____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ March 11, 2001 ____________________________________________________ Losing Our Focus by Jarrod Jacobs "Churches more driven by culture than directed by Scripture are leading precious souls to hell" (Bobby Witherington, Truth Magazine, Vol. 43, p. 9, January 7, 1999). The above quote by brother Witherington gets to the heart of the matter. When we see churches that are more concerned about their place in this world than in their standing with God, something is wrong! Unfortunately, there are untold numbers of people who are more willing to follow the world's standard rather than God's. When we see churches who wish to "appeal to the masses," they have lost sight of what their focus ought to be! We see far too many "churches" (translation: social clubs) who are more interested in "numbers" than they are souls! Don't misunderstand, certainly each person has a soul, and they are important. However, there is a tendency among "churches" to do "whatever it takes" in order to get people squeezed into a building! If this means that they make an appeal to the outer, rather than the inner man in order for them to come, then so be it! This is wrong. When the apostles taught people, they continually pointed people to Christ. Wherever Paul went, this was true (I Cor. 2:5, 4:17). When the Colossian letter was written, Paul reminded those brethren of their goal, their focus in this life: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:1-4). The problem is in an age of "political correctness" and in an age where the only intolerance tolerated is intolerance against God and Christians; some "churches" are falling into the snare of their culture. We see far too many, even among our own brethren, who would rather be politically correct than spiritually correct! There are some who cringe at the idea of a preacher preaching against denominationalism or worldliness. They are repulsed that one would dare speak as the Bible speaks and name those who are teaching falsehoods and the result of their false teaching (I Pet. 4:11; Eph. 5:11; II Tim. 2:16-18). As a result, you cannot tell these places apart from the denominations! Of course, we see far too many calling themselves Christians who are acting exactly like the world! How sad! We understand that as long as people are in the world, the world will have an influence. But, the point of being in the Lord's church is that we have been "called out" (ekklesia) of the world, and the Lord has put us into His church (Acts 2:47). Paul stated that God "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Col. 1:13). Seeing that this is true, true Christians will not act as the world acts, speak as the world speaks, or think as the world thinks! God has called us to be a "peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Tit. 2:14; I Pet. 2:9). When people cannot see Christ living in us, we are showing that our culture has more of an influence on us than Christ does (Gal. 2:20). Many great industries have fallen because they lost their focus. As soon as Ford, Chevrolet, or GM lose sight of the fact that they are in the transportation business, they will fold. In like manner, when this church loses sight of the fact that we are in the soul-saving business, then we will fall into apostasy! Brethren, let us not lose sight of the goal of Heaven, and let us not lose our focus as to what God intends for us to do. Let us be satisfied to be the Lord's people in this community, and let us not be ashamed when we are called upon to "root out," "to pull down," "to destroy, and to throw down" the false doctrines and practices of men. Let us then be ready "to build, and to plant" when the ground is then ready (Jer. 1:10). Those who are more concerned in "cultural" standards soon forget that preaching the Word requires reproving, rebuking and exhorting "with all longsuffering and doctrine" (II Tim. 4:2). May we never be guilty of this, but may we stand with Paul and say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ" (Rom. 1:16). Friend, have you lost your focus and lost sight of your goal? I hope not. Let us "love one another with a pure heart fervently" (I Pet. 1:22). Let us show our love to Christ by being obedient to His will (Jn. 14:15; I Jn. 5:3). Let us, once we have followed His word, teach God's word to others that they might know the truth and that their souls might be saved (Acts 1:1; II Tim. 2:2; I Tim. 4:16). Let us remember that the church is in the soul-saving business, and must not kneel to the whims of culture in a vain attempt at popularity. -- Via Gospel Anchor, March 1999 ___________________________________________ A Healthy Sense of Shame by Rick Liggin What ever happened to our sense of shame? Is there nothing that shocks us as a nation anymore? Have we forgotten what it means to be embarrassed? Is there anyone among us who still knows how to blush? These questions came rushing to my mind recently when I learned that the city of Chicago has now named a street in honor of porn king and Playboy Magazine owner, Hugh Hefner. How in the world does a leading city in this "Christian nation" stoop to honor the king of smut? Hasn't his magazine (and others like it) done enough to destroy our society as it is? And now we honor this evil man! Something is wrong with that! The report went on to inform us that after the street naming ceremony, Mr. Hefner was off to some southern university "to scout out new talent." Is there no shame? The question came to my mind again, as I watched a recent "Today" program with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer. In one segment, Katie spoke with ice-skating star, Rudy Galindo, about his testing HIV positive as a result of homosexual, "unsafe sex." There was no expression of remorse for his participation in what the Bible calls a "degrading passion" (Rom. 1:26-27); no shame and no embarrassment. Just an effort to encourage the practice of "safe sex." More than anything else, he wanted people to learn from his situation that "safe sex is not an empty slogan." Isn't there something wrong with that?! Earlier this spring, we had an interesting conversation with one of our local high school guidance counselors. We were asking about whether or not the mandatory swimming classes are mixed (boys and girls in the same classes). She told us that their experience at this high school was that co-ed swimming just doesn't work with ninth and tenth graders. "They're just too embarrassed for the opposite sex to see their bodies," she said; but went on to say that by eleventh and twelfth grade, "the students are okay with it." I want to know what happens between tenth and eleventh grade that makes this true? Somehow, by the eleventh grade our young people are losing their sense of shame! Something is seriously wrong with that! Now you may not be surprised by these illustrations--and I guess I'm not really either. I've known for a long time that our world--and especially our nation--has been corrupted, has become totally immoral, and has lost all sense of shame. We are indeed a nation of people "whose glory is in their shame" (Phil. 3:19); that is we "glory" in (and are most proud of) the very thing that we ought to be ashamed of! Our ethical values are so inverted that what should embarrass us doesn't, and what ought not to embarrass us does! And something is terribly wrong with that! But what can I do about it? What can we--the people of God--do about it? Well, one thing that I know we can do is at least not allow ourselves to be forced into the world's mold! We can keep ourselves from conforming to our age (Rom. 12:2)! But right here is where I become most disturbed! I'm troubled by how corrupt our nation is, but I'm even more concerned by how many among us--the people of God--are being infected by our society! Like those around us, we're losing our sense of shame. We're no longer embarrassed about sexual sin among us. Adultery and divorce are commonplace in the church--even among its leaders--and we're not ashamed! Problems with pornography are rampant--and we're not embarrassed. Pregnancy outside of marriage is dismissed among us with a casual "kids make mistakes" excuse--and no one blushes! No longer is it just the young folks who slip off to the public swimming pool or wear the modern mini skirts; now it's most people in the church who "can't see anything wrong with" mixed swimming or immodest dress. Where is that sense of shame that ought to be rooted fast within the individual's character (1 Tim. 2:9-10)? Slowly, because of our own spiritual carelessness, that sense of shame has been eroded. We become desensitized to sin and hardened by its deceitfulness (Heb. 3:12-13). Suddenly, we're not embarrassed by the language around us or the undress or the flirtation with sin. And the next thing you know, we're involved in it maybe a bit tentatively at first, but soon enough we get over it and then we're "okay with it." And the next thing you know we're right there in it with the rest of the world! And the next thing you know we're lost! Something has got to be done to recapture our sense of shame! It's time for us to wake up, "for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone and the day is at hand." It's time for us to "lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." It's time for us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the flesh in regard to its lusts" (Rom. 13:11-14). It's time for us to start thinking more soberly and start developing a healthy sense of shame! -- Via Think on These Things, July-August-September, 2000 ___________________________________________ Skin Is In by David Diestelkamp Advertising this spring and summer's bare fashions, a popular magazine's cover reads, "Skin is In!" Of course, public exposure of skin has always been "in" with some, but it has rarely been so socially acceptable. Bare and revealing styles have, in fact, now become expected. Today, social pressures are compounded by the difficulty of finding decent clothes in the stores. Are we thinking? Most people act as though they are not thinking about decency. Maybe this is to be expected of the world, but even some Christians act like God doesn't care what we wear. Have we forgotten that Jesus is Lord both of our bodies and how we clothe them? God has spoken, "women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works" (1 Tim. 2:9-11). Is this the foundation of our thinking while shopping for our wardrobe and getting dressed in the morning? Are we searching? I am well aware of the fact that some Christians struggle with the above verse in determining exactly what is modest. Unfortunately, the question "Where do you draw the line" has turned into a worn out excuse for having no objective line at all. This question should drive us, hungering and thirsting (Matt. 5:6), into a daily search of the Scriptures to find out what is right (Ac. 17:11). In all other areas we say, "Stand still--don't act--until you know you can do so in full faith that it is right!" How can we allow ourselves to wear clothing that we are not 100% sure is modest? -- Via Think on These Things, April-May-June, 2000 ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________