Month: August 2024

“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) Zephaniah 3:16-17—The Loud Singing of the Lord (Berry Kercheville)
2) Stealing Our Hearts Away (Jerry Fite)
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Zephaniah 3:16-17—The Loud Singing of the Lord

Berry Kercheville

“On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.’”

The consistent theme of the prophets of Israel and Judah was their brutal descriptions of the judgments God would bring upon them because of their rebellious spirit. Their sins were worse than the Canaanites before them. Even the nations around them were appalled at their wickedness. Zephaniah described Judah’s religious leaders with these words: “Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law” (Zeph. 3:1-4).

God grieved over the nation. He put his prophets through severe trials to illustrate the pain he experienced in seeing their rejection. Hosea was told to marry a promiscuous woman who would cheat on him so he could deliver his message with the same pain God felt. Ezekiel, among other things, suffered the death of his wife to illustrate the shock that was coming when Jerusalem fell. And Jeremiah delivered his painful message as one who was not allowed to marry at all, and seems to not have had one happy day his whole life. Isaiah said, “In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit” (Isa. 63:9-10). Jesus displayed a similar reaction to those who accused him when he healed on the Sabbath: “He looked around at them in anger and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts” (Mark 3:5).

We are accustomed to reading of God’s pain and disappointment over his creation. How can we not be reminded of the pain we have caused him? Yet, do we live more carefully with this knowledge? God loves, God is merciful, God is kind, God is tenderhearted, God has joy, God has anger, and God can hate that which is evil. God’s emotions remind us that he has placed the same feelings in us because they are an extension of him. We relate to these emotional swings as we raise our children. Our children can be our greatest joy, but they can also inflict on us our greatest hurt.

We have inflicted on God the greatest hurt. That hurt is quite evident when we look at the cross. The cross rightly shames us for what we have done. That is why Zephaniah’s words describing God rejoicing and loudly singing over us are so amazing and insightful. God had no intention of leaving us to our sins so that we became his greatest disappointment. The cross was not just forgiveness, the cross was intended to melt our hearts and change us (Ezek. 36:25-27). Zephaniah foretold God’s emotions once that change took place. I am deeply moved when I think of God rejoicing over you and me with gladness, quieting us with his love, and exulting over us with loud singing.

Did you know God is singing loudly as he sits on his throne? Just imagine the angels listening as God sings. “Lord, why are you singing?” they ask. “I am singing because my people have changed, I’m dwelling in their midst, and I’m so full of joy, I just have to sing.” And forever and ever, our God sings loudly over us, filling heaven with his beautiful voice. What a wonder.

— Via Focus Online, April 23, 2020
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Stealing Our Hearts Away

Jerry Fite

One of the first lessons we learn when we buy something valuable is that we probably need to secure our prized possession from being stolen. Whether we are talking about a chain lock for our new bicycle or a sounding alarm system for our new car, we understand that our valuable assets can be stolen away from us. We must proceed with wisdom to keep them.

Once we become Christians, the Devil does not stop trying to accomplish our ruin. Peter, in writing to Christians, says the Devil is “your adversary.” He is walking about seeking whom he may “devour” (I Peter 5:8). Just because we are now children of God, does not mean we cannot become children of the Devil in falling away (I Timothy 4:1). We should pay attention to things that can steal our hearts away from God.

 Pride causes us to no longer listen to God’s instructions. We become our own “lord” and no longer come to God. Israel did this in Jeremiah’s day. Jehovah searched why Israel no longer heeded God. He sees His people saying, “We are broken loose, we will come no more unto thee”(Jeremiah 2:31). Their minds are separated! Their hearts are stolen! Pride had moved them to think their connection to God was holding them back. Therefore, they are breaking loose from God’s constraints, and will do what they want and come no more to God. Later Jeremiah says, “But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret for your pride, and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because Jehovah’s flock is taken captive” (Jeremiah 13:17).

Prosperity can steal our hearts away from God. Ezekiel saw this among God’s people in his day. They were doing worse than their “sister, Sodom” who was guilty of “pride,” when they had “fullness of bread, and prosperous ease…” (Ezekiel 16:49). God had warned his people in Moses’ day of the prosperous times when “…thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget Jehovah thy God…” (Deuteronomy 8: 14). Times of prosperity elevates us to think we alone are the reason behind our good fortune, and not God. So, we focus on ourselves and forget God. The Giver of every perfect gift sees our hearts being stolen from Him. 

Prosperity and possessions are echoed in the New Testament as potential heart stealers (Mark 4:19, Colossians 3:5). But false doctrine can also carry us away. Paul offers the antidote of growing up in the Lord: “that we be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error…” (Ephesians 4:14). We must demand that only the doctrine of Christ be preached (2 John 9). Anchored in the truth revealed to us by Christ through His apostles, we can combat a potential heart stealer. Anchored in the love for Truth, even plausible theories couched in eloquent speech fail in moving us away from God into divisive error. (Romans 16:17-18). 

“Peer pressure” can steal our hearts and move us away from God. Peter quit eating with the Gentiles after caving under the pressure of the presence of Judaizing teachers. Sadly, peer pressure enabled by hypocrisy stole the hearts of other Jews, including Barnabas. They were “carried away” by the dissimulation of others (Galatians 2:12-13). 

Brethren, follow God even when the pressure is strong to please others. A humble spirit, a knowledgeable mind and a godly heart will guard us from being carried away.  

— Via   Glad Tidings, Vol. XXIX, No. 32, August 11, 2019
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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 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).
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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA  31501

Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service.   Congregational Song Service: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible Classes

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.)

“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) God’s Greatest Desire for Us (Berry Kercheville)
2) Rebels (Russ Bowman)
3) Part of the Prophecy of the Lord’s Crucifixion (Psalm 22:15-18)
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God’s Greatest Desire for Us

Berry Kercheville

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14–21 ESV).

Have you given thought to what God wants from you more than anything else? What is God’s greatest desire from his creation? Paul’s prayer is a detailed conclusion to the prayer he began in 1:15-20. Let’s break the prayer down so we can get a glimpse of God’s ultimate purpose.

“For this reason”

This is the third time Paul used this phrase (1:15; 3:1), each time breaking off his prayer to give explanation to a central thought in his requests.

“That; So That”

Four times in the text Paul used these words (typical in Ephesians) to express purpose and the end-goal of our spiritual growth. Notice these purposes:
“…that he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being…” (16)

“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts…” (17)

“…that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend…and to know the love of Christ…” (17-18)

“…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (19)

“Strength; Power”

The words, “that” and “so that” direct us to see the purpose of the prayer and what we should desire to attain from God. Strength and power from God’s Spirit is needed if we are to attain “Christ dwelling in our hearts.” This cannot be accomplished by our own strength; it is attained by the power from God’s Spirit in his revealed word. The words, “strength, power, and might” were also used in the beginning of the prayer (1:15-20) in which Paul prayed that we know “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us…according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead…” Chapters two and three give us detailed descriptions of God’s power toward us.

“Christ Dwelling in Our Hearts”

If Christ is dwelling in our heart, our heart and lifestyle actually looks like Christ lives there. Our homes reflect our presence by the way we decorate. If Christ makes his dwelling with us, our manner of life will reflect his presence.

“Rooted and Grounded in Love”

If Christ has “redecorated” our lives, we will become solidly anchored in his love for us, making it nearly impossible for us to turn our hearts toward anyone or anything else as our primary love.

“Strength to Comprehend…”

Paul prays that we comprehend the breadth, length, height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. This strikes deeply at any casual approach to Bible study instead of desiring to know every facet of the mind of God. We must ask, “To what extent am I lacking this fullness, and what am I going to do about it?” Knowing God in his fullness will lead us to have an experiential knowledge of the love of Christ that causes us to live sacrificially in everything we do.

“Filled with All the Fullness of God”

Here is the end-goal. It has always been God’s goal. He created us in his image, and after we fractured that image through sin, all scripture has been about renewing our minds so that we are “created after the likeness of God” (Eph. 4:24). We must study to comprehend the fullness of God and experience his love so that the world sees him in us.

Seem impossible? Far beyond what you can imagine or attain?

“He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (20, NKJV).

Why is this prayer so important? Because when this happens,

“To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus…forever and ever. Amen” (21).

Now, who among us has been praying this prayer? Hmmm.

— Via Focus Online, February 18, 2020
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Rebels

Russ Bowman

“And there happened to be there a rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of
Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said: ‘We have no share
in David, nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to
his tents, O Israel’” (2 Sam. 20:1).

Why is it that there always seems to be a rebel around? It is the case
in almost any circumstance, almost any collective effort or
organization, and particularly when some authority is recognized.
Someone is dissatisfied. Someone stirs trouble, incites opposition,
complains, undermines, subverts, gossips, suggests, deceives, lies.
Perhaps it is the result of ego and selfishness, envy or jealousy. Maybe
it grows out of poor leadership and failure of inclusion. For some
reason, some men are given to a competitive drive for ascendancy, and
submission to another man or group of men is repugnant. Almost certainly
Satan is involved. It is ugly. It is sad. It is destructive. It infects
God’s people all too often.

Unity is a difficult part of our service to God – not unity with God so
much (although that has its challenges and we often don’t like what He
demands either). More complicated is unity with others. Eph. 4:4ff
reminds us that God has offered a number of singular elements upon which
we are to build commonality – one body, spirit, hope, Lord, faith,
baptism, God and Father. But the admonition of vs. 1-3 begins with a
determination to unity and the humility which makes it possible. Unity,
like rebellion, begins with my deportment and my decision.

I don’t know what stirred up Sheba. Perhaps, like Shimei in the same
story, he felt that David had destroyed Saul and usurped the throne. We
are simply not told. What we are told is that he rebelled, led others to
rebel, and eventually had his head removed and thrown over the wall of
the city of Abel – a fitting end to one who opposed God’s anointed. A
fitting end for a rebel.

God help me that I am not the rebel.

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, June 2024
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Part of the Prophecy of the Lord’s Crucifixion

“My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
And You lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.”

Psalm 22:15-18, 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 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.   Congregational Song Service: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible Classes

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.)

“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) What Do You See? (Paul White)
2) Jesus: Our “Underwriter” (Jerry Fite)
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What Do You See?

Paul White

Just look at the kind of world in which we live. Just think about the various attitudes people manifest that can so easily bring doubt and distrust to even the noblest of heart. It’s easy to grow cynical. It’s even easier to make excuses for periods of inactivity. At times, all of us need our faith strengthened. We just need to be reminded that God is awesome and able, and our work is not in vain. If the apostle Paul had moments wherein he needed encouragement and assurance from the Lord, then so will we.

During Paul’s second missionary journey, having left Athens, Paul found himself in Corinth. Paul was facing an enormous challenge among such sinful circumstances. No doubt the Lord knew that even a man like the apostle Paul needed encouragement. And so He spoke to Paul in the night and said, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). Paul was obedient to such a vision and remained in Corinth “a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:11). Now we know the Lord is not going to speak to us in a vision today as He did Paul, but surely we believe He speaks to us through His word and invites us to trust Him as we go into a world of darkness preaching the gospel of light. What’s interesting is that it took a vision from the Lord to move Paul toward Corinth. Of all places and people, even Paul could not envision this being ripe for evangelism. Ever felt that way about your city?

I believe what the Lord wanted Paul to see, He wants us to see as well today. Let’s consider a few things the Lord wants us to see with an eye of faith.

He wants us to see souls. The Lord said to Paul, “I have many people in this city” (vs. 10). For our purposes, we are reminded that it’s people who need the gospel. It’s those who are yet in their sins that must “call on the name of the Lord.” “But how are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Rom. 10:14). It’s in seeing souls, lost people who are in need of the saving gospel of Christ that motivates us to keep looking for opportunities to open our mouths and “go on speaking and not remain silent” (vs. 9).

He wants us to see His power. After telling Paul to speak and no longer remain silent, He then assured him, “I am with you.”  What a promise! What power! But we need to be tapping into such Divine power. The Hebrew writer assures us that the word of God is “living and powerful” (Heb. 4:12). James assures us that the prayer of a righteous person “has great power” (James 5:16). What a promise! What a privilege! We just need to open our eyes and see how God’s presence and the assurance of such power can change everything. The Lord promised to be with Paul, and He promises to be with us today as we go among the lost seeking to “make disciples” of all the nations (Matt. 28:19-20). Therefore, we have no reason to be afraid.

He wants us to see the stamina necessary in seeking souls. Paul stayed at the task of preaching and teaching for a year and a half (vs. 11), perhaps even longer (vs. 18). He would not be easily discouraged or deterred from his work of seeking the lost. How we need such a spirit of determination. Seeking the lost and praying for doors of opportunity is hard work, work that can be filled with frustrations. But we must stay on task. We can’t afford to drift into despair or give up because we haven’t seen fruit in over a year. Let us have endurance for the mission. Let us “not lose heart in doing good” (Gal. 6:9), but remain “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). God promises that our labor will not be in vain.

So the next time Satan tries to use doubt and fear to keep you from seeking some soul to save, how about seeing God’s power and trusting in His presence. Isn’t it time we started walking by faith and not by sight? What do you see?

— Via Viewpoint from the Valley Grove church of Christ, November 13, 2022
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Jesus: Our “Underwriter”

Jerry Fite

Greek youngsters were taught to write during ancient times when writing materials were not as plentiful and comparatively expensive. Students would have a wax tablet with a stylus which was pointed on one end and flat on the other. The pointed end was used to write on the soft wax, and the flat end was used to smooth over the wax so the tablet could be used again.

The writing teachers would either write a sentence with a moral message or a line containing the important letters of the Greek alphabet at the top of the tablet. The teacher would also draw parallel lines on the tablet in which the student would write. The student would then take their stylus and follow the pattern of making each letter, keeping their writing straight by staying within the parallel lines.

William Barclay, in his work entitled New Testament Words, informs us not only of the above way of teaching Greek young people to write from Plato, but he also speaks of a way learned from Quintilian in his work, Education of an Orator. The teacher would write the letters on the student’s wax tablet and then the student would follow the grooves of the master’s work with his own hand. At first, the student’s hand was placed over the teacher’s hand as each letter was traced, then the student, “guided along the grooves,” could follow the pattern, not “straying beyond the boundary” (pages 139-140).

The line the teacher would provide for the student, and that which the student was to follow was called the “hupogrammos,” literally meaning, “the underwriting.”

There is only one time this word occurs in the New Testament. Peter uses the word in pointing to Jesus who left us “an example…”. (hupogrammos) that we should follow his steps” (I Peter 2:21).

These steps are not easy, for they are taken in the context of persecution and suffering. The Christian may have to suffer wrongfully for doing right (I Peter 2:19). It would be understandable to do wrong and be buffeted for the wrong. But in living in good conscience, one has done nothing wrong but lives as God directs, and he or she is still punished by others. Can he or she endure such suffering patiently? Yes, because one has already written the line to follow, and we can walk in the grooves of Jesus’ steps: “who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when He was reviled, reviled not again, when He suffered, threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously”(I Peter 2:22-23).

Jesus as the master teacher has drawn the parallel lines so our walk can be straight, and has shown us the pattern to follow in difficult times. He did not retaliate with evil when wronged by others, but with the mental stroke of the stylus, He committed Himself to the hands of God who will judge all men “righteously.” God will handle “the wrong,” so we can continue in lines “of right.”

In times of suffering for doing right, we need a gentle hand helping us to remain in the grooves. Paul received assurance when His thorn in the flesh was not removed. He had a comforting hand to follow as he traced out the letters of life: “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Jesus is a great “underwriter!”

— Via Glad Tidings, Vol. XXXIV, No. 27, July 7, 2024
——————– 

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.   Congregational Song Service: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible Classes

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.)

    

“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) Self-Love (Jerry Fite)
2) Escaping Satan’s Clutches (Ken Weliever)
——————–   

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Self-Love

Jerry Fite

Is loving self a sin? Should a Christian eliminate the love of self from his or her thinking?

Answering these questions may be a little tricky. But relying on the principle that truth harmonizes in all circumstances, we can answer these inquiries for ourselves Scripturally.

Loving self was one of two fastening nails upon which hung the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Jesus reminded his questioners, as they tested Him regarding the greatest commandment, the great and first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. The second commandment is to “love thy neighbor as thyself” adding, “on these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). Paul reminds the Christians in Rome that the section of the Law dealing with one’s relationship with man “is summed up in this word, namely, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’” (Romans 13:9). James encourages Christians that when they “fulfill the royal law…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well” (James 2:8). If we do well in carrying out the Lord’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves, must we not maintain a love for self? 

A husband’s self-love is essential for maintaining a healthy relationship with his wife. Paul connects the Lord’s perspective of His body, the church, with the husband’s attitude toward his wife. He exhorts, “Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth himself: for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church” (Ephesians 5:28-29).

If a Christian does not have a healthy love for self, how will he or she relate compassionately with others? How will a husband relate positively in his care and protection of his own wife if he does not have a healthy love for self in caring for his own body? Surely, we can see that God demands the Christian to maintain a sound love for self in his or her walk with Christ. 

While the love of self should be securely rooted within us, we must guard against it succumbing to “selfish root rot.” We must continually apply a healthy dose of “loving God first,” allowing it to absorb into our hearts. This encourages a healthy root system characterized as “not my will, but Thy will be done.” Self-love flourishes in responding compassionately and helpfully when loving God first surrounds the root of self-love. 

Paul warns us grievous times will occur when people are “lovers of self” (2 Timothy 3:2). These are the times when self-love spreads without a godly perspective. A perverted self-absorbed perspective crowds out a healthy self-love. The priority of being “lovers of God” is sadly absent. People are not lovers of God but “lovers of pleasure” and “lovers of money” instead (2 Timothy 3:2,4). Ungodly self-absorption issues into “boastful,” “haughty” and “unthankful” people who believe all others exist to praise and admire them. Woe to the poor soul who doesn’t feed the self-absorbed cravings, the lover of self will betray you as a “traitor” and discard you in “slander” (2 Timothy 3:3). This “implacable” (2 Timothy 3:4) headstrong “my way or the highway” lover of self will not generate healthy relationships.  

When the love for God is absent in the heart, worldly self-absorbed living will arise. Loving others as you love yourself is Scriptural. Make sure your self-love is rooted first in the love of God! 

— Via Glad Tidings, Vol. XXVIII, No. 46, November 18, 2018
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Escaping Satan’s Clutches

Ken Weliever

Not long after daylight on July 4th our daughter, Rachél, was attacked by an alligator in the shallow water of the Hillsborough River at her Temple Terrace home.

Rachél instinctively screamed but the gator wouldn’t let go of her right leg. After hitting it with a rock, she punched it in the nose with her fist. But the gator held on. Tight.

Fearing she was about to be dragged into deeper water, Rachél described to Bay News Nine reporter Matt Lackritz who interviewed her on Friday, how in desperation she reached her hands to either side of the gator’s jaws and pried them open. After crawling back to her yard, Rachél wrapped her leg in a towel, and called a neighbor to take her to the hospital.

In describing the rush of adrenaline she felt, Rachél told Matt, “I was not ready to leave my family yet.”

By God’s grace, Rachél is home from the hospital recovering after a successful surgery for a fractured Fibula, as well as tissue damage. Thankfully, no major nerves were severed. The prognoses is 6-8 weeks before the bone is healed.

Rachél’s spunk, determination, and strong will allowed her to escape the gator’s clutches. In a similar way, we need the same resolve to escape the Devil’s attacks on our soul.

While not described as an alligator, the Bible does depict the Devil as an old serpent, a roaring lion, and a great, fiery dragon (Rev. 20:2; 12:3; 1 Pet. 5:8) who seeks our harm. The metaphors are designed to warn us about the danger he poses. The seriousness of his attacks. And the need to be wary of him.

The Bible speaks of our struggle against Satan’s schemes and how we wrestle with his temptations. Resisting is not always easy. We must fight against his wiles (Eph. 6:10-17).

Satan seeks to ensnare us today with the age old tactics of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn. 2:15-17). It requires our determination and resolve to resist. To fight against feelings we know that are injurious to our spiritual health and well-being.

Today the devil has so many people in his clutches. It may be an addiction. A harmful habit. A destructive relationship. A crippling emotional dependency. Or even spiritual indifference.

Unlike the alligator whose grip is obvious, hurtful, and life threatening, Satan employs means that are more subtle. Through delusion, deception, deceit and disinformation, we may find ourselves in his grip. But it doesn’t seem so bad. It might even feel fine. That’s why the Bible warns us to be alert. Be vigilant. Be watchful. And to pay attention to the devil’s attacks. To be ready to fend off his advances.

When you find yourself in the devil’s grasp, you need the resolve and courage Rachél possessed in fighting the gator. Are you ready to scream? To punch him in the mouth? To pry away his grip from your heart, mind, and soul?  To do whatever it requires to find release and be rescued from certain spiritual death?

Like the gator, the Bible says Satan will devour us if we don’t resist and fight against his aggression. The apostle exhorted, “fight the good fight of faith.” That includes fighting against spiritual temptation. Sinful desires. And Satan’s schemes.

We are so relieved and grateful that Rachél was spared from this awful ordeal. In the same spirit, we pray that you can fend off the Devil’s dangerous attacks on your soul. That you can be successful in your spiritual struggles. And that you can strengthen your resolve to live for the Lord.

“Be strong and of good courage” (Josh. 1:6).

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, July 2024

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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 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).
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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA  31501

Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service.   Congregational Song Service: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible Classes

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.)