____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ September 8, 2002 ____________________________________________________ White Unto Harvest Christianity -- A Taught Religion by Frank Jamerson Under Judaism, or the Old Law, people were born into God's family by having Jewish parents, and then they had to be taught to "know the Lord." Jeremiah, the prophet, said that the day would come when "they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord..." (Jeremiah 31:34). This passage is quoted in Hebrews 8 and applied to the New Testament. Therefore, under the New Covenant, people must be taught to "know the Lord" before they can enter God's family. Jesus emphasized the importance of teaching when he said, "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me" (John 6:45). In Matthew's account of the "great commission," Jesus said, "Teach all nations" and, after baptizing them, "teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 20:18-20). Christ also stressed the importance of teaching when He said that "the seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). Just as there can be no harvest without seed, there can be no child of God without the word being taught and obeyed. Every child of God should learn to teach others. The writer of Hebrews said, "For when by reason of time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not solid food" (Hebrews 5:12). Paul told Timothy, "And the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). There are some conclusions that we would like to make from these facts. 1. Christianity cannot be inherited. A person who was "raised in the church" (by parents who were Christians), does not automatically enter God's family. God has no grandchildren! Each person must be taught the word. Many who were "raised in the church" have left their "inherited religion" because they were not taught. Both parents and churches have neglected to plant the seed while the ground was receptive. We must not assume that our children will grow up believing the truth, we must teach them! 2. Infants cannot be in the church. Under the Old Covenant, those who were born of Jewish parents were automatically in God's chosen family, but having Christian parents does not make one a Christian. Children must be "taught to know the Lord" before they can obey Him, just as their parents had to be taught. This implies that when children grow to the age of accountability, they must act individually. Sin is not inherited; neither is forgiveness. 3. The truth must be obeyed. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Paul taught the same truth when he said, "But thanks be to God, that whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:17,18). One who is ignorant of truth cannot obey it. One who believes error cannot obey the truth. When Jesus said, "He that hath heard from the Father and hath learned, cometh unto me" (John 6:45), He was talking about hearing and learning the truth. 4. The importance of teaching the word should be recognized by every child of God. The job of teaching the lost world is too big to be left to a few "full time" workers. Every Christian should be awake to the importance of teaching the truth. The rapid growth of the early church was the result of "teaching." Those who were scattered from Jerusalem because of persecution went everywhere "preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). This is what they had been doing before they were scattered too! One of the greatest needs of the church today is for brethren, all of us, to get busy teaching God's word to those who know it not. Weak members need to be taught and grounded in the truth. Our children need to be taught. Our friends and neighbors need to be taught. God has charged each Christian with teaching because we need to do the teaching! Teaching not only benefits the one being taught, but also the one doing the teaching. When Paul said that God "is not served by men's hands, as though he needed anything" (Acts 17:25), he implied that God is served by men's hands because men need to be serving. We may see the point clearly by thinking of an art teacher. Suppose that she gives an assignment to a student and the student goes home and gets his mother to do the drawing! The purpose of the assignment has been thwarted. God did not intend for us to shift our responsibility of teaching to someone else. Each of us needs to do his part. Let's arise and teach! -- via Guardian of Truth, April 15, 1982 ___________________________________________ Longsuffering and Merciful by Tom Roberts "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). With the current condition of the world (a reflection of what has always been so from the sin of Adam), it is amazing that God continues to allow this old world to stand. When we think about all that goes on around us (and we see but a fraction of the world's evil), we are led to marvel that God does not say, "Enough! I will tolerate no more." For a few thousand years now the history of man has been a history rejecting God. Beginning with Adam and continuing through every age of our history, each period of time is a story of dismal failure. True, there have been a few Abrahams and Noahs along the way, but the vast majority of mankind has "refused to have God in their knowledge" (Romans 1:28). As Paul looked at this same thought, he concluded (with the prophet) in Romans 3:10ff: "There is none righteous, no not one; There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God; They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable." If this be so (and it is), why does God allow the world to continue? This is a question worth our consideration. And yet the very condition of wickedness that abounds on every hand but magnifies and declares the answer: it is the longsuffering and mercy of God that continues to grant lost men and women time to repent and turn to Him before Judgment. In Noah's day this tenderness of God toward the lost was declared in that He permitted Noah so many years of preaching to the lost while the ark was being built. Genesis 6:3 declares, "My Spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years." With all the wickedness abroad in the land in Noah's day, God yet granted men 120 years with Noah's preaching to remind them that they should turn to God. You know the sad conclusion: man did not repent and God destroyed that ancient world. By the mercy of God, Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary that men might be freed from the guilt and burden of sin. The church was established so that we might live in a saved relationship with God and serve Him. Yet men continue to spurn the truth and corrupt pure worship to this day. All the while, God's mercy continues. We are told that God "hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained: whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). Friends, we are moving inexorably toward that Day of Judgment. It is fixed and sure. The intervening days, wherein the gospel is preached around the world and the church is the "pillar and ground of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15) declares God's longsuffering and mercy. Right now, today, you have time and opportunity to repent and turn to God. With the condition that the world is in, God could righteously condemn it today, this moment. But because He loves and wants to see none lost (our text, 2 Peter 3:9), God spares the world, entreating man to turn to Him. Friend, God is surely longsuffering and full of mercy. But remember that God's spirit "will not always strive with man" (Genesis 6:3). The Day of Reckoning will surely come, just as the rains descended in Noah's day. Will you ignore God's mercy? Will you outlast His patience? Will you refuse to obey the gospel? -- Via The Watchman Magazine, August 2002 ___________________________________________ Avoiding Sin by Ronny E. Hinds If you read Matthew Henry's commentaries for any time you will come across a pointed saying. In his thoughts on Daniel 3 he said, "Those that would avoid sin must not parley with temptation." Some may consider me naive, but I believe most people, given the clear choice, desire to do right. Few people would openly say they want to sin. But the problem is we "parley" with temptation. We want to see how close we can get to sin without sinning. We allow ourselves to "tempt fate." Parley means "to have a discussion, especially with an enemy." Various illustrations could be given: associating with non-Christians in such a way that leads us to compromise our faith; reading or watching things that incite lust, perhaps influencing us to immoral behavior. Think about it. "Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren" (James 1:14-16). ___________________________________________ The Unfinished Work of Restoration by Al Diestelkamp Much attention has been given to what has been called the "Restoration Movement." That term is usually a reference to a period of time in our history that spanned the second half of the 19th century when many people were convinced to break ties with denominational churches and to reject their man-made creeds in favor of using the Bible as the sole guide in spiritual matters. It was, no doubt, an exciting time! Especially effective in certain regions of our nation, this "back-to-the-Bible" appeal brought together people with widely differing religious backgrounds. Time would prove that they also brought with them varying degrees of commitment to the restoration principle, and thus division was inevitable. Somewhere along the way some of the beneficiaries of this struggle began to think of the restoration as having been accomplished. Since then, any attempt to question the validity of doctrinal positions or the authority for practices already in place are resented. How dare we suggest that the "restorers" may have missed something! Instead of looking at restoration as a time in the past, we should look at it as an on-going process of spiritual growth. Furthermore, we need to rid ourselves of the notion that the church that Jesus built (Matt. 16:18) needs to be restored. Instead we need to recognize the fact that our task is to be busy restoring ourselves to Christ-likeness. ___________________________________________ "The Land of Pretty Soon" "I know a land where the streets are paved; With things we meant to achieve; Walled with money we meant to have saved And the pleasures for which we grieve, Kind words unspoken, promises broken, And many a coveted boon Are gathered there in that land somewhere, The Land of Pretty Soon. "There uncut jewels of possible fame Are lying about in the dust, And many a noble and lofty aim Are covered with mold and rust. And, oh, this place, while it seems so near, Is farther away than the moon; Though purpose is fair, we'll not get there-- To the Land of Pretty Soon. "The road that leads to that mystic land Is strewn with pitiful wrecks, The ships that sailed for its shining strand Bear skeletons on their decks. It's farther at noon than it was at dawn, And farther at night than noon; Oh, let us beware of that land down there The Land of Pretty Soon." "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" -- Author Unknown (Emp. mine, Kenneth E. Thomas) ___________________________________________ News & Notes We want to continue praying for the friends and family of Mamie McGough (Annie Mae Jackson's sister) who recently passed away. She had been living in Lake Providence, Louisiana, and bed-ridden for about 10 years. ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________