____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ October 29, 2000 ____________________________________________________ "...Receive with Meekness the Implanted Word...." by William J. Stewart Looking across my bookshelf, I see many books containing various forms of valuable information. There are some `inspirational' writings by well esteemed authors encouraging us to rely upon the all-powerful Author above. There are resources such as sermon outline books, ready for use when and if the need occurs. There are volumes of great information concerning the Scriptures; Bible encyclopedias, Bible handbooks, Map and Chart books, surveys, concordances, and much more. Many publications of Webster's adorn my bookcase, dictionaries and thesaurus'. But there is one book that does not have a place on my bookshelf. Not that it is not worthy of a place, for if it desired one, I would remove all else for it. Yet, the Writer of this book desires that it never end up on a bookcase. The title on the cover of the book -- HOLY BIBLE. All too often, the Bible finds itself within the confines of a bookcase, surrounded by other books which pale in comparison as far as importance. The saddest sight I have ever envisioned was that of a Bible sitting on a shelf covered in dust. We tend to be too careful with our Bibles. We avoid overuse, wanting to be sure that the golden lined pages remain such. We cringe at the thought of the cover on our Bible having any blemish. The bindings are treated with great care, lest they should break. And as far as those who would dare to use their pens and pencils, high-lighters and such within its pages -- how bold can one be! Our concept of a quality copy of the word of God is inaccurate. We like seeing the crisp pages and the flawless workings of the manufacturers. A glistening cover, trimmed to perfection. Yet there is a problem. The only way that a book can thus remain is by not using it. We need to pick the book up. We need to read it. We didn't purchase it on account of the beautiful workings of the manufacturers; it was for the wonderful workings of God which are found inside. Read it! Put notes in the columns. Highlight! Underline! The Psalmist wrote, ``Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.'' We cannot write the word of God upon our hearts until we have picked it up and spent some time in it. Paul told Timothy to ''...study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'' We need to get into the word, and thus, we will profit greatly. Many a sermon has passed over pulpits to ready listeners with little reference to the Scriptures. Lessons that many preachers put forth are bursting at the seams with personal examples, fables, illustrations, wise sayings... but where is the word of God? Peter writes, ''...His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue....'' If within the Scriptures we are given the things profitable for life, most importantly, a godly life, then by all means, let us fill our speech with such. We must discover the significance of the word of God. Note why some of the writers of the New Testament books wrote: The gospel according to John says, ''...these things 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.'' Jude records, ''...I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith...'' The first epistle of John declares, ''...these things we write to you that your joy may be full...'' and ''...these things I write to you, so that you may not sin...'' Peter affirms, ''...I now write to you...that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour.'' Paul relates to Timothy, ``I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.'' These writers found it necessary to write. We should find their writings necessary to read, to study, to meditate upon, to put into practice. Paul assured Timothy, ``All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.'' We cannot expect to be the people of God without using His word. Have you ever bought a desk or some item which required you to set it up? Inside the packaging, you will find that the product comes complete with instructions on how to assemble it. I'm sure that I am not alone in saying, ``I should have used the instructions from the start.'' Much time and energy can be wasted in putting a unit together without heeding the instructions. Parts are put where they don't fit. Extra pieces still lie on the floor once you've finished. You stand back to admire your work, and it crumbles to the floor. ``I SHOULD HAVE USED THE INSTRUCTIONS!'' There is a certain way to build a desk, a bookcase, or whatever it might be that you have bought. The enclosed instructions reveal the plans. A Christian life is much the same. We try to make it by ourselves. ``I know how to do it,'' we declare. And things continually crumble to the ground. A word of advice -- refer to the instructions. The word of God is a guide book for the soul. ``All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for ... instruction in righteousness....'' God hasn't left us to attempt on our own to determine what we should do. He's given us a guide which ''...pertains to life and godliness....'' The title for this article is from the letter of James. He pens, ``Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word....'' James implores us to leave the things of this world behind. He wants us to die to ourselves, and thus yield our own will to the will of the Father of spirits. Why James? ''...Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.'' May our Bibles be tattered and torn by hour upon hour, day upon day, year upon year of use. May we daily consult the instructions by which we can live the godly life in Christ Jesus. May our bookshelves never have room for a Bible to sit for very long, but may the immense corridors of our heart always be ready to receive the words of life. -- Via The Online Bulletin, December 7, 1997 ___________________________________________ Whom Do Men Say That I Am? by John Kevin Campbell "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:13-16). The long awaited coming of the Messiah was met with mixed emotions by different people. Some believed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God and the promised savior of mankind. Others thought that He was an impostor and therefore rejected Him and ultimately put Him to death on the cross. It is interesting to realize that today the conceptions of Jesus are still basically the same. Many people reject Him, others are skeptical of Him, but some embrace him and look to Him for the gifts that He can give to all who would believe and obey Him. There are countless people today that think that the belief that one has in Jesus somehow circumvents the laws of logic and reason. Many think that this belief is something that one must adhere to without what we would consider ``real'' and ``concrete'' evidence. God has never required man to believe something without due evidence. The belief in Jesus as the Christ is no exception to this principle. In fact, the evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of the living God is greater and more conclusive by far than any other ancient historical fact. The first evidence that Jesus was the Christ is found in the prophecies concerning him. Prophecy deals with events which do not happen in a causal order, but are unpredictable. A prophecy must be more than a good guess. It must contain details that are accurate and are capable of verification. True prophecy is a characteristic that only the Holy Scriptures possess. They were placed in the Bible not as accidental or incidental, but as a means of establishing its credibility. These are writings that were recorded by men that were ``moved'' or ``inspired'' by God (2 Peter 1:20-21) so that we and all others may read and believe. In Acts chapter 3, Peter healed a man lame from birth and then began to preach to those who stood by marveling at what he had done. He explained to them that he had not performed this miracle on his own accord but by the power of Jesus Christ. He then said in verse 18 concerning the rejection and execution of Jesus, ``But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.'' As many as sixty specific prophecies stated in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These prophecies are not vague and unspecific, but possess amazing detail and accuracy. This detail and accuracy shows that these prophecies must have been penned by the direction of God Almighty. They support conclusively that the Bible is credible and is therefore true concerning the story of Jesus. Secondly, we should consider the miracles that were performed by Jesus. The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible gives this definition of miracles: ``Miracles are events in the external world, wrought by the immediate power of God and intended as a sign or attestation. They are possible because God sustains, controls, and guides all things, and is personal and omnipotent.'' There are many miracles in the Bible beginning, of course, with creation. However, we will concentrate specifically on those performed by Jesus himself. The scriptures use several words to describe these events. They are: tokens, wonders, powers, and mighty works. John in his gospel uses the word sign to describe these wonderful acts of Jesus. In the gospels, miracles were something that pointed to the divinity of Christ or some other related aspect of the Gospel. In John 10:37-38, Jesus stated the reason for miracles. He said, ``If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But If I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I am in him.'' There are more than thirty-seven miracles recorded in the gospels. They show Jesus' power over nature (e.g. Jesus walking on the water, Matthew 14:22-23), His power over disease (e.g. Jesus healing the servant of the centurion who lived in Capernaum, Matthew 8:5-13), His power over demons (e.g. Jesus casting out a demon from a man in Mark 5:1-19), His power over material things (e.g. Feeding of the five thousand from five loaves and two fishes, Matthew 14:13-21), and His power over death (e.g. The raising of Lazarus, John 11:1-44). John tells us in John 21:25 that, ``There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.'' It appears that Jesus went about his ministry performing miracle after miracle, multitudinous in number, confirming that he was the Son of God. When considering the miracles of Jesus, one must consider the ultimate miracle, that is, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This miracle proved beyond all doubt that Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah, foretold throughout the Old Testament. The Old Testament foretold the resurrection (Psalm 16). Jesus himself told of it (Matthew 16:21). Indeed, Jesus did die and was raised on the third day. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 tells of over 500 people that saw the resurrected Jesus. Luke, speaking of Jesus appearing to his apostles after his resurrection records in Acts 1:3, ``To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.'' Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the living God and the promised Messiah. The historicity of the events that pertain to this fact are undisputable. They have stood the test of time and remain for us today to give us faith and hope. If we will believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), we, through obedience to him may obtain the spiritual blessings found only in Jesus (Ephesians 1:3), declared by His power, particularly exemplified in the resurrection (Romans 1:4). -- Via The Lampstand, 6/22/96 ___________________________________________ News & Notes Being the last Sunday of the month, Randy Frame will be preaching for us during the morning worship hour. Minnie Tuggle, Barny's son's mother-in-law, has been doing somewhat better at the Jennersville hospital. Let us pray for a speedy recovery. Let us also be praying for Bill Lappe's grandmother Dot who recently fell and fractured her hip--just a few days after her 102 birthday! She has already been released from the hospital and has been going through rehab. Bill writes that she ``is in good health'' and ``her mind is very sharp.'' ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________