____________________________________________________ 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 17, 2002 ____________________________________________________ "I Shall Go To Him...." by Tom Edwards Life often has its many sorrows. One of these being the loss of an infant or a very young child. As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows, the infant mortality rate in the United States (of children who die before reaching 1-year old) had dropped to 7.2 per 1,000 births in 1998 (and estimated at 6.76 for 2001). It had actually been 20 per 1,000 in 1970. Still, though, many other countries of the world experience an extremely higher percent today. Angola, for example, has 193.72 infant deaths per 1,000; Afghanistan, 147.03; Sierra Leone, 146.52; Mozambique, 139.2; Liberia, 132.42; Guinea, 129.03; Somalia, 123.97; Malawi, 121.12; and Swaziland, 109.19, to name a few. So every day, from around the world, many children die before they even reach the age of one-year old. And whether the child has been born or is still in the womb seems rather irrelevant when it comes to the loss of that child: for there is often not much difference in the amount of grief and mourning in either case. With so many experiencing this kind of bereavement, what can we say to those who have lost such a child? Though there is that sadness because of our loss, as in the death of any loved one, we can also rest assured that it is not a time of sorrow for that departed infant. For that child is experiencing the blissfulness of Paradise. We can, therefore, draw comfort in realizing that. As Jesus states, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Mark 10:14). David was also well aware of this. When his firstborn (with Bathsheba) was fatally ill, David fasted and fervently prayed for him. However, when the child died, David made the following commitment in his heart: "I shall go to him, but he will not return to me" (2 Sam. 12:23). How beautiful to realize that the Christian can meet his or her departed infant in heaven! And what a wonderful relationship that will be! For those in heaven will be in a perfect state -- and that for all eternity. There, one will be the perfect "age," will have perfect "health," will have perfect understanding toward one another, and will love each other with a perfect love. There, the reality will far surpass any utopian concept you could ever imagine while here on earth. So let us each strive to make heaven our home, for what a glorious place that will be for all of God's children to be re-united and to love one another exceedingly greater than ever loved before! May the Lord, therefore, help each of us on this journey, filling our hearts with what it takes to continue in and complete this heavenly trek. For in this way, "I shall go to him...." And, there, there will be no more death, no more separation, and no more sadness. ___________________________________________ "Assyria, the Rod of My Anger" by Tom Edwards It's incredible what God can do! With simply words, He spoke the universe into existence, including all its intricacies and wide varieties of life. And, furthermore, in different periods of Bible history, the Lord made himself known through various miraculous signs, such as during the days of Moses and his successor Joshua, during the time of Elijah and Elisha, during the period of Christ's earthly ministry, and during the beginning of the early church. All of these miracles were astounding! But even more amazing than God's ability to work such wondrous signs is what He can do in His divine providence! For in it, the result is brought about without the aid of miracles -- thus, making it seemingly more astounding. For by it, God's will is fulfilled through natural means, and without His interfering or tampering with the heart of man in order to bring this about. Man, as always, has freedom of choice. Take, for example, Isaiah 10:5-7: "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hands is My indignation, I send it against a godless nation, and commission it against the people of My fury to capture booty and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. Yet it does not so intend nor does it plan so in its heart, but rather it is its purpose to destroy, and to cut off many nations." Though in 606 B.C., God had used (in His providence) the Babylonians to bring his wrath upon Judah, Isaiah 10:5 speaks of a period about 100 years prior to that time when the Lord used Assyria to bring about a "temporary chastisement of Judah" (Zerr). From Isaiah, we see how oblivious the Assyrians were to having been used by God to accomplish this. They were simply doing what came natural. But, yet, the Lord was able to use them to bring about His will without having to perform any miraculous "direct operation of the Holy Spirit" on their heart to make them willing to do so. Throughout history this has always been so: For instance, it wasn't God who made Joseph's brothers jealous of him. They had made themselves that way. Yet, in His divine providence, the Lord was even able to use their jealousy in bringing about His plan. Joseph came to realize this, and revealed it to his brothers many years later. He states, "And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life...Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God..." (Gen. 45:5,8). And after the death of his father, when Joseph's brothers were worried about him bearing a grudge against them, Joseph said, "Do not be afraid...you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive" (Gen. 50:19,20). By seeing the hand of God working in his life, Joseph was able to better endure the hardships he had to unjustly undergo. When we think of Christ's crucifixion, we are mindful of the most terrible event that sinful man could have ever brought about; but yet, even in that extremely sinful and murderous deed, the Lord was able to use it to fulfill His purpose. Yes, Christ did have to "taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9), so that He could make the atonement for every transgressor (Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2). This was all part of God's pre-determined plan (1 Pet. 1:18-20; Acts 2:23). Yet, those who put Christ to death did so of their own accord; and, as a result, were actually murderers (Acts 2:23), which is something that God, who doesn't even tempt people to sin (James 1:13), would certainly never make anyone to do (cf. Matt. 18:6). The providence of God, however, is something that we might not always be able to detect, due to our limited minds. So we might often wonder if certain situations have been brought about by the Lord's providence or mere coincidence. For this, we cannot always say in pertaining to current happenings. But we should know and believe that the Lord is still carrying out His providence today -- and pray that He will continue to do so! When Mordecai, Esther's cousin, encouraged her to risk her life in interceding for God's people before King Ahasuerus, Mordecai told her, "...And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14). In other words, Mordecai seemed to realize the possibility that Esther's position, in gaining favor with the king and now going before him with this important request, might be all part of God's providence, which would lead to the sparing of the Jews at that time. Esther then went -- realizing, though, that her approaching the king about this matter might also result in her death (Esther 4:15,16). The king, however, was gracious to her; and her request brought salvation (from death) to the Jews. How would you have felt if you were one of those Jews? Pretty happy for the providence of God, I imagine! As we think about God using heathens to bring about His will, what excuse could we make for not praying for the higher authorities? We, of course, are commanded to do this (1 Tim. 2:1,2). And this higher authority -- regardless of whether those who serve in it are Christians or not -- is referred to as being "a minister of God for good," as well as "an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil" (Rom. 13:4). God, therefore, can somehow answer our prayer for these in the higher authorities by His divine providence. Surely, He would not have us pray for these people, if prayers couldn't be answered! Though we have seen that the Lord could use even the evil man to bring about God's will, wouldn't you rather be the righteous man whom the Lord could use? For there will be no reward of blessing for the wicked; but for those who accept the way of the Lord, a blissfulness of heaven awaits them, which, though could never be earned or merited, we can, at least, show our appreciation for it by the way we now live (John 14:15). So what will the Lord bring about for you through His providence? We might not know all the answers to this; but we do know that if we are following in the footsteps of Jesus, whatever it is will be for our good. So let us each strive to draw closer to God -- to be a better people for him and for each other -- and realize that the Lord knows our every need! So let us, therefore, turn to Him for the fulfillments of those needs -- which could very well be made through His divine providence! ___________________________________________ Wrong Judgment I saw him in the church building for the first time on Wednesday. He was in his mid-70's, with thinning silver hair and a neat brown suit. Many times in the past I had invited him to come. Several other Christian friends had talked to him about the Lord and had tried to share the good news with him. He was a well-respected, honest man with so many Christian characteristics, but he had never put on Christ, nor entered the doors of the church. "Have you ever been to a church service in your life?" I had asked him a few years ago. We had just finished a pleasant day of visiting and talking. He hesitated. Then with a bitter smile he told me of his childhood experience some fifty years ago. He was one of many children in a large impoverished family. His parents had struggled to provide food, with little left for housing and clothing. When he was about ten, some neighbors invited him to worship with them. The Sunday School class had been very exciting! He had never heard such songs and stories before! He had never heard anyone read from the Bible! After class was over, the teacher took him aside and said, "Son, please don't come again dressed as you are now. We want to look our best when we come into God's house." He stood in his ragged, unpatched overalls. Then looking at his dirty bare feet, he answered softly, "No, ma'am, I won't ever." "And I never did," he said, abruptly ending our conversation. There must have been other factors to have hardened him so, but this experience formed a significant part of the bitterness in his heart. I'm sure that Sunday School teacher meant well. But did she really understand the love of Christ? Had she studied and accepted the teachings found in the second chapter of James? What if she had put her arms around the dirty, ragged little boy and said, "Son, I am so glad you are here, and I hope you will come every chance you get to hear more about Jesus." I reflected on the awesome responsibility a teacher or pastor or a parent has to welcome little ones in His name. How far reaching her influence was! I prayed that I might be ever open to the tenderness of a child's heart, and that I might never fail to see beyond the appearance and behavior of a child to the eternal possibilities within. Yes, I saw him in the church house for the first time on Wednesday. As I looked at that immaculately dressed old gentleman lying in his casket, I thought of the little boy of long ago. I could almost hear him say, "No, ma'am, I won't ever." And I wept. -- anonymous, Macedonia, GA bulletin (editor: Gene Curry) ___________________________________________ News & Notes With about only three weeks to go until delivery, the baby of Brad and Alyson Hopkins' died February 13. Her name was Sheena Lucille, but would go by the name "Lucy." She will be buried in a family plot on the south side of Indianapolis. Let us continue our intercession for the family and friends. Dan Thorton writes: "Yesterday afternoon about 5:30 pm Mike Penn, an elder at Timberland Drive Church of Christ in Lufkin, TX, was working with his tractor. His two year old grandson ran out to the tractor and Mike did not see him and he ran over and killed him. The grandson was the son of Mike's daughter Jennifer." Let us be praying for all those caught up in this tragedy. Annie Campbell (of Somerset, KY) passed away recently at 95 years of age. She was John Pitman's aunt. Let us remember her family and friends in prayer. Wayne Fancher, an elder of the church in Grenada, Mississippi, has recently had his leg (from the knee down) amputated. Let us be praying for his speedy recovery. Unless I will be elsewhere "trying out" for a preacher position, I'll be teaching the Tuesday night adult class in Philadelphia on March 4 and 11 and also preaching there on March 10. ________________________________________ evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ________________________________________