____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ July 2, 1995 ____________________________________________________ Leaving in the Fourth Inning by Tom Edwards It was good to have Charlie Vifquain visiting with us recently. His baseball team, from Washington County, had played several games a couple weekends ago here in Ashland at the community park. Charlie's father, Scott, who is a gospel preacher (currently working in Campbellsville, Kentucky), I had initially met while attending the two-year Bible program freely offered through the Danville church of Christ in Danville, Kentucky. Of course, when I first moved to Danville, Charlie was about 2 years old; and since I lived there six years, he was about 8 when I left--and certainly far from the 6' 3'' height that he has already grown. When he called a couple weeks ago to inquire about the church and to make arrangements for someone to bring him to our services, it was hard to believe that this fairly husky voice was from the son of Scott Vifquain--how they grow up so quickly! Now he was no longer eight years old, but eighteen. Charlie seems to have a real love for baseball, but what impressed me even more is his love for the Lord. When I went down to pick him up for our evening service, his team was in its final game for the weekend. It was only the fourth inning. But the Lord comes first, and Charlie left with me for our evening worship hour at church--having time to change from only his cleats to his sneakers. Yes, I would call this a concern for spiritual matters and a dedication toward God. In a time when so many people have become indifferent to the church, it's encouraging to know that there are people like Charlie who still give it a top priority--people who are truly devoted to the Lord. It's important for all of us to have this kind of dedication. As Jesus states in Matthew 6:33, ``But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.'' And, in addition, to truly love the Lord, we must put Him first by keeping His commandments (John 14:15,21,23,24). To disobey is not merely a lack of love--it is a sin! As I think about Hebrews 10:25 that admonishes the Christian to be concerned with ``not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near,'' one way in which we can encourage one another is certainly by our own attendance. For how can we impress people with the importance of church and spiritual things, if we ourselves show such an indifference toward it by our lack of attendance when we could be there. When it comes to putting the Lord first, let's all have the courage to realize that there might be some games that will have to go on without us, and act accordingly. Putting God first is something that you'll never regret in the Judgment Day! and you will be a great encouragement to others around you--even now! ___________________________________________ IF YOU WERE THE DEVIL? by John Clark If you were the Devil and you knew that the only way for men to be saved was by their understanding and obeying the word of God what would you do? Wouldn't you attempt to convince men that the Bible, the word of God, cannot be understood? Wouldn't you seek to keep as many as possible from obeying the word if only by postponing it till some more convenient time? Men usually do not attempt what they think is impossible. This is why some men never try to study and understand the Bible. The Devil is not so dumb. Men are! Men ``put-off'' what they know they ought to do because they think they have plenty of time. They wait till too late! The Devil is not so dumb. Men are! Be smart. Read Ephesians 5:17; 3:4; Acts 28:27. You can and you must understand the word of God! Be smart. Read 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7,8; James 4:13-17. It is dangerous to delay! -- Via The Old Path II, June 4, 1995 ___________________________________________ Getting Ready for the Judgment by Tom Edwards There is a religious college in Chicago called the Presbyterian McCormich Theological Seminary, so named because of one of its generous benefactors, Cyrus H. McCormich, a farm-machinery manufacturer. One of the professors of this college once said, while showing around a visitor, ''...we never refer to the Grim Reaper around here. It's always the International Harvester.'' Yes, there is a great ``harvest day'' coming--and it will involve all the nations of the world. Jesus speaks of the universal nature of it in John 5:28,29, by saying: ``Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.'' Think of it: all the people who have ever lived--the famous, the infamous, and the multitudes of people whom you've never seen nor heard of--will all be there. It is unavoidable--not even disbelief will keep you from it. As the Bible says, ``For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad'' (2 Cor. 5:10). Whatever the deed we have committed--and no matter when it was committed--God is well aware of it; He even knows our inmost intentions (Matt. 12:25). Dr. Wilbur Penfield (director of the Montreal Neurological Institute) said in a report to the Smithsonian Institute: ``Your brain contains a permanent record of your past that is like a single continuous strip of movie film, complete with sound track. This `film library' records your whole waking life from childhood on. You can live again those scenes from your past, one at a time, when a surgeon applies a gentle electrical current to a certain point on the temporal cortex of your brain.'' This is fascinating, but even more so is the ability of God to know of every detail--even to the most minute--of every person who has ever lived. The Hebrew writer tells us that ''...there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do'' (4:13). The Lord will bring men into judgment for ``every careless word'' that they have spoken (Matt. 12:36), as well as for every wrong thought (Matt. 12:34; Gen. 6:5; Rom. 8:5-8). Since it is said that 1.27 people die every second, and the duration of our life is so uncertain and ``just a vapor that appears for a little while'' (James 4:13-16), should we not be concerned with making our souls ready for the Judgment Day? Or better still, shouldn't we be concerned toward this preparation simply because of an overwhelmingly grateful response toward God's love and saving grace? Surely, it is the love of God that should be the highest motivating factor that prompts us toward salvation. As Paul writes in Romans 2:4, it is ``the kindness of God'' that ``leads you to repentance.'' The Judgment Day is inevitably coming; our earthly existence is short and uncertain; God loves us and wants to save us; let's use our time wisely by obeying the gospel and remaining faithful, so that we will be ready for when that Judgment Day comes! ___________________________________________ What Brought Them In? Statistics have been taken concerning what it was that got people going to church (or a denomination): * 4-6% just walked in * 4-7% came as a result of the preacher * 2-4% came because of the programs or activities * 1-2% came because of a visitation * 3-6% came because of Bible school activity * .001% came because of TV, Gospel Meetings, or crusades * 70-80% came because a friend or relative who they know, trust, and respect, shared their faith with them. That good old one-to-one contact with an acquaintance still seems to be one of the best approaches. -- Tom ___________________________________________ THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GOSPEL by Bob Hines Back before the Civil War ``Raccoon'' John Smith, a pioneer American preacher, was speaking of the plainness of the gospel of Christ compared to the many varied systems of men's religion. He was handed a note from the audience which said, ``If the gospel is so plain as you say it is, why do you have to labor so hard to get people to understand it?'' Smith replied, ``I have often prepared ground in the wilderness for a turnip patch, and though I had the kindliest of soil, and the best seed, and the sowing was easy, I never got top or root till I took my axe and hoe and briar knife and went in and whacked and grubbed and cleared the ground. The Lord knows that I do not esteem it hard to preach the gospel to those who are prepared to receive it, but it is labor indeed to root out prejudice, and cut out systems, and clear away sectarian trash that cumbers the minds and hearts of the people....'' -- Via Good News ___________________________________________ I like the story of the scrub woman who was accused of teaching the gospel to a wooden Indian. She responded by saying, "Perhaps I did. My eyesight is not good. But talking about Christ to a wooden Indian is not so bad as being a wooden Christian and never talking to anyone about the Lord Jesus." How about us? When was the last time we talked to anyone about the gospel? Remember, it needs to be part of our life as a Christian. -- Tom ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________