____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ December 11, 1994 ____________________________________________________ What Sin Does by Rick Harlow Did you ever take the time to sit down and consider why sin is so terrible? Many times we fail to adequately consider the consequences of sin in our lives. The list which follows in this article is certainly not all inclusive of the problems which are caused by sin. 1) Separates One From God. Even though God loves and cares for all men. He cannot be in fellowship with sin. Isaiah pointed this out to the children of Israel a long time ago. ``Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save...but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear'' (Isa. 59:1-2). 2) Brings Spiritual Death. To die spiritually means to be eternally separated from God. Sin is the cause of this malady which is common to man. The spiritual death of man goes all the way back to the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:16-17) and continues even to this day. Paul shows us in Romans 3:23 that all men are sinners. He continues in Romans 6:23 and shows us the high price we will have to pay should we choose to continue in sin. ``For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'' 3) Cost The Death Of God's Son. Because of sin it was necessary for God to send His own precious Son to this desert of sorrow and sin to die on Calvary's cruel cross. ``But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us'' (Rom. 5:8). Without the shedding of Christ's blood there would be no forgiveness of man's sins. ``Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot'' (1 Pet. 1:18-19). 4) Keeps God From Hearing. In Isaiah 59:2, we see that sin puts us in a position where God will not hear us. This is further pointed out in the New Testament. ``Now we know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth'' (Jno. 9:31). Peter emphasized it this way: ``For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil'' (1 Pet. 3:12). 5) Causes One To Miss Heaven. This is the tragic result of an unrepented of and unforgiven life of sin. Paul points this out in Galatians 5:19-21. Are you willing to sacrifice eternal life for temporal pleasures of this world? Please consider the consequences of sin. If you miss heaven you have missed it all! Are the pleasures of sin worth the price of sin? ___________________________________________ The Social Gospel by Jarrod Jacobs The church is getting caught up in the popularity of the social gospel. This simply means that the church is become more concerned about the outward man, rather than the inward man. Brethren, we need to see where we are heading and turn back to God before it is too late! 1) Nothing New. The philosophy of enticing people to come to church with social functions is nothing new. The early fifties saw these changes coming about. Before this time, the denominational world was saturated with this type of behavior. At one time the church could see the error in the social gospel until more and more Christians wanted to ``believe everyone else.'' We sure could use the advice of old, ``Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil...'' (Exod. 23:2). 2) Gospel Power. When churches resort to the social gospel to draw folks, they are undermining the power of the gospel. Paul said, ``For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek'' (Rom. 1:16). Paul, by inspiration, shows us that the gospel is God's power to save, nothing else! When we look to satisfying the outward man to bring people to Christ, we are doing this without Bible authority! 3) Misuse of Money. It's a misuse of the Lord's money when churches spend money for ball teams, kitchens, day care centers, kindergarten, boy scouts, gymnasiums and the like. These programs cater to the physical aspects of the world. God wants the church to cater to the spiritual needs of man to prepare him for the world to come. Paul wrote the Romans, ``For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost'' (Rom. 14:17). 4) Spiritual Mission. The church can only function in three areas: evangelism, benevolence, and edification. Please take the time to read these passages so you will know what these works are: 1. For evangelism, Eph. 4:12; Ac. 2:42; Ac. 20:7. For benevolence, Eph. 4:12, Ac. 2:45; Ac. 4:34-35. 3. For edification, Eph. 4:12; 1 Thess. 5:11; 2 Cor. 12:19. Certainly more verses could be cited to prove that the church can only function in these three areas, but these should be enough to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what the function of the church is. The church has a spiritual mission, not a physical one. We pervert the mission and function of the church when we make it something that it is not! -- Via Ellettsville Church Bulletin, 11/10/94 ___________________________________________ Wise men still seek Him -- and wise women, too! ___________________________________________ WINTER TUNE-UP SPECIAL 1. Adjust your lights and let them shine that others may see (Matt. 5:14-16). 2. Set your timing so as to be present for all services when everything is supposed to start (Heb. 10:25). 3. Adjust your brakes--on your tongue, which is a slippery place (Jas. 3:1-12). 4. Tune up your heart in order to have the peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:6-7). 5. Align your feet in the direction of the straight and narrow way (Matt. 7:14). 6. Tune your mind so you can control your thoughts and think on good things (Phil. 4:8). 7. Anti-freeze your heart so it will warm up to the call of the poor and needy and every call of service (Jas. 2:14-17). 8. Lubricate your spirit with the oil of gladness, rejoicing always with joy unspeakable and full of glory (Phil. 4:4). 9. A quick start depends upon a good spark and the right kind of fuel. [Fuel delivered (spoken) free every church service.] 10. Re-tire your feet with the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15). -- Author unknown, slightly altered ___________________________________________ A True Story! In a prison assembly hall, a great preacher was to talk to the prisoners. One of the prisoners introduced him and made this introduction. ``Several years ago two boys lived in the same town in Georgia, played with the same bunch of fellows, attended the same Bible class. One of them dropped out of Bible class because he felt that he had outgrown it, and that it was ``Sissy'' stuff. The other boy kept going, for he felt it really did mean something in his life. The boy who dropped out is making the introduction, and the boy who kept going to Bible class is the one who will speak to you at this time.'' -- Via Pause -- Ponder -- Profit ___________________________________________ WHY YOU NEED TO BE BAPTIZED For Salvation...........Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21 For Washing Away Sin..................Acts 22:16 For Entrance Into Christ..........Galatians 3:27 To Be Born Again........................John 3:5 To Get Into The Church..............1 Cor. 12:13 To Get Into Christ's Death............Romans 6:3 For The Washing Of Regeneration........Titus 3:5 For Remission Of Sin...................Acts 2:38 To Put Off Body Of Sin.............Romans 6:3-17 To Get Into The Kingdom.................John 3:5 To Go On Our Way Rejoicing.............Acts 8:39 To Obey God........................Acts 10:47-48 -- Via Sound Words, Nov. 7, 1993 ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________