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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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November 22, 2015
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Contents:
1) Are We Thankful? (Lewis Willis)
2) Tell Me the Old, Old Story (But Give it to Me in Digestible
Bites!) (Greg Gwin)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
Are We Thankful?
by Lewis Willis
Let me share a thought with you which someone here shared with me.
(I wish I could remember who, so I could give him the credit.) Stop
and think of all the things you have in this life: salvation, the
church, family, health, house, food, clothing, etc. Now, imagine
that tomorrow you lost every single one of those things. What an
unspeakable loss that would be! But, to your surprise, the next day
you suddenly got back all that you had lost. Would you be
exceedingly thankful that you had all of those things again? Surely
you would. But, is it necessary to lose and regain them, before we
are thankful for them? Should we not be thankful already just
because we are so richly blessed?
Next Thursday is the day set aside in our great country as a
national day of Thanksgiving. For Christians, it should be very easy
to find reasons for being thankful. We have so much of this world's
goods to enjoy, and we have such a fortune of spiritual blessings
(Eph. 1:3). How could we be anything but thankful? We certainly
cannot limit our thanksgiving to one day a year! It is impossible to
adequately express to God our thanks for the immeasurable blessings
he has given to us. We often say to our families and friends who
give us gifts, "Saying 'thank You' is just not enough!" Such is
certainly true regarding God's gifts to us.
I often wonder if our prayers to God do not consist too much in
asking him to give us the things we want. Now, being able to ask
things of God is one of the blessings he grants to his children
(Matt. 7:7; 1 Jn. 3:22). It is absolutely right and proper that
Christians request his blessings for their lives. But, a "Give me
this; give me that" prayer practice can become very selfish. We must
balance our prayers with praise, supplications, intercessions and
giving of thanks (Matt. 6:9; 1 Tim. 2:1).
Also, it is not unusual to hear people, even Christians, who blame
God for all of their troubles. Their attitude seems to be, "I
prayed and look what he did to me, or, look what he let happen to
me." We must be careful that we not charge God foolishly. The
Patriarch Job, who suffered through so many problems, "sinned not,
nor charged God foolishly" (Job 1:22). What does God do for
us? What kind of gifts does he give? James said, "Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning" (1:17). "Good" and "perfect" gifts come from God. Let us
never charge that he has given to us that which brings us pain and
heartache. Blame the Devil for that! Until he was allowed into the
lives of Adam and Eve, none of these bad things happened. Since
then, the world is filled with his wickedness, and its attendant
grief.
Fortunately, today our nation is at peace, though we do have troops
stationed in dangerous places around the world. Economic hard times
have beset us for several years and many wonder what the future
holds. American industry continues to decline and many are losing
their jobs and security. An entire nation feels their hurt,
and is helping. At the same time, more Americans are working than at
any time in history. Our standard of living is better than most of
the people in the world. In fact, it is almost equal to that found
anywhere. It is certainly appropriate that we be thankful for our
prosperity.
During the past year, many families have been touched with serious
health problems. Some still struggle with these illnesses. Some
families have had to deal with death, while others have known the
joy of babies arriving. Given the disasters which have afflicted
parts of our nation, and other countries, we can be thankful that
things have gone as well for us as they have.
Remember, our prayers should not be used only "In the event of an
emergency." Do you find yourself negligent in praying, except when
you have some problem, which you are unable to solve? Are you too
busy, or too preoccupied with other things, to find a quiet time for
prayer? The Lord taught us that we should always pray (Lk. 18:1).
Paul taught us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). Let us
never hesitate to pray in times of trouble, but let us not forget to
also pray in times of peace and plenty!
The Bible teaches us the importance of prayers of thanksgiving to
God for the bounty he has bestowed upon us:
Psa. 50:14: "Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the
most High."
Psa. 105:1: "O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make
known his deeds among the people."
Psa. 106:1: "Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he
is good: for his mercy endureth forever."
Col. 3:15: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the
which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
1 Thess. 5:18: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
Heb. 13:15: "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise
to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to
his name."
Eph. 5:20: "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Col. 3:17: "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
1 Cor. 15:57: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
2 Cor. 9:15: "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."
When we look at the Word of God, our duty is rather evident, isn't
it? In this case, we know we have received many blessings for which
we should be thankful. It is hoped that God's people will be
thankful, not only on Thanksgiving Day, but every day!
-- Via Guardian of Truth XXXVIII, No. 22, p. 1, November 17, 1994
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1 Chronicles 16:23-27
"Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of His salvation from day to
day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works
among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be
praised, and He is to be held in awe above all gods. For all the
gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His
place."
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-2-
Tell Me the Old, Old Story
(But Give It to Me in Digestible Bites!)
by Greg Gwin
Knowing the best approach to use and the right things to say when
teaching someone the gospel is a difficult challenge. Our judgments
about how to proceed will be flawed from time to time, but good and
honest hearts will be ready to accept God's truth despite our
failings.
One of the critical things in this process is determining a
student's basic level of knowledge. We must be able to
determine where to start with each individual learner. Philip
did this in an expert way when he encountered the Ethiopian
eunuch. A simple question, an observation of the text the
eunuch was reading, a statement by the man himself, and Philip was
ready. He "began at the same scripture and preached unto him
Jesus" (Acts 8:35). We will do well to follow Philip's
example. Make no assumptions about what your prospect
knows. Find out where your student is in terms of fundamental
knowledge and commence your teaching at the appropriate starting
place. Failure to do so will lead to confusion and frustration
for both the student and the teacher.
Another essential component of effective teaching is to keep the
instruction in manageable 'bites.' Too often we see
well-intentioned Christians launch off into long discourses that
incorporate way too much information. It all makes sense to
them, of course -- and they sincerely want to share their
understanding with the one they are teaching -- but it is simply too
much. The student will not be able to take it all in.
They won't be able 'to see the forest for the trees,' and they may
very well throw up their hands in despair. So, our best
approach is to take it slowly. Methodically walk the student
through the necessary foundational truths. While it may be
possible to do this "in the same hour of the night" (Acts 16:33), it
often will take several carefully planned sessions. Knowing
how much and how fast to 'feed' the student is a much needed talent
in teachers.
The apostle Paul urged: "Let your speech be always with grace,
seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every
man" (Colossians 4:6). Salt, of course, is a good thing, but
too much ruins the food. The same is true of our efforts
to inform others. We need to be doing this essential work, but
let us pray for wisdom (James 1:5) so that we serve up the truth in
an effective way that does not overwhelm the one we are trying to
teach. Think!
-- via The Beacon, November 17, 2015
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-3-
News & Notes
Danielle Howard, who recently received a kidney transplant,
was admitted back to the hospital November 25, due to a blood clot
in her jugular, which will take 3 to 4 days to dissolve. Her father
also wrote that her condition is "Serious, but not panicky."
Sometimes pain can be providential and lead to blessings.
Danielle's mother had posted on facebook the following: "Her left
arm has been swollen from surgery for a dialysis port since before
transplant, but has gotten much worse since. Drs. ordered an
ultrasound on the arm and in the process, they did one on the right
side for comparison. They found a blood clot in her right jugular
vein. So, she has been re-admitted for a few days to deal with the
clot. God's providence just amazes me! The Drs. do not view her
swollen arm as anything really serious yet, because it persisted,
they found a more serious, potentially life-threatening problem and
are treating it. He keeps giving and giving. Remember Danielle and
her wonderful gifts she has been given in your prayers of
thanksgiving today. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes.
Our Father is listening!"
On November 6, Shirley Davis had fallen while at the
hospital. She was going there for her first antibiotic
treatment to be received through an IV. It was due to an
infection in her toe, and these treatments are to continue every day
for six weeks, about an hour each time. In falling, the right
side of her face hit the wall, putting a gash near her eye and badly
bruising her face. Her right arm was also bruised, and though
the soreness from these injuries have subsided; the pain in her left
hip, which she also landed on, continues about the same as
initially; and pain pills do not give her much relief. She is
now housebound, but continues to receive her IV there and will
continue to do so every day until December 14.
WordPress version of this bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2015/11/27/the-gospel-observer-november-22-2015/
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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)
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)