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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" (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).
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January 5, 2020
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Contents:
1) Written Revelation (Irvin Himmel)
2) Start the New Year with Daily Bible Reading!
3) News & Notes
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-1-
Written Revelation
Irvin Himmel
God revealed Himself to man in the age of the patriarchs.
Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not left without a
disclosure of the divine will. However, there was no written
revelation in those days. With the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai,
God began the utilization of writing to make known and preserve His
revelation. The Ten Commandments were given on tables of stone,
"written with the finger of God" (Ex. 31:18; 34:1). Moses wrote the
words of the law in a book (Deut. 31:24). He wrote "all the words of
the Lord" (Ex. 24:4). He wrote Israel's journeys "by the commandment
of the Lord" (Num. 33:2).
The Book of Moses
The writings of Moses have been copied, translated, and read through
the centuries. Nehemiah lived about a thousand years after Moses. In
the time of Nehemiah, "the book of Moses" was read in the ears of
the people (Neh. 3:1). More than four hundred years later, the book
of Moses was still being used. Jesus asked the Sadducees if they had
not read certain things "in the book of Moses" (Mk. 12:26). On
another occasion, Jesus said to some of the unbelieving Jews, "For
had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of
me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my
words?" (John 5:46, 47). After the Law of Moses was fulfilled and
therefore no longer in force, some continued to read the writings of
Moses and were trying to follow the Old Law. Several years after the
establishment of the church, the apostles acknowledged in Acts
15:21, "For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach
him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day." Today we have
the writings of Moses in the first five books of the Old Testament.
The Writing Prophets
God used many other servants to write His words during the Mosaic
age. Samuel the prophet told the people the manner of the kingdom
and "wrote it in a book" (1 Sam. 10:25). Isaiah was charged, "Now
go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it
may be for the time to come for ever and ever" (Isa. 30:8). Jehovah
said to Jeremiah, "Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto
thee in a book" (Jer. 30:2). Habakkuk was told, "Write the vision,
and make it plain upon the tables, that he may run that readeth it"
(Hab. 2:2). Jesus Christ respected the Old Testament writings. He
said to the disciples following His resurrection, "These are the
words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all
things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses,
and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me" (Lk. 24:44).
The apostles honored the Old Testament writings. For example, Paul
said, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for
our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures
might have hope" (Rom. 15:4).
Apostolic Writings
God used the New Testament writers to reveal the Messiahship of
Jesus, the plan of redemption, and the blessings of the kingdom.
John said, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of
his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John
20:30, 31). John wrote to produce saving faith in the hearts of
honest readers. Through the study of the apostolic writings we learn
our duties to God. Paul said, "If any man think himself to be a
prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I
write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37). New
Testament writings give assurance to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of
the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that
ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:13). "And
these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full" (1 John
1:4).
These sacred writings can be understood. Paul told the Ephesians
that he wrote, "Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my
knowledge in the mystery of Christ" (Eph. 3:3,4). He said to the
church at Corinth, "For we write nothing else to you than what you
read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end"
(2 Cor. 1:13, New American Standard Bible). The Lord told John on
the island of Patmos, "What thou seest, write in a book, and send it
unto the seven churches which are in Asia" (Rev. 1:11). "Write the
things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the
things which shall be hereafter" (Rev. 1:19). John did write those
things, and he warned that we are not to add to, nor to take from,
"the words of the book" (Rev. 22:18, 19).
Advantages
Written revelation has distinct advantages over oral communication.
That which is put in written form is conducive to preservation.
Written words can be read, studied, re-read, copied, translated, and
analyzed with ease. No communication is more important than that
which comes from God. Wisely, God has made known through the
Scriptures all that we need for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
We thank God that He has unveiled His will in a manner that will
stand the test of time, and a form that makes it readily accessible.
— Via Truth Magazine XIX: 32, p. 498, June 19, 1975
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Start the New Year with Daily Bible Reading!
A good way to start the new year is with daily Bible reading!
And various schedules are made available on the Internet, which can
help you to also keep track of your progress.
Pick out the schedule of your choosing: Read from Genesis through
Revelation, or from the Old and the New Testaments each day, or read
through the Bible chronologically, or how about reading from four
different books of the Bible daily with the M’Cheyne Bible Reading
Plan? This is the one I have chosen for 2020, and here is a
sample of the readings:
January 1: Genesis 1, Matthew 1, Ezra 1, and Acts 1
January 2: Genesis 2, Matthew 2, Ezra 2, and Acts 2
January 3: Genesis 3, Matthew 3, Ezra 3, and Acts 3
January 4: Genesis 4, Matthew 4, Ezra 4, and Acts 4
"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is
able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those
who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32, NASB).
— Tom
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-3-
News & Notes
Folks to be praying for:
Pat Joyner will be having major surgery tomorrow in our local
hospital and will remain there 2 to 5 days recuperating. She
would appreciate our prayers.
Ann Vandevander (Melotine Davis' sister-in-law) had a bad
fall a few weeks ago that involved severely hitting her head and
requiring 18 days in ICU.
Joyce Rittenhouse has been ill since last Monday, and her
husband Doyle is having trouble with his back again.
Jim Lively had another fall last week. He broke no bones, but
had badly scraped his arm.
It has been good to have Jan Bartlett back with us. She
will be returning to Alabama this afternoon and will soon begin
radiation treatments there.
Let us also be remembering in prayer John Bladen (who had a
heart attack December 20), Kelly Stoneheart (who had a
double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery), Bennie Medlock
(who has been having much pain due to loss of cartilage in his
knee), and Shirley Davis (who has been having trouble with
an arthritic knee and back pain).
Also: Melotine Davis, Bud Monterro, the Medlocks, Rick
Cuthbertson, Brook and Kaydance Richardson, Rex & Frankie
Hadley, and Kerry Williams.
WordPress version: https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2020/01/05/the-gospel-observer-january-5-2020/
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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) 281-9917
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)