Month: November 2018

“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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Contents:

1) When A Person Is Baptized (Bill Crews)
2) The Forgotten Rule (David Sproule)
3) Our Way Day by Day (Dan Shipley)
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When A Person Is Baptized

Bill Crews

When a person is baptized as God requires, or as the Bible teaches:

1. He has already heard the gospel (good news) of Christ, so he has been taught. Mark 16:15-16; Acts 18:8.  In the New Testament every instance of baptism is preceded by teaching.

2. He has already believed that gospel, thus he has already believed with all of his heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Mark 16:15-16; Acts 15:7; 18:8; 8:35-38

3. He has already repented of his sins against God, for this repentance is both essential and precedes baptism. Acts 2:37-38; 3:19; 17:30

4. He has already confessed who Jesus is, the Christ, the Son of God, our Lord; and this confession precedes baptism. Acts 8:35-38; Romans 10:9-10

5. He receives salvation (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21), remission of sins (Acts 2:38). He has his sins washed away by the blood of Christ (Acts 22:16; Revelation 1:5; 7:14). He enters Christ (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27) and the spiritual body of Christ, the church (1 Corinthians 12:13). He dies to sin (Romans 6:1-4). He becomes a disciple of Christ (Matthew 28: 19; Acts 14:21). He becomes a child of God (Galatians 3:26-27). He enters the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of Christ (John 3:3, 5; Colossians 1:13).

6. He has obeyed “from the heart” that “form of teaching (or doctrine)” unto which he was delivered (Romans 6:17-18). Just as Christ for our salvation experienced a death, burial and resurrection, so he has had a similar experience in dying to sin, being buried with Christ in baptism, and being raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). Thus, it was the decision and desire of that person, done because he wanted to, done not to please any man, but God himself (Galatians 1:10).

7. It should be a happy, joyous occasion (Acts 8:38). “’Tis done this great transaction’s done; I am my Lord’s, and He is mine.” “Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away.” (From the song, “O Happy Day.”)

8. He is now ready to change his life because he has become a new creature, old things have passed away, and all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:7; Colossians 3:1-17

9. He has a new master, Christ; self has been dethroned, and Christ has been enthroned in that person’s heart and life; his life is now committed to doing the will of Christ in all things (Galatians 2:20; Matthew 16:24). He is now the Lord’s bondservant (Romans 6:16-18).

10. He has begun a journey, embarked upon a voyage, entered a race, enlisted for life in an active army (2 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 12:1; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3-4).

Please take time to read these verses and to digest these thoughts.

— Via The Roanridge Reader, Volume 33, Issue 45, Page 03.
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The Forgotten Rule

David Sproule

It used to be one of the most recognized rules in our society. People knew it. People could quote it. And people even practiced it. (At least, many did.)

The paraphrased version says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Golden Rule. Unfortunately, the gold in that rule seems to have become tarnished in recent years in our nation. The very thought of “thinking about what someone else might need” or “thinking about what might be best for another person” is COMPLETELY foreign to many in our land today. All that many folks can seem to think about is SELF and what will satisfy SELF.

Which rule do you live by? Jesus’ “rule”: “Do unto OTHERS” (Matt. 7:12)? Or man’s rule: “Do unto SELF”? One rule will create harmony and peace in our homes and in our country. The other rule will destroy harmony and peace in our homes and in our country. It takes genuine effort, but may God help us to “esteem others better than” ourselves (Phil. 2:3).

— Via the Weekly Bulletin of the church of Christ in Santa Clara, California, September 30, 2018
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Our Way Day by Day

Dan Shipley

“Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). The “outward man” is simply the house of the inward man. Day by day that house is “decaying” and wasting away. Who, past forty, needs reminding? Nevertheless, with relentless rapping on the door of our minds come the messengers of aging; the hoary head, the stooped shoulders, the wrinkled skin, the dimmed vision, and all the other infirmities that won’t let us forget what Paul says. All men know that much. But God’s people know something else.

They know that just as surely as the outward man is decaying, the inward man is being renewed day by day. They know that for the faithful Christian, growing older means growing better. He is growing better because he is growing in the knowledge of God’s word. As the newborn babe, he continually longs for the “spiritual milk which is without guile” (1 Pet. 2:2). As he grows in knowledge of the word, he also grows in the faith that is produced by the word (Rom. 10:17). As he grows in knowledge and faith, he also grows in usefulness to the cause of Christ. He is renewed in his determination to live closer to the Lord, to do what is right and oppose all wrong. In his spiritual growth, the aging Christian has learned that death is not the end, but merely a transition to something very far better. The happy anticipation of being in the Father’s house makes leaving this worn-out tabernacle a welcomed blessing!

That’s why the apostle Paul saw death as gain. But death is gain only when living is for the Lord. Every living man knows that he will keep his appointment with death (Heb. 9:27). He should know that living for the Lord is living at its best because it is living that prepares for death. Though the outward man is perishing and bound for the dust, we nourish and cherish him; we spare no expense to care for him and tend to his needs. Will we neglect the needs of the inward man that we know will survive the grave? With every tick of the clock and every beat of the heart we are getting closer to the end of this life.

The question is, are we getting closer to heaven?

— Via The Auburn Beacon
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“O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting” (1 Chronicles 16: 34, NASB).
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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://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)

“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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Contents:

1) Being Thankful —  A Way of Life (Tom Edwards)
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Being Thankful — A Way of Life

Tom Edwards

Thanksgiving Day is an enjoyable time for many people – and, perhaps, for some it is their most favorite time of the entire year in getting together with family and friends; enjoying good food; and, for probably millions, watching an afternoon football game — which is a tradition that even began way before the age of television.  For soon after football was invented, it was played on Thanksgiving Day in 1876 when more people were off from work and would be able to watch it.  Many of us are glad and thankful for this national holiday.

And, as I’m sure you know, thankful feelings are good to have!  They are uplifting!  Isn’t it, therefore, great to know that God desires for all to enter into a relationship with Him, in which these feelings of gratitude may always be a part of our lives.  So not merely for just a day or two, or just for those “special occasions,” but a thankfulness that continues with us throughout the entire year, as well as throughout all the years to come – and then into eternity itself with God forevermore!

Notice, for instance, Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

In considering the above instruction, what “day” or “days” are we supposed to do these things?  I think you know the answer.

One of the ways we can express that thankfulness is in what Paul goes on to say in the very next verse:

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (v. 16).

In doing so, we are not only expressing our thanks unto the Lord, but also feeling  good in our obedience to Him and knowing that the singing of these spiritual songs will also help build one another up in the faith and instill encouragement for persevering in Christ toward that ultimate goal of eternal life in heaven.

For Paul then shows in the following verse that our thanks to God is to be offered through Jesus Christ: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (v. 17).

This, therefore, is how God wants us to do it – to give thanks through His Son Jesus!   For we know it is because of Him that we who are Christians have been enabled to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:14-16).  For “we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:19-23).  Of all things to be thankful for, what God did for us to make our salvation possible should be at the top of our list!

The Bible specifies some of the things that God has done for each one of us – whether we are Christians or not:  For “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45).

A reason Jesus gives for why His followers should love even their enemies is because God Himself “is kind to ungrateful and evil men” (Luke 6:35).  And that kindness we certainly see in the giving of His Son Jesus to die for every sinner (cf. Rom. 5:6-10).  No wonder Paul had also said three chapters earlier (Rom. 2:4), “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

In addition, when at Lystra, Paul had taught that God is the one “WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM” (Acts 14:15). And that “He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (v. 17).

What do we have that God has not made possible?  One might say that “God did not make my computer, nor my refrigerator, nor my car, nor anything else that I own.”  But did not God have some involvement in all of that?  Did not He provide man with the natural resources to make these things?  What if He took all that away?  And did He not also give man a mind that was able to acquire the know-how of designing and developing these products?  What if God took away that ability?  And did not the Lord give us the ability to work, that we could earn a living and be able to buy the things we need?  We could also mention other necessities that God has provided that make our life possible.  For how long could we exist without the food the Lord has supplied our planet with?  Or how long could we exist without water?  Or without the air?  Or without the sun? Or without numerous other things that are all essential for our very existence – and, therefore, have been brought about through the foresight, wisdom, and concern of God for His creation!

James, the Lord’s half-brother, declares that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17).

Every good thing we have, God has made possible.  We should think of that when we sing the song, “Count Your Blessings.”  For we all – regardless of who we are – have had many blessings in our lives (and much more than we can even now remember).

So we should be able to see that God truly is to be thanked  for every blessing that we have — and whether it be of a physical or a spiritual nature.  And is this not also why we should ALWAYS be a thankful people every day?   For being thankful is part of the way of life for the child of God, and it also helps us toward heading in the right direction.  For let us not forget that in that long list of  specific and abominable sins in Romans 1:21-32, Paul begins by showing what it was that first led these people off course and away from God, and then to become even more and more corrupt.  It started with the fact that “even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (v. 21).

May that never be true of us.  Let us, therefore, continue in our study of God’s word, of communing with God in prayer, in assembling with the brethren, in abiding in our Lord by striving daily to keep His word.  For this will also help us in better developing that attitude of thanksgiving.   For the more we know of God and live for Him, the more we can be thankful.

May it be so of each of us that we can do as David writes in the short psalm, Psalm 100:

“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His court with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.”

— All Scripture from the NASB.
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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 classes)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
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)

“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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Contents:

1) Created in God’s Image (Doy Moyer)
2) “Imitation Love” (Wayne Goff)
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Created in God’s Image

Doy Moyer

Genesis is a battleground for worldviews. Humanists know that to undermine the teachings and concepts of Genesis will ultimately undermine Christianity. They know that biblical ideas are contrary to the evolutionary concepts to which they so dearly cling. Do Christians understand the importance of Genesis so well? Genesis matters because it is the foundation for understanding our relationship to God. Genesis teaches us who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. If we will have a proper view of who we are, then we must start with God.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)

Trying to understand who we are without God will never work. This is one of the fundamental failures of naturalism. Humanists seek to understand man first, then speculate how man invented God. The biblical perspective is very different. Not only does God come first, but mankind is made in God’s image (1:26-27). Identity, purpose, and destiny can only be understood within these perimeters: “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Male and female are made in God’s image. The “image of God” is likely well beyond what we fully grasp. We are complicated creatures. We struggle to understand. How much more do we struggle to understand the infinite God? Since God is able to do far abundantly beyond anything we can ask or think (Eph 3:20), we would do well to maintain some humility. Though far from exhaustive, I would suggest that being made in God’s image includes:

Reason. God made us with the ability to think and reason. The idea of God communicating with mankind in any way shows God’s expectation of reason. We have minds capable of reflecting, thinking, and deciding. We are made to think, and this ability reflects the image of God.

Morality. We are moral creatures, but why? Darwinists assume that what we call moral behavior evolved just like everything else, but brute materialism does not have the ability to explain why we should or should not do anything good or bad. The biblical worldview understands that morality is tied to the Creator. God is, by nature, moral. “There is only One who is good.” God doesn’t just do or command good, He is good. He made humans moral creatures with the ability to choose right or wrong. This is not something applied to the animal world. Dogs don’t contemplate the moral ramifications of their actions. We don’t call a tiger immoral for killing another tiger. Only humans have this moral nature, and this directly connects us to God’s image.

Love. God is love (1 John 4:16). The nature of love is that it seeks a loving response. God made humans with the capacity to love. This comes with a risk, for if we can choose to love, then we are able to choose not to love. Choosing not to love will have great consequence. Love, then, is tied to free will, for love cannot be forced. If loving God is the greatest commandment, then it must be chosen. Our capacity to love, together with our moral nature and ability to reason, are powerful reflections of being made in God’s image.

Dominion. In the context of Genesis 1 is the idea of dominion. Mankind was made to rule over all other created things. This concept of kingship stems from God Himself, who is the ultimate Ruler. Being made in God’s image means responsible rule and leadership. Humans were made as the crowning glory of God’s creation, and this calls upon us to act appropriately. This is not for our own selfish ambition or pride. Rather, we are to submit ourselves to God and His glory, just as Jesus, our King, acted.

Why Sin Is A Problem

Sin is a problem precisely because we are made in God’s image. Animals have no moral dilemma or guilt. We, on the other hand, are guilty of sin because we are reasoning, moral creatures who can choose to love or not love God. If love means anything, then there will be consequences for not loving Him.

Law is a reflection of God’s character and nature. Sin is a transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4), and a falling short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23). Sin violates the glory and nature of God. When we sin against God, we also sin against ourselves, acting contrary to the image in which we have been made. The consequences of sin should drive this point home.

Being made in God’s image, we were created to serve Him and not ourselves. Let us remember that proper reason, pure morality, undefiled love, and responsible dominion are what God expects of us. We, of all creation, are especially blessed to be created in God’s image. Now, we continue striving to be conformed to the image of His Son. Respecting who we are will necessarily involve respecting the One who made us this way.

— Via bulletin articles of the Vestavia church of Christ, May 27, 2018
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“Imitation Love”

Wayne Goff

There is a hit song produced by Anita Bryant and later by Marie Osmond entitled “Paper Roses.” I didn’t much care for the song myself, but the lyrics are haunting. It speaks of being deceived by what was perceived to be love, but which was not. As the song states:

“So take away the flowers that you gave me,And send the kind that you remind me of.Paper roses, paper roses,Oh how real those roses seem to me,But they’re only imitation,Like your imitation love for me.”

One can imagine from these words the pain inflicted on one thought to be loved but who was only deceived into thinking that they really were loved. For reasons unknown to me, that song has been going through my head recently. And it made me think of those disciples of the Lord who profess love for God but who really only have “imitation love” for Him.

Paul warned Titus of these people and wrote: ”They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work,” Titus 1:16. True love is shown by one’s actions or works. There were those who professed a love for Christ in word but who did not perfect that love by actions. The lesson for us is obvious. We must not only profess our love for God, for Christ, and for His church in the words of our songs, sermons, and classes, but also in our very lives.

* Deny ungodliness & worldly lusts, Titus 2:12* Live soberly, righteously, godly, Titus 2:12* Keep Christ’s Word and perfect love, 1 Jn. 2:5* Love your brother, 1 Jn. 2:10; 3:10-11, 14* Live sacrificially, 1 Jn. 3:16-17* Love God and keep His commandments, 1 Jn. 5:2-3

If anyone professes a love for God, and yet denies Him by their sinful actions, then they do not truly love God, but are only offering an “imitation love.” Dear reader, it is my hope that you have a true love for God and that this love is expressed in every action of your life. “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

— via articles of the Roanridge church of Christ, November 4, 2018
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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://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)

“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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Contents:

1) Jesus and Isaac: God is For Us (Doy Moyer)
2) What’s the Use? Why Bother? (Greg Gwin)
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Jesus and Isaac: God is For Us

Doy Moyer

The story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22), the son of the promise, has long been seen as a prefiguring of God sacrificing Jesus, His unique Son. There are similarities often enumerated: the uniqueness of the son, the seed of Abraham, the submission of the son to the father, the willingness to sacrifice, the belief in resurrection, the son carrying the wood on which he would be sacrificed, etc. While some comparisons are legitimate, others may be a bit forced if not careful. Some are natural lessons found in many events. There are obvious limitations in the comparisons. For example, whereas Isaac did not know he was supposed to be the sacrifice, Jesus knew exactly why He came in the flesh, what was going to happen, and why it would happen (cf. Matt 16:21).

In counting up the similarities between Isaac and Jesus, we can miss another significant point of the story. Recall what happened when Isaac asked his father where the lamb for sacrifice was: “Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son’” (vv. 7-8). … Abraham’s faith was full on display here, and God did provide an initial answer for him: “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided’” (vv. 13-14). It’s about God providing.

If we are to make sense out of the comparisons, then we also need to see this one: in this story there is a sense in which we are Isaac under the knife of death, and Jesus is the lamb prefigured by the ram. God would indeed provide a sacrifice for us. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29)

Of course, analogies should not be taken further than intended and I am in no way trying to come up with a one-to-one comparison of events. However, we do know that Jesus is the lamb of God, provided by our Creator in order to bring about forgiveness and reconciliation.  We do know that Abraham’s faith drove his actions, and that he was fully convinced that God would raise Isaac from the dead if indeed he were put to death (Heb 11:17-18). That kind of faith is what God calls on us to imitate. By following in the footsteps of Abraham, we are trusting in the promise of God, which rests on His grace, to bring us the hope of future resurrection (see Romans 4).

There is another contrast to be made. In the great passage of Romans 8, Christians are given the promise of God that He will help them to the end. No matter what obstacles may be in the way, no matter what the world may do, no matter how much adversity is there, God’s love has forever been demonstrated in the cross. Notice, in particular, this amazing passage: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (vv. 31-32)

Think again about the Isaac account. “He who did not spare his own Son” contrasts with the fact that Isaac was spared. Even more, we are spared. The faith demonstrated by Abraham, knowing that God would provide the lamb for sacrifice, is finally fulfilled in the Son of God, who was not spared for the sake of all humanity. Without the sacrifice of Jesus, we would be forever without the hope of life. Were Jesus spared, we could not be.

If God is willing to go to this length (even extreme) to save us, why would we ever doubt His desire and ability to help us achieve the purpose for which He first made us, then remade us in Christ after sin had devastated us? Remember that He did this, not after we became good (which could not just happen), but even while we were ungodly sinners and enemies who were hostile to Him (Rom 5:6-11).

It may well be, then, that one of the greatest lessons to learn from comparing Isaac with Jesus is not so much in the similarities of the events, but in the great contrast: “He who did not spare His own Son…”

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Pet 2:24-25).

If God did all of this for us, why would we ever doubt His desire to help us through the process to achieve the end goal of glorification? Be comforted by the fact that God is for us.

— Via bulletin articles of the Vestavia church of Christ,  October 21, 2018
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What’s The Use? Why Bother?

Greg Gwin

Do you ever feel like the things that you do don’t amount to much? Do you think that you aren’t making much difference in this world? Do you get discouraged and wonder, “What’s the use?”

A familiar incident from the life of Christ might help. John records the account of Jesus cleansing the temple of the moneychangers in John chapter 2. This was, obviously, very early in the “public ministry” of Jesus. Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell about Jesus cleansing the temple in the last chapters of their gospels — just before Jesus was crucified. Is there a contradiction here? No, it seems clear that Jesus did this twice.

Armed with this understanding, we might ask, “What’s the use?” He cleansed the temple once, and the moneychangers just came right back. We might be tempted to think, “Why bother?”

The first answer to this question is: you do what’s right because it IS right! No matter how little the result you might see from your effort, you must keep on doing what is right. Jesus understood this, and so must we.

Also, we notice that this work of cleansing the temple did have a positive influence — if not on the moneychangers, at least on the disciples of Jesus. “…his disciples remembered that it was written, “the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” (Jn 2:17). They were there. They saw this and were impressed by it. When we stand up for what it right, others will see it, and our example will have a positive effect on some.

Finally, we challenge the whole notion that doing right “doesn’t do any good.” In the case of Jesus cleansing the temple, it did good in the near term. The temple was free, at least for a time, of the corrupt moneychangers. Yes, it had to be done again later. But for that moment it helped. When we do good, it helps. And we should never “be weary in well doing” (Gal. 6:9), but rather be “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).

— Via The Beacon, September 23, 2018
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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://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)