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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" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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September 7, 2014
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Contents:
1) Boastings and Swellings (Harold Fite)
2) The Mormons & "Two Sticks" (Greg Gwin)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
Boastings and Swellings
by Harold Fite
The tongue is a small organ, but it contributes mightily to the
function of the human body. It plays its part in taking in and
swallowing food. It is the primary organ of taste and the principle
organ of articulate speech. It is like the rudder of a ship; like a
bridle in the horses' mouths (Jas. 3:3, 4). It has power to
influence our whole course and destiny. "So the tongue is a little
member and boasteth great things" (Jas. 3:5).
Whatever the tongue articulates, begins in the heart: "For out of
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt. 12:34).
Boasting stems from a heart filled with pride and self-confidence.
One who is proud "thinks more highly of himself than he ought to
think." He has a bloated concept of his own importance; he wraps
himself in self-glory and vaunting. His boasting is but the
revelation of his heart.
The boastful person is loud, boisterous, ostentatious, pompous,
arrogant and a braggart. "Boast" is rendered "glory" in the ASV (2
Cor. 10:15; 11:10; Eph. 2:9). One who boasts speaks in "great
swelling words" (a puffin). His speech is extravagant and arrogant.
He is a self-boasting person. Socially we would call him a bore, a
windjammer. "Folks with a lot of brass are seldom polished."
Swellings were one of many sins Paul did not want to find in Corinth
(2 Cor. 12:20). Peter identifies false teachers as those who utter
great swelling words of vanity, to entice others to sin (2 Pet.
2:18). Jude warns about "murmurers, complainers, walking after their
lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling words), showing
respect of persons for the sake of advantage" (Jude 16). The
Edomites boasted of their seemingly impregnable fortification: "who
shall bring me down to the ground?" The Lord responded, "I
will bring thee down" (Obad. 3, 4). The pride of his heart had
deceived him. "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before a fall" (Prov. 16:18).
Men boast to elevate self. Theudas boasted himself to be somebody
(Acts 5:36). The Pharisee boasted "that I am not as the rest of men,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast
twice in a week; I give tithes of all that I get" (Luke 18:11, 12).
Self-glory is vainglory, and "is not of the Father, but of the
world" (1 John 2:16). Self-boasting is the opposite of love.
Love "vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up" (1 Cor. 13:4). Love is
not a braggart, nor does it have an inflated appraisal of its own
importance. "For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is
nothing, he deceiveth himself" (Gal. 6:3).
We are to do nothing through vainglory (Phil. 2:3), nor desire it
(Gal. 5:26). Such arrogant boasting is empty, of no value. "The man
who bragged that he was self-made, loved to worship his creator."
Men boast to obtain favor for their own profit. False teachers spoke
great swelling words "for the sake of advantage." They desired to
seduce others to follow them in their ungodly ways (Jude 16). "For
when they speak great swellings words of vanity, they allure through
the lust of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were
clean escaped from them who live in error" (2 Pet. 2:18). They use
the sinful desires of the flesh to capture those who had escaped
from those things. We need to beware of those who would make
merchandise of us.
Men boast of tomorrow. "Come now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we
will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get
gain" (Jas. 4:13). "You rejoice in your boasting: all such rejoicing
is evil" (v. 16). "For that you ought to say, If the Lord will, we
shall live, and do this, or that" (v. 15). We can make plans for the
future, but we don't have the ability to bring them to fruition.
Things can happen beyond our control, which can affect our plans. We
live and move within the providence of God. We don't know what shall
be on the morrow. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest
not what a day may bring forth" (Prov. 27:1).
Faith in Christ excludes boasting of self. The Jews made boast of
the law while breaking it (Rom. 2:23). They sought glory before God,
but relied upon self. They relied on their works for righteousness
and justification. We are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ (Rom. 3:24). "Where then is the
glorying? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law
of faith" (v. 27). We are saved by the grace of God. "Not of works,
lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:9). Faith implies the surrender
of all self-glorying. We rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3). Our glorying is in the Lord (2
Cor. 10:17). When we have done all of those things that are
commanded, we can say we are unprofitable servants; we have done
that which was our duty to do (Luke 17:10).
Did Paul sin when he boasted of not taking financial support from
the Corinthians? Did he contradict his teaching when he boasted of
his sufferings for Christ? He said, "I robbed other churches, taking
wages of them that I might minister unto you. . . . I was not a
burden on any man . .. no man shall stop me of this boasting in the
regions of Achaia" (2 Cor. 11:8-10). In speaking of the things he
suffered as an apostle, he said, "Seeing that many glory after the
flesh, I will glory also" (v. 18). He thought it foolish and didn't
feel comfortable, but he was compelled to do it. He had to do it to
authenticate his apostleship. This glorying (boasting) doesn't come
from a self-glorying of a self-established man. Boasting is not for
his cause. He was forced to boast because of the cause of Christ.
Yet he boasted of his weakness, not of his strength. Paul recognized
Christ was working through him. His glorying was through Christ
Jesus (Rom. 15:17). By the grace of God he became an apostle. He
could say, "I labored more abundantly than they all; yet, not I, but
the grace of God which was with me" (1 Cor. 15:10). Paul's boasting
was in the Lord: "But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord"
(2 Cor. 10:17). Paul would never boast of self for the sake of self.
"But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Gal. 6:14).
We may boast of God's power, wisdom, his perfection, his redemptive
work, etc., but not to "toot our own horn." "We preach not
ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants
for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor. 4:5).
-- Via Truth Magazine, December 16, 2004, Vol. XLVIII, NO. 24
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-2-
The Mormons & "Two Sticks"
by Greg Gwin
In studies with Mormons they will sometimes suggest a text from
Ezekiel 37:16,17 as support for the Book of Mormon. The passage
reads as follows: "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick,
and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his
companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph,
the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his
companions: and join them one to another into one stick; and they
shall become one in thine hand." The Mormons explain the passage
thus: "Is not the Bible the stick of Judah? Then the Book of Mormon
must be the stick of Ephraim."1 The idea is that sticks were used to
roll up parchment scrolls. Two sticks then, according to their
interpretation, must represent two separate books -- the Bible and
the Book of Mormon -- which would ultimately be shown as a unified
revelation from God.
The Mormons are simply wrong about this text. Ezekiel was NOT making
any kind of prediction about separate written revelations from God.
The context shows that he was speaking of a reuniting of a remnant
of Judah and Israel. These were the two sticks that would become
one. He proceeds to show that the accomplishment of this would be
through the spiritual blessings granted by God in Christ Jesus.
Observe (Ezekiel 37:18-26): "And when the children of thy
people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what
thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God;
Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of
Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them
with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and
they shall be one in mine hand ... And I will make them one nation
in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king
to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall
they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all ... I will save
them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and
will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their
God ... Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall
be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will ... set my
sanctuary in the midst of them for
evermore."
The Mormons are clearly guilty of perverting the Scriptures when
they attempt to use this text to support their corrupt doctrine.
1 Talmage, James E. The Articles of Faith
-- via The Beacon, September 2, 2014
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-3-
News & Notes
Let those of us who are Christians be praying for the following
people:
We extend our condolences to all the family and friends of Norma
Burton who passed away September 9. She had been a
member of the Tebeau Street church of Christ since 1950, when she
and her husband moved to Waycross, and continued as an active member
there throughout the years She was a pleasant woman to be
around and talk with. All whom I have met who knew her have
spoken well of her. She would have been 91 next month.
Also on September 9, Danielle Howard took some steps again,
after not having walked for the last four months. She is very
happy about that. Though following her surgery a few
weeks ago, she had been in and out of the hospital a couple times,
due to her calcium level dropping too low, it has now been since
August 26 that she was last there. So her calcium has been
maintaining a better level. Progress also continues for her at
Jesup Health and Rehabilitation. Her goal had been to be well
enough to be home by Thanksgiving Day; but by the way things had
been going for her several days ago, she thought that might possibly
have been by the end of next month! But, now, it might
possibly be in just two weeks that she will be returning home!
We were also very glad to hear how well Myrna Jordan has
been progressing, following her recent surgery. As she is
going through the healing process, she is also undergoing physical
therapy.
Dexter Roberts, Marilyn's brother, has been receiving
treatment for esophageal cancer for several months.
Jim Lively recently experienced some bleeding behind
his right eye that caused blurriness. The bleeding has
stopped, but his vision is not totally cleared up yet. He is
taking treatments for this and seeing a doctor. He is also
still awaiting open heart surgery.
Robin Brown has requested prayer for her rotator cuff surgery
that is scheduled for September 22.
We will miss A.J. and Pat Joyner, but wish them well in
their move to Texas.
Others to pray for: Ronnie Davis, Rex and Frankie Hadley, Jewel
Wilson, Mary Vandevander, Deborah Medlock, Shirley Davis, Sue
Wooten, and Colleen Henson.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom.
10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John
3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts
8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins
(Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet.
3:21)
6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can
be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)