____________________________________________________ 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 3, 1994 ____________________________________________________ "Always" by Billy Norris God's religion has always been an ``always'' religion. Concerning the children of Israel God said, ``O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever'' (Deut. 5:29). Again, he said, ''...learn to fear the Lord thy God always'' (Deut. 14:23). There Are Some Things Christ Requires His Disciples To Do Always Pray. In one of his parables Christ taught ``that men ought always to pray and not to faint'' (Luke 18:1). In giving warning concerning the cares of this life Jesus exhorted his disciples to ``Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man'' (Luke 21:36). Prayer was a vital part of the life of Christ. He prayed when he was baptized (Luke 3:21), all night before he chose his apostles (Luke 6:12-16), when he was transfigured (Luke 9:29-30). In the garden of Gethsemane, just before his death, he prayed with such earnestness, his sweat dropped to the ground as if it were great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). His last words before death were, ``Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit'' (Luke 23:46). Following both the teaching and the example of Christ, the Christian ``ought always to pray and not to faint.'' Give thanks. Paul admonished Christians to give ``thanks always for all things unto God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:20). Also, ``In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you'' (1 Thess. 5:18). Again, Christ sets the example in giving thanks. He thanked his Father for food (John 6:11). He thanked his Father for hearing his prayer (John 11:41). God has never been pleased with pride and ingratitude. When Nebuchadnezzar had become a mighty king, he took all credit for himself for his might, his glory, his possessions: ``Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?'' But, even while he spoke God took the kingdom from him, and for a time made him live with the beasts of the field until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails as birds' claws. After this dreadful experience Nebuchadnezzar said, ``Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase'' (Daniel 4:28-37). Since every gift is from above, we need to thank God for every morsel of food, every breath of air, and above all for the hope of eternal salvation which we have through Christ Jesus. Be ready to give answer. ``But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear'' (1 Peter 3:15). If one is to give a scriptural answer for that which he believes, that which he believes must be based on the scriptures, not on doctrines foreign to the word of God. Not only so, but if one is to give a scriptural answer for that which he believes, he must have adequate knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. A young lady said, ``I believe that salvation is by faith only. I believe this because I have been taught it all my life.'' One would have a most difficult task in proving from the scriptures that salvation is by faith only, when the scriptures say that salvation is by grace (Rom. 3:24), by blood (Rom. 5:9), by the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-2), by faith (Rom. 5:1), by hope (Rom. 8:24), by works ( Jas. 2:24), by baptism (1 Peter 3:21). The only time ``faith only'' is found in the scriptures, the passage says specifically that one is not saved by faith only. ``Ye see how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only'' (Jas. 2:24). When one's faith is based on the scriptures, he can be ready always to give reason for the hope that is within him. Speak with grace. ``Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man'' (Col. 4:6). It is not enough for the Christian to refrain from corrupt speech. He must be sure that his speech edifies and gives grace to those who hear. ``Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers'' (Eph. 5:29). Vulgarity, lying, slander, gossip, backbiting, profanity fall into the category of the corrupt, and therefore, of the forbidden. Words of comfort, of sympathy, of encouragement, of understanding, or praise edify and give grace. It is a very great disappointment when the foul mouth of one who claims to be a Christian shows clearly that he is not. Rejoice. ``Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice'' (Phil. 4:4). Not a lawbreaker, and yet in prison, Paul could have been overwhelmed by discouragement and hopelessness; instead he spoke of his joy (Phil. 4:1). Facing the horror of the cross Christ also spoke of his joy (John 15:11). The agony of the cross could not obliterate his joy--''who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross...'' (Heb. 12:2). Faithfulness in serving God is the formula for happiness. ``Blessed (happy) is the man who...'' Take time to read Psalm 1 and Matthew 5:3-12. Abound in the work of the Lord. ``Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord'' (1 Cor. 15:58). The task is great. The Christian has a world to evangelize (Mark 16:15), a formidable enemy to overcome (James 4:7), a perfect example to emulate (1 Pet. 2:21-22). All can be accomplished by ``always abounding in the work of the Lord.'' What Christ Does Always ``And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world'' (Matt. 28:20). We may sometimes falter in that which we are to do always in the service of our Savior, but we can be sure that Christ will never fail in this promise that he has made to his disciples. He has assured, ``I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me'' (Heb. 13:5-6). -- Via The Harvester, July 2, 1995 ___________________________________________ Adding a ``Cubit'' to a Life's Span by Tom Edwards The Lord made an interesting remark in Matthew 6:27 (and its parallel verse, Luke 12:25). In the context, He speaks of our need as Christians to trust our heavenly Father to provide us with the physical necessities of life. It is then in these verses cited that the Lord says, ``And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?'' As we have come to understand, the ``cubit'' is a linear measure of approximately 18 inches; and this might, therefore, sound a little confusing, as if the Lord is mixing ``apples with oranges'' for associating ``lengths of distance'' with ``lengths of time.'' But this is simply a metaphorical way of expressing a short extension to one's life. Though the King James and New King James versions have translated this as a cubit in relation to one's ``stature,'' other translations render it as referring to time rather than one's height. For example, the New International Version reads, ``Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?'' And the New American Standard, as well as the Revised Standard Version, speaks of it as adding a ``cubit'' to a ``life's span'' or ``span of life,'' respectively. Figuratively, we can liken a cubit to a short measure of time; but it can also be said that there is a relationship between distance and time. We have our linear measures of height, width, and length; and we also speak of time as being the ``fourth dimension.'' It is interesting to realize that even when we are ``motionless,'' we are still traveling at great speeds in various directions, and actually covering vast distances. As it has been pointed out, we are traveling in at least six different ways: 1) the earth spins on its axis at a 1,000 m.p.h.; 2) the earth orbits the sun at 66,600 m.p.h.; 3) the earth tilts back and forth for the seasons, tilting at up to 23 degrees; 4) the sun and its planets are rushing northward at 43,200 m.p.h.; 5) the nearby stars and our planetary system are revolving around the Milky Way's center at about 468,000 m.p.h.; 6) and our galaxy is plunging through space at an astronomical speed. As we consider these speeds and distances, as we realize that in just one day we have traveled 1,598,400 miles in our orbit around the sun or 1,684,800,000 miles in our journey around the Milky Way's center, what is a cubit's distance along the way?! Traveling at 130 miles per second (as we do in our trip around the Milky Way's center), a cubit wouldn't even be noticed. How brief it is; at this last speed mentioned, a cubit's distance would flash by us in just .00000218531468531 of a second; and in just one second, the distance of 457,600 cubits would be almost instantaneously traversed. Yet we do not have the ability to add even one ``cubit'' more to our life's span after death has come--that's the real cruncher. This is not to say that man never has any bearing on his own longevity. Surely, there are many factors in the way we take care of ourselves--or don't take care--that can effect the amount of years our earth life will have. And then again, there have been numerous people who have very well taken care of themselves, but still have passed on prematurely, whether through accidents, diseases, or other causes. Apparently, what Jesus is teaching is that we, as Christians, are not to be overly worried for our necessities, such as even needful food to sustain our bodies and clothing to cover them, for these worrisome thoughts will not add even one split second to our life's span. Of course, we who are Christians realize that we have a part of us which is subject to no other time than eternity: Our souls do not age with the years. They are eternal. We, therefore, need to concentrate more on where these souls of ours will spend their eternity; rather, then expending all our time concerned about only these perishable tabernacles of flesh in which we temporarily dwell upon this brief planet. As Jesus states in Mark 8:36, ``For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?'' It's a rhetorical question, and the answer is obvious: there is nothing man could ever gain that would make it worth losing his own soul over. Again and again, this principle is stressed in God's word: we need to exalt the spiritual above the physical; and the eternal, above the temporary. We need to ``keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God'' (Col. 3:1). Being overly anxious will probably do more harm than good, but to have a certain degree of concern can motivate us to do what is best for our lives while here on earth; and for our souls and their eternal destination. Luke 12:32: ``Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.'' Matthew 6:33, ``But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.'' ___________________________________________ More Weights, Measures and Money Values by Tom Edwards 1. According to John 2:6 in the King James Version, the ``six waterpots of stone'' contained ``two or three firkins apiece.'' How much is one firkin? 2. In Matthew 13:33 (in the KJV), Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of meal. ``Measures'' is from the Greek word ``saton,'' which is said to be the same as the Hebrew ``seah.'' Three measures of meal would, therefore, equal about how many pecks? about how many dry pints? 3. Jesus spoke a parable in Matthew 18:23-35, in which two people owed a debt. The first man's debt was ``ten thousand talents''; and the slave who had been indebted to him, owed him ``a hundred denarii.'' If this talent was the common, heavy silver talent, what was the total worth of 10,000 of these (in dollars)? And, in comparison, how much had the other fellow owed him (in dollars)? 4. In Matthew 17:24, mention is made of the ``tribute money.'' From verse 27, we can infer that it's value was half of what? 5. Incidentally, the NASB translates ``tribute money'' in Matthew 17:24 as ``the two-drachma tax.'' How much is two drachmai in cents? Answers: 1) 10 gallons 2) 2.5 pecks; 39.96 dry pints 3) 19.2 million dollars; $16 4) a stater 5) 32 cents ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________