____________________________________________________ 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 28, 2005 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Striving to Pass the Test -- In Every Situation (Tom Edwards) 2) News & Notes (concerning Hurricane Katrina) ____________________________________________________ -1- Striving to Pass the Test -- In Every Situation by Tom Edwards Situations. We all have them. Some are very good, and some are very terrible; while most of them fill a wide gamut somewhere in between. But one thing in common to all of them is that they each serve to test us in our relationship to God. "You mean even the good situations, too?" Yes. Though we normally think of our faith being tested through difficult trials -- as James 1:2-4 shows -- is not our faith also tested when everything seems to be going very well in our lives? We are happy, joyful, content; nothing seems to be going wrong; but, perhaps, it is times like that when we might not be as prone to look to the Lord or realize (as fully) His need in our lives. So, here's where the test comes in. Will we still be showing our faith and love to God when everything seems to be working out so well? Or will we become lax, indifferent, or less attentive to His cause? Do we need that "nudge" of adversity to keep us treading the path our Savior has made possible, that path that leads to heaven? As the psalmist once said, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word" (Psa. 119:67). So, yes, even adversity can be for our good; but what about when it is not there? Will remaining spiritual then be more challenging, more of a test to our commitment to God? Israel, for example, had fallen to this -- even though they were warned about it in Deuteronomy 8:7-14: They would be brought into a land of plenty, where they would eat and be satisfied and have good houses to live in. Their herds and flocks would multiply, along with their silver and gold, and everything else that they had, as well -- but, if they would not keep the commandments of the Lord, their hearts would become proud; and they would forget the Lord. And they did (Hos. 13:6). This is not to say that prosperous situations cause one to forget about God -- for they really do not per se -- but it does point out that our commitment to the Lord is still being tested through those situations as well. Sometimes situations do not seem so good. For instance, at the end of Paul's third missionary journey, he was placed in jail in Jerusalem. Think about it. Here was a man who had sacrificed much for the cause of Christ. He had been on arduous and dangerous journeys, totally thousands of miles in his travels, and risking his very life for the Lord -- and now Paul was in jail! And this was just part of his imprisonments. For, from there, he was soon transferred to Caesarea where he spent two years incarcerated (under the governorship of Felix and, later, Festus); and then to Rome, where he was confined another two years under house arrest (in his own rented quarters). It is true that Paul had not been imprisoned in dungeon-like conditions during those few years, but he was still confined. So, from previously spending years in traveling thousands of open miles to preach the gospel, far and wide, to now being in these limited quarters, it was definitely a change -- to be adjusted to -- for the apostle Paul. In speaking of other situations that Paul underwent, consider what he states in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29: "Are they servants of Christ? -- I speak as if insane -- I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?" These situations were certainly a test for the apostle Paul. By his remaining faithful to the Lord in spite of them, he was truly denying self, taking up his cross, and following Jesus (cf. Matt. 16:24). The "cross" Paul bore were these difficulties -- such as the persecutions -- that happened as a result of his being a faithful child of God, and which would not have been encountered otherwise. Situations in life do not always turn out the way we would have preferred. I would think it very rare, in deed, to find anyone who has never undergone shattered dreams, heartbreaking times, or life simply taking some unexpected turns. The Chinese have a parable about a woman who lost her only son. She was terribly grieved and sought help from a wise old philosopher. He told her, "I will give you back your son if you will bring me some mustard seed. However, the seed must come from a home where there has never been any sorrow." Diligently, the woman then went from house to house in search for such a home; but no matter where she went, all these homes had experienced the loss of a loved one. She, therefore, said, "How selfish I have been in my grief; sorrow is common to all." Sometimes we are forced to accept major changes in our lifestyle. I once read an article of a young couple, in which the husband had developed muscular sclerosis. It drastically transformed their lives; and, though, it would initially seem like a bad situation, they both learned to adjust to it and found that life could still be enjoyed. The wife soon began to see her husband's condition as now even being a blessing because it had helped her to change her life for the better. She had become a more caring person, which enabled her to be more sensitive and compassionate toward even all the world around her -- and to have a heart filled with love toward others is certainly going to do more for a person than simply being indifferent toward mankind. For real love gives of itself, and in so doing, it also gives (to the giver) the most noble meaning to life. So, yes, situations in life can change. They might force us to take some "detours," but even detours are designed to head us in the right direction -- rather than lead us away from our ultimate destination. And -- sometimes you never know -- they might even lead to some interesting and beautiful sights along the way. Notice one of Paul's great desires, according to Romans 1:15: "That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome." It was Paul's ambition to go to Italy as a gospel preacher -- but it was several years before he finally arrived; and when he did, he was there as a prisoner! (Yes, his plans were probably somewhat altered.) God's timetable is not always the same as man's; and things might not turn out exactly or even close to how we had expected, but God's will can still be done -- nevertheless! -- and that is the important thing. As the old cliche teaches, we can take the lemons life cruelly throws at us and, with them, make some delicious lemonade. In a manner of speaking, this is what Paul did. Yes, he was a prisoner; but he saw it as an opportunity to fulfill his desire to present the word of the Lord to those in Rome. He made the best of his situation. Notice how he expressed this to the Philippians: "Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel" (Phil. 1:12). Instead of viewing his imprisonment as being a sour situation, Paul was able to see the blessing it afforded him. "...what has happened to me...." This allusion includes the various things the apostle Paul encountered from Acts 21:17 to the end of the book (Acts 28:31) -- his imprisonments, his trials, and his shipwreck. Paul could view it all as being for his good. As someone once said, "The same God who used Moses' rod, Gideon's pitchers, and David's sling, used Paul's chains." By the chains which Paul had to wear, he was able to teach the gospel to the Praetorian Guard, to the officials in Caesar's court, and to all who had come to him (Acts 28:30). These chains also brought strength to fellow Christians, as Paul shows in Philippians 1:14, "Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly." The chains showed of Paul's faith and undying determination to make a loyal stand for Christ. Paul was "set for the defense of the gospel" -- but not simply for himself, for he was also willing to risk his all for the cause of the Lord. Are we not encouraged by anyone who is willing to stand for the right -- especially if it leads to a bad situation by doing so? For instance, near the very beginning of the church, the apostles were whipped and imprisoned for teaching the gospel; but when they were released, they went on their way rejoicing -- not because they had been set free, but because "they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:40-42). How can we not be emboldened by that?! If physical chains could not hold back the apostle Paul from doing God's will, then we certainly should not allow any type of figurative chain to hold us back neither. I once read of a well-known individual who had been hospitalized after having been in a serious car accident. While in the hospital, he began receiving very uplifting letters from a man he had never met. Each letter seemed to be more encouraging than the one before. When he was finally released, he looked up this helpful letter-writer and, probably to his surprise, found him to be a man who was blind, a diabetic, handicapped because of a leg amputation (and since then had even lost his other leg), and one who lived with and cared for his elderly mother. In this man's situation, it appears that he wore many "chains," in a manner of speaking; but they did not hinder him from showing concern to his fellow man. So in the various situations of life in which we each encounter, let us strive to do our best in living for the Lord, which is how we manifest our love for Him (John 14:23,24) -- and especially when those situations are the most difficult. Remember, that though it might not always seem so now, keeping Christ first in our lives -- at whatever the cost -- will always be well worth it. For, ultimately (and maybe sooner than we realize), it will lead to a joy and glory in heaven that will never be lost and where close ties will never be severed. Now, how's that for the grandest-of-all situations to be in?! ____________________________________________________ -2- News & Notes The above article was written several days before the coming of Hurricane Katrina; but with the power outages, I am late in sending it. As of now, I don't know of any of the members of the church in the Baton Rouge and Denham Springs area that have had major damage due to the storm. Those I have talked with have made it through okay, but only a small percent of all those whom I call by phone can I get through to. Many trees and large limbs have come down in our area, damaging numerous homes and knocking out power lines. I imagine many homes in our region are still without power. The Park Forest church of Christ (in Baton Rouge) had a large tree on their property that split and brought down a power line; but that was taken care of Tuesday. My power, at home, has been out since around 5 AM Monday -- and still is (as of Thursday, September 1). Our area ran out of gasoline yesterday, but I think some more will be coming in today. But even this inconvenience of not having power -- and with sweltering temperatures rising indoors to around 88 to 91 degrees (along with the Louisiana humidity) -- is nothing compared to what so many from the New Orleans area (which includes Metairie), Slidell, Gulfport, Biloxi, and other places have suffered. It will probably be a while before a thorough report can be given, concerning those who have sustained major damages or loss. ____________________________________________________ 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 ____________________________________________________