____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ September 25, 1994 ____________________________________________________ Death Is A Beautiful Thing For the Christian by Tom Edwards Aristeides, a Greek philosopher, once wrote a friend in the year A.D. 125 about one of the reasons for the extraordinary success of Christianity. Here is a sentence extracted from the letter: "If any righteous man among the Christians passes from this world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God, and they escort his body with songs and thanksgiving as if he were setting out from one place to another nearby." The message of the Bible is that death is a beautiful thing for those who are ready to meet the Lord. ''...Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'' (Rev. 14:13). Death is not a sad thing for the Christian who passes away, for he is blessed--which actually means ``happy.'' The saved who pass away from this life will await the judgment day in Paradise--a place of great bliss (Luke 23:43; Luke 16:19-25). Though, obviously, death is a blessing for the saved, it is a time of sadness for those still left behind. We are the ones who grieve--not the saved who have passed on to a better place. But though we have sadness because of our loss, we can also rejoice because of God's gain of every saved person who passes from this life. Paul, therefore, would not have the Christian to be overly grieved--for the dead in Christ will rise first, when Jesus returns (1 Thess. 4:13-18). David had said concerning his infant son who had died, ''...I shall go to him, but he will not return to me'' (2 Sam. 12:23). This was David's firstborn by Bathsheba. Because of his sin, David lost this child. While the infant was sick, David fasted and prayed; but when the child died, David realized that there was nothing else he could do for his son--but there was still something else he could do. David had also realized that though his son could not come back to this earth-life, still he could live his life in such a way that one day he could join his son in eternal glory. This should be our desire as well: to live our lives in such a way that one day we will be able to join all the redeemed in that beautiful place called heaven. As someone said, ``Death is not a period, but rather a comma in the story of life.'' The soul (or spirit) of man lives on; and not even death, therefore, can separate the faithful Christian from the love of God (Rom. 8:38,39). Though it often seems so sudden and unexpected, death is not really a strange thing. It has been around since the first man Adam, and it will continue until time on earth is no more. Both Joshua and David refer to it as a ``going the way of all the earth'' (Josh. 23:14 and 1 Kings 2:2). One day that time will come for us as well. According to statistics, a person passes away every second of the day, and every second of the night. James compares his life to a brief vapor that appears for such a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:13-14). This is another reason why it is so important that we be wise and obey the gospel while we have the opportunity. It could be soon in which all those opportunities will have ceased. Let us remember that even if we live to be 110 years old--what is that compared to eternity? It is virtually nothing! There is more of a similarity between one grain of sand compared to all the grains of sand on our planet than there is between 110 years and eternity. Now is the time for each one of us to be concerned for our souls. God is concerned--so much so, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ into this world to die for sinful man (Jn. 3:16). According to 2 Peter 3:9, God wants none to perish, but rather that all come to repentance. It is the Lord's desire that everyone be saved from sin, but each person must meet certain conditions in order to benefit from the sacrifice of Christ. As Fred Hencye shows us in the following article: one must hear the gospel, believe in Jesus, repent of sins, acknowledge faith in Christ, be baptized in water for the remission of sins, and remain faithful unto death in order to one day inherit that glorious home in heaven. May this be what each of us will also do, so that in that great judgment day, we may each be gathered together with all the saints to enjoy the glory and blessings of heaven forevermore. ___________________________________________ A Tribute to Fred Hencye by Tom Edwards It was just last Monday when many of us gathered together to say goodbye to a friend, a cousin, a brother, a brother in Christ, a son, a father, and a husband. Yes, one life can find itself in many relationships, touching many lives; and such was the life of Fred Hencye. He was born September 12, 1951 and passed away September 16, 1994--just a few days after having turned 43 years old. He had been a veteran of the United States Air Force and was employed by the General Telephone Company. It was Fred who drove from Ashland to Danville, Kentucky, back in 1984--a distance of about 160 miles one way--to help me load my belongings, pack some of them in his truck, and move me to the Ashland area where I was to start preaching for the Tri-state church of Christ. He had been one of the original members (along with his wife) of this group. Fred enjoyed people. Many a time I had spent in his home or just going places with him and his family. He loved his wife and children, his relatives, his friends; and he had a deep concern for the salvation of all humanity. Sometimes Fred and I would work together in having Bible studies with non-Christians in hopes of winning their lost souls to Jesus. It was something he truly enjoyed doing. After Fred and his family moved to Magnolia, Kentucky, because of his work a few years ago, it wasn't too long until he organized a new congregation of the Lord's church near his home. He also did some of the preaching there while his health permitted, and served in other ways as well. Twice, I've held gospel meetings for this group, which is about 220 miles from my home. Both times, Fred helped out in the door-to-door work--even the last time, though the cancer was really wearing him out and his capacity was limited. I had visited with him a couple months ago. At this time, I also typed out several letters for him to relatives and friends that he wanted them to have--but not to read, until he had passed away. Consistently, in each of these letters was Fred's concern for each individual to have a good relationship with God. He exhorted the Christians to remain faithful, to continue studying the Bible, and to win as many lost souls to Jesus as they could. He encouraged the non-Christians to have Bible studies with me that they might come to the saving knowledge of the gospel. I had read these letters as he dictated them to me; but the one he had written to me, I didn't get to see until shortly after his wife called to inform me of his departure. I want you to hear how this letter begins: "Dear Tom, "Well, I'm with Jesus now. I want to thank you so very much for your friendship, and one day you will be with me in heaven...." It was sad in first receiving the news of Fred's death, but then it became a relief as I realized that his long battle with cancer was over. He had told me prior that he was ready to meet Jesus, and I understand that death is certainly a blessing for the faithful child of God. To then read these words, ``Well, I'm with Jesus now,'' it was almost as if the letter had been mailed directly from Paradise to my home here in Ashland, Kentucky. In passing away, he leaves behind a wife: Garnet; a son: Kurt; and a daughter: Bonnie (I believe the ages of his children are about 18 and 16, respectively). He also leaves behind a stepfather: Will Haase (of Ashland, KY); a father: Cornelius Philip Hencye (of the Morehead area); a stepmother: Kathleen; two brothers: Dennis Hencye and Matthew Haase (both of Ashland); and a sister: Phyllis Ball (of Lexington). In addition to these, there are also in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews, and many friends. Though his spirit is taken from us, and his temporary tabernacle of flesh will return to dust, his memory will live on in each one of us who knew him--memories that will continue to evoke even a little smile at times, as we remember his good-natured humor, the way he tried to cheer people up, and the sacrifices he had made for others. I want to close by including a short message that Fred wanted me to add to my sermon (which I did) that I was to preach for his funeral. Again, you'll see his concern that others will hear, learn, and obey the steps that lead to salvation: "Dear Friends and Relatives, "It is not time to be sad, but a time to be happy. Fred has no more pain--but most of all, Fred's a Christian. I'm with Jesus. "I'm going to take a little time here to show you how God says what you must do to become a Christian: "First, you must hear the Gospel Mark 16:15, ``And He said to them, `Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.''' "After hearing the gospel, you must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Hebrews 11:6, 'But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.' "After you believe, you must repent for your sins. Luke 13:3, `I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.' "After repenting, you must confess Christ. Romans 10:9, `that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.' "After confessing, you must be baptized. Mark 16:16, `He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.' "After these steps, which God has put in His word to show us how to become a Christian, then you are a Christian. Now you must stay faithful until death. You do that by studying your Bible daily to know the will of your Father who is in heaven. "I hope this has helped you understand how I became a Christian. If any of you have any question, I know Tom or Philip will be happy to help you. "I hope all of you a happy life. "Yours truly, "Fred" We say goodbye for now to our friend, our relative, our loved one; but let us each strive that one day there will be a re-uniting of all of God's people in that glorious land of eternal bliss, where we will be able to enjoy each other's company for evermore, and never again have to struggle with the trials and tribulations of this earthly life. ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________