____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ July 14, 2002 ____________________________________________________ Coming to Self by Dan S. Shipley Some have called it the greatest short story of all times. Others have referred to it as the pearl of parables. Whether or not we agree, it is not difficult to understand why the parable of the prodigal son (Lk. 15) has come to be one of the best-known texts of the Bible. Its message and characters are easy to identify with. Its lessons are practical and timeless -- like those we learn from the young prodigal, for instance. From him we learn that a man must come to himself before he can come to God (v.17). This is the turning point in the story and in his life. From his pigpen perspective he can see the vanity of self-indulgence and riotous living -- that man's life truly does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Lk. 12:15) or the transient pleasures they afford. Like the apostle Paul, his concept of gain and loss has been radically changed (Phil. 3;7,8). Now, he despises what he once yearned for and yearns for what he once despised. That's the way it is when men come to themselves. Some would say the prodigal had lost all. Money gone, friends gone, good-times gone, humiliated and hungry out here with the pigs and so far from home! Yet, amazingly, because he comes to himself, he comes to the threshold of a greater inheritance -- one that is incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away (1 Pet. 1:4). What treasure to find in a pigpen! But, in addition, the prodigal shows us that coming to self involves coming to an awareness of personal sin: "I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight..." (vv. 18,21). To acknowledge sinning "against heaven" implies godly sorrow, the kind that "worketh repentance unto salvation" (2 Cor. 7:10). All sin is against God and no sin is rectified without such realization and admission. It takes a truly humble spirit to say, "I've been wrong" or, "I have sinned!" Yet none come to God or return to God without it. Jesus speaks of such when He says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit... " (Matt. 5:3). They seek no alibis, no excuses, no scapegoats. Like David they confess, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight" (Ps. 51:4). Such contriteness of spirit is fundamental to righteousness. As someone has well said, "Lowliness is the beginning of holiness." Finally, as the prodigal comes to himself and sees his sin, he is also made aware of his need. Those like the self-righteous Pharisee see themselves as whole and in no need of a physician. Others, like the prodigal and publican, see themselves as lost sinners, desperately needing mercy and forgiveness. Only as sinners see such a need do they resolve to do something about it. "I will arise and go to my Father..." (v. 18). And thusly do erring sons come home to the Father and salvation. Even now many sons, having left the Father, are blindly pursuing selfish pleasures in the land of do-as you-please. Not that they have necessarily left their hometown -- or even the church pew -- but their heart is far from the Lord (Matt. 15:8). Yet He waits for such sons to come to themselves and come home. -- via Plain Talk, March 1981 ___________________________________________ ?You Know What? by Robert F. Turner "Bro. Turner: "Your comments on the Holy Spirit as a 'seal' (Eph. 1:13) would be appreciated" (A.I.B.). Reply: This request was accompanied by an excellent paper showing careful study, which I will incorporate in reply. Deity has distinctive roles of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But God is ONE and the eternal characteristics of God are inherent in all roles. One cannot serve the Son without serving the Father; one cannot live by the Spirit without living by or in the Son. We "know" God (are intimately related) to the extent we obey Him (1 Jn. 2:3-6); and God dwells in those who love one another, dwell in love, confess Jesus as Son of God (4:12-16). Now the connecting link for all of this is God's word: Spirit inspired revelation that must be objectively approached, believed, and followed by man (Rom. 10:13-17). It is little wonder that the same Greek word for "indwelling" of God (2 Cor. 6:16) and the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:11) is also applied to the "indwelling" of the word of Christ (Col. 3:16) and faith (2 Tim. 1:5). I agree with my correspondent that "The indwelling of Deity within the Christian figuratively describes the closeness of the relationship that is sustained between God and the believer." Think this over carefully! The "seal" (Eph. 1:13) is a mark of ownership. Being approved of God, although affecting our feelings and the hope within us, is not subjectively determined. The "mark" of God is given only after we "hear" and "believe" or, as put in Acts 2:37-38, we hear, repent, and are baptized. The promise of the Spirit was closely related to the Abrahamic promise (Gal. 3:14-29, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2) and embraced all blessings enjoyed "in Christ." We believe those who make "sealed with... the Spirit" an "inner peace" determined by our "feelings" are ignoring the general context of revelation. Paul taught that those who truly have God's Spirit "walk" in Him, show His "fruit" in their life (Gal. 5:16-26). The assurance we have of mercy and forgiveness is contingent upon a life of faith, of trying, of pressing toward the mark (Rom. 8:13-17, Phil. 3:12-15). And in this very endeavor we, by God's grace, "partake of the divine image" (Phil. 2:5-f; 2 Pet. 1:3-f). The miraculous and extra-ordinary manifestations of the Holy Spirit are included in many statements made to people of the first century (Acts 2; 5:32) for confirmation was still necessary. But the "earnest" of our inheritance is something that extends far beyond those early days when the word was being delivered. It is a "down payment" on our future glory. Expositor's says, "it is clear that what is in view here is not the... miraculous gifts of the Spirit, but that ... In which all believers shared, which was the subject of ... OT prophecies ...and of which a new heart, a new spirit, was to be the result." God-likeness in the saint, partaking of the divine image, being holy as He is holy (I Pet. 1:16) or pure as He is pure (1 Jn. 3:3), etc., is "seal" and "earnest" of the heavenly glory. -- Via Plain Talk, April 1981 ___________________________________________ A Thousand Times...NO! by David Diestelkamp Ever notice that you can say "no" a thousand times, but all those no's are canceled by one "yes"? "No, you can't have a cookie, can't have a cookie, can't have a cookie! Okay, yes!" The cookie will be eaten! To concede and fail you don't have to say yes as many times as you must say no to remain steadfast and succeed. A thousand no's to fornication are deleted by one yes that robs one of his virtue and virginity. A thousand no's to adultery are swept away by a yes that destroys family, home and soul. A thousand no's to drugs are erased by a yes that opens the door to all kinds of destruction and excess. A thousand no's to stealing are forgotten by a yes on our record when we stand before the law. A thousand no's to pornography are overwhelmed by a yes that writes indelible images in the mind. It applies across the board to all sin. While it is certainly true that forgiveness in Christ is available for any sinful yes decision we make, this must not be seen as license to make that errant decision even once. We are called to completely die to sin (Rom. 6) -- it is to have no part in us, or us in it. Parents often tire of the "May I have a cookie?" question and finally concede with a yes. Kids know this. Satan knows this. We tire of saying no and looking different from others. We tire of our "no" answer causing abstinence from activities that appear pleasurable and fun. We tire of always being the one to say no. In time, sin nags us to the point where we finally want to say, "Okay, yes just this time." How much more can God expect us to resist -- how many more times must we say no? The Hebrew writer reminds us, "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin" (Heb. 12:4). We're not just talking about saying no to the point of alienation and missing out on some of life's pleasures. Resisting "to bloodshed, striving against sin" means saying no to sin until it kills us! That means a thousand times no to the sin that tempts us from within and from without. And when we have said no a thousand times it is then time to say it a thousand and one times, and more! -- Via Think on These Things, January-February-March, 2002 ___________________________________________ Duplicating the Original by Steve Klein People today are often looking for something new and different in their religious experience. In trying to lure people who have this mindset, many churches are using catchwords like "contemporary" and "casual" to describe their assemblies. Social programs (such as day-care and counseling) and recreational facilities (such as gymnasiums and fellowship halls) are constantly being added, revised and updated in order to stay on the cutting edge. Churches that don't modernize themselves in these ways are ridiculed as still being in the Dark Ages. In Jude 3, God's word exhorts us "to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." Notice that we are to contend for a faith that was delivered once for all time in the first century AD. Since the Dark Ages occurred hundred of years later, a church that is still in the Dark Ages would actually be too modern! Our goal should not be to find the new and different, but to discover and hold onto the ancient and unchanging. The Scriptures teach this concept in a number of different ways: (1) We Are To Sow The Seed. God's word is like seed (Luke 8:11). The apostle Peter described God's word as "incorruptible" seed which "lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23). Seed brings forth after its kind (Genesis 1:11-12). You can't grow watermelon from cantaloupe seed! Just so, you won't grow new and different, ever-changing churches if all you are planting is the unchanging seed of God's word! Jesus warned, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted" (Matthew 15:13). (2) We Are To Follow The Pattern. In 2 Timothy 1:13, Paul charges Timothy to hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." Consistently following a pattern will produce the same results every time. It is simply impossible for new doctrines and innovative programs to come from following the same old pattern. (3) We Are To Go Back To The Beginning. In 1 John 2:24 we are instructed to "let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning." We are assured that, "if what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father." Our relationship with God depends not on some novel church program, but upon sticking with the original gospel and doctrine of Jesus Christ. We are living in a world that believes that everything can be improved. And perhaps many things can be. The gospel and the Lord's design for the church are not among them. We will not improve on the original no matter how hard we try. Let us in humble faith simply strive to duplicate the original. -- via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, April 28, 2002 ___________________________________________ News & Notes Joshua Watts was re-admitted to the hospital Friday and underwent surgery for almost 5 hours, due to bleeding. It was also discovered that two of the three arteries below his knee were damaged to the point of no longer working, which is impairing the healing process of his leg. More surgery might be necessary this mid-week. His father Billy requests prayers on his son's behalf, knowing that "prayer works." ________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ________________________________________