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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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May 31, 2015
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Contents:
1) From Creation to the Creator -- and Following Through (Tom
Edwards)
2) Led By Whom (Boyd Sellers)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
From Creation to the Creator -- and Following Through
by Tom Edwards
Though we differ in some religious views, yet I found the following
comments of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who lived from 1712 to 1778,
interesting reasons for his belief in the Creator -- and perhaps you
will, too. So I included some of them for you.
In the creation, Rousseau sees the "mutual concurrence," the
"reciprocal relations," their "intimate connection" and their
"mutual assistance" as an indication of the reality of God and in
which led Rousseau into likening himself to "a man who sees the
inside of a watch for the first time, and is captivated
with the beauty of the work, although ignorant of its use. I
know not, he may say, what this machine is good for, but I perceive
that each part is made to fit some other. I admire the artist
for every part of his performance, and am certain that all these
wheels act thus in concert to some common end, which as yet I fail
to comprehend" (Harvard Classics, Volume 34, pp. 258, 259).
That can be quite a site to behold, especially when never having
seen it before. Early in my youth, after taking off the back of an
analog watch, I had been thoroughly impressed with all the various
intricate parts that made it up, and with each component being
meticulously placed in its necessary and exact position. What
a fine and delicate work it was!
But even more complex than that watch is our own anatomy with its
numerous and differing constituent parts that all work together to
form one body. But how did they come to be that way? As
Rousseau writes, "If organized bodies are fortuitously combined in a
thousand ways before they assume settled and constant forms; if at
first they are formed stomachs without mouths, feet without heads,
hands without arms, and imperfect organs of every kind...how comes
it that none of these imperfect essays have engaged our attention?"
(ibid. p. 259). In other words, why is this disorder or lack
of needful parts and arrangement not what is being seen everywhere
-- or even traces of? Instead, in regard to whatever the
creature -- and regardless of how different one is from the other --
we see it having exactly what it needs. What are the odds of
that, if by mere coincidence or random selection each part was
acquired? And how would even such a "choice" of all the
needful components be made by that which has no intelligence?
Rousseau likens the possibility of organized bodies just so
happening by chance to "a number of printer's types, jumbled
promiscuously together," but then "had arranged themselves in the
order of the letters composing the Aeneid [of which a paperback
edition by Vintage is 442 pages]"; and if anyone would say to him he
has forgotten the number of chances that would make such a
combination possible, his reply would be, "I , who see only the one,
must conclude that there is an infinite number against it, and that
it is not the effect of chance. ...hence life and organization can
never result from a blind concourse of atoms..." (ibid.). "How
absurd the attempt to deduce this wonderful harmony from the blind
mechanism of a fortuitous jumble of atoms! ... It is impossible for
me to conceive that a system of beings can be so wisely regulated,
without the existence of some intelligent cause which effects such
regulation. It is not in my power to believe that passive
inanimate matter could ever have produced living and sensible
creatures,--that a blind fatality should be productive of
intelligent beings,-- or that a cause incapable itself of thinking,
should produce the faculty of thinking in its effects. I believe,
therefore, that the world is governed by a wise and powerful
Will." And that "Will" is what Rousseau refers to as God, who
wills with intelligence and power (ibid., p. 260).
For those who know the passage, how can we not be reminded of it, as
we read these previous thoughts, where David so gloriously declares
of God, "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's
womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My
frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And
skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen
my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days
that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the
sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You" (Psa. 139:13-18).
Yes, in that sense, God is the Father of us all. As we can see
in the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3, which traces it back through
the many ancestors mentioned, and all the way back to "the son of
Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God" (v.
38). So just as Seth was a son of Adam, Adam was a "son" of
God. When Paul preached to the men of Athens in the midst of
the Areopagus (Mars' hill, KJV), whom he noted as being a very
religious people, though wrongly caught up in idolatry, he then
spoke of the "unknown God" to whom one of their altars was dedicated
and to whom they had "worshiped in ignorance" (Acts 17:23). He
spoke of Him as being the one who "made the world and all things in
it," who is "Lord of heaven and earth" (v. 24), and "gives to all
people life and breath and all things" (v. 25). Paul also
pointed out that God "made from one man every nation of mankind to
live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed
times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek
God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is
not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist,
as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His
children [offspring, KJV].' Being then the children
[offspring] of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is
like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought
of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance,
God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should
repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world
in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having
furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead" (vv.
26-31).
So even though everyone's ancestry can be traced back to God, who
created Adam and Eve, yet all of us who reached an age of
accountability had soon become guilty of sin (cf. Rom. 3:9,10,23)
and, thus, severed ourselves from that spiritual relationship with
the Lord (cf. Isa. 59:1,2) and brought ourselves to a need for
repentance and meeting God's conditions for salvation to not only be
forgiven, but to also be able to enter into a spiritual union with
God, in which He truly is our Father. For though God blesses
even the atheist with rain and sunshine (cf. Matt. 5:45) and has
brought "fruitful seasons" to all, thus, "satisfying your hearts
with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17), yet these blessings pertain to
just this physical world and are, therefore, temporary; but the
spiritual blessings of God, for those who have entered into a
harmonious relationship with Him, are eternal!
If it be that our sins have not been blotted out by the precious
blood of Jesus, then we are still spiritually "dead in...trespasses
and sins" (Eph. 2:1). And, if that be the case, then we are
still in "the domain of darkness" (Col. 1:13), do not have God the
Father and Jesus in our lives (2 Jn. 1:9), and have Satan for our
father (cf. Jn. 8:42-44; Acts 26:16-18). So our connection
with God must come through the gospel. For "it is the power of
God for salvation" (Rom. 1:16), and that which brings us into a
spiritual relationship with our Creator.
As mentioned, just our realization from the creation that God exists
is not enough to save a soul. It is only through the New
Testament, which is "the faith" that was "once for all handed down
to the saints" (Jude 1:3), that one can acquire saving faith and see
the way of salvation.
So may the knowledge of God, which we can each acquire through
observing the creation, motivate us to want to examine that holy
book He has given us, and to not only come to a much deeper
understanding of Him, but to also submit to His commands, so that
His message will save our souls and become a way of life for us,
with the Lord daily on the throne of our hearts, and as we journey
to that ultimate goal of heaven, from where our Creator keeps a
constant and compassionate watch on each one of us and forever
reigns.
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-2-
Led By Whom?
by Boyd Sellers
Some claim that the Holy Spirit is still speaking to them in a
direct, miraculous way IN ADDITION TO what He recorded in the Bible.
However, the Holy Spirit Himself tells us that His revelation, the
New Testament of Jesus Christ, is "perfect," "complete," and "final"
(See Jas. 1:25; 2 Tim. 3:16717; Jude 3). The New Testament is the
Word we must live by because it is the Word we will be judged by
(Jas. 2:12; Jno. 12:48). It is the 'ONLY' way God speaks to men
today.
It would be interesting to know just what the Holy Spirit would say
to these men that He has not already said in the Bible. If He said
the same thing as the Bible, it would not be necessary, and if He
said something different, one would be "accursed" if he taught it
(Gal. 1:8-9).
Please consider these obvious facts: FIRST, the Holy Spirit would
not teach a doctrine that denied what He already said in the Bible.
Yet, all who claim direct guidance today teach doctrines which
conflict with the Bible. SECOND, the Holy Spirit would not teach
conflicting doctrines. Yet, such as claim direct guidance (Mormons,
Catholics, Pentecostals, etc.) teach opposing and conflicting
doctrines. Who can believe that the Holy Spirit is the author of
such chaos? CONCLUSION: Men who claim miraculous guidance today are
frauds who teach THEIR OWN doctrines instead of God's. Jesus said,
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall NOT pass
away." Read your Bible and do what it says. It'll make you perfect
and thoroughly furnished (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
-- via The Beacon, 5/26/15
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-3-
News & News
The gospel meeting at the Hoboken church of Christ (at 5101
Main Street in Hoboken, Georgia) begins today and goes through
Wednesday with Brad Sullivan doing the preaching. Weeknight
services begin at 7:30. Brad is currently working with the
Oakgrove church of Christ in Walnut, Florida.
Let those of us who are Christians be remembering the following in
our prayers:
Johnny Mae Kitchen recently had a massive heart attack and is
now on life support.
Jewell Wilson's health has continued to be very poor with
several illnesses, and many which put her at a higher risk due to
her age
Donell Wells has cancer.
Deborah Medlock has been sick with a fever.
For her back trouble, Marie Pennock had been seeing her
chiropractor three times a week, but now that is cut down to
two. On June 3, she will be seeing her neurologist, due to the
arrhythmia she experienced a few weeks ago. She is also to see
a cardiologist, which she is wanting to move the date up from early
July.
Judy Daugherty continues to improve from her recent fall, but
her sister Jean Beach has experienced a decline in her
health.
Martha Lively has not been feeling well the last few weeks
and has been on various medication.
Jonathan Abbot has also been under the weather lately.
Let us also continue to remember the following in prayer: Myrna
Jordan, Mary Vandevander and Melotine Davis, Danielle Howard,
Penny Medlock, Jim Lively, Shirley Davis, Ronnie Crews, Sunny
Nichols, Dexter Roberts, Betty Miles, Steve Vista, Buddy Gornto,
Dolly Moody, Rex and Frankie Hadley, Jesse Bailey, Sue Wooten,
Colleen Henson, and Kelsey Williams
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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)