“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) Good Actions are Never Wasted (Doy Moyer)
2) Overcoming Discouragement (R.J. Evans)
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Good Actions are Never Wasted
Doy Moyer
No one wants a good deed to be wasted, right? After all, we want to put in time and effort to do what is right, and we wouldn’t want any of that energy to count for naught.
Here’s the good news. Any action that we engage in that is consistent with Scripture and in accordance with keeping a good conscience will never be wasted. We can know that what we do for the Lord will not be in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).
Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Col. 3:23-24).
“Whatever we do” includes every act. As we act, we need to strive to be consistent with being servants of Christ. We are to do what we do heartily, to the best of our ability, and not just to please people. It is the Lord Christ whom we serve, and what we do—whatever it is—we do for Him. This is a basic principle by which Christians live. Our service to the Lord, in whatever we do, means that we strive for excellence in all things. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Eccl. 9:10).
Yet another principle by which we live is that we are to keep our consciences pure. Paul told Timothy, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). Through the revelation of God’s word, Christians may learn to fight the good fight and keep a good conscience. Paul instructed, “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith” (1 Tim. 1:18-19).
Other passages like Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 show that we are to act in accordance with a good conscience. There are matters that individuals must decide within a context of Scripture and faith, and no one else is to act as their judge. We try to train our consciences according to God’s word and act accordingly.
For at least these reasons, we need to know that any actions in which we engage that are consistent with being servants of the Lord, consistent with Scripture, and done in good conscience from faith are never wasted.
This point is true:
1. Even if no one else knows about it. God knows what we do even when others don’t, and it is not our job to boast about our own actions. If we act just so that others will take notice, then our motives are off. See Matthew 6 for Jesus’ teachings on this. Private actions consistent with Scripture and conscience, when done alone, are still good regardless of who else is aware of them. God is the One we try to please.
2. Even if it has no measurable outcomes by human standards. Whether or not an action is good is not based on that action having measurable outcomes. A good action may have little immediate effect on a situation, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. That doesn’t change the nature of the action, for “your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:4). This coincides with the first point because we might do something in good conscience, not in violation of Scripture, and yet no one see any particular effects from it. That’s okay. We don’t need to see such effects if our primary concern is pleasing the Lord. Prayer, for example, is still good even when we don’t see an immediate effect, and even if God’s answer is, “No.” The outcome doesn’t change the nature of the good act.
3. Even if others disagree. Disagreement is not the measure of whether something is right, nor can the disagreement of others be what determines our consciences. Romans 14 demonstrates this well. If we act in faith, in all good conscience, and consistent with Scriptural teaching, then someone disagreeing with our application has no bearing on whether or not the action is good. Now it is possible that we have decided something is good when it’s not really consistent with God’s word, and we need to be careful not to justify ourselves. This is one reason why a constant study of Scripture is needed.
Keep doing good because good actions will never be a waste of time. As Paul by the Spirit wrote, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:9-10).
— Via Bulletin Articles from the Vestavia church of Christ, November 6, 2016
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Overcoming Discouragement
R.J. Evans
In Psalm 77:4, Asaph, a musician, stated, “You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.” When we are depressed and feeling sad, the Lord should still be “our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble” (Psa. 46:1).
Experiencing discouragement often increases as we begin to age. As we get older we start having health issues and also begin to realize we have limitations on what we are capable of doing. Solomon described what happens during the aging process in poetic language, but is so understandable by anyone experiencing it (Ecclesiastes 12:2-7). We may have difficulty adjusting to the changes that occur during the sunset years, but they happen to everyone who lives long enough.
The feeling of being rejected can also bring on discouragement. After experiencing a great victory on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs. 18), the prophet Elijah had to run for his life in order to escape wicked Jezebel’s plan to have him killed (1 Kgs. 19:3). While out in the wilderness, sitting under a juniper tree, Elijah said to God, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kgs. 19:4). Later on he told God why he experienced the feelings of rejection— “the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (1 Kgs. 19:14).
But there is always a bright side when others have forsaken us. For one thing, the situation may not be as bad as it seems. The Lord told Elijah to get up and go to work—there were kings (Jehu and Hazael) he needed to anoint, and also he needed to anoint a prophet (Elisha) who would be his successor (1 Kgs. 19:16-17). Then the Lord corrected his feelings of thinking he was all alone— “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kgs. 19:18).
When all others have truly forsaken us, we can be encouraged by the Apostle Paul. Notice what he told Timothy: “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:16-18).
The Psalmist, David, said, “When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me” (Psa. 27:10). As the Hebrew writer has assured us— “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Heb. 13:5). Thus, when we go through times of discouragement, we need to give heed to the instructions and promises given to those who are doing God’s will: “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psa. 27:14).
Therefore we need to pray to God and trust in Him, His promises, and His providence during times of discouragement. Again, the words of the Psalmist come to mind when we are going through times of discouragement: “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble” (Psa. 46:1).
— From the Southside church of Christ in Gonzales, Louisiana, for March 25, 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 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 (except for last of the month Song Service)
and 10 a.m. Worship Service
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.)