____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ May 17, 1992 ____________________________________________________ Pay The Price by Chuck Bartlett There is one thing I have come to learn with having garage sales: no one wants to pay the worth of an item. Whether it's a moving sale or a garage sale, people are looking for deals. They want to get something of value and pay as little as possible for it. This may not be wrong, but it can become a major problem if we carry it over into all facets of our life. Consider the soul of man. Jesus said, ``What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and loose his own soul?'' (Matt. 16:24). It is one thing to recognize the value of the soul, but what are people willing to pay for its stay in heaven? The rest of the verse goes on to say, ``Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?'' Here is the real test. To conclude that people are not faithful because they do not value the soul is not entirely true. People may see bargains all the time, but refuse to pay the price; they want a better deal. As a matter of fact, some people are looking only for that which is given to them, with no price to pay. If you think that is bad, consider those who not only want it given to them, but also want to be paid for taking it. Too many are trying to ``bargain'' their way into heaven. Folks, seeking righteousness is no garage sale. There is no changing the price tags, no dickering the price lower, no marring to show a defect to alter price, and all the other shenanigans that are taking place. Jesus came with a simple plan of salvation. He came offering eternal life. You already have the soul (Jas. 2:26); now are you willing to submit to the gospel and obey, to abide in heaven eternally? The price is the same for all (Jude 3). God is not a respecter of persons (II Pet. 3:9). Obtaining heaven comes by obeying the gospel (II Thes. 1:8). This means becoming a Christian and remaining steadfast to the end (Acts 2:38, Rom. 10:10, Acts 22:16, Heb. 4:1, Rev. 2:10). Jesus paid the ultimate price for us with his life (Rom. 5:8). Our humble sacrifices cannot compare to that with which Jesus paid (Luke 17:10). Has the concept ``give as little as possible'' entered your service to the Lord? ___________________________________________ The Characteristics of God by Brent Lykins Building a close relationship with God requires knowing Him well. We must know the characteristics that make Him who he is. First, He is accessible. We can draw near to His throne in anytime of need. We can always access His grace through faith (Heb. 4:16, Eph. 3:12). He is holy. God is characterized by greatness that demands fear, respect, and reverence. ``Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory'' (Is. 6:3). God is righteous. God is a righteous judge, and a God that has indignation everyday. He is righteous in all His ways. He is kind in all His deeds (Psalm 7:11, Psalm 145:17). He is compassionate. The Lord is gracious, slow to anger, and great in loving kindness. He is aware of all our pain and suffering (Psalm 145:8). Our God is merciful. ``The Lord is slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness'' (Psalm 103:8). ``But Thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth'' (Psalm 86:15). Our Lord is faithful. ``Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments'' (Deut. 7:9). He is impartial. ``For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong he has done, and that without partiality'' (Col. 3:25 ). ``And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth'' (I Peter 1:17). Our God and Father is love. ``And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him'' (1 John 4:16). ___________________________________________ Brent Lykins, the writer of the above article, is a member here at the Tri-state church of Christ. We are glad for his interest in writing an article for our weekly bulletin. This is the first one that he has ever done, and we commend him for his good work -- especially in view of his just being fourteen years old. Keep up the good work, Brent! ___________________________________________ When we are asked what the Holy Spirit does in our life as a Christian, why could we not say He does just what His WORD does and no more? How does the Holy Spirit work in the life of a Christian is a good question. We can answer the question with the little chart here below. This is not all that is said about the subject, but the same principle will apply. The Spirit operates through His revealed word! THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT: GOD'S WORD * The Spirit Witnesses (Rom. 8:16) and the Word Witnesses (John 5:39). * The Spirit Instructs (Neh. 9:30) and the Word Instructs (2 Cor. 3:16). * The Spirit Convicts (John 16:8) and the Word Convicts (Titus 1:9). * The Spirit Begets (2 Cor. 3:6) and the Word Begets (Jms. 1:18). * Born of the Spirit (John 3:5,8) and Born of the Word (2 Pet. 1:23). * The Spirit Saves (Titus 3:5) and the Word Saves (Jms. 1:21). * The Spirit Sanctifies (1 Cor. 6:11) and the Word Sanctifies (John 17:17). * The Spirit Cleanses (1 Cor. 6:11) and the Word Cleanses (John 15:2). * Indwelling of Spirit (Rom. 8:11) and Indwelling of Word (Col. 3:16). * The Spirit Strengthens (Eph. 3:16) and the Word Strengthens (Acts 20:28). * Power of the Spirit (Rom. 15:13) and Power of the Word (Heb. 1:3). * Spirit in Resurrection (Rom. 8:11) and Word in Resurrection (John 5:28,29). ___________________________________________ If you would like to increase your understanding of God's word, send your request to the address shown below for our free Bible correspondence course. We would be happy to enroll you. ___________________________________________ MERCY AND GRACE Recently, I read a good definition for the word "mercy," which helps to better show it in relation to "grace." According to the comment, God's mercy toward the Christian means that the Lord WILL NOT GIVE to him WHAT HE DESERVES--eternal punishment. God's grace, on the other hand, means that God WILL GIVE to the Christian WHAT HE DOESN'T DESERVE--eternal life. How thankful we who are children of God can be for the mercy and grace of our Lord that has been extended to us. May we ever abide in the Lord Jesus (Jn. 15:1-6) so that we may always benefit from these wonderful unmerited favors and not turn the grace of our God into "a license for immorality" (Jude 3, NIV) or cause the grace of God to become nothing more than a vain thing in our lives (1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 6:1; Heb. 12:15). Remember, grace demands that we live godly (Titus 2:11-13). -- Tom Edwards ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________