____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ January 13, 2002 ____________________________________________________ Ever Been Hit With a Brick? by Joe McKeever A lady wrote to me, "I'm the type who has to be hit over the head with a brick for me to wake up." She told how God had used something I said, and added, "Thanks for the brick." What started this was the fellow in Gulf Shores, Alabama, who was attacked by a shark. As the shark was chewing on his right arm, Chuck Anderson kept beating on it with his left fist, all the while thinking, "I am not going to let this thing take me away from my kids." I pointed out in my morning radio spot that there are a lot of `sharks' out there trying to take you away from your kids. Casinos, alcohol, drugs, and extra-marital affairs are dangers lurking nearby, each with the ability to destroy your home. The woman who wrote the letter called this message a "brick" from God to her life. Bob Swanson is a neighbor of mine. Often when we're doing our early-morning walking, we swap stories of what the Lord is doing. Today Bob told me of an LSU student who approached a campus party animal and said, "Can I ask you a question? Why do you do drugs and alcohol?" The other student said, "You don't understand, man. Those people I do drugs with, they are my family." The first student says, "That hit me like a brick." He went home and thanked his mother and dad. Last week I heard of a greeting card company that went to a prison and gave away Mother's Day Cards for the inmates to mail to mom. They underestimated the response and had to ship in extras. When Father's Day rolled around, they brought in plenty and were ready. To their surprise, no one wanted a card to send to dad. Turns out all the inmates had "issues" with their fathers. Either they were non-existent, absentee, or abusive. Bottom line: We thank God for mothers who do all they can; but no one can take the place of a faithful father. Man-eating sharks roam the waters of society ready to pull the dads away from the kids. A wise father will be careful where he swims. The Old Testament ends with the promise that in the days of the Lord Jesus, the hearts of the fathers will be turned to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers. It is still true that when a man rebels against God and goes the way of the world, the first place to feel the effects is the home and the first people to notice it is the children. Likewise, when a man comes to Jesus, the home is the first place to benefit and the children first to receive the blessing. -- Via The Susquehanna Sentinel, November 4, 2001 ___________________________________________ Respecting Convictions by Robert F. Turner Many years ago I sought to correct what I believed to be a fault in a brother's life, and he responded: "I do not live with your conscience, but with my own." In effect he was saying I should respect his convictions. In this case, I did respect his convictions; i.e., I believed him to have honest convictions -- to be acting in good conscience. Because I respected his convictions, I did not expect him to change his conduct because I felt he was wrong. It was my hope that he would learn God's will more perfectly and, with this changed conviction, he would make the change in life which honesty demanded. "Conviction" is not truth. It is "a strong persuasion or belief." The transitive verb "convince" is: "to bring ... to belief beyond doubt." But this is wholly subjective -- it refers to what the person believes, and has no bearing whatsoever on what God has said about the matter. We could respect one another's convictions, and both of us be in error. Divine truth is expressed in God's word (John 17:17) and must be approached objectively. This external source of truth is not altered by what man believes about it. Sometimes folks claim to have "convictions" to escape the responsibilities of examination and Bible study. They ask you to "respect their convictions" -- meaning, cease to reprove, rebuke, and exhort (II Tim. 4:2). They may even expect you to act contrary to your own convictions "lest they be offended," or, they become angry because you too have convictions and must act accordingly, even while you respect their convictions. There are those who deal in "vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law: understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm." Paul warned Timothy about such, saying that such evidenced neither pure heart, good conscience, nor sincere faith (I Tim. 1:3-7). There was no reason to "respect their convictions" nor to believe they had honest convictions. From such, turn away. In the final analysis, respecting one's convictions means respecting the man, treating him as a man of integrity, an honest man, of good conscience. When a man evinces a desire to know truth and serve God; when he welcomes questions and assistance in Bible study, and makes God's word -- not "feelings" or popularity -- his standard; when he alters his practice in keeping with his growing knowledge, we have reason to respect him. It is a pleasure to study with such a man; and with a little effort, we might learn something from him. -- Via Plain Talk ___________________________________________ God Gave Them Up by David B. Brown Those who can remember the 1950's know what a radical moral transition our society has undergone since then. Led by the mass media, there is now almost majority acceptance for things that were not even publicly discussed in 1950. Read Romans 1:24-32: "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error... God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." There is a point where a society fails to provide enough moral foundation to give its children a fair chance to be godly citizens. It is not enough for those who just abstain from "such things," especially if they "have pleasure in them that do them." Our society's only hope is for righteous men everywhere to take a stand and speak out against all forms of immorality and unrighteousness. If not, there is every reason to expect that God will give us up. If Romans 1:24-32 does not communicate this, what would? Those of the world often complain about the morality of religious people. The world seems to have a very good understanding of the standard that God has set for His people, and Christians' failure to maintain that standard inevitably brings reproach upon our Lord. Immorality can rear its ugly head among God's people. But if it does, the Lord has given both the erring individual and the church a way to deal with it (1 Cor. 5). If we fall into sin we must readily repent and remember the words of Eph. 5:3: "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints." Many who call themselves Christians now proudly proclaim their participation in all kinds of perversions that were not even known to polite society twenty years ago. Non-participants often take pride in their liberality toward those of "alternative" lifestyles (Rom. 1:32). Pre-marital sex and adultery are rarely denounced outside of the church, since they seem tame compared to these other acts of "gross" immorality. Give Romans 1:24-32 your serious consideration and ask yourself: Has God given our society up? See also (2 Pet. 2:9). Do we understand the meaning of being "strangers and pilgrims" (1 Pet. 2:11)? Peter was speaking of the church when he said, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9). There is no room for compromise here (1 Cor. 6:9-11). As individuals, we must flee fornication (1 Cor. 6:18); and religious institutions, which do not teach all of God's word on moral issues, are clearly not in fellowship with God (1 Cor. 6:14-7:1). Christians cannot claim to be perfect (1 Jn. 1:8); but there can be no doubt that the Lord's church is the only sanctuary of morality in this world today. The worldly might pick at the exceptions, but that is exactly what they are -- exceptions to models of honor and virtue. In stark contrast to the trend of this world, "Let your lights so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 5:16). -- via Think On These Things September 1995 ___________________________________________ Changing the Translation by Hugo McCord A teacher, misled to believe that dinosaurs and human beings lived on this earth millions of years before the biblical "six days" (Gen. 1:1-31; Ex. 20:11; 31:17) of creation, and finding no supporting Scripture, has changed the translation of Gen. 1:2 to fit his doctrine. The translations of Gen. 1:2 put no life on this earth before the "six days," saying that "the earth was without form, and void" (KJV), "the earth was waste and void" (ASV), and "the earth was formless and empty" (NIV). The misled teacher has changed the "was" to "became," saying that "the earth became formless and empty," thus implying that previous life forms had all died out. Moses would be embarrassed that an uninspired teacher makes his writing imply previous life on this earth before the "six days," because Moses believed that "the earth was formless and empty" of life, and that "darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Gen. 1:2). Then God spoke, "I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty, and at the heavens, and they had no light" (Jer. 4:23). So God said, on "day one" of the "six days," "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3). Moses believed that God, in planning for the earth to be "inhabited" (Isa. 45:18), on "the second day," created an "expanse" (RAQIA, Gen. 1:7) called the "heavens" (SHAMAIM, Gen. 1:7-8), to separate the liquid waters on the earth from the vaporous waters in clouds above the expanse. Moses believed that God, on "the third day," ordered that the liquid waters on the earth "be gathered in one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so (Gen. 1:9); and then God ordered the dead earth to have life for the first time, in the form of "grass and vegetation, seed-bearing plants and seed-bearing fruit trees" (Gen. 1:11). Moses believed that God, on "the fourth day," "made" the sun, the moon, and the stars "to give light upon the earth" and "to separate light from darkness" (Gen. 1:17-18). Moses believed that God, on "the fifth day," furthering His plans for an "inhabited" earth (Isa. 45:18), advanced from plant to animal life, with marine life in the "waters" and birds "in the expanse of the heavens" (Gen. 1:20). Moses believed that God, on "the sixth day," created land animals and "the first man Adam" (1 Cor. 15:45) and the first woman Eve (Gen. 1:31). They were not babies mothered by apes but both were special works of God's creative power, he from "the dust of the ground," and she from one of Adam's ribs (Gen. 2:7, 22). Both were blessed with immortal spirits made in God's own image, "male and female created he them" (Gen. 1:26-27; Eccl. 12:7; Matt. 22:32). Moses believed that God, "in six days," made "heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (Ex. 20:11). It follows, then, if "all that is in" the "heaven and earth" and "the sea" came into existence in the "six days," that even on "day one" the earth was still lifeless. It also follows that Paul would be embarrassed to hear an uninspired teacher say that people died on this earth long before Adam arrived, for he believed death did not exist until "through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin," beginning with "Adam" (Rom. 5:12-14). The teaching that agrees with Moses and Paul is that "in the beginning," when God created "the heavens" and "the earth," he "did not create it [to be] empty, but formed it to be inhabited" (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 45:18). -- via Vigil, August 1999 ___________________________________________ News & Notes I have some good news about Carol Music (of Ashland, KY), who has been undergoing chemotherapy for 6 tumors of the liver. Her recent, second month of treatment has resulted in more shrinkage of all the tumors -- and to the extent that two of them have actually vanished! So there are now just four, which she'll be undergoing two more months of chemo for, before seeing her doctor in April to schedule the surgery. We can all truly be optimistic about this. But let us still keep praying fervently for her and for all who are -- and will be -- involved. Here's some more good news: Sandy Manganello (of Phoenixville, PA), who underwent surgery last Wednesday for stomach cancer, received a very good report! After just a couple hours in the operating room, the doctor then came out to tell us -- to everyone's joyful surprise -- that they could not find a trace of cancer, anywhere! Sandy's husband Joe thanks everyone for their prayers, and he especially thanks God Himself for this wonderful blessing in their lives. Sandy's going without food for several days is temporarily making it difficult to resume with solids again, but she will be returning home as soon as she can adjust to regular eating. So let us pray that that will be shortly. I'll be preaching this Sunday morning in Philadelphia at the Mt. Airy church of Christ. We meet at 10:15 for the morning Bible class and 11:15 for the morning worship hour -- and would love to have you with us if you will be visiting in the area. The church meets in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia at 45 W. Durham Street. ________________________________________ evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ________________________________________