____________________________________________________ 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 15, 1996 ____________________________________________________ Are You Hungry? by Alan Jones In I Peter 2:2, the apostle wrote, ``As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.'' Anyone who has been around a newborn infant for any length of time knows the singleness of mind that they have at all hours of the night and day! A young child's cry will not cease until their hunger has been satisfied, and their mother's milk provides all of the essentials they need to grow and become strong. I have friends who have recently visited Russia, and they report a tremendous hungering for the Bible in a country where even owning a Bible was considered a crime worthy of imprisonment at hard labor. Could it be that we in this country have been taking the Bible for granted? What about you? Do you ``desire the pure milk of the word'' as a newborn baby does? Are you hungry--or have you lost your appetite to know right from wrong? What is your attitude toward the Bible? Is it something you treasure, or something you take for granted? King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:12, ``The writing of many books is endless''. Each year tens of thousands of new books are added to the untold number already in print. Why, since so many new works are being written, should you read the Bible? First, the Bible says about itself in II Timothy 3:16-17: ``All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.'' Second, the fact that you are able to own a Bible shows the hand of God at work. For thousands of years, men have faithfully copied God's word as written in the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages, languages whose very structure was ``locked'' by God after the writing of the books of the Bible to insure accuracy of translation. Is it accurate? Actually, we have not five or six, but hundreds of ancient copies of the Bible which perfectly match with each other. (For instance, the so-called ``Dead Sea Scrolls'' found in the late 1940's were identical to the other ancient manuscripts already in our possession, including the sixteen-hundred-year-old copy on display in the British Museum in London!) Because we have so many ancient copies from so many different parts of the world, there is no doubt that the Bible we have is unchanged from times of old. And because the words of the Bible were written in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, we can be confident that we understand the meaning. This is why the Bible is so easy to translate into so many languages for people throughout the world to read. God planned it that way. The Bible has done more than survive--it thrives! It continues to be the number one selling book on the planet and parts of it have been translated into over 1500 languages. Historian Philip Schaff, speaking of Jesus and His New Testament, wrote, ``Without writing a single line, He set more pens in motion and furnished them for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.'' When Christianity began, it was growing fast and taking followers away from Judaism. In Acts 5:17-42, we read that the Jewish Council met to decide what should be done to stop its progress. One of their number, Gamaliel, a well respected doctor of the Jewish law, took the floor. He related that various movements had arisen in the past but had come to nothing. He argued that Christianity should be left alone. He said that if Christianity was from men it would be overthrown, but if it was of God they would be fighting God, and could not possibly win. His words were obviously proven right! Although the Bible was written by about 40 men over a time span of well over 1,500 years, there is a unity of facts, purpose and teaching in all of the individual books. The Bible uses the word ``mystery'' to describe the thread which ties it together: man's salvation from his awful sin through the life (and the foretold death) of God's only begotten Son, Jesus (Ephesians 1:9-10). Why does the Bible refer to this thread as a ``mystery''? As in the entertaining ``mystery'' books of popular reading, clues are given as you follow along in the narrative, but the final outcome is never revealed until the end of the book. Such is the case with the Bible! The Bible is a wonderful gift from God, telling us His plan for all men to be free from sin and guilt and to be restored to fellowship with Him. The Bible could not have possibly been devised by 40 men over fifteen centuries. One mind had to have been behind it all...God's! Do you take His wonderful gift for granted? Certainly the Bible's internal proof should capture your attention, and even more, you should see that God has designed it to fulfill your deepest need, your insatiable, adult hunger to know the answers to the questions of life: ``Why are we here on this earth, and what purpose do we serve?'' The answers are found within the pages of the Bible! -- Via The Shield of Faith (December 10, 1996) ___________________________________________ Think Positive, And You Can Do Anything! (Mantras Of The 90's--Mantras #11) by Warren E. Berkley Owing to the influence of human potential thinking, secular humanism, the New Age movement and other things, there is the widespread belief that thinking positive conquers everything; and some are convinced: thinking you can accomplish something will reduce or eliminate the impact of any negative or unforeseen factors. Think Positive, And You Can Do Anything! Yet, Biblical teaching is clear: THERE ARE SOME THINGS MAN CANNOT DO; THERE ARE SOME POWERS THE HUMAN MIND DOES NOT HAVE, AND CANNOT ATTAIN... And, BELIEVING IN IMPOSSIBLE THINGS DOESN'T MAGICALLY MAKE THOSE THINGS COME TO PASS, OR CANCEL THE RELEVANT VARIABLES. There are some things man cannot do: (1) Adam was driven out of the garden and could not return (Gen. 3:24). I can just imagine Adam being counseled by Robert Schuller. ``Adam, you just think you can't go back into that garden. You need to visualize yourself walking into that garden. That cherubim and flaming sword is only a figment of your imagination, tainted by your low self-esteem.'' Yet the Bible says, Adam was driven out and could not return. The power of positive thinking would have been of no avail. (2) The rich man, in Luke 16:26, could not pass ``from Tartarus to Paradise.'' There was a ``great gulf fixed.'' Humanistic counselors want to say, ``believe, and you will achieve.'' Still, the rich man would have run right into that great gulf. (3) Jesus said that man CANNOT serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). No human potential seminar can change this stubborn fact. (4) Jesus told His disciples on more than one occasion: ``Where I go, you cannot come!'' (Jno. 8:21; 13:33). While there was a faith these men were to have, it wasn't ``faith'' in their own potential to do what Jesus said they couldn't do! And... (5) Jeremiah tells us that MAN CANNOT DIRECT HIS OWN STEPS (Jer. 10:23). These facts are not given to discourage legitimate persistence, a positive attitude or the ``can do'' spirit that motivates hard work. The point of all this evidence is: Believing in impossible things doesn't magically make those things happen! All Bible students will acknowledge these two facts: (1) The Bible commends to us the excellence and necessity of faith, and (2) Biblical faith is characterized by power (See: Heb. 11:6; Rom. 1:16,17; 1 Jno. 5:4 and Jno. 7:38). Yet in these great propositions--and in view of the widespread misuse of the word ``faith'' by human potential advocates--there are two clarifications we must hasten to assert: ONE, Biblical faith must be carefully defined. ``Faith'' (in the context of positive mental attitude and human potential) may have reference to believing you will achieve, or visualizing success, or ignoring negative factors. This is not the faith of New Testament Christianity! Real biblical faith is convinced that the claims of Christ are true (Acts 8:37), rests on the certainty of God's promises (Rom. 4:21), and produces the works of obedience to God's Word (Heb. 11:7,8; Jas. 2:14-26). There is a big difference between ``faith'' in human potential, and believing you can accomplish your goals--and FAITH in Christ that obeys the gospel! The faith of New Testament Christianity ``should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God,'' (1 Cor. 2:5). The location of faith's power is in God, His Word, His Son and the facts of the gospel. TWO, THE POWER OF BIBLICAL FAITH is not the ability to fulfill your dreams and climb the ladder of worldly success! In the preaching I have done against the Human Potential Gospel, and the exaggerated Positive Mental Attitude, I've been charged with the sin of denying the power of faith. NO! What I'm trying to do is clarify what the real power of faith is, according to the Scriptures. The power of faith is: the power to resist temptation (1 Pet. 5:8,9; 1 Jno. 5:4; Eph. 6:16); the power of prayer (Jas. 1:6; 1 Jno. 3:22; 5:14,15; Jas. 4:3); the power of stability and moral courage (2 Cor. 1:24; Jas. 1:3); and the foundation to build character (2 Pet. 1:5-11). By faith we are saved from sin, and by faith we cling to the hope of a heavenly inheritance. The Human Potential use of the word ``faith'' is temporal, anti scriptural and spiritually destructive. ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES I heard from Bobbie Beasley recently who has been living in Jesup, Georgia, for a while now. She used to be a former member with us for about 9 years and says she thinks about us every day, prays for us, and hopes we are each doing well. I know some of you have been asking about her. She is doing fine, still working, attending church, and sounding very well. On a sadder note, I received the following message by Pete Wilson (which was forwarded by Mark Copeland): ``On Sunday afternoon at 3:15 pm on December 8, 1996, Peter J. Wilson passed from this life and went home to be with his Lord Jesus Christ. He could not have had a more peaceful death, he was at home with his family where he wanted to spend his last days. He said just prior to his death, 'My labor is over...' His doctors commented that they believed his swift decline was due to his being so ready to go. This was his testimony and the legacy of faith that he leaves behind to his wife, Irene, to his children, grandchildren and the thousands of people that have been touched by his faithful proclamation of the gospel of Jesus for the past 54 years. For those in the Oregon, Washington area, the memorial service will be held Friday, December 13, 1996 at Evergreen Memorial Gardens at 10:00 AM. ``Email messages sent to me (Pete Wilson) at pwilson@georgefox.edu will be forwarded to my mother. (The funeral home is located on NE 112th, off Mill Plain Blvd & I-205 in Vancouver, Washington).'' We, at the Tri-state church of Christ, also extend our sympathy to the friends and family. We had 27 different visitors for November. Call or write to... 1) receive a free Bible course 2) make an appointment to see Bible film slides in your home 3) receive directions to our services 4) obtain a ride to church (provided by a member) 5) ask a Bible question 6) find out more about us ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, 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@wwd.net ________________________________________