. ____________________________________________________ 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 30, 2008 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) A Few Ominous "Isms" (Irvin Himmel) 2) Doing GOOD to Those Lost in Sin (Al Diestelkamp) 3) Quotes from the Scriptures ____________________________________________________ -1- A Few Ominous "Isms" by Irvin Himmel An "ism" is a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory. Peculiar presumptions and well-defined views are commonly dubbed as "isms." Christians are confronted with a wide range of "isms," and many of these threaten our spiritual welfare. In this article I mention a few of them so that we may guard against them. Materialism There are religious people who suppose that man is wholly material or physical in his nature. They therefore see death as cessation of existence. They are like the ancient Sadducees (Acts 23:8). There is more to man than physical life (Matt. 10:28). Others hold to materialism in a different sense. They know that man has a soul or spirit made in the image of God, but they over emphasize material things. They permit the material to crowd out the spiritual. Jesus taught that temporal things are not the most important (Matt. 6:33; 16:26). Sensualism Commercial advertisers, entertainers, movie producers, many book and magazine publishers, TV programmers, many video makers, and others are promoting sensualism. The public is being flooded with pictures, words, and suggestions that develop and encourage lewdness, licentiousness, sexual permissiveness, carnality, fleshly lusts, and wantonness. Moral impurity is flaunted, paraded, and exhibited openly. The Bible includes as works of the flesh "immorality, impurity, sensuality" (Gal. 5:19, NASB), warning that "those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Pharisaism The members of the ancient Jewish sect known as the Pharisees were noted for hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and insincerity. A splendid example of their attitude is found in the parable in Luke 18:9-14. Jesus exposed their wickedness in Matthew 23. Many today are given to Pharisaism. They are sanctimonious in their own eyes. They see themselves as righteous and virtually all others as less than righteous. Some of the most severe denunciations delivered by Christ were directed against the pharisaical outlook. It is much easier to see fault in others than to admit one's own sins. Liberalism Some take very broad views politically and socially. The same is true in religious matters. Many indulge in practices which the New Testament does not allow. They throw off the restraints imposed by apostolic authority. Some are so tolerant and unrestricted as to fellowship people who do not believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, deny the inspiration of the Scriptures, and do not believe that Jesus arose bodily from the grave. Some are not that liberal, but they accept sprinkling and pouring for baptism, think one church is as good as another, and sanction denominationalism. Others take undue liberties with the word of God on such subjects as worship, the organization and work of the church, and women's role in the church. Creedalism A creed is a brief authoritative formula of religious belief or a set of guiding principles. Human creeds have been the occasion of division and discord through the centuries. Pioneer preachers in America spoke and wrote against such creeds, urging that we have no creed but Christ and no guide but the Bible. There is today a subtle tendency among well-meaning brethren to revive creedalism. Questionnaires circulated as tests of faithfulness carry a creedal flavor. There is a danger here that must not be overlooked. The New Testament is all-sufficient as a measure of soundness. The Lord will judge us by his word. Defeatism There are people who convince themselves that failure is inevitable. Ten of twelve spies took this attitude in Numbers 13 and 14. God had promised Israel the land of Canaan. The defeatism of the ten spies spread to the whole congregation. God punished them with forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Some Christians constantly focus on difficulties and dangers. They see a mirage and throw on the breaks. They are full of pessimism. Weak faith prompts them to suppose that we are whipped before we ever start, no matter how worthy the undertaking. But victory belongs to God's people who persevere (Rom. 8:37; 1 Cor. 15:57,58). Let us not be deterred by "isms" such as those mentioned in this article. -- Via Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 17, p. 9, September 1, 1994 ____________________________________________________ -2- Doing GOOD to Those Lost in Sin by Al Diestelkamp Not all preaching is done in pulpits. In fact, since it is so difficult to get people to come to our assemblies or Bible classes, perhaps the most effective "preaching" takes place when one shares his or her faith with someone else. The "live, and let live" philosophy so prevalent in our time makes it more difficult to confront those lost in sin. They don't think it's any of our business to teach them what they need to do to be saved. They don't perceive our concern for them as "doing good" to them. It's easy for us to see that if their physical lives were in jeopardy, that we would be remiss not to warn them about it, but for some reason we hesitate when it comes to their eternal safety. Whether they realize it, or not, the most good we can do for "all men" is to direct them to the gospel of Christ, which is found only in God's word -- the Bible. Jesus said His purpose in coming to earth was to "seek and to save that which is lost" (Lk. 19:10). As disciples and followers of Jesus, this also should be our "mission" in life. He told His disciples that He would make them "fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19). Jesus gave what we call the "great commission" to His apostles just before His ascension. He said "All authority is given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations..." (Matt. 28:18-19). Lest we think that this commission was given exclusively to the few men who heard it on that occasion, Jesus went on to say, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you..." (v. 20). That makes this commission applicable to all of us who have been "baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." It is quite clear that the gospel is not always received well by those who hear it. Christians in the first century, when faced with extreme persecution for their faith, "went everywhere preaching the word" (Ac. 8:4). I doubt that this aggressive evangelism was viewed by others as "good," but indeed it was. The apostle Peter describes us as "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people" (1 Pet. 2:9). This description is not to inflate our egos, but is our divine calling to "proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light." In order to be effective proclaimers of Christ, Peter goes on to beg us to have honorable conduct so that when those in the world think we are evil-doers, they may by our "good works which they observe, glorify God" in the end (vs. 11-12). This same message was conveyed by the apostle Paul as he urged us to "become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life..." (Phil. 2:15-16). In teaching His disciples of the urgency of their mission, Jesus, in the parable of the great supper said: "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (Lk. 14:23). Though we cannot actually "compel" people to obey the gospel, we must convey the message as compelling as it really is. We must resist any temptation to make the gospel more attractive to men by appealing to the carnal man. We do people no favor by withholding truth from them, even though it may be unpleasant to them. The apostle Paul's effort to "become all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:19-23) did not include compromise of truth. No matter how "acceptable" sin or false doctrine becomes in the world, we still have an obligation to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Who will do good to the lost? Solomon, in his wisdom, wrote: "He who wins souls is wise" (Prov. 11:30). Think about it! If we don't take the gospel to the lost, who will? Like the prophet Isaiah, our response to this calling should be, "Here am I! Send me" (Isa. 6:8). -- Via Think on These Things, October-November-December, 2008 ____________________________________________________ -3- Quotes from the Scriptures "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it" (Psalm 139:1-6). ____________________________________________________ CHURCH OF CHRIST 201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn) Denham Springs, LA 70726 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 tedwards@onemain.com http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go DIRECTIONS: Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road, and go less then 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on the right. We assemble in its meeting room, which is very close to the reception counter. ____________________________________________________