“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) No Man is An Island (Ezra 7) (Jarrod M. Jacobs)
2) “You Are Worthy, O Lord” (Bryan Gibson)
——————–
-1-
No Man is An Island
(Ezra 7)
Jarrod M. Jacobs
“No man is an island” is a line in a poem written by John Donne (1572-1631). It is not a Bible quote, but it expresses a Bible truth found in Romans 14:7. It is a fact that our choices affect others. What we do affects our parents, children, friends, and God Himself! In addition to this, sometimes my choices will affect strangers. Some choices I make affect those I will never meet on earth. “For none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself!” One example of Romans 14:7 is seen in the lives of Ezra and Esther.
The book of Esther fits chronologically between Ezra 6 and 7. There is almost a 60-year span between those two chapters. This was when Esther saved her people from genocide. It is fascinating to me to think about this event. The book of Esther does not mention the word “God,” yet God’s fingerprints are on every page! When Mordecai tells Esther that she needs to speak up or suffer the consequences, he is encouraging her to do something to save not only her and him but also the entire Jewish nation. Due to her heroic efforts, she made it possible for Jesus to be born (Matt. 1; Lk. 3)!
Somewhere in that number of people saved during Esther’s reign was young Ezra and his family. Did they ever meet Esther? I have not found any evidence that they knew one another. Yet, her actions saved his life and the lives of his family members. Had Esther not been in her place, things would look much differently! As Mordecai said, “enlargement and deliverance” would “arise to the Jews from another place” (Est. 4:14). No doubt, God would have made things work out for His people as well as preserve the bloodline for Christ to come to this earth. However, I wonder how differently the Old Testament would read if Ezra was not alive. Indeed, the book of Ezra changes or does not exist if Esther does not stand and protect her people. Furthermore, Nehemiah would not have called Ezra to address the people after the wall’s completion (Neh. 8), and many other things would be changed in Scripture. It boggles my mind to think about what happens if Esther does not protect her people, many of whom she never met on earth!
Her decision to have Mordecai gather the people in Shushan and have them fast and pray for three days and her resolve that “if I perish, I perish” (Est. 4:16) would grant Ezra and untold thousands the ability to glorify God in Jerusalem once more! Isn’t it amazing how God’s providence works? Isn’t it amazing to stop and consider the power in a single decision?
The decisions we make have far-reaching effects as well. Perhaps you think you are a “nobody,” and your voice is not heard. Not so! Remember mothers, as Kentucky native William Ross Wallace (1819-1881) once said, “the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” We have the potential for untold good in the world if we are only conscious of our abilities and opportunities. Ephesians 5:16 teaches us to redeem the time “because the days are evil.” I believe at least part of what Paul was talking about was that we make wise use of our time and choices; for indeed, the decisions we make affect others in profound ways that we may not be able to see right away.
Did Ananias fully comprehend what he was doing when he obeyed the Lord and spoke to Saul of Tarsus in Damascus (Acts 9, 22, 26)? Did he know that his decision would result in the teaching and conversion of untold millions up to this present day? Probably not. In Ananias’ case, choosing to do something he didn’t want to do, brought God glory in ways that men have written volumes about in the last centuries!
Friend, who is your Ananias? Who can call you Ananias? Who is “Esther” to your “Ezra” and vice versa? In the early 1950s, a husband and wife in their mid-40s took an interest in a young married couple with a little boy. They spoke to them about the Lord, and in time, the husband and wife were baptized (Mk. 16:16) and added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47). These four remained friends for years. As time passed, three additional generations (in each family) became Christians. Do you imagine that in the early 1950s, these two couples who talked about the Lord were making plans for four generations into the future? I doubt it. I think they were just like us and concerned about saving their own souls! Yet, the consequences of decisions made 70 years ago are still felt today. They are felt by all who read this little article, in fact.
What decisions have you made about your soul (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; I Cor 15:58; Rev. 2:10)? Choose wisely, because just like it was in Esther and Ezra’s day, there are people you haven’t met who will be affected by what you do today!
— Via Jarrod Jacob’s Facebook site in a post for November 20, 2022
——————–
Genesis 50:20
“Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it. This was to keep many people alive, as he is doing now” (GW).
Even when his brothers cruelly sold him into slavery, Joseph still came to realize the providence of God in that. For it eventually led to much good.
——————–
-2-
“You Are Worthy, O Lord”
Bryan Gibson
Why is God worthy of our worship and praise, our thanksgiving, our love, devotion, and adoration?
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11).
Because “He spoke” this vast creation into existence (Psalms 33:8-9).
Because as the song says, “He tinted skies with heavenly hue and framed the worlds with His great might.”
Because we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” just one example of His “marvelous” works (Psalms 139:14).
Because He is “holy,” and because He “lives forever and ever” (Revelation 4:8-10).
Because of the glory “due His name” (1 Chronicles 16:29).
Because “His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven” (Psalms 148:13).
Because “He is good,” and “His mercy endures forever” (2 Chronicles 7:3).
Because of His “lovingkindness” and “truth” (Psalms 138:1-2).
Because He “daily loads us with benefits” (Psalms 68:19, also Psalms 116:12).
Because “He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand” (Psalms 95:6-7).
Because of His love, mercy, and grace (Ephesians 2:4-10).
Because the Lamb of God was slain for us (Revelation 5:9-12).
Because through Jesus He has delivered us from the slavery of sin (Romans 6:17).
Because we have victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Because He has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
Because of the depth of the riches of His wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33-36).
Because He alone is wise (1 Timothy 1:17).
Because He is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15).
And many, many more could be added to this already very impressive list.
— Via the Weekly Bulletin of the Prattmont church of Christ, November 9, 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.)