____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ December 23, 2001 ____________________________________________________ Careful to Answer by Robert F. Turner When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were called before the king and faced charges of refusing to worship the golden image he had erected, Nebuchadnezzar asked, "Who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands?" Things looked pretty dark. But they replied, "We have no need to answer thee in this matter" (AS). The King James version reads, "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter" (Dan. 3:15-16). The thought seems to be, we will not choose our words carefully -- concerned lest we offend; we will not try to "talk our way out of" this situation. And they added, "Our God is able to deliver us" (if it suits His purposes to do so) "but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Several years back, a preacher said John (the Immerser) "lost his head" because he "lost his head" -- he was not tactful in his criticism of Herod. John had said, of Herod's marriage to his brother Philip's wife, "It is not lawful for thee to have her" (Matt. 14). John was not "careful to answer," someone might say. Well, he certainly was not trying to "butter up" the king. On the other hand, John and the captive Jews of Daniel 3, were very careful to maintain their faith in God and to court His approval. John lost his head, and the three Hebrews were thrown into the fiery furnace, but each gained more than he lost. We "have no need" for any man's approval as we have need for God's approval. Jesus said, "Fear not those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell" (Matt. 10:28). We are not advocating crudeness! Daniel's brethren were respectful to the king; and love for souls will forbid our becoming a bully with the truth. Shouting, stomping pronouncements of damnation are often sings of weakness, while genuine strength is accompanied by humility. But genuine strength speaks truthfully, directly and clearly, regardless of temporal consequences -- and because of inevitable eternal consequences. -- Via Plain Talk, September 1980 ___________________________________________ Preach the Gospel by Darrell Hymel If we are making an attempt to restore Christianity of New Testament times, we must not forget to imitate their methods of evangelism and making disciples. If the New Testament is a book authored by the Holy Spirit and, therefore, a book for all centuries, the ways that worked then, will also work now. There is a simple, but yet, dynamic pattern laid out in the Scriptures that will guarantee our acceptance with God as laborers in the kingdom. Our first point to understand is this: our acceptance with God is not dependent upon the number of souls that are harvested, but whether we have planted seed. Paul was just as much a bond-slave of Christ at Athens, where the response was minimal, as he was at Ephesus where the "word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing" (Acts 19:20). We must sow the seed "in season and out of season," when it is convenient and when it is not, when dozens are being baptized and when there are none. How many times have we sowed some seed and then, when we do not see immediate results, we stop laboring steadfastly? How successful would a farmer be if he ceased his labor when he did not receive a harvest immediately after sowing? If we would learn how to measure success, we would not grow weary in well doing. Our job is to plant and water, not to give life. We can no more force a sinner to live, than we can force the green stalk out of the grain. Let us sow in faith, knowing that His word will not return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11). The great success story of the church in the first century, which we are to imitate, is not that every person was converted -- they were not -- but that every creature heard the gospel story (Colossians 1:23; Acts 19:10). The key to successful Christian labor today is to "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (I Corinthians 15:58). The success of Paul's labors is outlined for us in Acts 14:21-23: "And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith and saying, `Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.' And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they believed." To follow Paul in these five steps will insure God's approval of our labor and most certainly will produce the same results. If the results are not the same today, we can be sure that something in this plan is being left out. In my judgment, it is needless to talk about the last four points if we are failing to preach the gospel. Many times, the gospel is not preached as it should be by each Christian, simply because we don't think it will work in the twentieth century like it did then. Maybe we think it was easier during a time of miracles. It is true that multitudes flocked after Jesus when He fed five thousand with a few loaves and fishes, but not very many were true disciples (John 6:66). Jesus made it plain that if men would not listen to the writing of Moses, they would not listen even if someone rose from the dead (Luke 16:31). We must comprehend that, in the first century, the gospel was God's power to save, and we have the same gospel today. The power is the same, man is the same, and obstacles are the same. If the results are not the same, it is because we are not sowing. When the Sanhedrin summoned Peter and John, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:18). If the apostles had obeyed that command, the resurrection of Jesus Christ would have had no power, the blood of Jesus would have been shed for naught, the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ would have died right there. No government official has given such a command today, yet the gospel remains locked in our buildings. We must become convinced of this cause-effect relationship: when first-century Christians taught the word, the number of disciples increased. Compare Acts 4:2 with 4:4; 5:25, 28, 42 with 6:1; and take note of 6:7. Too often, when our hearts are moved to want to convert the lost, we want to "organize." "Personal" work begins and ends with a "group" meeting at the building to discuss how to visit a cold, two-year-old list of names. Effective teaching of the gospel in the first century did not result from "grouping together," but from being "scattered abroad" (Acts 8:1-5). We must stop emphasizing "how to," and start emphasizing faith as the chief ingredient of successful soul winning. We need to have the same spirit of faith that was in the apostles: "We also believe, therefore also we speak" (II Cor. 3:13). As important as knowledge may be, it cannot replace the spirit of the Samaritan woman who, with limited knowledge, said, "Come see a man" (John 4:29), and many believed in Him because of the word of the woman (verse 39). The simple knowledge of the great need of salvation led Cornelius to "call together his relatives and close friends" (Acts 10:24). This is the way that works. -- The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, July 29, 2001 ___________________________________________ Lest We Hinder This Gospel Meeting by Greg Tucker The peerless Paul makes mention of a precious principle in the latter part of I Cor. 9:12 which states, "Lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ." I propose that we take this Pauline principle and allow it to serve as a godly guideline in our gospel meeting that begins next week. This article is directed to every member of this congregation. We are not aiming at toes; we are aiming at hearts. Lest we hinder this gospel meeting let's attend every single service with no deliberate absence by any member. Deliberately forsaking one's own gospel meeting is a serious sin; it has deep ramifications that something is definitely wrong. Inspiration warns us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together in Heb. 10:25. If each service of this gospel meeting is not an assembling together, wherein lies the deficiency? Members who "lay out" of their own gospel meetings are not helpers of the gospel meeting; they are hinderers. If a gospel meeting is a good thing, and it most assuredly is, then James 4:17 defines as sin our refusal to hold up with solid support an evangelistic endeavor like a great gospel meeting. Lest we hinder this gospel meeting let's be on time for every service. Some people are always prompt because they plan always to be prompt. Others are never on time because they never plan to be on time. The first song is just as much a matter of worship as is the final song, or any in between. The Godhead is always on time both in providence and in redemption. Nature is never a split second slow in its precise functionings. Lest we hinder this gospel meeting let's enter enthusiastically into all facets of each service. We need to sing in holy harmony with such sentiments as are expressed in Col. 3:16 and Eph. 5:19. We need to enter wholeheartedly into the public prayers and do much private prayer in the closet for the rich success of our meeting. Let's be the finest audience of listeners that Brother Bill Hall has ever addressed. A blessing or a benediction is showered upon one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness (Mat. 5:6). Let's allow a warm spirit of fellowship to pervade all our services. This was one of the earliest and noblest of manifested fruits among Jerusalem disciples in Acts 2:42. Let's be extra friendly to all our guests and make them feel welcome and wanted. They honor us by coming, let's honor them in their coming. Lest we hinder this gospel meeting let's invite others to come and reason with us as Isaiah did in Isa. 1:18. Let us be an Andrew and a Philip and direct others to the Messiah (John 1:40). Let us be like John the Baptist and direct people to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Rev. 22:17 mentions both the Spirit and the Bride (the church) and each says come. The one you invite, the one I invite, might come and later become a Christian. One of the finest ways we can help a meeting is by inviting others to attend. Lest we hinder this gospel meeting let's place into practice what we learn from lesson to lesson. This is the acid test of every gospel sermon in its overall effectiveness. Let's do all we can to help -- never harm -- a great gospel meeting, and let's begin with this one!!! -- adapted by Tim Johnson from The Oneal Reminder, Aug. 2, 1981 ___________________________________________ News & Notes We were sorry to hear that Aubrey Belue's sister, Maxine Belue Roberts, passed away recently. We extend our condolences to the family and friends. Les Atkinson's surgery on his feet went well, and he is already able to resume walking on them. We are also glad to hear that Diane Thompson, who recently hurt her back, is now doing much better. Let us be remembering Carol Music as she will complete her second month of chemotherapy. She has been in good spirits. It's hard to believe that 2002 is almost here. I pray that the new year will be your best one yet -- and with each following year better than the one before! ________________________________________ evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ________________________________________