____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ February 8, 1998 ____________________________________________________ Resist the Devil by Joe Fitch Resisting the devil is the demand of both James (4:7) and Peter (I Pet. 5:8). But how do we do that? We must have the will to resist. Some so love the world and pleasures of sin that they simply do not want to resist. ''...and the lusts of your father (the devil) ye will do''-- you wish to do (Jn. 8:44). Such people do not resist: they give up--quickly-easily--gladly. God works successfully in man by getting him to ``will and do after His good pleasure'' (Phil 2:13). Nothing replaces ``want to.'' We also need a confident spirit--a ``can do'' attitude. We seldom rise higher than our expectation. Remember Peter? He said, ``Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended...Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee'' (Mt. 26:33,35). He did deny and that before morning. Yet we should not expect him to renounce his claim. Later, Jesus called for him to reaffirm that bold commitment. He told Peter that in the final scene, he would measure up to it (Jn. 21:15-19). And remember Paul's ``I can do...through Christ who strengthens me'' (Phil. 4:13). And we ``can do'' too. We also use scripture to resist. The Bible is not a charm that scares the devil away, but its truth in man enables man to intimidate him. Jesus met the devil with ``It is written'' and the devil left him (Mt. 4:1-f). It is our ``sword'' to fight the devil (Eph. 6:17). The devil's strong delusion overcomes only those who ``love not'' and ``believe not'' the truth (2 Thes. 2:10-12). Prayer helps us resist. The Lord prayed for Peter in his crisis (Lu. 22:32) and told him later to ``watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation (Mk. 14:38). The Lord spent the night before his arrest in prayer. Paul asked brethren to pray for him that he might boldly preach as he ought'' (Eph. 6:18-20). Ask God for help; he knows how to deliver (2 Pet. 2:9). We need wisdom to help us resist. James recommended prayer for wisdom in time of trial (1:5). This is no fool's game! Good judgment is absolutely necessary if we are to defeat the cunning of the devil. Successful resistance demands that we be ``not ignorant of his devices (2 Cor. 2:11). It takes character to resist the devil. That means being ``strong in the Lord'' and ``putting on the whole armor of God.'' The result? We will stand against the wiles of the devil'' and ``withstand in the evil day'' (Eph. 6:10-13). The weak are devoured by Satan. Good character rejects sin. Even in the stress of hot anger, good character will ``sin not...neither give place to the devil'' (Eph. 4:26,27). Paul sent to ``know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you'' (I Thes. 3:5). Therefore, we are urged to ``resist steadfast in the faith" (I Pet. 5:9). Good associations help our resistance to evil (Gal. 6:1) as surely as evil companions corrupt (l Cor. 15:33). Good brethren, ``provoke unto love and good works'' (Heb. 10:24). -- Plain Talk, vol. 19, no. 9, November, 1982 ___________________________________________ Long Life by Roy E. Cogdill The old man had lived to be ninety-five and was still healthy and active. One day a friend asked how he managed to live that long and still be so strong, healthy and active. He said that perhaps a number of things had contributed to it, but one thing really stood out in his mind. He said that he and his wife had been married for sixty-five years; and when they married, they had a little private agreement to the effect that there would be no fussing and quarreling in their house, and if one of them lost his or her temper and was about to blow his top, the other would get up and walk out of the house. He concluded, ``Man, you have no idea what 50 years out in the fresh air and sunshine will do for a man.'' -- Via The Old Path II, January 25, 1998 ___________________________________________ LIVING FOR SELF OR GOD? by Dan Shipley Generally speaking, men's lives are governed by one of two fundamental philosophies: namely, whether to live as self pleases, or to live as God pleases. The apostle Peter alludes to these two lifestyles while encouraging the latter when he says, ''...that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God'' (1 Pet. 4:2). Men will live to the one or the other--for self or for God. It is sobering to contemplate just how the rest of my time in the flesh will be lived. It is something every mortal would do well to consider. As has been noted, our manner of life is governed either by self-will or by divine will. Not that we are always and exclusively influenced by one to the total neglect of the other. Bad men will often do some good things and good men will occasionally do bad. However, that which governs our lives is that which has the predominant decisive influence. As a free moral agent, each man will determine his own priorities. He does not have to be the servant of sin! (Rom. 6:16-18)--but neither does God predestine or preserve him as a servant of righteousness. It is what a man wants to do; what he wants to be, that determines his priorities and the principles by which he will be governed. Accordingly, Jesus tells certain Jews, ``Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do'' (Jn. 8:44). And to others like them He says, ''...how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!'' (Matt. 23:37). They did as they pleased and in disregard for what pleased the Lord. In writing to the saints at Ephesus, Paul reminds them of a time in which ``we also all lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind....'' (2:3). This was their lifestyle, but it had changed because they had changed. It was no longer their desire to ``live to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.'' So men can change their will--and they do so as they change their minds in true repentance. Repentance is an effect of faith and faith comes from hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17; Jo. 20:31). Therefore, as a man will hear and learn the will of God (Jo. 6:45), he can alter his own will and, consequently, his lifestyle. This is what Paul calls being ``transformed by the renewing of your mind'' (Rom. 12:2). Every true Christian has been thusly changed. It is a change of faith, effected by the powerful word of God (Rom. 1:16)--nothing else can produce such faith or bring about such change. But, we must remember that a changed mind, in itself, does not mean a changed relationship with God. The alien sinner still must have forgiveness of sins and such is possible only in baptism. Because sins are washed away in baptism (Acts 22:16), it becomes the point of transition from a lost to a saved state. From such faith as will express itself in repentance and baptism comes remission of sins (Acts 2:38) and, thus, newness of life (Rom. 6:4). What better way to live ``the rest of your time in the flesh''? -- Via Plain Talk, vol. 18, no. 9, November, 1981 ___________________________________________ KENTUCKY FUNERAL by Robert F. Turner This story came right out of the heart of my native Kentucky, and I may have scooped Joe Creason with it. A well-known preacher of the past generation was hurriedly called to preach the funeral of one of two brothers. He had known the two men well in past years and knew John to be an irresponsible, sinful man, the very antithesis of his brother Ned. John was the town drunkard; Ned was an elder in the church, patiently doing what he could to care for John's neglected family, and uphold the family name. The preacher felt that the contrast of the two lives was so well understood, even by the family, that any attempt to gloss John's sinful life with funeral oratory would be inexcusable hypocrisy. So he chose a direct and factual course. ``Now we all know the kind of man John was, and our sympathy for his family cannot change the truth. He cheated many of you in business and drank up or gambled away the money that should have gone to his family. He was selfish, ugly-tempered, and a terrible...'' The preacher paused as he noticed a man in the audience wave his hand in a ``shhh'' signal and shake his head negatively. But the preacher was determined to persist in the course he had started. He continued, ``John had no time to serve the Lord. He made no preparations for death or judgment.'' By now the man in the audience was waving frantically, so he stopped and addressed the objector. ``Well Sir, if you have something good to say for the deceased John, say on.'' ``I have nothing good to say for John,'' the man replied. ``But John ain't deceased. He's sitting over there with the family, and the man in the coffin is Ned.'' If my informant is correct, the preacher remained calm, and turning to the family, said, ``I'm very sorry about this. But John, you should realize that unless you change your ways, this is the way an honest preacher would have to preach your funeral.'' It makes a better story to stop two paragraphs back; but here I am, wondering what happened to John. You see, I take these Kentucky stories seriously. I'm also wondering if that preacher was ever invited to preach another funeral in that section. -- Via Plain Talk, "Stuff About Things," vol. 8, no. 9, November, 1971 ___________________________________________ Call Today For One of Our FREE BIBLE COURSES We would be happy to enroll you right away! ___________________________________________ WHAT TO DO IF YOU DISAGREE by Greg Gwin From time to time, as we listen to sermons or attend Bible classes, something will be said with which we disagree. What should we do when this happens? First, be sure that you properly understood what was said. It might be that you simply didn't hear what the other person was saying. Changing a single word can sometimes drastically alter the meaning of a sentence. Also, expressions taken out of context can lead to conclusions that were never intended. Take notes, re-listen to the sermon on tape, study the Scriptures that were referenced in the lesson -- many potential problems will be resolved in this way. Additionally, give the benefit of the doubt to your brother who is doing the teaching. Love actually demands this (1 Cor. 13:5). Do not automatically assume the worst. If questions linger, it is best to go directly to the one who has done the teaching. Too often we complain or criticize to others, but never to the one who supposedly made the error. This is simply not right! Wait for a good opportunity (right after the lesson in front of other people is usually not the best time), or set up an appointment. Calmly discuss your concerns with the man face-to-face. If we do this, the vast majority of misunderstandings will be quickly settled. Finally, in the few cases where the matter is not remedied by these initial steps, it will be necessary to press the matter further. If error has been taught, we cannot remain quiet. We must oppose and expose the false teaching (Galatians 2:5,11-13). But even in this type of situation, we should be careful to conduct ourselves in a way that will make it easy for the erring brother to acknowledge his mistake and make correction (2 Timothy 2:25,26). Disagreements are certain to arise. Let's be sure we handle all such situations properly as we endeavor ``to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace'' (Ephesians 4:3). -- Via The Hardie's Chapel Herald, January 1998 ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES CORRECTION: I've been using several articles recently from an old publication entitled ``Plain Talk,'' with many writings of Robert F. Turner. For some reason, I mistakenly sited some of these in The Gospel Observer as being from ``Plain Truth.'' I apologize for this error. Due to weather conditions, we were not able to meet last Wednesday night for our midweek service. MY NEW ADDRESS: I'm now at 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, KY 41101 -- though still not completely moved over. The landlord has been letting the church and I use the 713 13th Street house rent-free for January and February, but we must be out by the end of February. My phone -- though not installed yet -- should still be the same: (606) 325-9742. ________________________________________ 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@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________