____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ April 16, 1995 ____________________________________________________ They Preached About Jesus by Robert Jackson In every sermon delivered by the men of God in the book of Acts, we clearly see that they talked and preached about Jesus. The fourth chapter of the book of Acts brings out some things about their preaching about Christ. 1) The Only Way Of Salvation. ``Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved'' (Ac. 4:12). In very simple words, that these people did not misunderstand, they were told that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. I am sure that they were called narrow- minded and a few other names, but they held forth that Jesus is the only way! This is the kind of preaching that needs to be done today. The world needs to hear that Jesus is the only way of salvation. There is salvation in no other name. This sermon, from the lips of the man of God, then put a challenge upon the hearts of the people. This kind of preaching will do the same. 2) The Command To Be Silent. ``And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus'' (Ac. 4:18). They were given the command to speak no more in the name of Jesus. I wonder if they had any in that day who did not come under this command due to the fact that they were already silent. I fear that many today are guilty of being silent concerning the Lord when they have not been told to be silent. However, how would you react if you were told to no longer speak in the name of Christ? We notice that it did not affect some of the men of God in that they were totally committed to the preaching of Christ. 3) Prayer. In the preaching of Christ we often see the people of God engaged in prayer. In times of difficulty they needed to pray and they often found themselves in this condition. They have put before us the great blessing, the privilege and power of prayer in Acts 4:24-31. 4) Fellowship. We hear about fellowship today among some of the churches of Christ, but I wonder if it was like this that we read in Acts 4:23-37? They had such feelings for each other that they sold their possessions and shared with others! Let us go back and learn from these men that often faced trials in the preaching of Christ, but did not quit. -- Via Ellettsville Church Bulletin, March 23, 1995 ___________________________________________ "The Spirits In Prison" by Tom Edwards The following I uploaded to Fidonet's Old and New Testament conference, after I responded to Todd's question, shown below. I'm sure that not a few have probably been a little perplexed over the full meaning of 1 Peter 3:18-22. Let's consider part of this today. Todd's question: I was just wondering if any of you have any thoughts on the scriptures in 1 Peter 3:18-22 which speaks about Jesus going and ministering to the spirits in prison who disobeyed during the days while Noah was building the Ark. What prison are they in? My response: According to this passage, it was not Jesus who directly ministered to these ``spirits in prison''; rather, it was by His ``spirit'' (v. 18) that the proclamation was made. According to 1 Peter 1:11, the ``Spirit of Christ'' dwelt in the prophets who proclaimed of the grace that was to come. Undoubtedly, this same spirit also dwelt in Noah who was a ``preacher of righteousness'' (2 Pet. 2:5). It was Noah who was doing the preaching to the people of his day. These people were not preached to after they were imprisoned, but before this occurred. The ``prison'' is referring to the Hadean world, which is made up of two compartments: Paradise and Tartarus. The former being a place of great blessing; and the latter, a place of torment. The Hadean realm is a temporary place that will last until the Judgment Day (Rev. 20:14, NASB). It is where all departed spirits go to await the Judgment. The people in Noah's day rejected God's word; and, as a result, they ended up in Tartarus (see also 2 Peter 2:4-9; Luke 16:19- 31). Once a person passes away from this life, there is no ``second chance.'' Therefore, what good would it do to preach to those who have already died? Obviously, those preached to in 1 Peter 3:19,20, were those who were still living in the days of Noah. I hope this has helped you to better understand 1 Peter 3:18-20. ___________________________________________ A Tribute to Barbara Music By today's standards, to pass away at 55 years of age is rather premature; but to reach this age having been born with an extremely severe case of Cerebral Palsy is about the length of almost two lifetimes for some people with such a condition. Barbara Music, who has never been able to walk a day in her life or say more than one word, passed away April 8, just a few weeks short of her 56th birthday; but still she lived to an age, I would think, that is seldom reached by others who have an illness as severe. When I heard the day before her death of the seriousness of her condition and went to God in prayer for her, twice I found myself referring to her as that ``little girl.'' Surely, she was a ``little girl'' in God's sight--like the little ones of whom Jesus says, ''...'Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these''' (Luke 18:16). She will be greatly missed by those who knew her; but at the same time there can also be a joy to know, as many have expressed, that ``She has now gone to a better place''--a place where her infirmities and handicaps will not be carried over, a place where she'll be able to ``walk, run, jump, and talk,'' a place where she will be made new in a way she has never been before. It's surprising how much of a positive impact a person in such a condition as her's could have on others, but in paraphrasing a statement from her sister-in-law Carol, ``Often when I was feeling low, I could go over and talk to Barbara; and she would always have that smile that would make me feel better for just being with her.'' She couldn't walk, she couldn't talk, she couldn't play like the other children when growing up, she couldn't live a life on her own like her brothers and sister when she got older, but she could be content and happy and show it with a smile that could cheer others up. We could all learn a good lesson from Barbara. To learn to be more content in our circumstances would help each one of us to be better people, living and enjoying a fuller life; and, perhaps, being more thankful for the blessings with which we do have--instead of taking these things for granted. Out of the four, Barbara was her mother's favorite child; but this was probably due to the close bond that existed between the two of them for all those years. Though it happens occasionally, it isn't too often that a child spends fifty-five years in his or her parent's home and with a daily dependence upon them. Her parents were very good and caring toward her, which certainly contributed toward the uncommonly long life she lived for her state of health. In spite of her frail, crippled, and twisted body her brother Ron mentioned to me how proud he was of her--and in no way, was he ever embarrassed because of her sickness. She had a real goodness about her. It was her mother's prayer that she'd be able to outlive her daughter so that she could always be there to take care of her. It appears that this prayer has been answered. Barbara now is in a better place, having God Himself to continue caring for her--as He will for all of us who make it to His eternal heavenly kingdom. We extend our condolences to the family and friends of Barbara Music and offer up our prayers for them. May they each find comfort in the Lord during this time of earth's loss and heaven's gain. -- Tom Edwards ___________________________________________ "For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). ___________________________________________ Eating and Drinking Christ's Flesh and Blood by Tom Edwards An unusual sounding statement is found in John 6:56, in which Jesus states, ``He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.'' What does this mean? Surely, we are not to literally eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, so what specifically does this have reference to? Some people are of the opinion that it is referring to the Lord's Supper; but, actually, that is only one aspect of what this verse is all about. Oftentimes, it can be very helpful to seek the answers elsewhere in the New Testament. Let's first make an equation: eat flesh and drink blood of Jesus = abiding in the Lord. To turn this around, would it not be true then to say that ``abiding in the Lord = eating Christ's flesh and drinking His blood''? Now let's look to God's word to see how one is to abide in the Lord--for as the verse implies, when we're abiding in Jesus that is when we are eating His flesh and drinking His blood, figuratively. According to John 15:1-10 one must abide in the Lord to be fruitful (and not be cast away); plus it shows that this is done by obedience: ``If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love....'' Jesus had also mentioned this in verse 7, by saying, ``If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you....'' That is the key to abiding in the Lord; and that, therefore, is how one is to ``eat'' Christ's flesh and ``drink'' His blood--by keeping His commandments. ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________