____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ November 9, 2003 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Gleanings from a Walk on a Country Road (Tom Edwards) 2) The Action of Giving (Kent Heaton) 3) News & Notes ____________________________________________________ -1- Gleanings from a Walk on a Country Road by Tom Edwards While staying with the Thompsons up in Cochranville, Pennsylvania, recently, after my morning Bible studies, I would often then walk about 5 miles down a country road, where I could also spend that time in prayer, in praise, and in meditation upon God and spiritual things. Though this is good for the body and the mind, it is even more beneficial for one's spiritual soul. God's handiwork is often a delight to me, a reminder of the reality of His existence, and physical blessings to be thankful for. To see the rolling and elongated hills, where cows and horses grazed on their grassy slopes; to behold the immense sky with its varietal shapes of clouds drifting by and the v-shaped patterns of geese, honking their way across the blue; to hear and watch the gurgling brook; to see the wind making the grass undulate like swift, endless waves of the sea; and to observe the towering clumps of woodlands in the distance and those that were near and overshadowing the road and forming "tunnels" for the pedestrian or those in vehicles to pass under, all evoked thoughts of God, the Creator. For how can we not think of the Lord when we see His various wonders abounding everywhere? (cf. Rom. 1:19,20.) God's reality is no less real than that of His creation. And actually, His existence is even "more real," in the sense that He never changes nor wears out as creation does. Therefore, compared to the "durability" of God, creation itself seems to be (in a manner of speaking) gauzy, shadowy, so temporal, a fading reality that will vanish with the wearing down of time. But God, and His spiritual realm of heaven, will never become even one second older, nor diminish in quality to the slightest degree. Instead, God and heaven are eternally "new." The radiance of heaven will never wane. Its brilliance will never become dulled. There will be no rusting, no tarnishing, no decaying, nor no perishing in that perfect place called heaven where nothing grows old, wears away, nor weakens. Corresponding to this, the Hebrew writer states in Hebrews 1:10-12: "And, `Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands; They will perish, but Thou remainest; And they all will become old as a garment, and as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up; As a garment they will also be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end."' And as he says elsewhere, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever" (Heb. 13:8). God's "years" do not come to an end; but ours do -- the physical part of us, that is. It is a "going the way of all the earth," as David (1 Kings 2:2), as well as Joshua (Josh. 23:14), refers to it. As I continued on my morning walk, taking in the sights, I soon entered a small cemetery at the corner of Faggs Manor Road and 926, with an interest in finding its oldest grave. Thinking that the first person interred in that burial ground had probably wanted to be laid to rest under a large, shady tree, I walked to what appeared to be just that: the oldest tree in the cemetery. Though there were many tombstones that had been so weathered with the corroding years of time that their inscriptions were no longer legible or only partly so, I found one rather large slab that was clearly readable. It lay flat and long, covering the grave site; rather than being an upright headstone. Its inscription said: "Here lyeth the body of Jane the relict [widow] of James Creswell who departed this life the 17 of August, 1749. Aged about 85 years." That means that this woman was born around 1664. Below this inscription, it then read as follows: "Death thou hast conquer'd me. I by thy dart am slain. But Christ hath conquer'd thee And I shall rise again." How true that is. Because Jesus died, was buried, and arose from the grave, we, too, can have hope in a better resurrection (Heb. 11:35). One for which we will be changed "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet...." When "the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51-53). And it makes no difference in what year we have been laid to rest. The important thing, however, is that we are ready to meet God so that it will be a "better" resurrection. For all shall be raised from the dead and exist forever; but only those who belong to the Lord will receive, as Clarence Johnson refers to it, "the quality life." This is what Jesus came to give, as He Himself states in John 10:10, "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly." And the Lord also states of this great universal resurrection in John 5:28,29, in which to those who are the saved it will be a "resurrection of life"; but to those who are the lost, it will be a "resurrection of judgment." Christ conquered death by His own death and resurrection (Heb. 2:14,15). Going along with this, Paul states to the Corinthians: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:20-22). Jesus truly is "the resurrection and the life" (Jn. 11:25); and He continues in this verse by saying, "he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies." The inscription on the tombstone also reminded me of the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Yes, the Christian knows that not even death can separate him or her from the love of God (cf. Rom. 8:35-39). Therefore, the child of God need "...not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul..." (Matt. 10:28); for they cannot separate one from God's goodness and care. Ultimately, the faithful Christian will triumph even in death and arrive in a place more blissful than ever could be imagined. Christ can take the "sting" out of death. For in Jesus, death leads to Paradise and heaven, rather than to Tartarus and hell. But whether we die with that "sting" or not is a choice that only the individual can make. God has shown His desire toward the salvation of all by giving His Son Jesus to die for every sinner (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:9,10; Rom. 5:6-10), but we must avail ourselves of the power in Christ's atonement by humbly submitting to the gospel plan of salvation (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38; Rom. 6:3,4; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10). Yes, it was a good walk I had that morning; and as I spoke to God through prayer, He also "spoke" to me in these various ways: through His creation and through His words of truth that are found in the Scriptures and can instill within each of us the faith we need, along with hope, comfort, and numerous other spiritual blessings. Let us, therefore, take the time to listen to God and to lovingly respond to His gracious call, so that our walk may always be with Him in our hearts, having His word to lead our way, and our final destination being in heaven itself. ____________________________________________________ -2- The Action of Giving by Kent Heaton Thanksgiving is defined as "the act of giving thanks." Much of the attention of thanksgiving is centered upon the idea of thankfulness rather than the action of giving. The key to being thankful is the willingness to give something of ourselves. The idea of "giving" lends itself to yield to another which expresses an action upon our part. Giving is the result of a heart that gives up self to serve others. In a world that is dominated by the action of taking and gaining, being able to give becomes a rare commodity. It seems that if we give we become weak and that success is measured by what we gain. Henry Ford said, "Success is not rare. It is common. Very few miss a measure of it. It is not a matter of luck of or contesting, for certainly no success can come from preventing the success of another. It is a matter of adjusting one's efforts to overcome obstacles, and adjusting one's abilities to give the service needed by others. There is no other possible success. Most people think of it in terms of getting; success, however, begins in terms of giving." In the parable of the Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), Jesus illustrated the views of life held by men. The robbers considered what the traveler had as belonging to them so they took it: "What is thine is mine, I will take it." The priest and the Levite passed by without helping the stricken man: "What is mine is mine, I will keep it." When the Samaritan journeyed by and found the man in need he "was moved with compassion, and came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow he took out two shillings, and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay thee" (verses 33-35). The Samaritan understood the value of giving: "What is mine is thine, we will share it." Giving requires action on our part and thanksgiving cannot begin without a willingness to give of ourselves. Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Can this not be understood from John 3:16 when Jesus said, "God so loved the world that He GAVE." Without the giving we would have nothing to receive in the blessing of salvation. God's people are thankful people in the action of giving. The action of giving is the action of hearts that are filled with a thanksgiving for what is received and what is given in return. Giving brings peace to the heart of the giver. Someone wrote: "I don't know how long I have to live; But while I do, Lord, let me give. Some comfort to someone in need; By smile or nod -- kind word or deed. And let me do what e'er I can; To ease things for my fellowman. I only want to do my part; To lift a tired and weary heart. To change folks frowns to smiles again; So I will not have lived in vain. I do not care how long I live; If I can give -- and give -- and give!" Jesus illustrated the importance of giving to others in Matthew 25:31-46 as those who were blessed for helping others. James brings the teaching of helping others to bear with the necessity of works and faith (James 2). John shows the love of God in our helping others in 1 John 3:17. Paul writes to the church at Philippi and admonishes them to think of the good of others above their own needs (Philippians 2:1-5). Paul's example in the context of Philippians 2 is the sacrificial gift of Christ Jesus (vv. 5-11). Paul then concludes, "So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure" (vv. 12,13). ____________________________________________________ -3- News & Notes I apologize for the delay in the bulletins for the last couple weeks. The Joe Thompson family, who were attending the church in Avondale where I formerly preached, had flown me up to Pennsylvania to be able to talk with Joe during his last days. He has been very weak. Feeding himself is such a challenge that others normally do that for him, and he hardly has the strength to push himself out of bed, using the handrails. His mind is still good, though; and though he hasn't been talking much, he is often clear when he does -- and sometimes interjecting even a little good-natured humor. He is in his home with hospice care. Plus, his son John and John's wife Diane have been living with him for the last couple months to aid all they can. Other family members (such as Joe Jr. and his wife GeYoun and her sister) have also been up to help, as well as numerous members of the church and other friends. Let those of us who are Christians continue to remember Joe and his family and friends in prayer. At 87 years old, he has been down a long road that has sometimes been bumpy and steep. While in Pennsylvania, it was good to see many of my friends. There were quite a few I talked with from the churches in Avondale, Exton, and Philadelphia; and it was good to preach in Philadelphia November 16. The Thompson family appreciates and sincerely thanks the Myrtle Street church of Christ for their willingness and cooperation to allow me to fly up to Pennsylvania and to fill-in for me during my absence. And I appreciate that, too. ____________________________________________________ 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 ____________________________________________________