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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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May 13, 1990
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Contents:
1) Miraculous Gifts (Part Four) (Tom Edwards)
2) Just Active or Actively Just? (Tom Edwards)
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-1-
Miraculous Gifts (Part Four)
by Tom Edwards
Did the Gifts Produce Spiritual Maturity?
Many people are of the opinion today that spiritual gifts make a church
more mature and greater spiritually, but is this what the Bible
suggests?
When I think of churches in the New Testament that
abounded in spiritual gifts, the church in Corinth is the first one
that comes to my mind. However, it must be also pointed out that
this church had problems galore and truly lacked in spiritual
development: in chapter one, division existed among them; chapter five
shows that they even allowed one of their members to be guilty of
incest, without using discipline or showing even the slightest
compunction toward the fornicator; chapter six, they weren't even wise
enough to settle their own matters, but were taking each other to court
to be judged by unbelievers; 1 Corinthians 4:7 seems to imply that they
were puffed up over their miraculous gifts and acted as if they were
naturally born with them and did not give God the credit as being the
bestower; they had corrupted the Lord's supper in chapter 11 by making
a common meal out of it; notice especially 1 Corinthians 3:1-3: "And I,
brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of
flesh, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food;
for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not
yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and
strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like
mere
men?" This makes it evident that just because one had miraculous gifts,
does not necessarily indicate that he would also be spiritually mature.
This is
because, though one was inspired by the Spirit of God, one still had no
more power to obey that message than you or I have. Paul was
well-gifted. The things he taught he learned not from men, but rather
from God Himself. Yet he still realized that even he could be lost if
he did not obey that message (1 Cor. 9:26,27). What served to make
God's people spiritual, mature and complete was not the gifts
themselves, but what many of the gifts could produce -- the word of
God! This is all that people need today in order to "grow in the grace
and knowledge" (2 Pet. 3:18) of Jesus Christ. The young Christian
is exhorted in 1 Peter 2:2 to "long for the pure milk of the word, that
by it you may grow in respect to salvation." Pulpit commentary makes
the following
remark:
The Greater Gifts
"Sometimes we are prone to regret that what we call the `extraordinary
gifts' of the Church have ceased (v. 8); but if instead of losing these
we had lost the others, how infinitely impoverished we should have
become! Faith, hope, love: these are sufficient for all our present
needs. Miraculous gifts ceased because it was best for them to
cease. They were suited to the infancy of the Church; but the
necessity for them having passed away, they have disappeared.
The...gifts of faith, hope, and love abide evermore with the Church in
this world."
These are the gifts that we must strive to develop -- faith, hope,
love, and all the wonderful fruit of the Spirit. Today, it is possible
to accomplish this as we make God's word a part of our lives, allowing
its teachings to mold us into being more like God's perfect Son, Jesus
Christ.
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-2-
Just Active or Actively Just?
by Tom Edwards
John Henry Fabre, a French naturalist, once conducted an experiment
with Processionary caterpillars. In this test, these little, oblong
creatures were carefully placed upon the rim of a flowerpot so that the
leading caterpillar was right behind the last one. In the center of the
flowerpot was an ample supply of pine needles, which happens to be food
for these slow-moving creatures. But, ironically, for seven days and
nights they
continued to follow each other, around and around, until they finally
died of starvation and exhaustion; and, all the while, food had been
merely inches away.
There are probably quite a few lessons we could learn from the
Processionary caterpillars. Firstly, we must be sure that as we trek
upon our journey toward heaven, we are following the proper leader; and
not merely someone who is just following another man, who is following
another man, who is following another man, etc. It is Jesus whom we
must set our eyes upon (Heb. 12:2) and follow after. The Lord states in
John 8:12, "...I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not
walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." Men can often
take wrong turns that lead to paths of darkness, but Jesus has already
blazed the trail that leads to God's eternal glory; and not only that,
He also is that true and living way (John 14:6).
Another lesson to be inferred is that simply being active does not
necessarily equate success. Seemingly, the caterpillars had confused
activity with accomplishment; and, similarly, many people are doing the
same today. Often times a variety of man-made projects are carried out
by the church, thinking that these efforts will make their work more
successful. The building of basketball courts, installing Ping-Pong
tables, providing family life centers, and other recreational and
social activities are often sponsored by various churches today; but
this is all without the authority of God's word. By so doing, man
violates the use of the Lord's money and, consequently, becomes guilty
-- regardless of all the activity in which he has engaged.
It is good to be active in the service of God, and one must be; but it
needs to be activities based on the word of the Lord. Paul speaks of
the time prior to his conversion when he had been a Pharisee, as to his
keeping of the Law; a persecutor of the church, which manifested his
zeal; and blameless, when it came to his righteousness based on the law
(Phil. 3:5,6). Yet, with all this energy that he expended in his
service to God, he was still an unsaved man until he believed in Jesus
Christ and obeyed His life-giving commands.
Paul also spoke of his lost Jewish kinsmen in Romans 10:1-3 who had a
great zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. They were
truly active in their service; but, unfortunately, their involvements
were without the knowledge of God's righteous plan. Therefore, they did
what they thought best; but, as a result, fell short of the glory of
God.
Even the Lord's church can drift away from a state of true spiritual
activity. The church in Sardis had a name that they were alive; but, in
actuality, they were dead (Rev. 3:1). We must never confuse activity
with real spiritual accomplishment.
May we not be as the processionary caterpillars who simply spent their
remaining days going in circles, but rather base our activities on the
will of God so that our lives will be heading on that straight course
that leads to God's eternal abode.
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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;
for,
if
not,
salvation
can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet.
2:20-22).
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First published for the Tri-state church of Christ in Ashland,
Kentucky, at 713 13th Street.
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards
tedwards1109@gmail.com
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