“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).
——————–
Contents:
1) Pen Points 17 (Doy Moyer)
2) Inapproachable Light (Jon W. Quinn)
——————–
-1-
Pen Points 17
Doy Moyer
Infinite Understanding
“Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite” (Psalms 147:5).
We may not agree with God. We may think we can do it better. We may think God unfair based upon our measly knowledge and understanding of reality. But if our response is to straw man God, to diminish who He is, to short-change His knowledge and understanding because we somehow have things figured out that we think He couldn’t know or understand, then we have only deified ourselves in our own arrogance.
His understanding is infinite. If we won’t allow that this is the God of Scripture, then we are no longer talking about that God, but another god of our own making. And once we start making up our own gods, we put ourselves at the head of that pantheon and think that any god should be answerable to us.
Ruler And Shepherd
“For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6).
This is a compressed reference from Micah 5:2-4. It is no accident that “ruler” and “shepherd” are the chosen points of emphasis. Nor is it an accident that Matthew and Luke together stress this through 1) the visit of the wise men who ask, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” and 2) the visit of the shepherds who glorify God at the birth of Jesus. “Ruler” and “shepherd” are both seen in these accounts and show how the Gospels intended to demonstrate the truth of these positions.
The rule of Jesus is characterized by the shepherding of His people. As King, His rule is absolute. As Shepherd, His leadership is loving and sacrificial (see John 10). The Ruler who shepherds His people has come. This is one reason the incarnation is so important.
The wise men came to worship the King.
The shepherds came to worship the Shepherd.
The good news is that this Ruler and Shepherd is also our Savior. And we all need that!
Be Thankful
When someone says, “I’m thankful,” to whom is this person thankful? Thankfulness is an expression of gratitude or appreciation; but to make sense, it must be directed to one who has given or made the circumstances possible in which that expression finds meaning. Just saying “I’m thankful” into the air is pointless. Gratitude is meaningful when we recognize that one has given grace and we feel a sense of indebtedness for it.
Christians, of all people, should feel that sense of gratitude and therefore be thankful to God for what He has given. “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:15-16).
True Love
True love is not about infatuation, mushy feelings, and giddy joy. While these may occasionally attend love, true love is found in the trenches of life. Love is knowing that at the end of the day, you have each other’s backs. It’s working through difficulties and not having to fear that the next disagreement or bad mood will result in a destroyed marriage or friendship. True love is about forgiveness, reconciliation, steadfast loyalty, and absolute commitment. It is not just feelings, but is shown in dedicated action. It is providing support, lifting each other up, and seeking first the needs of one another. It is striving to love as Christ loved and gave Himself for us. It is hard work, but always worth it.
Grace In Truth
The grace of God through Jesus Christ is one of the most powerful concepts to consider. We stand in the grace of God as we have peace (reconciliation) with Him (Romans 5:1-5). As great as this is, it is also a concept that can be twisted, perverted, turned into a license to sin (Romans 6:1-5; Jude 1:4). This is why we must understand the grace of God in truth (Colossians 1:3-6). Since God has offered it to us, our response needs to be one of gratitude and thankfulness so that we will “continue in the grace of God” (Acts 13:43). Our confidence is to be in the Lord and the promises He makes, and our hope is firm and steadfast, the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19). Our loyalty and faithfulness must be firm as well, never casting away our confidence in Him (Hebrews 10:35).
— Via Daily Exhortation 1527, June 5, 2025
——————–
-2-
Inapproachable Light
Jon W. Quinn
“…He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15b,16).
Consider and reflect. Here we have a description of our Creator. I would like us to focus on the idea of “inapproachable light.” The apostle John described God’s moral purity this way: “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God’s presence is unapproachable by mortal man, partly because of the glories that surround His throne. The light would be unbearable to us in our present mortal state. When men have been granted the opportunity to be given a glimpse of this other-worldly light, the blaze of the glory shined as the sun and brighter yet. Peter, James and John stood in awe as they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. Fourteen hundred years before that, Moses’ face shined for days after having been with the LORD on the mountain. If one lacks the proper awe and reverence for God in this life, at the judgment seat of Christ their disdain will one day melt away in awe. Irreverence will be replaced with what should have been there all along. Let this respect for God and all things holy be in our hearts and lives now! Reverence now will bring forth reverence and joy then. “…and His face was like the sun, shining in its strength” (Revelation 1:16b).
Because God shelters us from gazing directly at His glory today, we have not seen Him. We are simply not equipped to see God currently. The closest we can come is to look at Jesus, the Son of God and learn of God’s character. “And He is the image of the invisible God…” (Colossians 1:15). It is not that Jesus looked like God in physical appearance, but rather He possesses the love and patience and holiness of the Father. He reveals the Father to us.
One day that will all change when He equips us with spiritual bodies and then we shall directly look upon the face of our Creator for the first time. God told Moses that “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20). The privilege of seeing God face to face will have to wait until the next age. For now, we must know God by faith in His Son, who has revealed the Father to us.
“To Him be honor and dominion!” Paul exclaimed. The best thing one can do is honor God as God throughout our days here. Then, at the proper time, the Redeemer will return to take us home to the Father. To be ready for that hour, with reverence, we keep the commandments of God (1 Timothy 6:11-14).
“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:17-19).
— via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, June 2025
——————–
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 Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).
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; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…
6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
——————–
Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service
Wednesday (all but the first): 7 p.m. Bible Classes
First Wednesday of the month: 7 p.m. Congregational Song Service (about 45 minutes of singing, followed by a short talk)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
https://thomastedwards.com/go/all.htm (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)