Category: Uncategorized (Page 5 of 46)

The Gospel Observer

June 18, 2023 / Tom Edwards

“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 is the Bread of Life (Kyle Pope)
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Jesus is the Bread of Life

Kyle Pope

Since the beginning of man’s life outside the Garden of Eden bread has been the food God has set forth to sustain man’s life. In Adam’s punishment for sin he was told, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground” (Gen. 3:19a, NKJV). The word translated “bread” in this verse is the Hebrew word lechem, which refers to both bread in a specific sense and food generally. When Israel was in the wilderness God fed them with a substance they named “manna,” meaning literally, “What is it?” Moses explained to them, “This is the bread (lechem) which the Lord has given you to eat” (Exod. 16:15). It was not a typical grain used to make bread, but it was ground into flour and baked into cakes (Num. 11:7-8). While it sustained them in the desert, they were told later that it served another purpose. In Deuteronomy the people were told that God had given them this unusual bread, “that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3b). Jesus appealed to this very text in His own temptation in the wilderness when Satan challenged Him to make bread from stones (Matt. 4:3-4). There is great irony here. The God who sentenced man to live by “bread,” while providing physical sustenance in the wilderness used it to demonstrate man’s need for the spiritual sustenance that comes from His word.

Sometime after Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness, but in terrain the gospel of Matthew calls “a deserted place” (Matt. 14:15), Jesus did exactly the same thing Deity had done to Israel centuries before. From five barley loaves and two small fish Jesus fed 5,000 men (John 6:1-13). In this miracle, God in the flesh provided for man’s physical sustenance. This miracle, like no other Jesus did led the people to seek to make Him a king by force (John 6:14-15). Even when He withdrew by Himself then crossed over the Sea of Galilee, they still sought Him—because they “ate of the loaves and were filled” (John 6:22-26). In this context, Jesus called them to seek something different. They found Him as He taught in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:59). First, Jesus told them, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:27a). This moved them to recall God’s feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness, and they asked if He would provide a sign similar to that (John 6:30-31). Jesus then subtly introduced one of the most radical doctrines of His entire ministry. He told them, “the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). The heavenly bread He would provide was a person! What could He mean by that? The people seem to have missed that He called a person “the bread of God,” and they first beg Him, “Lord, give us this bread always” (John 6:34). Jesus then clarified, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Even though He immediately explained that it is the one who believes in Him that will attain resurrection unto everlasting life (John 6:40), the people complained against Him because He said He was “the bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:41).

In spite of their confusion (and the confusion that still persists among some in the religious world today) we can see from Scriptures that follow that Jesus was really teaching the same point God made to the Israelites about the true source of spiritual sustenance. Notice one of the first indications of this. As He explained His heavenly origin, He first paraphrases the prophets who foretold, “they shall all be taught by God” (John 6:45a)—a reference in part to Isaiah 54:13, which said, “your children shall be taught by the Lord.” He then explained how they would be taught—“everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me” (John 6:45b). Jesus would later teach His disciples, “the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:24). Jesus was not promising personal and individual revelation. To learn from the teaching of Jesus was to hear and learn from the Father. He was talking about spiritual sustenance. He was talking about Himself as the source of spiritual life.

A second indication of this comes as He further explained His original statement but did so in a way that tested the hearts of His hearers. They were quick to follow Him when they thought He would give them physical food—how would they respond when He offered them something challenging? He first affirmed His unity with the Father, telling them, “he who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 6:46); then He restated that belief in Him leads to eternal life, since He is “the bread of life” (John 6:47-48). Yet rather than softening His message to draw as many disciples as possible—the strategy employed by much of the religious world today—Jesus sharpened His words and challenged them even further. He told them, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). This was too much for some of them. They complained, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). Jesus had returned to the point they had first raised about manna (John 6:49) and He would go on to compare His teaching with it again (John 6:58). They should have remembered that manna was given to teach them that “man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3b). Some missed the point.

Jesus then shocked them even further by saying, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53) – adding “My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed” (John 6:55). Since at least the Middle Ages some have argued that in these words Jesus was teaching about the Lord’s Supper. It has been argued that in the prayer for the bread and the fruit of the vine a transformation takes place in these elements that transforms them into the literal body and blood of Jesus. We should notice, however, that nothing in the context makes any reference to the memorial meal, which would not even be instituted until long after this on the Passover night before Jesus’s betrayal (Matt. 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-23). In fact, the gospel of John is the one gospel that does not record its institution! It is highly unlikely that the Holy Spirit would intend this teaching completely out of the context of discussing the memorial to explain the purpose and nature of it without even recording its institution. Further, both the Law of Moses (Lev. 17:12) and the Law of Christ (Acts 21:25) explicitly prohibited the eating of blood. If the Lord’s Supper involves the literal eating of blood and human flesh it violates this prohibition.

Jesus was not talking about literally eating His flesh and blood. As one who had just fed the people physically, He was calling them to see in His life, His sacrifice, and ultimately in His words the true source of spiritual life. Just as manna was to make the Israelites see God’s word as the true source of life, Jesus was teaching the same thing on this occasion. Some said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (John 6:60). The Holy Spirit records, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66). To those who did not turn away, Jesus asked, “Does this offend you?” (John 6:61). He then made it absolutely clear, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). We feed on Jesus’s flesh and blood by ingesting the words that He teaches. It is the message of Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf that brings life (cf. Rom. 1:16). Faith in Jesus as this sacrifice and obedience to Jesus’s teaching leads ultimately to resurrection unto eternal life on the “last day” (John 6:39, 44, 54). Although some missed His point those who stayed with Him understood. When Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67a), Peter gave an answer that summarized the entire focus of this discourse. He said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:67b). Peter realized what God wanted Israel to recognize in the wilderness. Peter realized what the feeding of the 5,000 should have taught these people. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). That is how we feed upon Jesus’s flesh and blood. That is how Jesus is for us, “the bread of life.” Upon what will you feed? To whom will you go?

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 24, (June 11, 2023)

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Jeremiah 15:16

“Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.”

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).
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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.)

The Gospel Observer

June 11, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Conscience without Offense (Kyle Pope)
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Conscience without Offense

Kyle Pope

On one occasion when Paul was accused by his Jewish countrymen, he was allowed to answer before the Roman governor Felix (Acts 24:10-16). In his defense he declared that he strove always to have “a conscience” without offense toward God or man (Acts 24:16). The world has many different notions about the “conscience” from a soft voice that speaks in one’s head, to a cute cherub that appears on the shoulder. What does Scripture teach about this part of the inner man that is called the conscience?

Meaning of the Word “Conscience”

The word “conscience” is actually a Greek concept that comes into the Bible record when Greek became the language of the ancient world. Most translations don’t use the word conscience in the Old Testament because the Hebrew text speaks in terms of the “heart” and not the “conscience.” The term “conscience” was born from the Greek word sunoida which literally means “to know-with” something. It first was applied to a witness in court who had personal knowledge of something, then came to have a reflexive sense of knowing one’s self (see Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 7, p. 898). It is interesting how often this judicial sense is retained in Scripture. Paul spoke of the “testimony” of the “conscience” (2 Cor. 1:12). He described the conscience “bearing witness” within one’s self so that the thoughts of a person “accuse” or “excuse” him (Rom. 2:15). Properly, the conscience is not something distinct from the inner man, but it is the knowledge we have regarding our own thoughts, attitudes, and behavior.

The New Testament word suneidesis (translated “conscience”) literally means “knowledge-with [one’s self].” It carries the same conceptual sense as our English word “conscience” which comes from the Latin conscientia meaning “knowledge-with [one’s self].” While the Old Testament does not properly use the idea of the conscience, the same concept is expressed in terms of the “heart.” It is the soul with a “pure heart” that can approach God in worship (Ps. 24:3-4). After his sin with Bathsheba, David prays to God “create in me a clean heart” (Ps. 51:10). The heart can be “troubled” when one feels that he has done wrong (1 Sam. 24:4-5—the NASB uses the word “conscience” here, but the word is literally “heart”). The soul willing to do what he knows (or believes) to be wrong is described as having “stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord” (2 Chron. 36:13). The New Testament uses both concepts in juxtaposition. Paul acts from a “pure heart” and a “good conscience” (1 Tim. 1:3-7). This makes it clear that the heart and the conscience are simply two different ways of describing the conviction of the soul.

Conviction and Defilement of the Conscience

The New Testament teaches that one may be “convicted” by the conscience (John 8:7-9). This is what Acts 2:37 calls being “cut to the heart.” Those who heard Peter preach understood that they were not right with God, and they sought to remedy this problem. Simply following the conscience does not make one right with God. One can be condemned in what he approves (Rom. 14:22). Paul lived in “good conscience” even when he was persecuting the church (Acts 23:1). While Paul was not right with God in that situation, Scripture teaches that it is always sin to go against one’s conscience.

Violating one’s conscience leads to a conscience that is “defiled” (Titus 1:15). It leads to a conscience that is “seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:2). In such a condition, our faith may suffer “shipwreck” (1 Tim. 1:19). Instead, Christians must maintain a “pure conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3). Our understanding of God’s word may be insufficient causing us to be mistaken in our convictions, but we must never act against what we believe to be right.

Romans and First Corinthians on the Conscience

Paul’s epistles to the Romans and his first letter to the Corinthians, both teach a number of important principles about the conscience. The book of Romans was addressed to Christians in Rome, most of whom had come to Christ out of a Jewish background, as seen in many places in the book. In chapter fourteen Paul addresses two issues that would have been struggles for Jewish brethren who wrestled with their responsibility to the Old Law now that they had come to Christ: foods and observance of Mosaic holy days (Rom. 14:1-7). What must the Jewish Christian do? Should he follow Mosaic dietary laws? Should he keep Mosaic holy days? In Christ Paul told the Colossians these things were no longer obligations (Col. 2:16-17). He echoed the same thing in Romans 14:14a, declaring, “I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself.” That was the Divine revelation on the matter—but what must be the reaction towards those who don’t fully understand this?

First, we must note that Paul is not talking about matters of human imagination (e.g. someone thinking its acceptable to fornicate or murder). Paul is talking about matters of indifference before God. The divine revelation was that it was not sin to eat, but neither was it sin to refrain from eating. May the Christian who understands this compel the one who does not to violate his conscience and eat? No. Paul explains this in Romans 14:11-22. He declares, “To him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean” (Rom. 14:14). The conscience is a precious thing which must be kept tender. It is what convicts us when we do wrong. It can be misinformed but acting to violate the convictions of the heart is always wrong because it destroys that part of our inner man which draws man back to obedience to God. We may teach, persuade, and strive to come to a different understanding with a brother, but we want to bring a person to be “fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). Before God it was acceptable to eat all meats, but if one “doubts” and eats such a person “is condemned” (Rom. 14:23). Does that mean that the truth is determined by each person’s conscience? No, it means God expects us at all times to do what we understand His word to teach. The soul who would believe something and act contrary to it—or compel someone else to act contrary to it is a rebel before God. To do so is not acting from faithful obedience and is sin!

First Corinthians is addressed to a church that was largely made up of Gentiles. For them, the problem was not one of following Mosaic dietary restrictions, but a history of eating meat sacrificed to idols as an act of pagan-worship (1 Cor. 8:4-10). If the Christian who understood that eating meat was not necessarily an act of worship to an idol disregarded the influence he might have on new converts he might “wound their weak conscience, and sin against Christ” (1 Cor. 8:12). Christians must show respect even for the conscience of others (1 Cor.10:24-33). Why? Because only when the conscience is preserved can one be acceptable to God. The soul with a defiled, seared, or hardened conscience will not be moved by the word of God.

The Conscience and Obedience to the Gospel

Obedience to the Gospel allows one to be able to have a “good conscience” (Heb. 10:19-22). The Hebrew writer speaks of Christians having their, “Hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” (10: 22a). This is probably comparing the Mosaic practice of “sprinkling” the blood of various sacrifices on the priests and on the altar with what happens to the heart in the gospel. The blood of Christ can “cleanse” the conscience from “dead works” (Heb. 9:13-14). We feel guilt because of sin. We regret past deeds. Christ’s blood can “cleanse” the conscience. The Hebrew writer goes further to say Christians have had their, “bodies washed with pure water” (10:22b). In Christ, the only “water” that is ever said to “wash” the body is baptism. The Bible tells us baptism is an “appeal to God for a good conscience” (1 Pet. 3:18-22, NASB). Having been forgiven of sins, and striving to live obedient to Christ, Christians should always live with a “good conscience” (Heb. 13:17-18). It is interesting that the Hebrew writer speaks of obedience to the eldership yet then goes on to speak of maintaining a “good conscience.” If these responsibilities ever conflict, we must obey God rather than man (Acts 5:26-29). It is commendable before God to suffer wrongfully “because of conscience toward God” (1 Pet. 2:18-23). When we maintain a “good conscience” and yet suffer for it, those who persecute us will be caused to be ashamed on the Day of Judgment (1 Pet. 3:15-17).

It is probably in this sense that Paul speaks to the Corinthians of “commending” himself “to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Cor. 4:2). Think about this for a moment—how much would you respect someone who claimed to believe something but then willingly went against that in the face of pressure? Would you trust that person? In the same way, when we hold our ground, and stick to our convictions, people may disagree with us, but they will never be able to claim that we were not sincere. This is the point we noted in the beginning. We, as Paul, must strive to have “a conscience without offense towards God and men” (Acts 24:16).

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 23 (June 4, 2023)

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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

The Gospel Observer

June 4, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Faith That Is Pleasing to God (Kyle Pope)
2) Sword Tips #14 (Joe R. Price)
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Faith That Is Pleasing to God

Kyle Pope

Faith is at the heart of man’s relationship with God. The Hebrew writer taught, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6-7 NKJV). With the coming of Jesus, the character of the type of faith that pleases God became much more focused. This side of the cross, faith means more than just believing there is a God—Jesus said, “no man comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). That means now in order to please God one must believe in Jesus.

Does that just mean believing that Jesus was a real person? No, the kind of faith one has in Jesus must also be focused. 1 John 5:5 asks and then answers the question, “who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” That tells us that the type of faith that is pleasing to God, doesn’t just believe Jesus was a good man, or a wise philosopher, or a prophet—but “the Son of God.” Sadly, many people in our world believe in a Jesus who is not Divine. That is not the Jesus of the New Testament, nor the character of the faith that pleases God.

Scripture, however, focuses this even further. Peter and Paul both quote Isaiah 28:16, “whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6). How does one believe “on” Jesus? The Bible teaches that, “the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23). Human beings do not have an innate guidance system within us, nor are we capable of erasing our own offenses that are committed against God. The preacher in Ecclesiastes asked, “consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?” (Eccl. 7:13). When God defines behavior that we have committed as “crooked” we cannot make it “straight.” This is the problem of sin. All morally capable and accountable souls at some point in life sin—“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). How then can one be made “straight” in his relationship with God? He must believe “on” Jesus as the source of atonement, redemption, and reconciliation.

This is where Jesus’s teaching comes into play. Jesus taught:

And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day (John 12:47-48).

Believing “on” Jesus means that one believes and trusts His word. If I should say to myself, “I want salvation—so I will believe in Jesus, but I don’t have to accept and follow everything He taught!”—I don’t really believe “on” Jesus.

That tells us that part of having a faith that pleases God means that I must “diligently seek Him” as we noted above. This is not something distinct from faith but how the kind of faith pleasing to God is actualized. Remember, the Hebrew writer said, “without faith it is impossible to please Him,” then explains the kind of faith that pleases God—“for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6-7). If I don’t believe “that He is” I don’t have a faith that pleases God. If I don’t believe He rewards “those who diligently seek Him” I don’t have a faith that pleases God. Through seeking to know and understand God’s revealed word in the Bible, one is “diligently” seeking Him. Through striving to carefully and obediently follow what is found within Scripture, one is “diligently” seeking Him. Sadly, many misunderstand this and say, “that’s legalism!” But we aren’t talking about trusting in ourselves. Instead, the way that we demonstrate love for and faith in Jesus is by a diligence to understand and follow all of His will.

The Bible refers to personal faith, and to the system of faith revealed in the gospel. Jude wrote that Christians must “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). To have a faith that pleases God one must not “depart from the faith” (1 Tim. 4:1) as Paul foretold that some would do. To have a faith that pleases God one must have courage to confess this faith before others (Matt. 10:32). To have a faith that pleases God one must remain “steadfast in the faith” (1 Pet. 5:9). These things make it clear that saving faith (or pleasing faith) is more than just a condition purely within our minds. James declared that demons believe, but their faith is not pleasing to God (Jas. 2:19). Some of the Jewish leaders believed in Jesus, but out of fear refused to confess Him (John 12:42). Jesus taught, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33). So pleasing faith “on” Jesus involves certain actions that demonstrate that faith.

Is that meritorious salvation? Is that salvation by works? No, but it is a type of faith which meets God’s definition, not man’s definition. When our world advocates “salvation by faith only” they are using a definition of faith that is never taught in Scripture. Many don’t realize that the only passage in Scripture where we ever see the phrase “faith only” does not teach that salvation is by “faith only.” James 2:24 declares, “a man is justified by works and not faith only.” Only a few verses before this James explained it further by using the example of Abraham—whose faith in God throughout Scripture is offered as an example that all true believers should follow. James taught that his, “faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect” (Jas. 2:22). The kind of faith that is pleasing to God is “made perfect” (or made complete) by works of obedience. Obedience doesn’t merit anything, it is simply the duty of those who serve God in Christ.

In Luke 17, His apostles pled with Jesus to, “increase our faith” (17:5). After describing the great power of faith (17:6), He asks, “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?” (17:7). What does this have to do with faith? He asks further,

But will he not rather say to him, “Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink”? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not (17:8-9).

How will this increase their faith? He is talking about work and service. Finally, He explains, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do’” (17:10). Jesus never uses the word “faith,” but He describes the attitude, the mindset, the service, and obedience that a pleasing faith will demonstrate. Obedience is “our duty to do.” It doesn’t merit anything—obedient servants are still “unprofitable servants” but servants who don’t strive to do “all those things” which they “are commanded” don’t have a faith that pleases God. What kind of faith do you have? What kind of faith do I have?

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 14 (April 2, 2023)
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“And take…the sword of the Spirit, Which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).

Sword Tips #14

Joe R. Price

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.’” (Luke 4:8)

Satan tempts us to bow down and pay homage to other things than God. For example, some choose to worship material things (1 Tim. 6:10). The word of God says covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Any person or thing we put before the Lord God and serve rather than him is our object of worship.

Today is the first day of the week, the day of worship ordained by the Lord (Acts 20:7). Use your time today to worship God “in spirit and truth.” By doing so you will be numbered among those whose worship God accepts (Jno. 4:23-24). Fully give your heart to praising and honoring God. And, worship him according to his revealed will: with prayers and singing, with giving and eating the Lord’s Supper, and by listening to the teaching of his word (Acts 2:42; Eph. 5:19; 1 Cor. 16:2; Acts 20:7).

Worshiping God is the Christian’s first priority on the Lord’s Day. Do not yield to Satan’s temptation to forget God and fail to worship him. If you have, then repent and return to him with praise and adoration for his mercy and grace in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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

The Gospel Observer

May 28, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) “I AM” (Kyle Pope)
2) Gentleness (Jesse A. Flowers)
3) Romans 5:6-8 (NASB)
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“I AM”

Kyle Pope

When the Lord manifested Himself to Moses, the future lawgiver asked God a question—“When I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” (Exod. 3:13, NKJV). In response to this the Lord declared, “‘I AM WHO I AM’. . . Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exod. 3:14). This name declared something profound about the nature of God; He is not one who has been or one who will be. Rather, He simply is—self-existent, eternal, and ever-present.

Jesus in the New Testament declares His own Deity with the same designation. In John 8:58 Jesus declared, “before Abraham was I AM.” There are seven times in the New Testament when Jesus declares more about His nature with the same designation. Consider these passages:

“I Am the Bread of Life”—At least four times in the sixth chapter of the book of John Jesus makes this statement. The first comes in verse 35. Jesus says, “. . . I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” With this Jesus declares His power to sustain human life. What man needs to live is not just material nutrients, but spiritual nutrition. The next comes in verse 41. Jesus declares, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” This shows two things about Jesus: 1.) He was from heaven, 2.) He, like the manna given to the Israelites in the wilderness, was what God has given man to provide for his needs. In the third instance in verse 48, right after declaring this, Jesus clearly makes the second point. If only men could realize this truth, how full the Lord’s Kingdom would be and how pleasant this world would be. In a fourth instance, Jesus adds a qualifying adjective. He proclaims, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (vs. 51). Unlike the manna that decayed if not gathered, Jesus did not decay even in the face of death. This suggests that the ability of Christ to fill the hunger of the soul is greater than any material bread provides. Those who ate manna died. Yet, the one who comes to Jesus in faith and obedience, feasting upon His word (see vs. 63), will live forever.

“I Am the Light of the World”—In John 8 Jesus offers another “I Am” declaration. In verse 12 He says, “I am the Light of the World. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Just as Jesus offers us spiritual food, He also offers spiritual guidance. Man dwells in spiritual darkness desperately in need of light. Jesus through His word gives this light.

“I Am the Good Shepherd”—Frequently in Scripture God’s people are pictured as sheep in need of a Shepherd. The shepherd not only feeds and guides the sheep, but also protects them from the dangers of thieves and wild beasts. In John chapter 10, Jesus asserts Himself as the Shepherd of God’s people. In verse 11 Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Three verses later He says again, “I am the Good Shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own” (vs. 14). This world has many dangers. There are thieves that would try to take us away from God. There are beasts that would devour us with sin and falsehood. Only by relying upon the Good Shepherd are we safe.

“I Am the Vine”—Jesus declares in John chapter 15, verse 5—“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much Fruit: For without Me you can do nothing.” It must have been most tempting to the Jews of the First Century to think of Judaism as the “vine” to which all faith should cling. It is very tempting to religious people today to think that any religious group that calls themselves “Christian” adheres to the vine. Jesus asserts in verses one and two, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” Verse 6 adds—“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they shall gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” The next verse tells us that abiding in Christ means keeping His word. What must be realized is that if people in this age claim to be in Christ and yet do not keep within the word of God, they are either already “cast out” or run the danger of being cast out unless repentance takes place. They are not clinging to the “true vine.”

“I Am the Way”—“I Am the Door of the Sheep”—In John chapter 14, Jesus tells His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (14:6). In the midst of His discussion regarding Himself as the “Good Shepherd” He declared in John 10:7—“Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” Two verses later He adds, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (10:9). These words teach us some very important points. How is it that man may have a home with God the Father? Through Jesus. If we want to be a part of God’s flock, how do we gain access into the flock? Through Jesus. How can we have salvation from sins and eternal life with God? Through Jesus. If only the world would understand this. All roads do not lead to heaven. All faiths are not the same. All saviors are not equally true. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the only way to salvation in this age.

“I Am the Resurrection and the Life”—A final declaration is found in John 11:25. Jesus had come to Bethany where His friend Lazarus lay dead. He was met by Martha, Lazarus’ sister. In anguish she declared to Jesus—“…Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give you” (John 11:21-22). She was absolutely right. That very day God through Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus’ “I Am” declaration came just three verses after Martha’s declaration of her faith in Him. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). More than just being able to raise a man from death only to die again, Jesus is the means to escape the one thing to which all souls are subject—death. In Christ the faithful soul will one day rise from death to live forever with God. What a glorious Savior is Christ the Lord!

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 16 (April 16, 2023)
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Gentleness

Jesse A. Flowers

“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand” (Phil. 4:5).

How often do we really think about the need for gentleness in our lives? If we’re being honest, probably not very often. But gentleness is to be a godly characteristic that is possessed and practiced by every professing Christian. It is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). It is an indicator that we manifest the wisdom that is from above (James 3:17). It is something that we are to be pursuing (1 Timothy 6:11). It is a quality that is instrumental and essential in converting the lost (2 Timothy 2:24-26) and restoring brethren who are overtaken in any trespass (Galatians 6:1). And here in Philippians 4:5, the inspired apostle tells saints that our gentleness is to be evident to all whom we encounter. But is it? Do we speak to and treat our spouse and children with gentleness or harshness? Do we demonstrate a sweetness of disposition to our brethren? And do our interactions with non-Christians manifest a tenderness and calmness?

Gentleness does not mean that we are weak. On the contrary, it is an indication of great strength and maturity. It is something that is sorely missing in our world, but a vital attribute that you and I must possess if we are to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called (Ephesians 4:1-3). One reason that so many were drawn to Jesus was because of His gentleness. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

One very important way to imitate our Savior and to draw others unto Him, is by letting our gentleness be known to all men!

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, May 2023
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Romans 5:6-8

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (NASB).
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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

The Gospel Observer

May 21, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) “Not Dead, But Sleeping” (Kyle Pope)
2) Sword Tips #13 (Joe R. Price)
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“Not Dead, But Sleeping”

Kyle Pope

While Jesus was upon the earth the gospel of Matthew records a powerful statement He made just prior to raising a young girl from the dead. Her father came to Jesus declaring, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live” (Matt. 9:18, NKJV). As Jesus went to the house where the little girl’s body lay there was a crowd of people mourning for her. The text tells us, “He said to them, ‘Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.’ And they ridiculed Him” (Matt. 9:24). A profound doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ is articulated with these words. Jesus teaches us that death is not the end—it is merely sleep.

This truth runs throughout Scripture, but it is especially clear in Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica. Near the end of the epistle Paul writes, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). Like the crowd mourning the little girl, death brings sorrow to the family and friends of those who pass away. But like Jesus, Paul says those who die are not gone—they have simply “fallen asleep.” Is Paul speaking metaphorically? Is he talking about sleep in some spiritual sense? No. The next verse connects it with Jesus’ death and resurrection. He writes, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14). Paul says the physical death and bodily resurrection of Jesus served as evidence that informs us about our own nature. The fact that He lived again after death foreshadows the promise that when He returns He will “bring with Him” those described as those who “sleep in Jesus.”

Again, Paul isn’t talking about some spiritual “sleep.” This is contrasted with those who are physically alive. Paul continues, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep” (1 Thess. 4:15). Those who “are asleep” are not those who are physically “alive and remain”—those who “sleep in Jesus” have died physically. Will they miss out on the blessings of the Lord’s return? No. When Jesus returns the dead will return also. But, in what sense will Christ bring them “with Him” when He returns? Paul continues, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16). The “dead in Christ” are those who “sleep in Jesus.” How will He bring them “with Him” when He comes? They will “rise first.” Is Paul talking about some type of spiritual resurrection? No. Nothing about Jesus’ physical death and bodily resurrection relate to a spiritual resurrection or simply the revival of a cause. Paul, like Jesus, tells the saints in Thessalonica that their brothers and sisters in Christ who have died are “not dead” (in one sense) “but sleeping.”

The dead will not miss out. They are not gone. Their life is not extinguished. Paul continues, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). Those in Christ can look forward to a grand reunion with those who have passed away in Christ. The living, together with the “dead in Christ” who have risen will be “caught up together” to meet the Lord. The Bible doesn’t ever teach a concept of “The Rapture” (as the world teaches it), but at the Lord’s return His people with the resurrected saints will be “caught up” with “them in the air.” This is not describing events before some imagined earthly kingdom. It is not describing our fellowship with one another in the church. When this happens God’s people are promised a time when “we shall always be with the Lord.” In this life we can separate ourselves from fellowship with God at any time we choose to reject Him. That will not be the case in the age to come. Paul ends by urging them to “comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). What a comfort it is to know that though life may pass from our body we need not fear. When it happens we will not be “dead, but sleeping.”

In the next chapter, however, Paul uses the figure of sleep in a different way. After comforting the saints with a lesson on the Lord’s return and our own hope of resurrection he addresses the question of timing. When will all of this happen? He writes, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2). Jesus used this wording in His discourse with His disciples on the Mount of Olives. After talking to them about the destruction of Jerusalem and His final coming, He warned, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matt. 24:42). He then compares it to a thief coming in the night (Matt. 24:43), concluding, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him” (Matt. 24:44). Paul cites the Lord’s very teaching in his words to those in Thessalonica. When will this happen? We don’t know—it’s like the coming of a “thief in the night.” Paul continues, “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thess. 5:3). If we live our life imaging that all is “peace and safety” but never consider our accountability before God we are not following the Lord’s charge to “watch” and “be ready.” Paul urges Christians not to make that mistake. Christians must be “sons of the light” and “sons of the day”—not living “in darkness” lest this day over take us “as a thief” (1 Thess. 5:4-5). What are we doing if we don’t heed that advice? What is our condition if we are not ready? Paul writes, “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:6). In what sense does Paul say in this verse that some “sleep”? Is he talking about physical death? No. This is a charge not to sleep. The sleep of death is not a matter of choice. Paul is talking about those who are living, but who are unwilling to “watch and be sober.” They are not living their lives prepared to stand before God. In their blind unwillingness to be ready for the Lord’s return, they (in a different sense) are “not dead, but sleeping.”

What is your condition today? Perhaps you have avoided thinking about your own mortality not knowing what lies beyond this life. Jesus offers the only source of true comfort and assurance after death. To die in Christ is not a fearful thing. John wrote, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them’” (Rev. 14:13). If you are obedient to the gospel you need not fear. If death comes before the Lord’s return you can take comfort in the promise, you will not be “dead, but sleeping.” On the other hand, if you avoid preparing yourself for the Day of Judgment through fear or indifference, you may tell yourself you are truly living while stumbling through life with your eyes closed to its inevitable realities. In such a case you are “not dead, but sleeping” through the moments of life that the Lord has given you to prepare for His return. If so, we urge you “Wake up, O sleeper” don’t linger in the spiritual death of separation from God—“rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph. 5:14).

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 20, May 14, 2023
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“And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).

Sword Tips #13

Joe R. Price

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

Holy living is the result of holy thinking. Peter clearly tells us we must set our minds on the blessings we will receive when Jesus returns. By doing so we keep away from the lustful thinking and conduct in which we used to live before we became Christians. This helps us be obedient children who live holy lives.

You have control over your mind. You decide the thoughts, motives and intentions that drive your conduct and define who you are. So today, think about God’s holiness and let that motivate your decision to be holy. Determine to be like God. After all, God is your father. So, choose to be an obedient child. Put away the thinking and desires of the world and set your mind on the eternal life your heavenly father will give you when Jesus returns. This will help you be equipped to live a holy life every day.
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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. We also have a Congregational Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

May 14, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Devotion (Matthew Bassford)
2) Sword Tips #12 (Joe R. Price)
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PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Devotion

Matthew Bassford

Synopsis: Biblical examples of devotion challenge us to manifest love and loyalty, constancy and commitment—in worship, in service, and in suffering.
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Introduction

The transition from the old covenant to the new covenant is one of the most dramatic in the Bible, particularly in its implications for worship. Animal sacrifices of the Law of Moses have been replaced with the sacrifice of Christ and the Lord’s Supper under His law. Tithing has been superseded by giving as we are prospered. The instrumental music of the temple cult has given way to speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

Nevertheless, these changes in form conceal a continuity in the heart that God wants to see from His worshipers. Decades of Bible-class generalizations to the contrary, even the Old Law never was about checking off worship boxes. Isaiah 1:10-15 reveals the lie to such mischaracterization! Instead, God expected the Israelites to come before Him, not merely with the outwardly correct form, but also with devoted hearts.

Indeed, these two things go together. Whenever anyone insists that their adherence to God’s worship commandments doesn’t matter because their heart is good, we should be deeply skeptical. If your heart is so good, why aren’t you determined to honor God through your obedience?

The converse is also true. If a worshiper only is concerned about form and doesn’t worship with heartfelt commitment, that lack of inward involvement inevitably will erode outward obedience. Tithing mint, dill, and cumin is no substitute for working justice, mercy and faithfulness!

God calls us to be devoted worshipers, inwardly, outwardly, intellectually, and emotionally. The One who has given everything for us expects us to give our all to Him. However, in this pursuit, He does not leave us without guidance. Rather, biblical examples of godly worshipers in all times teach us what devotion looks like.

The Devotion of David

One of the best examples of devoted worship in Scripture is the Israelite king David. Unsurprisingly, the man after God’s own heart revealed a heart for God in the way he praised Him. There are many texts, including half the Psalms, that reveal David’s devotion, but one of the most striking is his great prayer in 2 Samuel 7:18-29.

Contextually, this story begins with David’s misguided determination to build a permanent temple for God. God then uses the prophet Nathan to warn David away from this inappropriate if well-intentioned course (please note, by the way, that devoted worshipers do not continue in unauthorized worship once they realize it is unauthorized). David is not to build a house for God; instead, God will build a house for David. David’s lineage, kingdom, and throne all will endure forever.

This is a big deal! Any student of the Old Testament knows how important having descendants was to God’s old-covenant people. Now David knows that his line never will perish. Of course, this news is better than even David can understand fully (though he understood more than most) because it turns out to be a prophecy that his heir will be the Son of God.

In response to this unanticipated promise, David worships. However, the content of his worship is revealing. To use the language of John 4, he clearly is worshiping in spirit and in truth. He praises God emotionally, but his praise focuses in specific detail on the nature and character of God. He is deeply thankful, but does not express his thankfulness using a dozen repetitive thank-you’s. Instead, he thoughtfully explains why. Even 3000 years later, his prayer remains both enlightening and moving. All of us can say, along with him, “Who am I. . . that you have brought me this far?”

The Devotion of the Apostles

We see similar devotion expressed in the worship of the apostles in Acts 4:23-31. Like David, they are provoked to praise God, not by what God already has done, but by what He has promised. However, unlike David’s situation, their position seems considerably less promising.

The day previously, Peter and John had been doing the Lord’s work, healing the lame man and proclaiming the Christ. However, even though they had broken no laws, their good work led to their arrest, and a night spent in jail. The next morning, the high council of their people calls them to account for their “unauthorized” preaching. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Peter turns the Sanhedrin’s accusation around on them, but the confrontation ends with the same people who had killed Jesus threatening to harm the apostles also.

It is in the face of this threat that the apostles join in worship—exalting God’s power and noting that He had previously predicted the troubles they faced (Ps. 2). Yes, these wicked men killed the Anointed One, but in so doing, they only carried out God’s purpose.

The apostles then pray for boldness, but it is the unspoken rest of Psalm 2 that provides their motivation. In it, David reports that the nations will rise against the Messiah, but He will shatter them with a rod of iron. The Sanhedrin and their Roman overlords may seem menacing, but Christ will ultimately triumph.

The apostles’ behavior highlights another aspect of devotion. Their emotional, content-rich prayer shows that their whole selves are engaged, but they also are wholly focused on God. Their powerful enemies do not concern them. Only His power does. If we are as God-focused in our worship today, He will bless us as surely as He blessed them.

The Devotion of Job

God’s blessing should stir our devotion even when, and perhaps especially when, its presence is not obvious. Starting with the crucifixion of the Lord Himself, the Scripture records many episodes of the suffering of the faithful, but one of the most striking worship responses appears in Job 1:20-22. At this point, Job’s sufferings have not yet been completed, but he already has endured enough to bring any of us to our knees. This same day has seen the destruction not only of his fortune, but also of his children. I know what it’s like to lose one child. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose all ten of them!

However, when Job falls to the ground, he does so in worship. His next words are surely among the most difficult to speak in the entire Bible. He says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Later, Job calls God to account for what has happened to him (and God still does not charge him with sin), but his initial response is magnificent. It shows an incomplete understanding of what has befallen him (though God allowed his suffering, Satan directly caused his misery), but it also reveals a deep connection to God. Through all of Job’s tragedies, the name of the Lord continues to be blessed!

So too, our mind-and-heart connection to God in worship should not be severed by anything that happens to us in our lives, whether good (which is more of a problem than Americans think) or bad. Even on the worst day of our lives, He still deserves our praise, and if we will only seek, we will find all the reasons we need.

Conclusion

Worshiping with devotion is a difficult goal to achieve, but it’s an important one. From the beginning, the God who searches the hearts has wanted the hearts of His people to be lifted up to Him. The greatest heroes of faith are frequently great because of the greatness of their worship. If we too offer our entire selves wholly to God through all of our days, it will transform not only our worship but also our lives.

— Via Truth Magazine, Volume 65, No. 10, October 2021

https://truthmagazine.com/kindle/2021/2021-10-oct/05_Praise.htm
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“And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).

Sword Tips #12

Joe R. Price

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Continually be thankful to God! The greatest blessing of all is the victory we have over sin and death through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sin has been utterly defeated by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Therefore:

1) Be thankful today for God’s grace, by which Jesus died for everyone and brought salvation to all who will believe and obey (Heb. 2:9; Titus 2:11).

2) Be thankful today that you have received God’s gift of salvation by your obedient faith to Christ (Eph. 2:8-9; Heb. 5:8-9; Rom. 6:17-18).

Death has been utterly defeated by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The empty tomb is a constant memorial to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God and that he has complete power over death (Rom. 1:4; Rev. 1:18). Therefore:

1) Be thankful today that death is no longer fearful – Jesus replaced the fear of death with confident hope (Heb. 2:14-15).

2) Be thankful today that death will be your doorway into eternal joy, peace and life (Phil. 1:21).

God gives you no greater blessing than victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ. Praise be to God!
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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

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

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

May 7, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Resisting the Victim Mentality (Kyle Pope)
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Resisting the Victim Mentality

Kyle Pope

Why do we do certain things? What made us have the strengths or weaknesses we do? If I am not what I should be in some area of life, is it my choice and my responsibility? Or am I helpless to shape my own character, behavior, and disposition?

This world certainly has more than its share of horror stories about souls who have suffered the abuse, mistreatment, disrespect, and exploitation of life circumstances or treatment by others. Living through such pain leaves scars, wounds, and obstacles that may never go away. This can make the path to happiness, healthy attitudes, and righteous living far more elusive for these injured souls than for those who have not endured such nightmares. Far too many people can look back on such a dark history in their lives. These victims deserve our kindness, love, sympathy, gentleness, and patience. The Hebrew writer urges Christians to, “strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed” (Heb. 12:12-13, NKJV).

Unfortunately, there have been times when our world failed to acknowledge the importance of support for those who have suffered such horrid things. Victims were ignored, abuse was “swept under the rug,” and those who had faced such mistreatment were stigmatized and shamed if they openly acknowledged what they had endured. They were looked down upon if they sought help to overcome what they had been through. While this may still happen at times, the willingness to address these realities is making this neglect less common. Yet, with this increased spotlight on conditions people have had to endure, I fear our world now suffers from another extreme attitude. More and more, it has become fashionable for more and more people to present ourselves to those around us and in our own minds as victims. Has life truly become that much harder? Is there more mistreatment now than in the past? That doesn’t seem to be the case, but even so, in our world there is a growing push for everyone to see themselves as victims.

Why would people want to be viewed or view themselves as victims?

1. It garners sympathy. We like it when others look at us with care and compassion. If that doesn’t happen under normal conditions, we may come to relish painting ourselves in a light that draws attention, a listening ear, and the sympathetic encouragement that now comes to victims.

2. It gathers allies. Victims must have those who have victimized them. If we can make others support us and hate those by whom we feel victimized, we don’t have to suffer alone. Although we may not be able to return the mistreatment we have received, if we can turn others against those who have hurt us we can subtly destroy them and make ourselves feel better in the process.

3. It excuses personal responsibility. While even the worst abuse and mistreatment does not excuse wrongdoing, that’s not always how we view things. If my life circumstances are bad enough, or someone else’s behavior towards me has been bad enough, my misdeeds don’t look as bad. If I can see myself as a victim, I can rationalize away things I do that are wrong.

The problem is that when we allow ourselves to adopt this victim mindset it can lead to some unintended consequences.

1. It puts the focus all on us. Was the situation that made us feel abused one-sided? Are we the only one who felt pain? Was there nothing else going on in the world of any importance as we faced this experience? A victim mentality makes us forget everything else around us except how we feel; how things affect us. That can be a selfish, narrow, and shortsighted perspective.

2. It creates warring sides. As allies are gathered to support us, our adversaries are likely doing the same thing. Their allies view us as the enemy and grow to hate those who support us. This makes enemies of those who had nothing to do with the things that originally caused us pain. But it results in spreading our pain to increasing circles of supporters on opposite sides in this escalating conflict.

3. It can lead us to excuse our own behavior. What if I did wrong? What if I had the wrong attitudes or beliefs in a given situation? The victim mindset shuns self-examination. It’s not my fault! Even if I do wrong, it is justified because of what I have been through. Is that sound reasoning? Paul taught that, “each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12).

4. It minimizes the seriousness of worse things that others have suffered. All of us have seen toddlers with a bruised knee act as if their world is coming to an end. We may also have seen the irony of a grandparent, suffering under the pains of arthritis or undergoing chemotherapy for life-threatening cancer kneel to the ground in compassion to comfort the child in tears over such a small hardship. We all recognize in this the “upside-down” picture of things in such a scene. When I treat pains that I have suffered with the same terminology, gravity, and importance that the most horrid victims of life’s circumstances and mistreatment deserve I do them a disservice. I trivialize their pain in order to elevate mine. That is not right, nor is it helpful to anyone involved.

Does the Bible teach us to foster such a victim mindset? If anyone could have allowed such a spirit of victimhood to shape his mindset, it would have been Paul. In answer to those who questioned his status as an apostle, he recounted his suffering. Among other things, he wrote:

“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren” (2 Cor. 11:24-26).

That’s quite a list! Who of us could write a comparable history? Not many! Yet, amazingly, Paul never allowed himself to see himself as a victim.

First, because he recognized how his sufferings compared to what Christ endured for us. He told the Colossians, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). What if instead of a victim mentality we chose to see anything we suffer as sharing just a small degree of what Christ went through for us?

Second, he recognized the depth of his sin and the glory of the mercy and hope he had received. He said to the Corinthians that he was “not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Cor. 15:9). He considered himself the “chief” of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15), but recognized that he had “obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (1 Tim. 1:16). We may not have persecuted the church—and I’m not saying we should think that because of our sin we deserve any mistreatment we have endured. But, what if we chose to see any hardship we face (in the present or the past) as “not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18b)? That’s how Paul said we should view “the sufferings of the present time” (Rom. 8:18a).

Yes, Paul had enemies, but amazingly he was able to look beyond the bad attitudes others had towards him and consider the cause of Christ above his own discomfort. He told the Philippians:

“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice” (Phil. 1:15-18).

Does that mean we should ignore wrongdoing? No. Jesus taught, “If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3b). But He began these words by saying, “Take heed to yourselves” (Luke 17:3a).

Does this mean we should never reach out to others for encouragement as we go through trials? No. Paul taught the Corinthians:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ” (2 Cor. 1:3-5).

We should support one another. We should encourage one another. But that doesn’t mean we have to announce with a trumpet how bad we have it, how everyone has mistreated us, and how deserving we are of sympathy. God has called us to a better mindset.

Ultimately, we are responsible for ourselves. Even the most reprehensible oppression one must endure does not have to determine who we are, what we do, and how we see our lives. Paul taught, “let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load” (Gal. 6:4-5). Perhaps what you have had to face presents some obstacles to you that are much more challenging than what I have ever faced. I am so sorry! But you have a choice how you will let that shape your life going forward. Will you view yourself as a helpless victim or will you take the reins of who you are, how you will act, and what your life will be from here on out?

The Christian is not a victim, but a conqueror! We once were “slaves of sin” (Rom. 6:6), but in obedience to the gospel of Christ we have been “delivered” (Rom. 6:17) and “set free from sin” (Rom. 6:22). Now, God “leads us in triumph in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:14). That would lead Paul—the very man we saw who suffered so many things, to write:

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:37-39).

We don’t have to be victims. In Christ, we can be conquerors, an even “more than conquerors.” Thanks be to God!

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 17 (April 23, 2023)

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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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

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

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for 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.)

The Gospel Observer

April 30, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Mindfulness (Matthew Bassford)
2) Sword Tips #9 (Joe R. Price)
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PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Mindfulness

Matthew Bassford

Synopsis: Our worship must reveal thoughtfulness in the way we choose to worship, how we prepare for worship, and in the content of what we say.
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Introduction

Even though we serve God according to a different covenant and different laws than did the ancient Israelites, the fundamental attributes that God desires in His people have not changed since the beginning. Sometimes, people will argue that the Law of Moses was outward and ceremonial, whereas the commandments of Christ concern the inward man. This is nonsense. Indeed, the Old Testament commands the faithful to love God more frequently than does the New Testament!

The Biblical concept of love for God is much broader than most Americans would think. It is not merely concerned with emotions, but also with the will and the intellect. Mushy, content-free emotional outpouring has no place in the expression of our love for God, and it never has. Far from being a distraction from the warmth of our relationship with God in worship, intellectual involvement heightens our emotion and strengthens the relationship.

We see this clearly in the worship of godly people of old. Men such as Hezekiah, David, and Ezra were deeply devoted to God, but their devotion led them to seek Him mindfully rather than mindlessly. If we wish to express our love for God through mindful worship today, we have a great deal to learn from their example.

Mode of Worship

As is true of the biblical discussion of worship generally, these examples show us that mindful worship means using the proper mode of worship. We see this in the worship of Hezekiah’s time in 2 Chronicles 29:25-26. During this ceremony, Hezekiah actively required the Levites to use various instruments of music in worship.

At first glance, this would seem to be an argument for the use of the instrument in worship today. However, it really is a powerful argument for the opposite. Hezekiah didn’t pass out the cymbals, harps, lyres, and trumpets because he enjoyed the sound of those particular instruments.

Rather than being an emotional decision, it was a rational one. Hezekiah consulted the commandments of God repeated through His prophets David, Gad, and Nathan. From those commandments, he learned that God required the use of instruments in the tabernacle/temple worship of Israel. In obedience to that requirement, Hezekiah instructed the Levites to adopt the instrument.

Today, this is precisely the same thought process that we must follow. Our decisions about modes of worship can’t be based on personal inclinations. Rather, we must ask, “What has God commanded?” Here, our inquiry should not concern itself with the requirements of the Law of Moses, which has been nailed to the cross with Christ. Instead, we must look to the New Testament, for the law of Christ continues in force to this day.

Once we ask the right question and look in the right place, the answer is simple and clear: Repeatedly, the writers of the New Testament urge the people of Christ to worship Him with singing. Not once do they instruct us to bring the instrument into our worship. If our goal truly is to express our love for God through mindful worship, this is all we need to know.

Approach to Worship

The Old Testament also shows us what a mindful approach to worship looks like. Many texts illustrate this principle, but one of the most interesting concerns David’s preparations for the construction of the temple in 1 Chronicles 28-29. As per Philippians 4:18, his forethought and generosity represent a God-pleasing sacrifice, as much as the animals he offered in 1 Chronicles 29:21.

David’s preparations are twofold. First, he devises plans for the construction of the temple and its furnishings, and he gives them to his son Solomon. 1 Chronicles 28:11-18 records the tremendous amount of detail those plans contained. Second, as reported by 1 Chronicles 29:1-5, he devotes a tremendous amount of his personal treasure to the project, tons of precious metals and other valuable commodities.

Besides pleasing God, David’s careful work has another spiritually significant effect. In 1 Chronicles 29:5-9, after showing the people what he has given, he asks them what they were going to contribute. They respond bountifully and enthusiastically, providing Solomon with everything that he needed to carry out this great work.

David’s painstaking preparations provide a powerful example for worship leaders today. God is worthy of our care and forethought. We must prepare wisely if we wish to help His people worship.

Sometimes, wisdom leads us not to do something. It might seem godly to script out a 15-minute opening prayer, but how many Christians could say the “Amen” at the end of that prayer without lying? So too, disciples who aren’t crack sight readers are going to struggle to worship with an unfamiliar hymn led before the Lord’s Supper on Sunday morning. There are wiser ways to “sing a new song!”

However, when a worship leader plans his work with care and wisdom, it will be obvious to the congregation. Just as David’s example inspired the Israelites to give their best, thoughtfulness in leading songs and prayers will stir the congregation up to new heights of worship!

Content of Worship

Finally, of course, let us ensure that the content of our worship is thoughtful. Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16 teach us this today. Yet, long before Paul ever penned those words, spiritual depth is evident in every line of the psalms and the prayers uttered by ancient Israelites. Once more the Scriptures offer us multiple examples from which to choose, but it’s instructive to consider the great penitential prayer of Ezra (Ezra 9:6-15).

Contextually, Ezra discovered that the Jews had a serious spiritual problem. Many of them had been intermarrying with the people of the land, thus inviting retribution from God. When Ezra hears this unwelcome news, he tears his clothes and collapses until evening, attracting the attention of a large crowd. Thus, his prayer was offered for the ears of his audience and the ears of God.

In it, he contrasts the faithlessness of the Jews with the graciousness of God. They wickedly abandoned Him, but after seventy years of captivity, He compassionately restored them to the land. Now the sin of mixed marriages invites God to wipe them out completely, and it leaves them without excuse.

This prayer shows Ezra’s thoughtfulness in two ways. First, it is instructive. He takes his audience on a tour of the core narrative of the Old Testament: God’s faithfulness and Israel’s faithlessness. It cites the prophets who condemn exactly what the Jews are doing.

Second, it is timely. It highlights the sin in which the people are currently engaged. It explains the seriousness of their spiritual predicament, implying the powerful need for immediate action.

So too, worship leaders today should strive to enlighten and inspire the congregation. Sad to say, as diligent as song leaders can be in sniffing out false doctrine in hymns (sometimes finding false doctrine where none exists), brethren are all too blind to the peril of hymns that say nothing and teach nothing. By contrast, a good hymn pierces the heart of the singer with the word of God, inspiring worshipers to more devoted discipleship.

Conclusion

The kindest thing to be said about mindless worship is that it is easy. Nevertheless, it falls far short of what God expects from His people. When we engage our minds in deciding how to worship, how to prepare, and what to offer, we fulfill His design and glorify Him. May it never be said that we have presented to God what was meaningless to us!

— Via Truth Magazine, Volume 65, No. 8, August 2021

https://truthmagazine.com/kindle/2021/2021-08-aug/05_Praise.htm

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Sword Tips #9

Joe R. Price

“From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord’s name is to be praised” (Psalm 113:3).

As the days grow shorter, moving from autumn to winter, we are reminded that God set the seasons in place for our good (Gen. 1:14; 8:22). God ordained the sun’s daily circuit, and it declares his glory (Psa. 19:1-4).

Praise God today for his power; Power that keeps the sun in its place and that gives us both summer and winter. The winter rest will eventually give way to spring’s renewal and summer’s growing season. And so it goes – just as God planned.

Like the days that draw toward winter, our lives are drawing ever shorter. Do not forget God. He gave you life; praise him for it! Eventually, you will stand before God and answer to him for how you used the life he gave you (2 Cor. 5:10). He has appointed a day of judgment for us all (Heb. 9:27; Acts 17:30-31).

God is worthy to be praised. Today and every day; praise his great name!

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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. We also have a Congregational Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

April 23, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Redeeming the Time (Kyle Pope)
2) Sword Tips #6 (Joe R. Price)
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Redeeming the Time

Kyle Pope

This week I turned sixty. That doesn’t seem as old as it used to; but even so, it will take awhile to sink in. It will take some getting used to, to say “I’m sixty.”

Moses, in the prayer recorded in Psalm 90, declared, “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Ps. 90:10, NKJV). He wasn’t describing a hard and fast rule, but a general tendency. Moses himself lived to be one hundred and twenty and in good health—“his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (Deut. 34:7). This side of the flood, human life on earth does not last for centuries, but only about seventy years, or “threescore years and ten” (as the King James put it).

Moses’s words bear an amazing correlation to modern conditions in America. Before Covid-19, from 1960-2020 the average life expectancy in the US rose steadily from 70 to 77. It hasn’t always been that way. In 1860 it was 39! Nor is it the same everywhere. Today in Japan it’s 84. In Great Britain it’s 80.

So, “I’m sixty!” What does that mean for me? At twenty, it was easy to feel “ten feet tall and bulletproof,” but at sixty it is burying one’s head in the sand to imagine life on earth will continue indefinitely. David prayed, “LORD, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am” (Ps. 39:4). We have no indication that David, like Hezekiah, was told in exact terms how long he had to live (cf. 2 Kings 20:1-6; Isa. 38:1-5). David is praying that he would not take his life for granted and presume to have more time than he really did.

James, through the Holy Spirit warned of this attitude. He wrote:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that” (Jas. 4:13-15).

This is not teaching that we should live with a morbid fear that death is around every corner. Jesus has released the Christian from “bondage” to the “fear of death” (Heb. 2:14-15). Like David’s prayer, James is teaching disciples of Christ to live in recognition of God’s providential care and the brevity of our own lives.

Paul expressed this idea with a figure of speech he used in two different epistles in different contexts. In his letter to the church in Ephesus, he urged them to “walk circumspectly,” or “carefully” (ASV), not behaving as “fools but as wise” (Eph. 5:15, NKJV). He urged them not to “be unwise but” to “understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). In the midst of this admonition he told them they should be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). In a similar way, he urged the Colossians to consider their influence on non-Christians. He commanded them to, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside” (Col. 4:5a). Part of this involved how they speak. He explained, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Col. 4:6). In the midst of this teaching, he told them also that they should live “redeeming the time” (Col. 4:5b).

Redemption involves the “regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment or clearing a debt” (New Oxford American Dictionary). How does one redeem time? The Holy Spirit, through Paul, is teaching Christians that we have a debt, or an obligation when it comes to the use of the time entrusted to us. Whether our days are many or few the Lord has given them to us with the expectation that we will use them wisely. We must not waste our time. There is work to do in service, devotion, and obedience to Him. Using time wisely doesn’t clear our debt to the Lord as it relates to sin, but the careful use of time in recognition that it is a trust bestowed upon us by God, Paul describes as “redeeming the time.”

So, “I am sixty.” How much time do I have to redeem? Only the Lord knows, but sometimes family trends can offer clues. My father lived to be seventy-seven. If I live as long as he did, I have seventeen years, or 204 months, 6,205 days, or 148, 920 hours! That’s quite a bit of time. Yet, one of my grandfathers died at sixty-two. That would leave me only two years, or twenty-four months, 730 days, or only 17,520 hours. That’s not as much time to redeem, is it? Perhaps I have inherited some longevity from my great-grandparents. My father’s grandpa lived to be eighty-eight. I met him once. If I lived that long, I have twenty-eight more years, or 336 months, 10,220 days, or 245,280 hours. Do I have that much time? My mother’s grandma lived to be 100! I was with her on her last birthday. That would leave me forty more years, or 480 months, 14,600 days, or 350,400 hours. That’s a lot of time! Do I have that much? Only the Lord knows.

What’s clear is I have no time to waste! I need to redeem whatever time I have. Peter told his readers, “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries” (1 Pet. 4:3). To apply this to myself, I have no time for crankiness, self-pity, or selfishness—I have “spent enough” time on those things. I must redeem my time! The Wise Man urged one to “rejoice with the wife of your youth” (Prov. 5:18b) and the psalmist declared, “children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward” (Ps. 127:3). I have no time to waste. I must show my love to my wife and family. I must work to influence their faith and encourage their love and service to the Lord. I must redeem my time! Paul told the saints in the church in Rome to “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Rom. 12:10, NIV). I have no time to waste. I have a commitment to serve the congregation with which I am identified. I have brothers and sisters who need my encouragement, edification, and love. I must redeem my time! Peter taught, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Pet. 3:15, NKJV). I have no time to waste. I must stand ready to share my faith with those around me. I must redeem my time!

All of this assumes that “all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Pet. 3:4b). We can’t presume that. Peter warned, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10). Paul told the Thessalonians, concerned that their loved ones who had already died had missed out on the blessings of the gospel, that at any moment:

. . . The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

That means that at any moment the Lord could return, this life will come to an end, and each of us will be called to account for how well we have redeemed the time we have been given.

“I am sixty!” How will I redeem the time the Lord may give me? That isn’t a dark and gloomy thought to ponder. Paul wrote that we should live, “knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11). Whether the Lord grants me many days or few; whether the Lord returns before I see even another day, may I (and all children of God) recognize the blessing we have been given to have time in service to Him and live everyday “redeeming the time.”

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Number 15, April 9, 2023

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Sword Tips #6

Joe R. Price

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Flashlights are a great invention. With the days getting shorter and shorter as winter approaches, they are useful tools in the dark, cold night.

We all need light to show us the path to take in our lives. Jesus is “the true Light which gives light to every man” (Jno. 1:9). He is the “light of the world” who removes the darkness of sin and gives life to those who follow him (Jno. 8:12). The light of his word is available to everyone.

Remember to use God’s word to guide your steps today, and every day. Let your decisions and your choices be directed by his truth, not by the false promises of the flesh or the passing pleasures of sin.

God’s word will always lead you in paths of righteousness. Treasure its worth, trust its message, and take its truth with you everywhere you go.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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

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

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

April 16, 2023 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Dependence in Worship (Matthew Bassford)
2) Sword Tips #5 (Joe R. Price)
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PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Dependence in Worship

Matthew Bassford

Synopsis: Like past heroes of faith, Christians look to God for guidance, and submit to His instruction. This spirit of dependence should be ever present in our worship.

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Introduction

As Christians, we know we are utterly dependent on God, and we frequently acknowledge that dependence in worship. In the words of the great hymn “Be with Me, Lord,” we dare not try to take one step alone. Indeed, it is hard to imagine going through an entire worship service without some expression of our complete reliance on God. We know the truth, so we’d better confess it before Him!

This is not a new idea. For as long as God’s people have confronted challenges beyond their ability, puzzles beyond their understanding, and enemies beyond their strength, they have admitted their helplessness to their Creator and looked to Him for grace. They knew they needed Him just like we do, so they sought His help in worship.

In fact, it is striking how often biblical heroes adopted this approach. Many of the stories of Scripture that most inspire us do so not because of the hero’s abilities, but because of his decision to turn his problems over to God. Nor are any of these ever disappointed. When we consider how they overcame through confessing their dependence in worship, it is clear how we can overcome too.

Solomon’s Appeal for Wisdom

The first of these stories of worshipful dependence that we are going to consider (there are many more that we will not) concerns the young king Solomon. Once he has established his reign by carrying out the bloodthirsty advice of his aged father, David, he is left at a loss about what to do next. He has inherited a vast kingdom that takes up almost the entire eastern coast of the Mediterranean. In this kingdom are countless people and a number of subject nations. Even David himself had trouble keeping this massive realm under control!

In Solomon’s own estimation, this is not a job for which he’s equipped. As he says to God in 1 Kings 3:7, “I am a little child and do not know how to go out or come in.” When it comes to managing his massive responsibilities, he’s baffled.

Indeed, he sees only one way out. As God does for Solomon’s descendant, Ahaz, in Isaiah 7, so He does for Solomon in 1 Kings 3. God offers him help. Unlike Ahaz, who refused to ask the Lord for a sign, Solomon takes Him up on His offer. God tells Solomon to ask for whatever he wants, and Solomon asks for wisdom: an understanding heart and the ability to judge a great people. Without God’s help, Solomon has no hope of success; but with it, he has no fear of failure. Unsurprisingly, this humble admission pleases God, and He blesses Solomon with wisdom more richly than anyone else before or since.

When we ourselves feel overwhelmed, we could ask for no better example. We need to bring our overwhelmedness to God, and one of the best ways to do so is in the songs we sing. “Be with Me, Lord” does a great job of expressing these sentiments. So also does “I Need Thee Every Hour.” When we come to our Father seeking His help in this way, we can be certain that He will give us bread, not a stone.

Daniel’s Prayer for Insight

We see the same dependence on God in young Daniel and his friends (Dan. 2). However, unlike Solomon, who was at sea in a complicated and confusing situation, the four Hebrew exiles know exactly what their problem is. His name is Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar has got it into his kingly head that any wise man worthy of the name not only will be able to interpret the dream he has had, but they will be able to tell it to him without him telling them first. As the assembled Chaldean sorcerers point out in Daniel 2:10-11, this is impossible. Nobody can do that!

Nebuchadnezzar takes this refusal in the way that ancient Middle Eastern rulers commonly took refusals. He becomes violently angry and commands the death of every wise man in Babylon—including Daniel and his three friends, even though none of them had anything to do with the mess! In response, Daniel pleads with the captain of the guard for a stay of execution, and he urges his three friends to pray so that the nature of the king’s dream will be revealed to Daniel, and they all can survive.

Once again, as soon as God’s people admit their dependence on Him and turn to Him for help, He comes through in the clutch. That very night, God gives the answer to Daniel in a vision of his own, and because of His help, all the wise men of Babylon are spared.

It’s quite common for us too to encounter dilemmas that seem insoluble to us. We don’t know the answer, and bad things will happen to us unless we find it. Seeking God’s help is the right answer here, too. Once again, we can seek it in song. “Teach Me Thy Way” is a hymn that can help us with this. “In the Hour of Trial” is another, focused particularly on our dependence on Jesus when we are tempted.

Jehoshaphat’s Request for Deliverance

Sometimes, though, the problems that we have are not easily addressed. We are faced with a foe whom we know we can’t defeat, so we must depend on God to defeat him for us. This is where Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah find themselves in 2 Chronicles 20. According to 20:1, three of the nations around Judah (i.e., the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Meunites) have made an alliance to invade and destroy their neighbor.

We don’t know exactly how many of them there were (beyond “a vast number”), but the total is clearly enough to terrify Jehoshaphat. However, good king that he is, he brings his despair to God in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12. The last verse of his prayer puts things starkly: “We are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you.”

Once again, God proves Himself faithful to those who rely on Him. In 20:17, He promises them that He will fight for them so powerfully that they won’t have to lift a hand in their own defense. In 20:22-24, He carries out His word. The overwhelming host of enemies is itself overwhelmed by His might.

In our lives, there is a long list of enemies who are too much for us. At the head of the list, though, are the twin foes of sin and death, adversaries whom only Christ can defeat. Unless we seek His help and lean on Him, we’re doomed. A couple of hymns that express our dependence in these areas are “Abide with Me” and “O Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

Conclusion

Though Americans are famed for idealizing self-reliance, one suspects that all people in all times are prone to believe the myth of their own sufficiency. Life teaches us differently. Sooner or later, all of us are forced to acknowledge that we cannot direct our own steps and that we must depend on God.

When we consider the holy men of old, we see that they knew this and confessed it when they worshiped God. Their example should impel us to do the same. He hears those who call on Him, and none of the problems and fears that can crush us has any hope of standing up to Him.

— Via Truth Magazine, Volume 65, No. 6, June 2021

https://truthmagazine.com/kindle/2021/2021-06-jun/05_Praise.htm

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Sword Tips #5

Joe R. Price

“So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense” (Luke 1:8-11).

A righteous man, Zacharias the priest and his wife, Elizabeth, had no children; “they were both well advanced in years” and she was barren (Lk. 1:7). However, this reality did not embitter them or debilitate them. Zacharias had a responsibility to serve in the temple which he faithfully met. When disappointments come in life, do not allow them to hinder your faithful service to the Lord.

Furthermore, God blessed Zacharias and Elizabeth beyond their wildest imaginations, giving them a son named John – the forerunner of the Messiah. God has great things ahead for you as you trust him and do his will.

Do not be distracted or discouraged today as you serve the Master. Instead, faithfully “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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

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

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

Jesus is the Bread of Life

Jeremiah 15:16

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Conscience without Offense

Meaning of the Word “Conscience”

Conviction and Defilement of the Conscience

Romans and First Corinthians on the Conscience

The Conscience and Obedience to the Gospel

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Faith That Is Pleasing to God

Sword Tips #14

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

“I AM”

Gentleness

Romans 5:6-8

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

“Not Dead, But Sleeping”

Sword Tips #13

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Devotion

Introduction

The Devotion of David

The Devotion of the Apostles

The Devotion of Job

Conclusion

Sword Tips #12

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Resisting the Victim Mentality

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Mindfulness

Introduction

Mode of Worship

Approach to Worship

Content of Worship

Conclusion

Sword Tips #9

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Redeeming the Time

Sword Tips #6

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

PRINCIPLES OF PRAISE: Examples of Dependence in Worship

Introduction

Solomon’s Appeal for Wisdom

Daniel’s Prayer for Insight

Jehoshaphat’s Request for Deliverance

Conclusion

Sword Tips #5

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

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