____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ March 25, 2007 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Give Thanks! (Daniel L. Holloway) 2) Hindrances to Conversion (Steve Klein) 3) News & Notes ____________________________________________________ -1- Give Thanks! by Daniel L. Holloway These days, we hear much about our country's economic woes. And we do not have to look far to find that society is beset with plenty of other problems. Of course, each individual has his own personal difficulties as well. To make sure that we feel sufficiently miserable, we are often given to counting our many troubles. If this is our attitude, there is a lesson which we are in need of from God's word. From Ephesians 5:20, we learn that we are to give "thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father." However, I fear that, too often, we take our blessings for granted. We may even feel that we have earned them, that they are ours solely because of our own efforts. We must guard against such an attitude. The truth is that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights" (Jas. 1:17). Although we may labor to get something, it is still from God in that He makes it possible to obtain it. As Paul and Barnabas told the people of Lystra, "...he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). Paul said of the church in Corinth, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" (1 Cor. 3:6). Not only does God provide us with material blessings, but our very existence is dependent upon Him. Paul declared to the Athenians, "...in him we live, and move, and have our being..." (Acts 17:28). Rather than feeling that God has cheated us if we do not receive something that we want, we should be thankful for what we have. "Come now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that" (Jas. 4:13-15). Also, we ought to be thankful for the spiritual blessings which God offers. From Ephesians 1:3, we learn that God blesses with all spiritual blessings in Christ. We do not earn these blessings either. Paul explains, "...for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory" (Eph. 2:8,9). However, there is a significant difference between the way in which God bestows material blessings and the way in which He bestows spiritual blessings. We may receive material blessings whether we want them or not and without meeting any conditions for them. As Christ said, "...he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). But spiritual blessings are not poured out on us whether we want them or not. They must be accepted. After preaching to the Jews of Antioch in Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas told them that they were putting the word of God from them and judging themselves unworthy of everlasting life (Acts 13:46). This shows that we can reject the spiritual blessings that are in Christ. On the other hand, Jesus said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (Jn. 14:23). We should be thankful that He has given us the terms which must be followed to receive His spiritual blessings: we must believe on Him (Jn. 8:24), repent of our sins (Lk. 13:3,5), confess our faith (Matt. 10:32), and be baptized (Mk. 16:16). As Paul wrote, we ought to be "rooted and builded up" in Christ, "established" in the faith, "abounding in thanksgiving" (Col. 2:7). But how can we be thankful for the spiritual blessings if we have not accepted them? The spiritual things are much more important than the material things which we prize so highly. That which is material shall pass away with time, but that which is spiritual will never fail (Matt. 6:19,20; 2 Cor. 4:16-18; Matt. 16:26). We ought to be thankful for our material blessings because they truly are blessings. We ought to be thankful for our lives. And we ought to obey our God that we might receive the spiritual blessings, and be thankful! -- Via Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 3, p. 77, February 2, 1984 ____________________________________________________ -2- Hindrances to Conversion by Steve Klein In order to be saved, a person must be changed. Conversion is a process of spiritual and moral change. In Acts 3:19, the apostle Peter challenged his Jewish audience to "Repent" and "be converted." Peter proclaimed that the purpose of this conversion was that "times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Surely, everyone wants to experience the times of refreshing that accompany salvation. So, what keeps so many from being converted? In the game of basketball, there is a reward of points for putting a round ball through a hoop. Every basketball player wants to experience that reward, yet it is not uncommon for a player to play an entire game without doing so. Why? Because there are hindrances! Players are hindered from putting the ball through the hoop by that fact that the basket is 10 feet off the ground. They are hindered by the opposing team. And, in a sense, they are even hindered by the rules of the game which prohibit them from doing a number of things that would make it easier to make a basket. People need to be converted. They may even want to be converted. But there are many hindrances. Some folks are... 1. Hindered by the religion of their ancestors. Most people practice the religion handed down to them by their parents. They've accepted it as truth and they are comfortable with it. If I were to ask you, "Why do so many children in India become and remain Hindus?" you'd quickly respond, "Because that's the religion of their parents." Exactly. To be converted, you must be willing to give up the vain religion "received by tradition from your fathers" (1 Peter 1:18) 2. Hindered by prejudice. In Acts 7:54-58, the evangelist Stephen encountered people who would not be converted because they were "stiff necked." If the neck is stiff the head won't turn to examine anything else. Many are never willing to examine the truth that could lead to their conversion; they've made up their minds already based on rumors, what others have said, or their own feelings. They are stiff necked! 3. Hindered by worldly pleasure. Many resist conversion because it involves moral change -- they are "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:4). Simply put, many are hindered from changing by their love for things like drinking, cursing, lust and sexual immorality. 4. Hindered by Misguided, Misinformed or Deceptive religious leaders. Jesus warned us to "beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Like the Pharisees of old, many religious leaders today pass on to others the things that hindered them from being truly converted. Jesus said of the Pharisees, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in" (Matthew 23:13). 5. Hindered by a Desire for Popularity. Even those who see and know the truth may be unwilling to confess it and change because "they love the glory that is of men more than the glory that is of God" (John 12:43). In many towns throughout the Southeastern United States, the majority of citizens are members of one or two well known denominations. These denominations are popular and accepted by the people in the town. Most school children go to these churches, as do most merchants, doctors, and city officials. To convert from one of these man-made denominations, and become merely a Christian who serves the Lord in His church, is to miss out on this connection with the religious culture of the community. I wonder how many people have failed to be converted because it just wasn't what most people did in their little town. There are many things to hinder conversion. We all have friends and neighbors who need to be converted. If we can understand what is hindering them, we might be able to help them understand it as well. The obstacle that is recognized is much easier to overcome than the obstacle we don't see. -- Via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, January 28, 2007 ____________________________________________________ -3- News & Notes As mentioned in last week's bulletin, the Gospel Meeting at the Park Forest church of Christ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is this week, Sunday through Friday (March 25-30). The weeknight services begin at 7:30, with Pat Jones as the guest speaker. ____________________________________________________ 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 ____________________________________________________