____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ November 14, 1993 ____________________________________________________ "They" Are Out To Get Us by Wayne S. Walker School has started. Please consider the following information taken from the Vol. 1, No. 1, edition of Campus Alert. These items show that there are forces in our society which are out to destroy the principles of righteousness and morality in our nation at every turn. They are especially active in schools because they know that if they can capture minds they will be much closer to winning the battle. Across the nation, colleges and universities are establishing ``Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Studies'' departments and forcing students to tolerate the homosexual lifestyle through required ``homophobia workshops.'' Jerome Pinn, a student at the University of Michigan, discovered that his new roommate was an active homosexual, had decorated their dorm room with pictures of naked men, and expected to entertain male partners. When Pinn objected, university officials finally agreed to let him have another room but warned that if he told anyone why, he would be punished for discriminating on the basis of ``sexual orientation.'' The College of Charleston, in S.C. welcomes adherents of the most outlandish theories to teach its philosophy and religion courses but systematically excludes Bible believers. Dr. Don Schley, a philosophy professor and committed Christian, was denied tenure despite glowing student evaluations and a recommendation from his former department chairman. Testimony at his lawsuit showed that a policy by which job candidates with obvious religious affiliations are automatically disqualified from receiving tenure was openly declared at all department of philosophy and religion meetings. The University of Washington offers an ``Introduction to Women's Studies'' course ostensibly to teach students the history of women and the contribution that they have made. But enrollee Peter Schaub reported that in the first class the professors began the lecture by declaring that the traditional American family ``doesn't work.'' When several students objected to the claim, they were shouted down by teaching assistants and charged with being ignorant and out of touch with reality. Later Schaub himself was escorted away from class by two campus police officers for asking one professor how she arrived at her conclusions. Academic freedom? How should Christians deal with such situations as they arise in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation in which we live? ``Let your light so shine'' (Mt. 5:16). ``Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord'' (2 Ti. 1:8). ``Preach the word'' (2 Ti. 4:2). ``Live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world'' (Tit. 2:12). ``Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul'' (1 Pet. 2:11). ``They'' seem to be out to get us, but we do not have to be ``got'' if we hold fast to Christ. -- Via Gospel Truth (10/3/93) ___________________________________________ NO THANKS by J. Allan Peterson A recent item in our local news told of a teenage boy finding a woman's purse with $20,000 in it. Without opening it he took it immediately to the authorities and they returned it to the wealthy owner. Though she gave the boy a $5.00 reward, he was greatly disappointed, not because he received only a $5.00 tip but because the woman never said thank you. He couldn't believe it. A friend of mine sent a gift of several thousand dollars to a Christian worker seeking to raise his own support. Not a word of thanks was written or spoken even when their paths crossed later--though he did remember to cash the check. What's our problem? Jesus Himself was shocked when He healed ten lepers and only one bothered to thank Him. It must be our innate independence and self-centeredness. Thank you expresses my dependence, puts me on the receiving end, makes me a debtor. That's hard to take when I want to say, ``I did it my way.'' In daily practice I must replace this self-occupation with thanks therapy--expressing thanks when I don't feel it, saying it until I do feel it. Our example must teach this especially to our kids. How will children learn to be thankful to God for all His benefits if they never saw or heard gratitude at home? Begin each day anticipating expressing thanks for everything large and small. Close each day with a thoughtful accounting. Did I receive any favor, attention, or service without specifically expressing thanks? The thought of each day's tasks, opportunities, and experiences all lead very soon to some reason to give thanks. -- In Homemade (May, 1993) ___________________________________________ EDITOR: Though I doubt anything surprises the Lord, surely He must be greatly disappointed when we live as ingrates toward all that He has done for us and continues to do. ___________________________________________ AN EMBARRASSING QUESTION by David Harkrider In a recent discussion with an alien sinner I had an embarrassing question to answer that I want to pass on for your consideration. This individual comes to the services on both Sunday morning and Sunday evening. ``I have noticed,'' he said, ``that there are members of the church who attend on Sunday morning that are constantly absent on Sunday evening. Do they sin by not coming?'' Then he added that this was a consolation to him in his present state. I must confess that it was embarrassing to think that members of the congregation were wielding this type of influence on the man. He claimed that he was encouraged to remain an alien sinner by the apparent indifference of some Christians. The next time that you are tempted to forsake an assembly, remember this man and other alien sinners just like him. ``For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.'' Jesus will be at services--will you? -- Via Gospel Truth ___________________________________________ Is God Powerless Today? by Lowell Blasingame If I deny that God still heals miraculously as He did in the first century, some of my religious neighbors deride me saying, ``Do you believe that God has become powerless?'' And when I teach that sinners must hear, believe, and obey the gospel, others will say, ``Don't you think that God is able to save a man without his help?'' The issue is not a question of what power God has but one of how He elects to use that power. God certainly doesn't do all the things that He has the power of doing. John told Jews who were putting their trust in their lineage, ``That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham'' (Mt. 3:9). Now, God is ``able'' to do that but I challenge you to find where He ever turned a stone into a Jew! God had the power to take a rib from Adam and from it give him a wife. But He didn't give you a wife in that way. Is it because He has lost some power and is no longer able to do for you what He did for Adam? Surely it isn't; it's because He no longer uses His power in these ways. Miracles performed by the apostles were to confirm His word as they revealed it to men (Mk. 16:20; Heb. 2:1-3). When the New Testament was completely revealed and confirmed, miraculous power was no longer needed and ceased to be given. My doing God's will to enter the kingdom or obeying the gospel to be saved isn't something that is optional, but mandatory (Mt. 7:21; 2 Th. 1:7-8)--not because God needs my help in saving me but because He has required me to obey Christ to be saved (Heb. 5:8-9). He has never turned a stone into a Jew and He has never saved a disobedient person. -- Via The Buckler, Pine Bluff, Ark. (Feb., 1993; Vol. 45, No.2) ___________________________________________ THE NEED FOR DOING PERSONAL WORK by Wayne S. Walker In the lesson last Sunday evening, I quoted some figures concerning the religious condition of the United States in order to show the need that exists for the people of God to be engaged in personal work. Those figures were somewhat old (c. 1978 or 1979). I wanted to give you some newer figures and then make an important point that I intended but forgot to make. Here are the new figures contrasted to the old figures. Religious Bodies Old Figures New Figures Roman Catholic 48.7 million 54.9 million Baptist 27.7 million 26.1 million Methodist 12.7 million 12.5 million Lutheran 8.6 million 8.2 million Presbyterian 3.8 million 3.1 million Churches of Christ 2.4 million 1.6 million This information comes from the 1991 edition of The World Almanac and Book of Facts. It appears that in some 10-12 years, the Roman Catholic Church has gained and the other major religious groups, INCLUDING churches of Christ, have declined in number. And remember that that figure for churches of Christ includes a probable majority that are associated with congregations which are not vastly different from the denominations listed above it. The point that I want to make is that these people have some religious interest to begin with. Surely not all, most, or even many of them will hear and obey the truth. But every single one of them has the right to hear the truth. And WE have the responsibility to see to it that as many of them hear it as we can. -- Via Gospel Truth (10/24/93) ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________