____________________________________________________ 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 22, 1996 ____________________________________________________ "I Demand My Rights!" (Mantras of the 90's: Mantra #12) by Warren E. Berkley It is fashionable and politically correct in our society to enter into a campaign or struggle to gain or assert your rights. And nobody can dispute there are certain rights that should be available to us as citizens; there is a legitimate claim to freedom we should have. But here's what has happened: we start out with a principle that is valid, but there is the temptation to get carried away! We get our hands on some value, principle or observation that is correct and undisputed. But there seems to be a tendency to take that undisputed truth and exaggerate it, overstate it, and then go wild with all the ramifications. So today it seems like every group, every sub-culture or cult or people with some eccentric lifestyle or distinction CAN BE HEARD MAKING A LOT OF NOISE ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS. There is in our society RIGHTS-MANIA! An obsession with individual rights often severed from any emphasis on responsibility. We hear people saying... ``I Demand My Rights!'' Part of this is a tendency toward personal autonomy. There seems to be this tendency in us to disregard God's direction and ``strike out'' on our own without restrictions or restraint. There is this common tendency toward personal autonomy or self-rule...and illustrations of this are too numerous to deny. You see this everywhere: on our bumper stickers, in magazines and newspapers, self-help books, seminars, talk shows and in our music. A few years ago the popular phrase was, ``DO YOUR OWN THING.'' Several observers called the 1980's the ``Me Generation.'' Man seems driven to try to pilot his own course to happiness without God and without the laws and principles God has given for us. There is this tendency toward personal autonomy. We want to claim our rights and live in some sort of fantasy world without restrains or requirements. And sometimes we get so entangled in this self-centered way of life that how we want to live determines our view of religion and God...instead of the other way around. So we insist upon our rights. What I want to say about all of that is very simple: GOD HAS RIGHTS TOO!! In the news or in conversations this past week, I suspect you've heard about somebody's rights. I bet you didn't hear very much about GOD'S RIGHT. GOD HAS RIGHTS! In Gen. 1:1, you know how the Bible begins: ``In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth'' (Genesis 1:1, KJV). That verse tells us something we need to know about ``the heaven and the earth.'' But this opening sentence has another purpose: It tells us about God as the Creator. Did you know the word ``created'' in Gen. 1:1 is a Hebrew word that never applies to man; it is a verb beyond human action; ONLY GOD CAN CREATE. He brought everything into existence--just by saying the word. Once we acknowledge God as the Creator, a corollary to that confession is--GOD HAS RIGHTS! We're talking about the right of the Creator over the created. And so it says in Romans 9:21, ''Hath not the potter power over the clay...?'' Over the past several years there is a word that has become a prominent part of our vocabulary: EMPOWERMENT. People in asserting their rights want to be empowered. God is empowered because He is God, the Almighty Creator--''Hath not the potter power over the clay?'' God has rights. ``'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts''' (Isa. 55:8,9, NKJV). Sometimes we get all mixed up. We think of something; we imagine something; we desire something--then we leap to the conclusion that God certainly must agree with us. We make our thoughts His thoughts. But Isaiah tells us what God says: ''...My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,'' says the Lord! We have no right to impose our thoughts upon God. In fact and point of truth--THE THOUGHTS AND WAYS OF GOD ARE HIGHER THAN THE THOUGHTS AND WAYS OF MEN...God Has Rights. So, if we're going to talk about rights--here is a legitimate right possessed by the Creator because He is the Creator and Sustainer of life: GOD HAS THE RIGHT TO MAKE THE LAWS THAT SHOULD GOVERN US, and we should be thankful and happy He has revealed His will to us. I can know what's right and wrong. I can use God's law to set my priorities. I can know how to think, speak and live. THIS IS FUNDAMENTAL--the right of God to make the laws to govern us from day to day. What is your response? ___________________________________________ What The World Needs by Bob Buchanon Several years ago a preacher in California announced that he would speak the next Lord's Day over the radio on the subject of ``Heaven.'' During that week the preacher received a letter from an old man who was very ill. In this letter was one of the most beautiful expressions of faith that one can have the privilege to read. I have used this story several times and would like to share here, a portion of the old gentleman's letter: ``Next Sunday you are to talk about heaven. I am interested in the land, because I have a clear title to a bit of property there for over 55 years. I did not buy it. It was given to me without money and without price. But the donor purchased it for me at a tremendous sacrifice. I am not holding it for speculation since the title is not transferable. It is not a vacant lot. For more than half a century I have been sending material out of which the greatest architect and builder of the universe has been building a home for me, which will never need to be repaired because it will suit me perfectly, individually and will never grow old. ``Termites can never undermine its foundations for they rest upon the Rock of Ages. Fire cannot destroy it. Floods cannot wash it away. No locks or bolts will ever be placed upon its doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that land where my dwelling stands, now almost completed and almost ready for me to enter it and abide in peace eternally, without fear of being ejected. There is a valley of deep shadows between the place where I live in California and that to which I shall journey in a very short time. I cannot reach my home in that city of God without passing through that dark valley of shadows. But I am not afraid, because the best Friend that I ever had went through the same valley long ago and drove away all its gloom. He has stuck by me through thick and thin since we first became acquainted 55 years ago, and I hold His promise in printed form, never to forsake nor to leave me alone. He will be with me as I walk through the valley of the shadows, and I shall not lose my way when He is with me. ``I hope to hear your sermon on `Heaven' next Sunday from my home in Los Angeles, California, but I have no assurance that I shall be able to do so. My ticket to heaven has no date marked for the journey--no return coupon--and no permit for baggage. Yes, I am all ready to go and I may not be here while you are talking next Sunday evening, but I shall meet you there some day.'' This old world of ours needs faith. It is what every member of the church needs. Faith is what I need. Our society is filled with religious teachers spreading doubt about the existence of the living God, certainty of the resurrection, the infallibility of the Bible as God's will to man, and the reality of eternal life and eternal hell. We need the faith and hope of the New Testament--''looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ'' (Titus 2:13). Hope is simply faith directed toward the future. Do you have faith and hope in your life? -- Via Stand, November 1996 ___________________________________________ Another Modern Parable Now it came to pass that a certain rich man invited a certain church man to lunch, and they went to a popular restaurant. The waiter was very efficient, and the food was good. As they arose to depart, the church man observed that his host laid some coins under the edge of the plate. And the waiter, who stood by, smiled happily; which being interpreted, meant that the tip was satisfactory. Now, with such customs not all are familiar and this parable entereth not into the merits or demerits of tipping. But the church man began to meditate on those coins. He well knew that the proverbial tip must be at least a tithe, lest the waiter turn against you. And it came to him that few people so honor their God as they honor their waiter. For they give the waiter the tithe, but they give unto God whatsoever little they can spare! Verily, doth man fear his waiter more than he feareth his GOD? And doth he love God less than he loveth his waiter? Truly, a man and his money are past understanding! -- Author unknown (Stand November 1996) ___________________________________________ News & Notes Christine Stambaugh underwent her second surgery for breast cancer December 18, followed by a few days stay in the hospital. Let us continue to pray for her complete and speedy recovery. David Girardot writes: ``Jerry Merten's condition is critical. He is now bedridden, and losing more feeling in his upper body. His pain medication has been doubled. Pray for him.'' And as Larry and Melissa Mills includes: ''...he is in such bad condition, that they hope he will make it through the week, to be able to see his daughter after her finals are completed...He is ready to meet the Lord, though, and we can be thankful for that!'' Mark Copeland forwarded the following message from Forrest Moyer: ``In response to several flying rumors and questions: I will undergo open heart surgery on Wednesday, Dec. 18, for a quintuple by-pass surgery (There are six veins blocked but they will combine two into one bypass--so they will do five bypasses). Keep me in your prayers. -- Forrest'' Richard Beebe submits the following information about Homer Walker Sr.: ``Homer is in Bakersfield at Homer Jr's house and is in very poor health. They are trying to build up his strength to undergo an angioplasty or bypass. I believe he is 84 or 85 now. He has come down with the flu or a bad cold.'' We salute our visitors with a warm, hearty greeting. Please come be with us again! You are always welcome. For a free Bible course, additional information about our services, or any other question, write or call us today! We would be happy to hear from you. ___________________________________________ Some Quotes Worth Pondering... ``By taking revenge of an injury, a man is only even with his enemy; by passing it over, he is superior.'' -- Alexander Campbell ``Happiness is inward and not outward. It does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.'' ``One of the best forms of spiritual exercise is to touch the floor regularly with your knees.'' ``Count your blessings, not your woes.'' -- Via Good News ___________________________________________ "O God, Thou has taught me from my youth; and I still declare Thy wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Thy strength to this generation, Thy power to all who come. For Thy righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, Thou who has done great things; O God, who is like Thee?" (Psalm 71:17-19) ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________