____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "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). ____________________________________________________ April 23, 2000 ____________________________________________________ Testing the Spirits, 1 John 4:1 Gospel Meetings by Chuck Bartlett The Claim: ``I see Gospel Meetings as a waste of time. When was the last time anyone ever obeyed the gospel during one?'' This claim reveals a major problem. It's not so much a problem surrounding gospel meetings, as it is an attitude problem towards truth. A gospel meeting is just that--meetings which provide opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed. We ought to proclaim the gospel (Mark 16:15; Rom. 10:14). Proclamation of God's word opens up the door to many benefits for the Christian and non-Christian. Obviously, truth helps the lost to be found (Jn. 8:32). The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). What a joy it is to reach out to help the lost. It is also important to see the benefits gained by Christians when hearing the word. Paul wrote, ``And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors, and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ'' (Eph. 4:11,12). It is essential for saints to be built up (edified) in the faith. In trying to let our light shine and not be conformed to this world, we must have our minds renewed (Rom. 12:2). There was a time when gospel meetings were referred to as ``Revivals.'' We need to be revived from time to time. Hearing lessons reminds us of our blessings and duties, which can stir us up. Meetings also help arm children of God. Soldiers of Christ put on the whole armor of God; one of which is the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph. 6:17). Being able to give answers for what you believe is not only a valuable tool, it is also a command (I Pet. 3:15). Aside from all the advantages expressed thus far, there is also the aspect of worship in song, prayer and study. Saints are looking forward to spending eternity in Heaven with all the righteous. These meetings are not a pain, they are viewed as a blessing. A final aspect worthy of consideration is in the area of work. Having special meetings will give Christians an opening to encourage their friends and neighbors to hear God's word. This will let others know how important we view spiritual matters and how much we are concerned for others. Growth comes in many different ways, and it needs to be there (I Pet. 2:2). Developing our ability to talk to others is essential, and a meeting can help us. As we can see, gospel meetings are a true source of spiritual blessings. May we see the value and pray earnestly for them, along with our regular times of assembly. -- Via Sound Doctrine, May 12, 1991 ___________________________________________ The ``B'' Team by Jim R. Everett When I was in high school and playing sports, there was no such thing as ``Varsity'' and ``Junior Varsity'' -- I doubt we even knew what ``varsity'' meant. We just had plain old ``A'' team and ``B'' team squads. I guess ``junior varsity'' sounds classier than ``B'' team. On a good Friday night, if we wanted to impress the opposing team, we might be able to suit up 30 players for a football game -- but jerseys and pants didn't always match, and several players would have to wear the wrong size shoes. And, we had to play both ways -- no two-platoon system for defense and offense -- just didn't have enough personnel. Everyone knew that the ``B'' team were the substitutes -- they didn't start the game and didn't play very much unless someone got knocked out or got his ribs broken. It has been said of the Japanese that they can copy anything in the world and make it at a cheaper price than the original -- that is truly a credit to them. Our world is filled with substitutes. For instance, Margaret and I have always lived on a tight budget, so we substitute margarine for good old cow butter. And if you are on a diet, you can use ``dream-whip'' instead of real, whipped cream. It tastes almost the same, if you don't see the container. But, when it comes to matters of religion, God says there are no substitutes: ``Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth....'' (Deuteronomy 5:7-8). The Israelites were trying to substitute lame and sick animals for the best, and God said: ''... and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord. But cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen" (Malachi 1:12-14). We do not offer animal sacrifices, but we are to offer our bodies with pure hearts as sacrifices (cf. Romans 12:1-2; 1 Timothy 6:22). Furthermore, the fruit of our lips is praise to God. That praise is to be conjoined with doing good and sharing which are sacrifices with which God is well pleased (Hebrews 13:15-16). The sacrifices we offer are pleasing to God because we have been reconciled to Him by Jesus Christ. However, that reconciliation necessitated obedience on the part of Jesus, and there was nothing which could be substituted for the obedience of the Son to the death on the cross (Hebrews 6:8-9). Just as there was no substitution for Christ's obedience to the Father, there can be no substitution for man's loving obedience to our Savior, Christ: ''... but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:17-18). We are to be obedient children (1 Peter 1:14). There is nothing one can offer to God as a substitute for a pure life and faithful, loving obedience! ___________________________________________ Experience the Power of Pentecost by Dan Richardson Recently I observed the above statement on a sign for an area denominational church. It got me to thinking about its possible meaning. While I will not presume to know what this denomination intends (I have not yet asked), I do know we can study the scriptures to find out what happened on the day of Pentecost (Ac. 2). Pentecost is an annual Jewish feast observed fifty days after Passover. The day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, has special meaning to Christians because it marks the beginning of several things. In fact, the apostle Peter referred to it as ``the beginning'' (Ac. 11:15). It marked when the baptism of the Holy Spirit first occurred (Ac. 2:1-4). The beginning of the preaching of the gospel of Christ was on that day (vs. 22-26). The beginning of gospel obedience and the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ occurred that day (vs. 37-38, 40-41). The beginning of the church (or kingdom) of Christ transpired on that day (vs. 47; Mk. 9:1). But how or in what degree can we ``experience'' the power of Pentecost today? And, what ``power'' does one have in mind by this statement? If one has in mind the baptism of the Holy Spirit (vs. 1-4), let the careful student of scripture note that this was a promise of Jesus to His apostles, not a command to be obeyed either then or now. In Acts 2 the apostles were the only recipients of Holy Spirit baptism. The immediate context bears this out (note Ac. 1:26; 2:7, 14, 42-43). It was in fulfillment to what Jesus promised His apostles (Jn. 14:26; 15:26; 16:13). The baptism of the Holy Spirit here marked the beginning of the Holy Spirit's work in revelation--to give man the complete and final revelation of God in Jesus Christ. One other instance of Holy Spirit baptism is recorded in Acts 10. This was to show God's acceptance of the Gentiles in His eternal scheme of redemption. These two incidents are the only recorded occasions where Holy Spirit baptism was given, and in both cases it did not save the sinner. Both audiences were commanded to put on their Lord in water baptism--the one baptism referred to in Ephesians 4:4. It was for the remission of sins (Ac. 2:38). Holy Spirit baptism was not given to save the sinner; the gospel of Christ is the power for that (Rom. 1:16). God used miracles in the beginning to reveal and confirm His word of truth (Mk. 16:18,20; Heb. 2:3-4). However, when the truth was ``once for all delivered'' (Jude 3), the miracles of the first century forever ceased because they had accomplished their purpose of revelation and confirmation of God's word (1 Cor. 13:8-10). There are no miracles worked today or else they would be demonstrated. Those who look for Holy Spirit baptism today need to give careful consideration to the above scriptures. There is ``power'' that does have universal application today found in Acts 2--the gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:21; Jas. 1:18,22; 1 Pet. 1:22-25). The salvation of those Jews on Pentecost, as well as Cornelius' house (Ac. 10), was because they heard the gospel and obeyed it (cf. Ac. 10:35, 47-48). This is what must be accomplished today. This is what must be obeyed! -- Think on These Things, April-May-June 1999 ___________________________________________ ``One Thing I Desired....'' by Pat Jones The ultimate good that any Christian gets out of public worship will be in direct proportion to the importance that worship is in his mind. David said, ``One thing that I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord and inquire in his temple'' (Psalm 27:4). The heart of man needs to be single-minded, set on one thing. David's ``one thing'' had to do with the Lord and His house. If your life is characterized by habits such as forsaking the assembly, neglecting prayer, failing to study God's word, and boredom in worship, it seems clear that you do not possess the same spirit as David. Friends, do you have a heart set on spiritual things? David longed to see more of the beauty of the Lord, the glorious attributes of His divine character. David also said that he would go to the Lord's house to ``inquire,'' that is, to find out what God has to say on the issues of life. God's Word is revealed in the Bible. We assemble together in the presence of God to learn more about what God desires for our lives. If you started the sentence as David did, ''One thing have I desired....,'' how would you finish it? -- Via The Messenger ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES I was sorry to hear that Toby Crozier (of Blytheville, AR), son of Elmer and Jewell Crozier (who used to attend with us in Ashland, Kentucky), passed away recently. He was only 49. He is survived by his wife Linda and three sons: Edwin (the oldest and a gospel preacher in Beaumont, Texas), Brad, and Christopher. Also deceased recently, H. E. Phillips, a man who had preached for many years and whom I had the privilege of hearing while attending the Fletcher Avenue church of Christ in Tampa during the summer of `78. The first church of Christ I ever attended is where his brothers Kenneth and Leroy also were--the Northeast church of Christ in Clearwater, Florida. Let us be praying for those who have lost these loved ones. Those on the sick list to pray for: Ryan, the nephew of Robin and Brady Bates; David Frame; Joe and Blanche Thompson; Wilma Jones; Glenda Combs; and Margaret Mosier. There will be a gospel meeting this week (April 23-28) at the Susquehanna church of Christ in Marietta, PA, where Clarence Johnson preaches. The visiting speaker is James Finney who has recently moved back to New Jersey. They meet at 30 Apple Avenue, but parking is at 19 West Walnut Street. Weeknight services will begin at 7:00. ________________________________________ Avondale CHURCH OF CHRIST P.O. Box 421 1606 Glen Willow Rd., Avondale, PA 19311 (610) 268-2088 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 11:00 A.M. Worship 6:00 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:00 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________