. This isn’t what true love
looks like.
The love of Galatians 5:22 is seen when one is able to love their
enemy as they do their neighbor. It is seen when one blesses those
who curse them. It is seen when one does good to those who hate them
and is able to pray for the one who spitefully uses and persecutes
them.
Unlike loving those who love you, which Jesus says is seen even
among the most despised of the world, loving one who hates you is
something that stands out; it’s an action that’s unique and
identifies one as walking in the spirit of GOD.
The result of one who practices this love:
“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven…”
(Matthew 5:47).
(Why?)
“…He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and He sends
His rain on the just and unjust” (Matthew 5:47).
"Therefore you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is
perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
The Father extended the love spoken here in Matthew 5:44 and
Galatians 5:22 to a world of sinners which includes you and me. He
displayed this love by sending His son to be a sacrifice for our
sins. Jesus Himself loved His enemies which were and are many. He
loved those who literally and figuratively (You and I) nailed Him to
the cross. He blessed those who cursed Him. He prayed for those who
persecuted Him. Just before He was mocked and sarcastically summoned
to come down off of the cross He said, “Father, forgive them; for
they know not what they do” (Luke 24:34).
This is what true love looks like. Jesus is not asking us to love in
a way that both He and Father did not do 1st and to its highest
degree. (John 15:13, Romans 5:8)
If we are to be complete and genuine children of the Father in
heaven, we must be willing to love those who curse, hate,
despitefully use and persecute us. When we extend this kind of love
we are demonstrating what true love looks like.
-- Via Articles from The University church of Christ, Richmond,
Kentucky
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-2-
A Faithful Man Who Served God Above Many
Mike Johnson
The book of Nehemiah tells about the rebuilding of the walls of
Jerusalem done by the Jews who returned from the Babylonian
captivity. Nehemiah appointed Hanani, his brother, and
Hananiah as rulers of Jerusalem after the walls were completed. It
is interesting to note the statement made about Hananiah at this
time. Nehemiah 7:2 says his appointment was because, “he was a
faithful man, who feared God more than many.” No doubt, there
were many in Jerusalem who feared God. Hananiah, however, was
more serious in his devotion than most. We know very little
information about this person, but this statement says a great deal.
When someone dies, good things are often said about their life – the
person’s life is often summarized. Whether we had a lot of
money, were an important civic leader, or whether we were highly
regarded by the people of the world will matter little when the
Judgment comes. If after we die, it could truly be said of us
that we were faithful to God and we feared Him above many that would
be the most important statement made about us that could be
said. The only matter of importance then will be whether we
were in a proper relationship with God. Does the statement
made about Hananiah summarize our lives today? Are we faithful
to God, and do we fear Him more than many?
-- Via The Elon Challenger (Vol. 17, No. 1, September 2019)
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-3-
Amazing Design!
Greg Gwin
Birds and bats, bees and butterflies – these are but a few of
earth’s creatures that possess extraordinary navigational skills.
How does a bird know the proper route to follow on its migrations
north and south? How can a bee find its way back to the hive --- and
then return again with other helpers to the nectar-rich flower patch
just discovered? Such accomplishments have long puzzled the
scientists that study such things.
An article in National Geographic describes research that has been
undertaken to discover the answer to these mysteries. The
conclusions are amazing. Birds, for instance, have been shown to
“use the sun as a compass together with an internal clock that
compensates for the sun’s changing position in the sky.” And then
there are the honeybees which “employ special cells in their
compound eyes to recognize patterns of polarized light which enables
them to determine the location of the sun, even if it is obscured by
clouds.” Desert ants, we are told, can tell distances by counting
steps from one location to another. Spawning salmon travel thousands
of miles to return to the very section of river where they were
born. Scientists agree that they “locate home streams by smell…
imprinting on the odors from soil and vegetation.” Other fish
navigate in murky water by generating an electric field and then
sensing their “environment through fluctuations in the electric
current.” Some insects are known to determine direction and location
by sensing “magnetic fields through specialized photo-receptors in
their eyes.”
All of this staggers the imagination. The complexities of nature are
incredible. But even more amazing is the fact that there are so many
people who believe that this all came about by random chance as
living creatures evolved from lower life forms. How can it be so?
Who can believe it? Faith in a living, all-powerful God is a
much more reasonable explanation. Think about it!
— Via The Beacon, August 25, 2019
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"Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great
waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the
deep" (Psalm 107:23-24, NASB).
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-4-
News & Notes
Update on Ron Daly (9/27/19): Ron was able to walk
outside with a walker. He is eating solid food now (with no
restrictions), and no longer needs the neck brace while in
bed. He has also been talking in a whisper. On Oct. 1,
he will be moved to a new facility.
Jan Bartlett still has three more chemo treatments to go,
every third week. Sometime after completion, she will also
begin radiation treatments.
Rick Cutherbertson received two treatments last week —
instead of just the one –- for his lung cancer.
Brandon Mullis (Sherri Crew’s grandson) was in the
hospital for several hours Saturday before last, due to a concussion
he received in a football game. Fortunately, there was no
internal bleeding, nor swelling; so he returned home later that same
day.
Others also: Pat & A.J. Joyner; James, Bennie, and Deborah
Medlock; Shirley Davis; Melotine Davis, Joyce Rittenhouse, Barbara
Thompson, Mary Vandevander; Rex and Frankie Hadley; Eva
Mabry; and Stephanie Fals
WordPress version for this week's bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/the-gospel-observer-september-29-2019/
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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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http://thomastedwards.com/go
(Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures,
but back to March 1990)
http://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
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