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Summer is such a busy, busy time! In
spite of how very busy you are,
I continue to be amazed that you remember to send me articles for
BulletinGold. Two brethren,
Joe Fitch and Dave Hart, have sent
articles for the first time. Many of you send great articles every
week, and even though I don't always have space for them, I
appreciate them very much. Please keep sending your articles,
poems,
and interesting websites.
I am starting a new feature with this issue. It is a place for
members of the church all over the world to ask for special help.
Each congregation has many shut-ins and ill members. However, this
column is for the very seriously ill and for those who have problems
that need extra consideration, more than just prayers. The feature
is called "Ray of Hope." Look for the first "Ray
of Hope" in this
issue.
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Panning for more
Gold
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preacher's articles this issue
Responding to God's Revelation
(Bible
Comment #86, July 10, 2002)
Where there is no
revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the
law (Prov.29:18). "No revelation" insures grievous
consequence. Yet, an encyclopedia of facts is no cure; information is
not the goal. Information alone produces a well informed pagan.
Revealed truth enables necessary steps to the goal. "...these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that believing you may have life in His name" (Jno.20:31).
Heaven's message expects action -- compliance. "If you know these
things, blessed are you if you do them" (Jno.13:17).
On the road to Damascus, Saul saw a light from heaven and heard a
message from heaven --"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting"
(Act.9:5). Saul knew how to respond! "Lord, what do You
want me to do?" There was lots to do! Saul understood
compliance from the very beginning.
Revelation expects immediate compliance. Heaven's message rings
out with urgency -- "...now is the accepted time; ..... now is the
day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:2). Yesterday is gone
forever; tomorrow may never be. "A convenient time" will
likely never come. "Put off " is Satan's deception.
What happens to "put off " stuff? Ends up in a dark corner? --
forgotten? -- never done? The gospel message was first preached on
Pentecost; listeners knew to respond! That day, 3,000 were baptized
(Act.2:41). They immediately complied with heaven's message.
No fluke! The very next scene (Act.4:4), 5,000 promptly responded.
Urgency carried the day! We are amazed by such quick response --
don't be! "Immediately" is God's time table; it
must become ours.
Heaven's message demands
absolute compliance. No half way service -- no room for a King
Saul. He claimed, "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD,. I
have utterly destroyed the Amalekites" --- except the "sheep
and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly
destroyed " And then there was King Agag, who should have
been killed (1Sam.15). Full compliance or nothing! In
society, people who do "most " of the laws are criminals.
"He was a fine neighbor, good family man, generous, etc. ...never
did anything amiss ---- except when he murdered his wife." In
scripture, those who comply with "most" of the law (Jas.2:10),
are sinners -- lost sinners -- and finally, banished sinners.
Repentance is unqualified. It is commitment to "do all God
wants" and "do nothing God disapproves." Heaven's
message beckons us to full commitment." We won't do that well
!" Right! Yet, we can -- and must be willing! We
must diligently try! "How much will it cost to do
right?" is the introduction to saying "I will not comply with
heaven's costly demands." We think compliance is limited by
ability, but the greater limit to compliance is willingness and
commitment. A magazine salesman solicited a farmer -- "This
magazine will show you how to farm better." To which the lazy
farmer said, "I ain't farming half as good as I know how now."
Is that like our compliance?
Heaven's message elicits vocal compliance. Remember the blind man
Jesus healed? Later, Jesus inquired: "Do you believe in the Son of
God? " "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in
Him?" "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with
you." Not strange, his response is: "Lord, I believe!"
(Jno.9:35) What else but to confess Jesus as Lord? Vocalized
compliance is natural. "Doubting Thomas" demanded to
inspect the wounds of the cross in the body of Jesus. When he saw,
he naturally cried out, "My Lord and my God! " (Jno.20:28).
Heaven's message evokes natural and enthusiastic compliance. The
message was and is good news -- so good it must be shared. No one
told Andrew to find Simon Peter; no one told Philip to find Nathaniel.
The news of Messiah excited and propelled them! Even when Jesus
commanded people to tell no one, they could not stand it! They
told anyway! Likewise, disciples scattered by persecution
"went everywhere preaching the word" (Act.8:4). Heaven's
message naturally instilled awe in their hearts. The blind man
first cried "Lord I believe" and then he "worshipped
Him." How can we not be amazed? God has spoken to us!
He reveals spiritual things we could never know -- things we can not see
-- grand things yet to come. He loved us even while we were sinners!
Jesus died on the cross to save us. Even without a command, how
could we refrain from enthusiastic worship? Shall not praise be
loudly sung? Shall not the name of God be glorified?
Joe Fitch preaches for the
Stonebriar Church of Christ in Frisco,
Texas. You may subscribe to "Bible Comment" by sending
an email to
fitchj@augustmail.com and
putting SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
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Strength
by: Dave Hart
Job 6:11-13
"What strength do I have, that I should hope? And what is my
end, that I should prolong my life? Is my strength the strength of
stones? Or is my flesh bronze? Is my help not within me?
Strength has been very important to me most of my life. I grew up
watching larger than life heroes like Superman, Batman and John Wayne. I
always wanted to excel in sports and be bigger and stronger than other
men. So, I spent most of my younger life training with weights in
pursuit of that goal, and have had modest successes over
the years. But now that I'm getting older, I've noticed that my body is
starting to hurt from old injuries, and no matter how hard I train, the
strength that I worked so hard for is slowly ebbing away a little each
year.
Like Job, my hope is not in my own strength, intelligence, money, fame
nor anything else in this world which is fading away, and one day will
be no more. My flesh is not bronze, but instead is weak and
vulnerable. My hope does not lie within me in this perpetually
passing life. Therefore, my hope will be in the perfect and
everlasting strength of Jesus Christ. Our physical bodies and all that
is around us are perishing little by little; nevertheless, because of
Jesus in our life, our sprit (the inner man) can grow and be renewed
each and every day as we live. Do not put your trust or your hope in
your own strength, but lean on the steadfast strength of Jesus Christ,
and He will see you through. Philippians 4:13 "I can do
all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Dave Hart preaches for the
church of Christ in Anderson, California.
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First Things First
by: Russ Lawson
I asked the children in
my Sunday school class, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big
garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would I get into
Heaven?"
"NO"! The children all answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept
everything neat and tidy, would I get into Heaven"?
Again, the answer was "NO"!
"Well," I continued, "then how can I get to Heaven?"
In the back of the room, a 5 yr. old boy shouted out, "You gotta be
dead"! (Author unknown).
The wisdom of children never ceases to amaze me; they seem to see the
obvious so easily. I remember hearing about a 5 year old that was
sitting on the curb watching the police, firemen and tow truck operators
trying to remove a truck, which was wedged under an overpass. He watched
for a while and then offered this suggestion, "Why don't you just
let the air out of the tires?" They did and it worked. but why
didn't the adults think of it first? Probably that is why Jesus said the
kingdom of heaven is made up of folks like children, they see things
differently.
Why is it that we leave things undone, which really need to be done? Why
do we say hurtful things and then realize it later? Why don't we see the
folks around us that are hurting and needing help until it is too late?
Why don't we care more, pray more, trust God more at times when we
aren't in a crises?
Well, I can't say for sure, but I have a strong belief that it is
because we haven't yet learned to say no to ourselves! Regardless of all
we say, we often are more interested in our welfare, our comfort, our
reputation, our time, our safety, more than we are about others.
What do you have to do to go to heaven? "You gotta die!" Paul
said in Galatians 2:20. "I have been crucified with Christ and I
no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for
me."
How does that happen? Paul tells us that too in Romans 6:3-4, "Or
don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new
life."
If you want be what God
wants you to be, start dying! May God grant each of us the ability to
die to self and live to Christ and others.
Russ Lawson, Greenville
church of Christ, Greenville, OH
Email: rlawson@bright.net
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In Sheep's Clothing
by: Mel Martin
Genesis 3 begins,
"now the serpent was more subtle (crafty, shrewd) than any beast of
the field which the Lord God had made." We cannot be naïve
in dealing with Satan. We cannot be forgiving in dealing with
Satan. We are not to think charitably toward Satan. We are
not to see how close we can come to sin without sin taking a hold.
Why do you think the Christian is arrayed with the whole armor of God
(Eph. 6:13-17)? We cannot go through life without armor if we
expect to stand in the evil day quenching all the fiery darts of the
wicked, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12).
Temptation is a deliberate attempt of Satan to get us to sin (1 Peter
5:8). We are not accidentally tempted; it is not something that
happens by chance. We cannot let down our guard even for a moment.
Maybe we ought to rethink our understanding of what things, people, and
places we are to avoid. We need to expand the realm of Satan's
temptation from houses of ill repute to fancy mansions on a hill, from
unclean and unkempt people in alleys to well-groomed men in designer
suits, from drugs and illegal activity on the seedy side of town to
stocks and soy bean futures in upscale business districts. Why is
it when we think of Satan tempting, that we think just of the disgusting
and vile?
Mel Martin preaches for the
Lincoln & Tunnell Church of Christ in Santa Maria, California.
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Quick Riches
----misc. goodies this
issue
What is Man?
Psalm 8
Man Without God.
1. As dust
2. As the wind
3. As a worm
4. As a vapor
5. As grass
6. Man is nothing without God.
Man With God.
1. Wonderfully made
2. God's offspring
3. Treasure in earthen vessel
4. Co-worker with God
5. Saved!
6. Man with God can attain marvelous heights!
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Hearts of Gold
----poetry this issue
ABC's
Author Unknown
Although things are not
perfect
Because of trail or pain,
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know!
Imagine life without His love,
Joy would cease to be.
Keep thanking him for all the things
Love imparts to Thee.
Move out of "Camp Complaining!"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power that
Praise can do alone.
Quit looking at the future;
Redeem the time at hand;
Start every day with prayer-
To "thank" is a command,
Until we see him coming,
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high.
Yes, there'll be good time and yes some will be bad, but....
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!
Contributed by Marietta
Slater who worships in Augusta, Kansas.
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A Little Place
Author Unknown
"Father, where shall I work
today?"
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then He pointed me out a tiny spot
And said, "Tend that for Me."
I answered quickly, "Oh no, not there,
Why, no one would ever see
No matter how well my work was done.
Not a little place for me!"
And the word He spoke, it was not stern.
He answered me tenderly:
"Ah, little one, search that heart of thine,
Art thou working for them or Me?
Nazareth was a little place.
And so was Galilee."
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Gold Mines
----quotes & sayings
for bulletins and signs this issue
Smiles never go up in price nor down in
value!
The milk of human kindness never curdles.
Swallowing of pride seldom causes indigestion.
Prayer is not a last extremity; it is a first necessity.
He stands best who kneels best.
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Ray
Of Hope
Jean Lawler, a member of
the Southern Oaks Church of Christ in Chickasha, Oklahoma, writes:
"My husband, James "Jim" Lawler, is in need of a liver
transplant. Jim has been unable to work since June of 2000, and
the doctors have told him that without a transplant he will die.
To offset the costs involved with the transplant, and to help cover the
gaps that insurance leaves behind, we are asking for your support.
Jim and I have a number of children and grandchildren and we are simply
unable to bear the total cost of the transplant. Therefore, we are
turning to our friends and Christian family. I have asked the
Elders where I attend worship services to oversee whatever funds my be
donated. Any donation you are able to make would be greatly
appreciated. If you are able to help, please send your donation
to: Southern Oaks Church of Christ, Attn: Elders/Lawler Fund, 3320 South
16th Street, Chickasha, Oklahoma 73018.
Brethren, if every congregation which receives BulletinGold
helps this sister and her family, think of the encouragement we would be
to them. Even a small check from each church would add up to
enough money to help. Remember the words of Paul in Galations
6:10, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all
men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
I ask you to consider
her request with prayer.
If
you know of anyone who needs a Ray of Hope, please send the information
to Bulletin.Gold@veriozon.net
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