____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ July 16, 2000 ____________________________________________________ In the Steps of the Savior Jesus and Plain Preaching by Harry Osborne Every year most Americans go through the exasperating experience of filing for income tax. I know of nothing more frustrating than reading the convoluted language of the IRS forms to figure out which provisions apply to me. I am beginning to think that the legal jargon of the IRS laws are a plot to force all of us to employ lawyers for assistance. Evidently, the lawyers of Jesus' day also sought to obscure the clear point of God's law by clouding the issue with complex definitions and provisions to qualify that law. Let's notice one such instance recorded in Luke 10:25-37. Jesus encounter with one lawyer went as follows: And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ``Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'' He said to him, ``What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?'' So he answered and said, ``You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.'' And He said to him, ``You have answered rightly; do this and you will live'' (vs. 25-28). God's law was plain enough for anyone to understand. Its charge to all was clear. Unless one complicated the simple commands of God, their meaning was obvious. However, this lawyer realized that he was not loving his neighbor if that law was understood in the normal sense of the words. Luke tells us of this lawyer's response: But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ``And who is my neighbor?'' (v. 29). You see, he wanted some more provisions added to cloud the obvious meaning of the word ``neighbor.'' He knew he was guilty, but sought a way to get off on a technicality in the law -- a legal loophole of sorts. Jesus responded by bringing him right back to the clear instruction of God's law put in the language of the common person. He told of a man who was beaten by some robbers and left for dead along side a road. Then he told the lawyer about three men who passed by the beaten man. In essence, Jesus gives the lawyer a multiple choice question about the meaning of a loving neighbor. Choice one. ``Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side'' (v. 31). Though the priest was highly esteemed as a follower of the law, his actions showed him to be a violator of that law with regard to the obligation towards his fellow-man which confronted him on the road. The priest was not a loving neighbor! Choice two. ``Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side'' (v. 32). The Levites were supposed to be servants of God, but this one's actions showed him as anything but a true servant. The Levite was not a true neighbor, either! Choice three. ``But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him'' (vs. 33- 34). Yes, he took care of the beaten man's immediate needs, but he also did more. Luke says: On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ``Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you'' (v. 35). Though Samaritans were viewed as lawbreakers, this one clearly obeyed God's law. He loved his neighbor enough to care for him and spend two day's wages (two denarii), or more if needed, for his neighbor's future care. Jesus then asked the lawyer to draw the conclusion. He asked, ``So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?'' (v. 36). The lawyer understood the point. He replied, ``He who showed mercy on him.'' Then Jesus said to him, ``Go and do likewise'' (v. 37). There is no convoluted, legal jargon in Jesus' commands to us today. We must simply obey His will as plainly declared in the Gospel. Whether those commands regard the need to love our neighbor, the requirements of godliness in morality, or the plan of salvation, we must look to the clear teaching of Christ and obey it. The appeal of true Christians has always been to the clear teaching of God's word to establish doctrine and practice. Faithful brethren have noted the simplicity of Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 regarding water baptism when talking with Baptists. They have rightly appealed to Matthew 28:18 in showing the Catholic that all authority in heaven and on earth resides in Jesus, thus leaving no place for papal authority. When erring brethren introduced the centralization of power with eldership from so called ``sponsoring churches,'' it was because of the plain words of 1 Peter 5:1-2 and Acts 20:28 that brethren urged the innovators to cease their unauthorized practice. In each case, the Scripture was rightly seen as the authoritative and understandable answer. Today, there is a great need for us to preach this truth to ourselves just as we have tried to do to others. It is alarming to hear brethren who say we cannot be sure that God really created the earth in six literal days at the beginning as He said (Gen. 1 & 2; Exod. 20:11; 31:17; Mk. 10:6; Psa. 33:6-9). Brethren, what is so difficult to understand about those passages? Not only that, we hear that Jesus teaching on divorce and remarriage in Matthew 19 lacks sufficient ``clarity'' for us to understand alike. When one reads the account, the people at that times seemed to understand it fine even though they did not like it (Matt. 19:3-12). If you wonder whether Matthew 19:9 is understandable, let someone read it who is unfamiliar with the Bible and ask them what it means. It may surprise you to see how clearly they understand Jesus' teaching in comparison to some who have read so many convoluted theories that they have forgotten the simple text! The same could be said of present efforts to receive some in sinful practices into fellowship in contrast to Ephesians 5:11. What part of ``NO'' is so difficult to understand? The Bible says, ``By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome'' (1 John 5:2-3). Let us not seek loopholes in Christ's commands, but let us hear and heed His message of truth. -- Via The Watchman, July 2000 ___________________________________________ Are They Really ``In Search of Jesus?'' by Steve Klein On Monday, June 26, 2000, ABC television aired a program entitled ``In Search of Jesus.'' The program was hosted by Peter Jennings and billed itself as an effort to look at the life and times of Jesus from an historical perspective. In the program, Jennings traced places and events in Jesus' life, from His birth through the resurrection, pausing along the way for input from modern ``scholars'' as to what really happened. The program was a farce from beginning to end. It relied heavily on the pseudo-scholarship of Jesus Seminar liberals who flatly reject the Scriptures as an accurate historical record of the events they record. They call miraculous portions of the Bible ``myths'' and compare them to the fanciful stories contained in Greek mythology. Among the show's more notable errors was the observation of more than one ``scholar'' that Jesus was crucified in an effort by the Jews to appease Pilate. The Jewish leaders, you see, were concerned that Pilate might indiscriminately slaughter Jews to keep the peace which Jesus' activities threatened. We're told that it was really Pilate who insisted on crucifying Christ; the Jews were just caught in the middle. The fact that the gospel accounts say exactly the opposite was not even presented. Of course, the Scriptures teach that it was the Jews who sought to take Christ (Mark 14:1-2). Pilate sought to release Jesus, but when the Jews began to raise a tumult, Pilate acquiesced to their demand to ``crucify Him'' (Matthew 27:24; Luke 23:4, 13-24). In our modern world of political correctness, Peter Jennings could not afford to find out that Jews were responsible for killing the Son of God (cf. Acts 2:36). So, he didn't. Later in the show, we're told that Jesus did not die as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind (Hebrews 10:10-12; John 1:29), but rather as a martyr seeking to find justice for the poor and downtrodden -- ``like Martin Luther King and Gandhi.'' Again, the Jesus that Jennings ``found'' was one who was thoroughly modernized. In short, this supposed search for Jesus was nothing but an extended effort to revise history to fit modern sensibilities and ideals. Only this time, the history being revised was not the history of the American Revolution or slavery. It was sacred history -- the inspired record of the life of God's Son (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The result of such an effort could never be to find the actual Jesus, but to obscure our view of Him. What can modern liberal scholars and Peter Jennnings know about Jesus that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John didn't know? The gospel writers stand alone in history as qualified recorders of Jesus' life. Anyone searching for Jesus, need only to consult their accounts of Him. Most adults with any knowledge of the Bible could probably discern that ``In Search of Jesus'' was not aimed at presenting Jesus from a Biblical perspective at all. The day after the program aired, ABC News conducted a poll in which they asked, ``How has the media treated Jesus?'' 16.7% said that the media ``exaggerated Jesus' impact.'' 15% said that the media treated Jesus ``truthfully.'' But a whopping 68.2% said that the media had ``devalued'' Jesus. There is no doubt that the media has successfully influenced many people away from accepting Biblical truth, but right now the majority of people can still see what the media is trying to do. But what about the next generation? God help us to ``be watchful'' and ``to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints'' (Jude 3). -- Via The Exhorter, July 9, 2000 ___________________________________________ Stuff About Things by Robert F. Turner In the course of a gospel meeting, and in the rush that follows dismissal, a member told the evangelist a certain woman in his neighborhood had asked that he send the preacher to talk with her about the Bible. He gave the preacher a card with a handwritten address. The preacher dropped the note into his pocket, continued his visiting, had coffee with some friends, and was about to go to his motel when he recalled the appointment. It was now very late, but feeling a study request should not be postponed, he asked the local preacher to accompany him, and they set off. The house was in a darkened neighborhood, and all lights were out, but feeling a bit ashamed for forgetting, they rang the bell. Finally a woman came to the door, sleepy eyed and in a night robe. The evangelist began to apologize for not coming sooner, and said they had come, even though late, because salvation was an urgent matter. He must have convinced her for the woman invited them in, and they opened their Bibles and began to answer her questions. After several long hours intensive study, the woman was convinced she should obey the gospel. Others of the household were awakened and the party made their way to the church building, where the woman was baptized into Christ. It was only when the preacher began to take the address and phone number for the church records that he discovered they had gone to the wrong house -- this was not the woman who had asked for the Bible Study. Now tell me that door-to-door canvassing just will not work these days. Want to know why it worked in this case? Well, I can't give all reasons, but some are apparent. The teachers went, humbled by their own failure, yet driven by their conviction that the Lord's work is urgent. They conveyed this urgency and sincerity to a total stranger by their attitude and deeds, as well as by their words. The situation was poorly suited to social niceties; they went directly to work with the gospel of Christ. If this is what it takes, Lord give us more poorly written addresses, and more dedicated, forgetful preachers. -- Via Plain Talk, February 1980 ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES Let us be praying for Susan Zipperer's father who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. We have had a number of people away recently, due to sickness, vacationing, and business. For those of you who are now back, we are glad to have you with us again. Free Bible courses are available upon request. There is now a new web address for the Avondale church of Christ and our Gospel Observer bulletin: see below. ________________________________________ 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@onemain.com web site: http://www.mypage.onemain.com/tedwards/avondale Gospel Observer: http://www.mypage.onemain.com/tedwards/go ________________________________________