____________________________________________________ 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 24, 2002 ____________________________________________________ Ten Qualities of a Good Bible Student by Jim Hardy The Bible is the spoken and written word of the one, true living God. Within the pages of this holy book we find the answers to life's questions, comforts for our pains, and instructions in righteousness. From these sacred words we can learn God's will for us and our responsibilities as a servant of His. This cannot be accomplished if our personal copies of the Bible are merely a coffee table decoration, a paperweight on our desks, or one more thing tossed in the back seat of our car. The sacred scriptures must infiltrate every aspect and moment of our lives. If we are to accomplish this then we must become good Bible students. Following is a list of ten qualities of a good Bible student. Understand that this list is neither exclusive nor all-inclusive. These are simply ten qualities among others we need to possess if we are to learn of Jesus Christ and his will for us. 1). We must be open-minded. When dealing with issues of a religious nature everyone has his or her own thoughts and opinions. Being open-minded will prevent any premature closing of doors. We need to carefully examine the entire issue and try to understand all arguments. It has been said that those who do not know their opponent's arguments do not completely understand their own. The Bereans were open-minded in Acts 17:11. They "received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." We ought to be open-minded and use the Bible as our measuring stick. 2). We must be spiritually minded. Christ, while here on earth, was ever mindful of His mission and His Father's will. He was indeed spiritually minded. In Phil. 2:5 we are instructed to have the same mind in us as was in Christ. We need to be focused on things of a spiritual nature. Elsewhere, Paul instructs young men to be sober-minded (Titus 2:6). He tells us to be spiritually minded as opposed to carnally minded (Rom. 8:6). How one does this is revealed in Phil 4:8. We must train our minds to think on things that are good, lovely, just, pure, and so on. A good Bible student is spiritually minded. 3). We must love the truth. Perhaps this seems like a mute point, but often times it is overlooked. Jesus says, "I am the truth" (Jn. 14:6). Jesus and the truth are one and the same. Jesus quotes Moses in Matt. 22:37 teaching us that we should "love the Lord your God" with everything that is in us. If we love the Lord Jesus, then we also love the truth. If we love the truth then we will strive to know the truth in its fullness. The truth has the power to make you free (Jn. 8:32). 4). We must be prayerful. If there is something you do not understand then pray about it (James 1:5). Ask for understanding, insight, and wisdom. You will be amazed the power prayer possesses. We need to train and discipline ourselves to be fervent in our prayer life. We ought to pray regularly for all things (Phil 4:6). Do not become discouraged as you strive to learn the word of God. Pray for help, God answers prayers. 5). We must be persistent. Proverbs 12:27, "The slothful man roasts not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious." Persistence is a quality necessary in all areas of life, but especially in learning the scriptures. It is easy to become frustrated and give up. We need to persevere if we intend to learn and grow. Paul exemplified this characteristic throughout his life (Eph. 6:18, 2 Tim 4:7, Phil. 3:13,14 to list a few). Learning is rarely easy and often quite difficult. If we persevere then we take the "bull by the horns." When it seems to be difficult step back, regroup, and try again. Be diligent! 6). We must be courageous. Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." As we learn and grow in the scriptures we will find more opposition to sin. This sin may be displayed in our co-workers, family, or us; this can cause great strife. However, we must be courageous. If we are in Christ then God is with us so who can be against us (Rom. 8:31)? 7). We must be able to reason. Paul, as was his custom, reasoned with the Jews in the synagogues, Acts 17:2. This was much like our debating. He demonstrated the ability to hear information, process that information, and use that information. Paul could reason as such because he was very familiar with the scriptures. The ability to reason is the ability to comprehend. This may or may not be easy for some, but it does require effort from all. Reasoning skills can be gained three ways: study, study, and study. The more we study the more we comprehend. It is as simple as that. Paul was proficient in this area and we need to do the same. 8). We must believe that the Bible is God's word. This is such an important quality of a Bible student. After all, if we don't believe that the Bible is, in fact, the word of God then why waste time studying it? Why bother living by it? Establishing the authority of the scriptures is so vital that book after book is written on this very subject. A comprehensive look into these arguments will convince any open-minded person of its authenticity. The scriptures also affirm this very fact. The words in the very Bible from which you read came from the mouth of God. Read Matthew 4:4. 9). We must believe that Christ is the Son of God. Much like believing in the authority of the scriptures, we must believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. Passages such as Phil. 2:5-8 show Jesus left heaven "to seek and save the lost" (Lk 19:10). From the miraculous conception, to His great miracles, to His glorious resurrection, Jesus exemplified His deity. Belief in this very fact is fundamental and essential to our faith. Consider the testimony of Peter in John 6:69 or the words of God when he says, "This is my son in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Jesus is the Son of God who reigns in heaven at this very moment. If these things were not so then His teachings would be of no more significance than those of men such as Confucius or Plato. We know that Christ is divine and so are his teachings, making them something worth learning and living by. 10). We must apply what we learn. Any good student takes that which he learns and applies it appropriately. No less is expected of a good Bible student. The teachings contained in the pages of scripture are not intended only to be learned but to be acted upon. In a sense we need to put the Gospel to work through ourselves. The apostle Paul is a wonderful example of a common man applying the word of God to his life. As such he was justified in exhorting the Philippians to "let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Phil. 1:27). Christ should be visible in us! We need to teach others what we have learned as well. It would be selfish to withhold such precious knowledge. It would be much like knowing the cure to cancer, but not telling a dying victim. The Gospel has the power to lead the lost to Christ. Unfortunately, it will not get there by itself. We must take it to the lost. Consider passages such as Matt. 28:19, 20 and 2 Tim. 4:2. Do not shy from telling others of the joy that is in you. Being a good Bible student can be the difference between a strong and a lukewarm Christian. The word of God is the bread of life. Why starve yourself? Dig into the scriptures, glean much, and you will be a better and happier person. These pointers, as well as others, can help, so apply them. Finally my friends, "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). ___________________________________________ Jesus Was Right by Clarence R. Johnson In Matt. 24:2, Jesus had foretold the destruction of Jerusalem. When His disciples had asked for further information, Jesus told them a number of things to watch for so that they could know when the destruction was near. He told them that before the destruction, there would arise false Christs, wars, rumors of wars, various nationalities rising up against each other, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecutions, false prophets, indifference among some disciples, and most important -- that the gospel would be preached in all the world. Then the destruction would occur. By a study of history, we know that the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. by Roman armies under the leadership of Titus, the son of Emperor Vespasian. But what about the preceding events that Jesus foretold? Did they occur as predicted? Most certainly! Even if we did not have historical accounts to verify the correctness of Jesus' prophecy, those of us who believe the Bible would be willing to take His word for it. But, even for the unbeliever, the evidence is overwhelming. Jesus was right! False prophets and men who pretended to be Christ would arise among the people. Jewish historian Josephus, a contemporary of the apostles of Jesus, and an eye-witness of the wars leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem, mentions some of these pretenders by name. One such false prophet is mentioned in Acts 21:38. Between the time Jesus made this speech in Matt. 24, and the actual destruction itself, there were wars and rumors of wars throughout much of the Roman Empire. Emperor Nero committed suicide and was replaced by Galba. Galba was overthrown by Otho, Otho by Vitellius, and Vitellius by Vespasian -- all in less than two years time. Civil war was rampant. The Jews rose up against the Romans and tried to gain their independence. Jewish and Roman writers tell us of at least one pestilence and five earthquakes during that time. The Bible records two famines that took place, Acts 11:27-30; 1 Cor. 16:1-2. Persecution of Christians by both the Jews and by Emperor Nero are too well known to need mention. False prophets entered in among the worshipers of Christ and had to be exposed and expelled, 2 Cor. 11:13; Gal. 1:6-9. Finally, we come to the prophecy that the gospel would be preached in all the world before Jerusalem was to be destroyed. And indeed it was! At least six years before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul shows in Col. 1:5-6, 23, that the gospel had been preached "to every creature under heaven." Truly, Jesus was right in every detail. -- Susquehanna Sentinel, 9/23/01 ___________________________________________ "What Am I Living For?" by James Hahn The story has been told of an early Christian who was about to be put to death because he would not deny his Lord. His executioner was unable to understand his apparent lack of fear in the face of death. In fact, there was a manifestation of joy on the part of the Christian. Finally, the executioner could contain himself no longer. He exclaimed, "I am about to kill you! How can you remain so calm and happy?" To which the Christian replied, "Kill me, and you take from me that which I cannot keep, and you give me that which I cannot lose." This Christian had learned a very important lesson that we all need to learn. He had not only learned how to live, he had learned how to face death. We hear so much talk about how we should live and how we can give meaning to our life, however I am convinced that many have not even come close to learning the real secret to happy and meaningful living. Most people seem to have the idea that to be happy in this life we must have something "worth living for." With this thought in mind many turn to money, pleasure or other things of this world, hoping to find that which is worth "living for." All such attempts to find happiness end in failure. The faithful Christian has learned that the things of this life are very empty when it comes to giving meaning and purpose to one's life. The only thing really important is so living now that we may gain eternal life when this life is over. The Christian is willing to die rather than deny his Lord. This is the thing that is of real value. Someone has truly said, "If we have nothing worth dying for then we really have very little worth living for." Jesus said, "What shall a man profit, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matt. 16:26). ___________________________________________ News & Notes A recent update on Steve Walker shows his kidneys and liver to be worsening, and his white blood count to have risen significantly. Let us pray that God will help him, as well as his family, during this difficult time. Patrick Sheehan (Tom Reed's son-in-law) has been having gallbladder trouble. Let us pray that his problem will be quickly remedied. Kim Metz (Lee Metz' sister) has been having a weakness problem for several months now. She was operated on last year for ovarian cancer. Let us pray that she will soon regain her health. We are glad to hear that Blanche Thompson's surgery went well for her. ________________________________________ evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ________________________________________