____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ June 10, 2001 ____________________________________________________ A God-Ward Attitude by Robert F. Turner Of godliness, Vine says, "piety which, characterized by a God-ward attitude, does that which is well-pleasing to Him." Lenski says, "The base of godliness is in the spirit; its great field lies in the spiritual virtues ... When the truth fails to produce godliness the truth has not entered the heart." Some day we will get around to recognizing that except for instructions in details, telling people what God wants them to do is not nearly as important as prompting them to want to do God's bidding. We have assumed a false premise; i.e., that our hearers are ready and anxious to obey the Lord, and all we have to do is tell them of the divine commands. We tell them, and make it very clear -- and just can't understand why they do not obey. But failure to do God's bidding, even failure to know what God wants done, is, in our land of Bibles and education, more lack of interest and concern than lack of knowledge. Even sincere "truth seekers" may make no distinction in the Bible and some far-East Guru's pronouncement. It is becoming increasingly important that we delve more fully into the essence of Christianity, and "sell" its basic principles. People must be brought to see that God is real, and their need for such a God is equally real. A proper attitude must be formed -- a God-ward attitude -- before we can bring souls to Him, or expect faithfulness. "Mint, anise and cumin" follow or come as a result of judgment, mercy, and faith (Matt. 23:23); and are of value only as they manifest the first. In our (commendable) zeal to urge the necessity of obedience we must not neglect to recognize that genuine obedience can come only from a heart properly turned toward God. It is as much our job, as teachers, to turn hearts toward God, as it is to teach that which must be done "from the heart" (Acts 8:37; Rom. 6:17). An emotional "turn" toward God may be purely subjective, or even a hypocritical effort to avoid obedience; but we can't know this until fruit is produced. Try building on the heart, instead of trying to turn it off. It may be this fellow has the first important ingredient for "godliness." -- Via Plain Talk, October 1976 ___________________________________________ The Best Bequest by Dan S. Shipley The most important things that parents leave their children are not to be found in the legal language of a will. Peter writes of certain ones having been redeemed from a vain manner of life and says that such a life was "handed down from your fathers" (1 Pet. 1:18). Or, as the NASV puts it, "redeemed. . . from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers." Obviously, then, parents do bequeath a way of life to their children. No other heritage means more; none could be a greater blessing -- or a worse curse; none other is so wrought with eternal consequences. Since the way of life determines the way of eternity, there is a very real sense in which parents may leave their children a legacy of heaven -- or hell. Not that children are not free moral agents to determine their own life and destinies (these of our text have changed), but God recognizes parental influence as a powerfully persuasive force in helping or hindering one's manner of life. Seeing then the possibility of having inherited and, worse, the possibility of passing on a kind of life God calls "vain," it is important that we identify and avoid such living. Peter is talking about a kind of living that is aimless; that is void of effect or result. The same word (mataios) is used to describe talk that is without profit (Titus 1:10; I Tim. 1:6); the uselessness of religion with an unbridled tongue (Jas. 1:26) and the emptiness of faith without a resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15-17). Such is the life where God's rule is not allowed and where heaven is not a goal of primary and urgent concern. Nowhere is this vain living better depicted than in Ecclesiastes where the wise man shows that all of man's life and labor apart from God is meaningless; "it is vanity," an exercise in futility. As Peter shows in v. 14, the vain life is characterized by lust and ignorance. For the most part, men are governed either by appetite or intellect; by what they want or by what they know. Vain living is a desire-dominated kind of existence. Paul refers to a time when we also once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind.. ." (Eph. 2:3). The vain manner of life could not be better defined. Now it is not to say that all who live thusly are backward, uneducated, and irreligious people. On the contrary, the divine viewpoint sees many among the church-going, the wealthy, the educated, the cultured and the high-principled whose lives are not really going anywhere _ they are living in vain, "seeing only what is near", strictly oriented to the world and its values. They rarely see themselves as needing to be redeemed, much less as doing any disservice to their children in so living. I think it would not over-simplify Peter's principle to say that ANY life is vain that does not give God first place. Not merely to say that He's first; not just to have some sort of "special" religious feeling, but to actively, urgently and continually seek to do HIS WILL. This is the point and purpose of life. God deserves it. Our children need such an heritage. -- Via Plain Talk, August 1976 ___________________________________________ Saved by a Religious Experience? by Tom Edwards We live in a time when many people will often cite their "religious experience" as an indication of their salvation--whether it was an overwhelming feeling that they "knew" was from God, seeing a "heavenly vision," or hearing the "voice of the Lord." But was anyone in the New Testament ever saved by merely a "religious experience"? Let us not forget the two good examples of Cornelius and Paul. How were they saved? Though an angel appeared to Cornelius and told him to send to Joppa for one named Peter, it wasn't the angel nor this "religious experience"--which was undoubtedly actual--that saved Cornelius. Rather, he was directed to the message of God's word whereby salvation would come. As the angel told him, "and he [Peter] shall speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household" (Acts 11:14). And we can also point out that it wasn't merely "hearing" the message that would save, but also responding to it (James 1:22; Heb. 5:9; Acts 10:47,48). Paul, too, had quite a "religious experience" on the road to Damascus. Though he was earnestly on his way to persecute Christians, he soon came to a startling, major crossroad in his life, in which he suddenly made some dramatic changes in his beliefs--for Paul had met the Lord! In response to Paul's question of "What must I do, Lord?," Jesus told him to go to Damascus for the answer. The answer arrived when Annias, who was sent by God, commanded Paul to "arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins..." (Acts 22:16). Though Paul had seen the risen Lord three days prior and could certainly give mental assent toward His reality, Paul wasn't saved by just that. Rather, he had to hear the words of the gospel and submit to them--just as anyone else would also need to do--in order to be saved from past sins. Being baptized into Christ was the last step Paul had to make to have his sins washed away, to be put into Christ, to rise up to walk in newness of life, and to become a new creature in the Lord (Mark 16:16; Gal. 3:26,27, Rom. 6:3,4; 2 Cor. 5:17). Rather than pointing people to "religious experiences," let's point them to the word of the Lord, which is "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16), by which one can be born again (1 Pet. 1:23). Remember, feelings--and even "modern-day religious experiences"--can be deceptive; but God's word is truth and will never deceive! So never put your own feelings or experiences before the word of the Lord! ___________________________________________ Can Man Worship As He Pleases? by Steve Dewhirst Historical evidence abounds that man can, indeed, worship as he pleases. As creatures of choice, God affords us the privilege of opting for His guidance or striking out on our own. The real question, however, is whether or not humanly-designed worship will be acceptable to Him. The very nature of the term worship demands careful attention to the instructions of God. Worship denotes reverence or obeisance (bowing down). One can hardly "bow down" reverently before the Creator, while ignoring His divine will. So much has been introduced into modern worship, not because of biblical instruction, but because of human tastes and preferences. It is the height of presumptuousness to assume that God will be pleased simply because we are pleased. "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). Not only does that principle apply to man's general course of life, it also has application to our public expressions of worship and devotion to God. At the core of this issue lies not the matter of "forms" or "acts of worship," but the matter of love and dedication to the God of heaven. Even correctly-executed public worship can be an abomination to Jehovah, if congregants offer it as mere routine. "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" begins the plaintive cry of God in Isaiah 1:11-15. The lack of genuine devotion makes worship a sham. To serve God with less than "the whole heart" is to fail to serve Him (see Jeremiah 3:10). By contrast, God directed Jeremiah toward a day when He would give His people "a heart to know me...I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart" (Jeremiah 24:7). The incongruity of worshiping God without the whole heart surfaces again in the New Testament. Jesus' famous interview with the Samaritan woman at the well illustrates the human preoccupation with form over reality. When she states, "Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship," Jesus doesn't debate the issue with her. Instead, he strikes at the very heart of Samaritan misunderstanding. "You worship what you do not know..." (John 4:22). Certainly the Samaritans were in error for violating God's instructions for Old Testament worship, but theirs was a more fundamental problem: they had no real knowledge of the God they purported to honor. The Samaritans were ignorant because they rejected most of the Old Testament scriptures, and apart from divine revelation, man can know neither the person nor the will of Deity. By contrast, Jesus taught that "true worshipers" in every age "worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24). In other words, true worshipers worship with their spirits (their whole hearts) and, therefore, worship God in reality. We can never claim to worship or reverence a God whose will we ignore. Genuine faith in God establishes His will as our rule of life and conduct (Romans 3:31). No aspect of human life is exempt from the sovereign rule of Christ, and particularly not the public expressions of our devotion to Him. "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?" (Luke 6:46). Why, indeed? If the term Lord implies rule and authority, our only logical response is to understand and implement His will. Disciples have eternal life by virtue of faith in Christ, and are to live by faith (Romans 1:16-17). But what we do, as a matter of faith in Christ, is governed by principles found in God's word, for "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). We cease to "live by faith" when we base our convictions and practices on human desire, however well-intentioned. Jesus exposed this spirit in the Pharisees by quoting the prophet Isaiah. "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:8-9). Jesus wasn't condemning their worship practices; He condemned their self-service that rendered worship meaningless. That same spirit thrives today. When men say, "I want to worship God in my own way," it ceases to be the way of God. When one decides that he must employ his "special talent" in the public worship of God, public worship becomes a showcase of talent, rather than a demonstration of reverence for God and His word. And it must also be stated that human egos lie at the heart of much sensationalism in modern worship, coupled with the assembly's desire for entertainment. We eat the Lord's supper, sing, pray, and teach in our worship assemblies because God's word shows those same practices by first century Christians under the direction of the apostles (see Acts 20:7-12; Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; 14). We contribute money to the furtherance of God's work because God's word so orders (1 Corinthians 16:1-4). Moreover, we limit the day of eating the supper and giving of our means to Sundays, because that seems to be the clear of import of our Bible examples. By faith, we employ the same practices as revealed in God's word. But outside of divine revelation, we have no basis for faith or religious action. If we are discontent with Bible-directed worship, we can certainly introduce our own preferences as creatures of free choice. But we'd best not expect our actions to have the approval of heaven. -- Via The Exhorter, March 25, 2001 ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________