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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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April 15, 1990
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Contents:
1) Indifference (Tom Edwards)
2) Sentence Sermons on Gossiping
3) A Day Worth the Striving (poem) (Tom Edwards)
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-1-
Indifference
by Tom Edwards
Sometimes one of the greatest hindrances to the work of the Lord is not
overt and blatant disobedience; but, rather, subtle indifference that
gradually increases until it has hampered the gears of spiritual
progress. We must scour these cogs of their impairments and lubricate
them with the spiritual oil of love and involvement; then, and only
then, can we be smoothly running for the Lord.
An engine doesn't perform by merely its pistons nor by just its spark
plugs, but each of its many components functions concertedly; and we
view the conglomeration as simply ONE engine. Even so, is the church of
the Lord; it is made up of many members, some widely differing in their
abilities, but each having an important role in the upbuilding of the
body of Christ and in the expansion of God's kingdom on earth.
We must not allow the indifference of the world toward living for
Christ weaken our hearts with its debilitating effects. It is appalling
to hear of some of the disgraceful incidents that have occurred in
which apathy stood by, looked on, but showed no concern. Consider these
following examples: In New York City a mailman, shot by a sniper, is
ordered from a building lobby because he is dripping blood; In Oklahoma
City a women gives birth unexpectedly -- on a sidewalk. Bystanders turn
their faces. A taxi driver looks, then speeds away. A nearby hotel
refuses a blanket; In Dayton, Ohio, a dozen people see a woman drive
her car into the Miami River. They watch indifferently as the woman
climbs on the car's roof and screams that she can't swim. The woman
drowns. So many incidents similar to these have happened that the
Chicago Sun-Times library once had (and maybe still do) a special file
tabbed "Apathy."
According to William Schlamm, the epitaph of humanity should be: "This
civilization died because it didn't want to be bothered." Will the word
"caring" soon become an antiquated term and its meaning no longer
needed for our society?
How can one be a Christian if he remains indifferent to the needs of
others? God rebuked the Edomites for their apathy toward a nation that
they had been closely akin; but, obviously, their concern for that
nation had been far removed. Obadiah 1:10,11 reads: "Because of
violence to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you
will be cut off forever. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day
that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gate
and cast lots for Jerusalem -- you too were as one of them." Even
without the actual involvement, the Edomites were viewed as being just
as guilty -- because of their lack of caring -- as the ones who had
come to plunder Jerusalem. As in many things which we are to do for the
Lord, the attitude of the heart plays a vital role and can often mean
the difference between what will be accepted and what will not.
If we were to see a person struck down by a mugger and left in need of
attention, would we be any better than the assailant if we just went
our way? Such was the case of the priest and the Levite who "passed by
on the other side" when they saw the helpless victim who had been
attacked and left half dead (Luke
10:30-37).
We can not be indifferent to the needs of others. According to
Galatians 6:10, are responsibilities are to extend beyond a much wider
border than merely the realm of our brethren. The passage states: "So
then, while we have opportunity, let us DO GOOD TO ALL MEN, and
especially to those who are of the household of the faith" (emphasis
mine).
Man cannot worship God with a heart void of concern. Jesus states in
Matthew 15:8,9, "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart
is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as
doctrines the precepts of men." Today, man needs a heart fully devoted
to the teachings of God's word. If we lack in this area, then we must
each strive to rekindle the spiritual fires of interest and involvement
for the complete will of God, lest we become as isolated embers dying
alone on a hearth of indifference.
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-2-
Sentence Sermons on Gossiping
The only time people dislike gossip is when you gossip about them (Will
Rogers).
So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the
town gossip.
It isn't the people who tell all they know that cause most of the
trouble in this world, it's the ones who tell more.
One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
Tale-bearing emits a threefold poison: for it injures the teller, the
hearer and the person concerning whom the tale is told (Spurgeon).
Seen on a highway billboard in Indiana: "He who throws dirt loses
ground."
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-3-
A Day Worth the Striving
by Tom Edwards
O, Lord, I know that one day soon this world will be no more;
But what a day that will begin, with what You have in store,
For those who listened to Your call, those beckoned by Your word,
The ones You ransomed from the fall, which happened when they erred.
Your love for us is greater than the sunshine or the rain.
It's greater than the air we breath or food that we contain.
Though all these things we need so much, we need You greater still.
No matter if we're young or old or feeling well or ill.
No matter where we go or when, Your love will be there too.
Instructing and exhorting us to constantly be true.
It's all within Your word, I see, that makes these things well known
And rises from the heart of one who knows he's not alone.
For as we treasure, deep within, Your word to light our way;
It guides us and protects us from the perils of the day.
It helps us in the morning, and it helps us in the eve.
It shows us what we are to be and what we should believe.
And when we walk within a crowd or in a desert lone,
Your promises our hearts do cheer, especially of that home --
A home not for a day or year or just for some short while,
but one in heaven ever more, with You to make us smile.
And as we treasure all these truths and press on for that day;
Please help us, Lord, to show our love and never go astray.
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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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First published for the Tri-state church of Christ in Ashland,
Kentucky, at 713 13th Street.
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards
tedwards1109@gmail.com
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