“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) Face to Face with Christ My Savior (Dan King)
2) Pressing Toward the Goal in the New Year (Jesse A. Flowers)
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Face to Face with Christ My Savior
Dan King
One of the most lovely statements in all of Holy Scripture is found in Philippians 1:23, “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better…” Paul knew what he faced. Roman justice was swift and sure. And it was pitiless. A man who was a Roman citizen like himself and on trial for his life in a capital case, if the Imperial courts ultimately decided so, would be swiftly beheaded. He would have the opportunity to appeal his conviction, of course, but appealing it would not be likely to succeed. If the Roman authorities wanted you dead, then dead you would soon be.
And yet, in all of his treatment of this question in his writings, he never seemed bitter or aggravated that God had seen fit to allow these painful events to unfold around him, spiriting him off to the place where he now found himself, in jeopardy for his life, facing a possible death sentence. The reason this was so was evidently on account of his general view of death. He saw death differently than most people see it. It was not a frightening possibility, but a welcome friend. In fact, he expressed it as a “desire” of his. He saw himself not as entering a dark and foreboding future but rather as entering into eternal light. It meant being with Christ.
Whatever else it might mean, for a man whose life had been centered on pressing forward the cause of Jesus Christ in this world whenever and wherever he could, it spelt departing from this world of sin and sorrow in order to be in the presence of the Savior. Rest and peace with God and Christ was not something to be dreaded, but a welcomed prospect. And so, the power of death and its perennial sting were blunted in the realization that death would take him to his friend, for whom he had lived and now might be forced to die: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21).
The story is told of a missionary couple, R. W. Porteous and his wife, who in the spring of 1931 were taken as prisoners by Communist bandits in China. They were marched up to a solitary hill by the officer in charge. “This is the place,” the man said commandingly. Whereupon the couple was forced to kneel in front of the little group of soldiers for their execution. The executioner drew a long blade from its sheath and raised it menacingly over their necks, and certain death appeared imminent for the courageous couple. However, instead of cringing and begging for mercy, they began to sing a hymn:
“Face to face with Christ my Savior, Face to face — what will it be? When with rapture I behold him, Jesus Christ who died for me. Face to face I shall behold him, Far beyond the starry sky; Face to face in all his glory, I shall see him by and by.”
When the officer heard the words of the hymn, he could not give the order to kill them. The little band of soldiers marched off and left them alone. Subsequently, they returned to their homeland in England, and told others the story of the perfect peace which they had enjoyed in the face of certain death, and how a Christian hymn had touched the heart of a murderous villain.
It is indeed wonderful how this thought of “departing to be with Christ” is a truth which is able to transform the most ugly and frightening of all prospects into a happy and even joyous reality. The faithful Christian does not need to fear death! Recently my wife and I visited with a dear friend and fellow disciple of Christ who had been told that he had but a few short days left before his departure from this life. As I left that day, I knew that I would never see him again in this world, so I became tearful and had to leave the room so as not to break down in his presence. He told my wife afterward to assure me that he was ready to go and that he was not afraid to die. A few days later he was gone. Tears fill my eyes as I write these words, for I miss my friend. But I have every confidence that he is with the Lord. When you live for Christ, death is a gain, not a loss. I also know that I will see him again, for my own clock is ticking down to my departure, and when I think of all the dear loved ones and friends in Christ who await me on the other side, I cannot but smile through the tears. What a glorious and joyous day that will be. God help us ever to live in such a way as to possess a like confidence to that which Paul had when he wrote that “to be with Christ is far better.”
— via Articles from the Locust Street church of Christ, October 11, 2015
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Pressing Toward the Goal in the New Year
Jesse A. Flowers
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
The beginning of a New Year is always a good time to make resolutions and set goals.
Many will make a goal of losing weight, but more importantly “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
Others will make a resolution to exercise more, but let’s be sure to exercise ourselves toward godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).
Many will decide to eat healthier in the new year, but don’t forget to feed daily upon the bread of life (John 6:35; Matthew 4:4; Psalm 1:2). Let us “hunger and thirst for righteousness” that we may be filled (Matthew 5:6).
And of course, it is vitally important that we never lose sight of the most important goal of all – Heaven. Let each one of us resolve that every day the Lord grants us that we will press toward that eternal goal!
— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, January 2025
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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
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.)