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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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December 9, 1990
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Contents:
1) Should Parents Use Force? (Walter N.
Henderson)
2) "I Don't Want A Divorce" (Mark White)
3) The Bible and Religion (selected)
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-1-
Should Parents Use Force?
by Walter N. Henderson
Should parents force their children to attend worship and the various
Bible classes? I have heard it said, a number of times, that they
should not. The reason generally given is "It will turn them against
the church." Of course, no one wants to turn their children against the
church. But parents should wake up to the fact, if the child
doesn't want to attend -- that child is already against the church --
against attending.
About twenty years ago, I observed that a mother was at the assembly
without her boys. I asked about them; she replied: "They didn't want to
come; they were reading the funny papers. I am afraid I will turn them
against the church if I force them to attend." One of the boys was a
member of the church; the other two were not, but rather young.
Some years later I returned to that community for a meeting. This
mother confessed to me that she had made a terrible mistake by not
forcing her boys to attend worship and Bible study. The one that has
been baptized never attended any more. The other two were never
baptized; neither did they ever attend. Force could not have done
worse. It could have done much better -- much better.
God gave us our children, and he told us how to bring them up. "And, ye
fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4). A part of
bringing them
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is to BRING THEM to the
assemblies of the saints. I was conducting a tent meeting; one of the
elders drove up and got out of his car and walked over to where several
were standing. A girl in the group asked him, "Did Erma Nell come?"
"No," he replied, "she got fetched." Today Erma Nell is a faithful
Christian, and a good mother. If it is necessary, I am sure, her
children get "fetched."
Parents force their children to attend school; they force them to get
their homework; they are not afraid of turning them against
schools. Parents force their children into the dentist chair
without any fear that on reaching maturity they will stay away from
dentists the rest of their lives.
John, a small boy, the son of a friend of mine, a preacher, was tired
of church. He declared: "When I am a man, I am going to be a pilot and
fly around and bomb all the churches so I won't have to go." His father
was not alarmed; he didn't leave John at home; he forced him to attend
every service. The little boy is now a man. Is he a pilot? I doubt it.
How many churches has he bombed? None. I hear that he is a preacher of
the gospel.
Parents, how are you going to train your children to be faithful
Christians by leaving them at home? They need to learn early in life
that it is more important to attend even the night services than it is
to get their rest. They need to know it's more important to prepare
their Bible lesson than it is to get their homework. Force should be
used when and where it is needed in bringing up a child in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord.
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-2-
"I Don't Want A Divorce"
by Mark White
GOOD! Hopefully, you are saying this when you are not in the process of
getting one. It is too late to say "I don't want a divorce" when your
mate has hired a lawyer and filed the papers. Married couples must PLAN
to stay together. They must make up their minds that they do not want a
divorce before some problem brings them to that dreadful point. It is
refreshing to hear couples who are facing marital difficulties say, "We
don't want to get a divorce." If that is the case, then here are some
things that will help you keep that commitment.
1. Don't Marry Someone You
Will Have to Change. Marry someone you like
just the way he or she is, because that is the way he or she will be!
Walking down a marriage aisle will not change what you do not like
about the other person (unless it is the bride's maiden name).
2. Put Your Mate Before
Every Other Human Being. Mothers, fathers,
brothers, sisters, friends, and even children must play "second-fiddle"
to your mate. It's sad that some married people put their children
before each other. Actually, the greatest gift parents can give their
children is the security which comes from a mother and daddy who love
each other more than anyone else.
3. Learn to Express Your
Love for Your Mate. Love is never out of
style. It is not wrong for mates to be tender with each other. From the
wedding day to the golden anniversary and beyond, mates need each
other's love.
4. Live Within Your Means.
It's easy not to do so. Building up huge
debts tends to break down any marriage.
5. Learn Six Important Words.
"I am sorry" and "Please forgive me" are
phrases not heard very often in many homes. Men, especially, are prone
to dismiss their wrongs without asking forgiveness.
6. Build the Self-Image of
Your Mate! The tendency is to blast each
other with insults and put-downs. Our self-worth in the home is
determined mainly by the way our mate treats us. Become a "Chamber of
Commerce" for your mate. Be sold on your mate, and let him (or her)
know it.
7. Seek Common Interests and
Goals. This is becoming more difficult in
a society that encourages us to be individualistic; to "do your own
thing." Doing things together goes a long way in building a
marriage. Christians must make their primary goal that of going
to heaven. Work on it together! Find hobbies, etc., that enable both
mates to be together.
If you don't want a divorce, then do something to prevent one!
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-3-
The Bible and Religion
AN INFIDEL SAID: "If I firmly believed, as millions say that the
knowledge and practice of Christianity in this life influences destiny
in another world, Christianity would be to me everything. I would
cast aside earthly cares as follies and earthly thoughts and feelings
as vanity. Christianity would be my first waking thought, and
last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I would labor in
its cause alone. I would go forth to the world and preach Christ in
season and out of season and my text would be: 'what shall it profit a
man if he gain the whole world but lose his own soul?'"
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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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