____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ June 5, 1994 ____________________________________________________ Passing Away by Tom Edwards How do you view death? Sadly? Morbidly? Joyfully? Bewilderingly? I imagine various people have different attitudes or reactions toward it. Last Sunday in the late afternoon, I spent a couple hours lounging out back with an interesting book that added to the enjoyment of the day. The warmer weather is definitely inviting this time of year, and I have always enjoyed gentle breezes with just a little nip of coolness to them on a hot day, and to watch fully-leafed branches dancing and swaying in the wind; and all of this I was able to find--for free--in my backyard. From time to time, I would just look up from my book and appreciate the wondrous beauty that was around me: the blue sky, the soft clouds that slowly drifted by, the chirping birds that hopped and darted across the lawn, the seemingly tireless squirrels that scurried across the ground to and fro, while others showed off some of their acrobatic skills on the branches and power lines above, and even the wave-like sounds from passing vehicles--all helped create a placid environment that appealed to my esthetic nature. Often when experiencing the beautiful and magnificent splendors of God's creation, such as when seeing a pastel sunset that blends its warm colors on an endless horizon, or when hearing the magnitude of a thunderous ocean that is crashing upon jutting rocks and flinging its spray, foam, and broken waves into the frisky wind, or when feeling the warmth of God's sunshine that breaks through a previously cold day, or simply enjoying an invigorating walk while being accompanied by the delightful sensations from the titillating breezes, I not only give an inward praise unto God for these beauties and enjoyments, but I also often remind myself that the best is yet to come. Regardless of how blessed we are or feel, regardless of how much we enjoy or are enchanted by the many wonders of creation, heaven will still be far greater. What a beautiful thought! But a thought that can only find fulfillment for those who belong to Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul said, ``For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. And convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith'' (Phil. 1:22-25). Paul knew that there was laid up for him in the future the ``crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge'' would award to him--and not only to him, but also ``to all who have loved His appearing'' (2 Tim. 4:8). Going out into my backyard on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to enjoy a little of the great outdoors is not something I do with trepidation, but rather with the expectation of scenic beauty and sensuous delight. And when I am there, the expectation is usually better than what I could have imagined. How much greater, however, will be the reality of heaven? And since it will greatly surpass that of my backyard, I can look forward to the entering of it as being exceedingly more joyful and fulfilling. Death, therefore, becomes a comforting thought. For it is like a door that leads to even a better place than my backyard. Though none of us have seen heaven, we know that God dwells there; and because of our trust in Him, we can rest assured that it must be better than all we can dream or imagine. Whatever kind of eternal bodies the Christian will have there, whatever kind of dwelling place it will be, we can be confident, by our faith, that we certainly won't be disappointed. For God is the maker of heaven, and He will supply us with glorified bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-54) and a place to dwell that will keep its appeal for all eternity--now that must be some place!!! If you haven't become a Christian, yet, or have not been living faithfully as one, you need to make your life right with God so that heaven can one day be yours as well. Be sure to read the following article, "To Become A Christian...." ___________________________________________ "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you...that where I am, there you may be also" (the words of Jesus to His apostles in John 14:2,3). ___________________________________________ To Become a Christian.... by Tom Edwards 1) You must first hear the gospel (and believe it): A. Faith is acquired by the word of God (Rom. 10:17). B. The gospel is the ``power of God for salvation to everyone who believes'' (Rom. 1:16). C. One is ``born again'' by the gospel (1 Pet. 1:23). 2) You must believe in the deity of Christ: A. ''...unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins'' (John 8:24). B. NOTE: Mentally accepting the deity of Christ is only part of the plan of salvation, as we can see from the following verses. Often, however, the term ``believe'' or ``faith'' is used (as a synecdoche) to stand for obedience to all the necessary commands that can save a soul from sin. 3) You must repent of your sins: A. Peter commanded it by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). B. ''...God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent'' (Acts 17:30). C. ''...unless you repent, you will all likewise perish'' (Luke 13:5). 4) Acknowledge your faith in Christ: A. Before Philip would baptize the Ethiopian eunuch he needed to know that the eunuch believed. The eunuch said, ``I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'' Philip then baptized him after hearing this good confession (Acts 8:36,37). B. One's confession toward the Lordship of Christ precedes salvation (Rom. 10:9,10). Of course, it should also be confessed throughout the life of a Christian. C. Christ will confess before His Father those who have confessed Him before men. To deny Jesus, however, will result in the Lord having to deny the person who does so before His Father in heaven (Matt. 10:32,33). 5) You must be baptized in water.... A. In order to be saved (Mark 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21) B. In order to come into contact with Christ's death and, thereby, benefit from His atoning sacrifice (Rom. 6:3,4). C. In order to ``walk in newness of life''; or, in other words, in order to become a Christian (Rom. 6:3,4). D. In order to ``call'' upon the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21,36-38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). E. In order to be put ``into Christ'' (Gal. 3:26,27), where ``all spiritual blessings'' are (Eph. 1:3) and where there is ``no condemnation'' (Rom. 8:1). F. In order to be ``buried'' and ``raised up'' with Christ (Col. 2:12). G. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven (John 3:5). In view of these above passages, how can anyone think that water baptism is irrelevant to becoming a Christian? They each show baptism as being a necessary requirement in order to be forgiven and to become a child of God. In the religious world today, millions of people have been omitting part of God's salvation plan by eliminating the Lord's purpose for baptism, as the above verses show. Bible baptism must be for the right purpose, just as the Lord's supper must be for the right purpose (1 Cor. 11:27-30). To be saved by God, we must obey His plan! Man doesn't have the right to tamper with this. We hope that you'll do nothing more, nor nothing less, than what God demands of you in order to become a child of God. If you would like any additional information on this, please let me know. Or, if you live near by, I would be glad to talk about these things with you. Let's study God's word together! ___________________________________________ HOW TO OVERCOME EVIL HABITS A story is told of a British schoolmaster, who offered a prize to the boy who should write the best composition in five minutes on ``How To Overcome Habits.'' At the expiration of the five minutes the compositions were read. The prize went to a lad of nine years. The following is his essay: ``Well, sir, habit is hard to overcome. If you take off the first letter, it does not change `abit.' If you take off another, you still have `bit' left. If you take off still another, the whole of `it' remains. If you take off another, it is not wholly used up; all of which goes to show that to get rid of a habit, you must throw if off altogether.'' Most of us have some evil habits which we should, for our own good, throw off ``altogether,'' not try to taper off. The Bible tells us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the "fleshly lusts, which war against the soul'' (1 Peter 2:11). This we cannot do ``without'' Christ, but if we truly will to overcome all evil habits, we ``can do all things through Christ'' who will add His strength to our will. We can then overcome all bad habits. See John 15:5; Phil. 4:13; 2 Cor. 8:12. -- from Highland Street Messenger ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________