____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ August 7, 2005 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) His Spirit Was Stirred (Carl W. Alexander) 2) Wednesday Night Services (Whit Sasser) 3) An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth (Steve Dewhurst) 4) Snap Judgments (Anonymous) 5) Selected Sentence Sermons 6) News & Notes ____________________________________________________ -1- His Spirit Was Stirred by Carl W. Alexander When Paul came to Athens and saw all the images and temples in which these were served, Luke records that "his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry." But Paul did not just get stirred up and then do nothing about that which had stirred him. The next verse says, "Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him." This tells us much about Paul: (1) HE WAS NOT PASSIVE TOWARD ERROR. He was deeply disturbed by its presence. One of our greatest dangers is that we will become nonchalant toward sin and error. When that attitude is taken, it is not a very long step to acceptance of sin. "Abhor that which is evil" (Rom. 12:9). "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil" (Psa. 97:10). "Hate the evil, and love the good" (Amos 5:15). Concerning Lot in wicked Sodom, Peter said, "For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds" (2 Pet. 2:8). How do YOU feel about the sin and error all about us? (2) PAUL THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT HE COULD DO ABOUT IT. Could he stop all the idolatry in Athens? He was just one man. He had just one voice. He would probably not stay in this city very long. "Therefore disputed he" in both the synagogue and the marketplace and this he did "daily." He might not be able to save them all, but he could try. He did not stop to rationalize and figure up all the excuses as to why it would be a waste of his time. He did not seek to project results ahead of time. He simply attacked the error with the truth. Wonders would be wrought today if God's people, in the midst of a crooked generation, would decide that, though they are only one, they are still one. They may have only one voice, but they do have one voice. If we would forget about results and remember that God holds us responsible for effort, we would be better off. God gives the increase. The bulk of those who heard him rejected what he said, but "certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them" (Acts 17:34). If Paul had not been stirred to make the effort he did, then these people would not have learned the truth. (3) PAUL DID NOT THINK RELIGIOUS CONTROVERSY WRONG. There is a popular sentiment which says that religious controversy is foolish, out of order, calculated to do harm and not good and that men should never dispute about such things. This attitude assumes that religious differences do not really matter anyhow, that one belief is as good as another. Paul did not believe this. He did not believe that the worship of idols was as good as true worship. He even went so far as to tell these idolaters that God expected them to repent and that there was going to be a day of judgment (Acts 17:30-31). He told them they were wrong and he had the truth and that they ought to change. May God help us to be stirred to do something NOW to save those all about us who are lost. -- Via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, May 15, 2005 ____________________________________________________ -2- Wednesday Night Services by Whit Sasser * At Wednesday night services, the Bible is taught, the word of God Almighty. * Wednesday night services increase our faith as we better understand and appreciate the unsearchable riches of God. * Wednesday night services are a midweek respite from life in a sinful world, a recharge of our spiritual batteries. * Wednesday night services help prepare us to meet life's challenges. * Wednesday night services help build stronger character. * Wednesday night services provide an opportunity to associate with brethren and encourage each other. * Wednesday night services provide an opportunity to bring others with you to hear the gospel of Christ. * Wednesday night services enable us to join our hearts in prayer and praising God in song. * Wednesday night services may be the time when you hear some truth that will change your life forever. If you don't attend Wednesday night services... What do you do with that time? How does that activity compare to these blessings? Which activity will better help you go to heaven? Which is a better use of your time? -- Via The Susquehanna Sentinel, July 24, 2005 ____________________________________________________ -3- An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth by Steve Dewhurst Such is modern man's ignorance of God's word, as well as His justice and mercy, that we often misunderstand the simplest Bible expressions and concepts. For example, the age old principle of justice contained in the phrase "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is frequently seen as a statement advocating revenge and cruelty. Originally, however, it meant nothing of the sort. Several years ago, I read a magazine article in which a clergyman from New York stated that the "eye for an eye" approach "is not reflective of the Divine Spirit." Say, What! Where does he think the expression came from in the first place? Despite the ignorance of highfalutin theology, the principle of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is an expression of God's righteous judgment and mercy. Justice demands punishment, but punishment in proportion to the crime. "If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise" (Exodus 21:24). The "Divine Spirit," being righteous, does indeed demand punishment, but is also insistent that the punishment not exceed the crime. The penalty for causing a premature birth with no permanent damage to the child is much less severe than if the child should die or be maimed. Such is the nature of true justice. In fact, our own system of jurisprudence follows this same model. Prison sentences and punitive damages are based (theoretically, at least) on the nature of the crime, damage inflicted upon the victim, and any extenuating circumstances that need to be factored in. We've all heard tales of "justice" in Muslim nations, in which a man steals a loaf of bread to feed his family, and has his hand cut off as punishment. Where is the justice or equity in that? Surely his hand was of infinitely greater value than the bread. Under such a system of "justice," the man is now rendered incapable of working to support his family, which will make the temptation to steal bread even greater than before! God's justice is designed to correct the offense, not to create a worse offender. It is not surprising that folks don't understand the principle of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Very few people have actually read the statement in its biblical context. Instead, as with other statements taken out of context, men have assumed that it means the very opposite of what it teaches. Men assume that Israel's citizens were given license to take the law into their own hands in exacting vengeance. In truth, the nation had judges in place to execute judgments in a lawful manner. They were governed by the rule of law. "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" guaranteed that the guilty party could not be punished any more severely than the crime warranted. In today's non-moral, non-judgmental, non-thinking society, men often reject God's righteous justice for the very reason that it demands the determination that one is GUILTY of something. We've foolishly been told, "It's not right to judge," when in fact we must "judge righteous judgment" based on sound biblical principles, John 7:24. But whatever the notions of men, facing the consequences of our actions is inherently just. Yet God's justice and mercy dictate that we should not exact any punishment that outstrips the crime in its excessiveness. Let's not denigrate the principle of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Rather, let's rejoice that we serve a God of justice, mercy, and fairness. -- Via Stonegate Standard, Volume 12, Number 6 ____________________________________________________ -4- Snap Judgments While on a walk one day, I was surprised to see a man hoeing the garden while sitting in a chair. "What laziness," I thought, but suddenly I saw leaning against his chair a pair of crutches. The man was at work despite his handicap. The lesson I learned about snap judgments has stayed with me for years. Many of the crosses people bear are seldom in plain sight. -- Anonymous (Via The Old Path II, October 13, 1996) ____________________________________________________ -5- Selected Sentence Sermons God measures our gifts not by the greatness of them, but by the self denial they express in giving them. It is not success that God rewards but always the faithfulness of doing His will. Freedom is not the right to do as you please, but the liberty to do as you ought. Too many people are clamoring for freedom to do what ought not to be done. Happy is the man who knows error and lets it alone. ____________________________________________________ -6- News & Notes We are thankful that James Shuff was able to finally receive his liver transplant. The surgery went well. Let those of us who are Christians pray that he will heal speedily and completely, and that all will continue to go well for him. ____________________________________________________ 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 ____________________________________________________