____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ February 3, 2002 ____________________________________________________ A Blank Piece of Paper by Craig D. Straight [Editor's Note: Please read the following article and take it to heart. Especially if you are a preacher of the gospel. We preachers have done such a good job of teaching each other that visiting is not the work of the preacher that we often fail to do our duty in this matter. While it is true that visiting is not particularly the "work of the preacher," it IS the work of a Christian. And being a Christian is a major part of the work of a preacher. -- Clarence R. Johnson] The old man set in his chair with a blank piece of paper on the stand beside him. He placed it there with a special purpose. As he approached his final days in life he wanted to make sure everyone from Church that visited him would get a letter of thanks and encouragement. The Old Man had been a member of the Lord's Church for many years; the majority of his life was dedicated to the Lord and the Lord's Church. He had served as Elder and treasurer during the hard times and good times. Many years of his life were spent in service to the Church, many hours given to the needs of others. He was there to see many members born and many pass away. If something broke he fixed it; he was a regular handy man. The same with the peoples' lives that he worshipped with: if something happened or direction was needed he was there to shepherd the way. In the last part of his life the struggle began; he could not get out on his own. His body was slipping away. He could not make it to Church or attend services. His heart was still with the Lord; His mind was still active and knowledgeable in the Lord. He loved to talk about the Bible with anyone. When his body finally failed him and he went to be with the Lord, beside his chair and on the stand remained a blank piece of paper. Then many years later the old man's son at a much earlier age suffered a catastrophe in his life. He was left paralyzed on his left side. He was in the hospital and rehab for a year and finally got to go home. He cannot get out on his own and needs assisted living. He attends Church when he can and that centers on being able to get a ride with a neighbor. He is a member of the same Church and congregation as his father. He was born and brought up in that Church. Beside his chair on his stand is the paper that he put there. He put it there for the same purpose that his father did, and that was to record the names of visitors from Church. A year and a half after being released from the hospital he put it there, and to this day it remains a "Blank Piece of Paper." Jesus Christ gives us the example in the scripture about the righteous visiting the sick (Matt. 25:36 NKJV). Are we doing it? Many claim today to be sound in doctrine, standing for the truth. They preach this loudly from the pulpit. But at the same time a "blank piece of paper" testifies against them. Today, many travel many miles to have debates and gospel meetings to spread the word to others or to defend the faith. These are good things, and things that we must do. At the same time how about our sick and shut in that are just a few minutes from our Church building? Do we travel a short distance to visit them? As we stand and point the finger toward others and say how they are doing wrong. Does a blank piece of paper testify about our wrong? As Congregations, Preachers, Elders and Individuals, each of us should be working to see that a blank piece of paper will never again be left beside a chair of a member of the Lord's Church. When I was shown a blank piece of paper and told what it meant. It touched my heart, I hope and pray that it will touch the hearts of others. That all who profess to be Christians will take an interest in visiting those that are sick and unable to get out. Because one is sick and not able to leave their home, does not mean they love the Lord any less, or should be written off by a congregation. They need encouragement and edification the same as everyone else. I am afraid that many today that are sick or shut in miss their Brothers and Sisters in Christ. They miss the assembling of the saints together because of accidents, injuries and illnesses that they suffer. They cannot always get out to go to Church. How heavy it must be on their hearts when they look beside them and see a "blank piece of paper." -- Via Susquehanna Sentinel, 9/2/01 (thanks to Mike Palm) ___________________________________________ Love and Marriage by Dee Bowman Times change. In the 1950's Frank Sinatra sang what everybody--at least most everybody--believed. "Love and marriage, Love and marriage Go together like a horse and carriage. Dad was told by mother, you can't have one Without the other." That lyric is the physical expression of a spiritual truth. Whatever happened to that concept? Is it no longer true or is it that it has been eroded in the wake of the loose morals of our culture? Is there no longer any need to have love as the basis for marriage and the bond which holds it in place after it is consummated? And does society make the rules for marriage? GOD PUT LOVE AND MARRIAGE TOGETHER. In the beginning, when he had made man and woman for one another He said, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife." Jesus said, "...what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder (Matt. 19:9). Society is the result of marriage, not the cause of it. Marriage is a sacred vow between two people and God and it has nothing whatever to do with what society says about it. And it's based on love--love by the husband for his wife and love by the wife for her husband. DIVORCE IS SINFUL. Sin is someway involved in every divorce. One party may be innocent, both parties may be guilty; but sin is a causative factor in every divorce. Society places no social stigma on divorce for any cause. Divorce is rampant, almost popular in some places. Society's "stars" have nearly all been divorced and remarried several times. Take Elizabeth Taylor for an example. She has had eight husbands. And yet people still adore, almost revere her. It's a sad testimony to our times that our culture has so lost its connection to God that it looks the other way when it comes to God's marriage laws, when it "puts light for darkness and darkness for light" (Isa. 5:20). GOD'S MARRIAGE LAWS ARE AS OLD AS MAN. They antedate the church by many hundreds of years. There is no reason that I'm aware of to assume they have ever changed. True, Moses was lenient about them for a time, but Jesus said, "from the beginning it was not so." When a person commits adultery, it is adultery whether or not he ever heard of the church. Paul told the Corinthians that "neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind...shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you." They were idolaters because idolatry has always been wrong whether or not they had ever heard of the church. They were drunkards because drunkenness has always been sinful. And they were fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals whether or not they had ever heard of the church. SOCIETY'S LOOSE VIEWS ON DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE IS THE CAUSE OF MANY DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. The family, the structural essence of society, has been fragmented by these loose views. Fathers have little to do with the family in today's world; they have lost their way and have neglected their role as spiritual head of the family. Mothers have left the home and are there, not as the maternal stabilizers of the home, but only long enough to put on new makeup so as to go out into the world and pursue careers of far less importance and value than that of motherhood or "keepers at home." Children, in many homes, govern the family. They decide what is to be watched, listened to, worn, where to go and when. In some homes mothers have become little more than taxi drivers so that the little people can participate in competitive sports--and at such an early age that by the time they are old enough to be proficient at some sport, they are burned out from too much competition. HOMES ARE NOT HOMES IN MANY PLACES; THEY ARE HOUSES, PLACES WHERE PEOPLE STAY FOR A WHILE EACH DAY TO SLEEP AND EAT. There is no hearth, no family gathering, no together time. Some families go for weeks at a time without any real connection, much less any family prayer, worship, or Bible reading. The fragmented family is one of the devil's most effective stratagems. What to do? Well, it's actually so simple that it's apt to be overlooked. Get the family together. Read the Bible. Every family would do well to have at least one time each day where the whole family is together for at least an hour or so--and with the TV, stereo, or radio turned off. You might find out it's fun. You might get to know one another and thereby break down some of the barriers that have resulted from a lack of association. Family fun is some of the finest fun. A family that worships together is less apt to have troubles. The common bond to God brings them closer together, forming mutual protection against inordinate outside influences. Their common worship binds them to a common goal and causes them to love one another even more. It just makes sense for the family to get together... It's God's plan for you to do so; it's the devil's plan for you not to. Which will you follow? And remember, "love and marriage, love and marriage...." -- Via Southside Reminder, 2/25/98 ___________________________________________ Sentence Sermons from Proverbs "...it is better to be a poor man than a liar" (19:22). "Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it than a house full of feasting with strife" (17:1). "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling" (16:18). "...by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil" (16:6). "He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him" (14:31). "Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed" (27:5). "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion" (28:13). ___________________________________________ News & Notes We extend our sympathies to the family and friends of Nora Flynn (Blanche Thompson's sister) who passed away last Thursday. She was from Bellair, Maryland, but lived a good portion of her latter life in St. Petersburg, Florida. She had been a widow and leaves behind a son Jeffrey and a daughter Tieninia. Another who passed away recently was Hugh Hetzer, who had been one of the former members at Avondale for about 28 years (June 1964 to around October 1992). He also served as one of the preachers for many of those years. Robert ("Barney") Combs (of Avondale) was mentioned in last week's News & Notes as having fallen in the church parking lot, which led to a fractured arm; and the next day had even lost some mobility, due to a stroke that occurred in the part of the brain that controls that. He seems to be in good spirits, though still experiencing dizziness and not able to even stand well. They hope to soon get him started with therapy. I'm happy to report two "new births" that recently occurred -- one physical, and the other spiritual: Madeline Grace Harbin was born to Kim and Julie last Saturday at 7.7 pounds and 20.5". Both her and the mother are well. We also rejoice over the baptism of Kelly Tilghman that took place last Thursday. She is now attending the Mt. Airy church of Christ in Philadelphia. Let us also keep in prayer Alyson Hopkins (of the Exton church of Christ) who should be giving birth in about one month. ________________________________________ evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ________________________________________