____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ January 10, 1999 ____________________________________________________ Why Saints Assemble by Robert F. Turner ``Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together--'' (Heb. 10:25) is a clear statement of God's will in the matter; and some babes in Christ may ``go to church'' compelled by fear of God's wrath. This is a legitimate motive, albeit one that is less needed by the more mature Christian. The collective action of saints, with its attendant assemblings, is far more than a self-justifying end. It grows out of the basic character of saints, and their God-appointed purposes. Early Christians were ``together'' ``with one accord'' (Acts 2:44-46). A closeness and singleness of purpose such as theirs brought them together physically, just as it will bring true Christians together today. They gravitated toward one another for prayer as fishermen gather to discuss lures; they had a common interest and object of worship. They loved the truth, and their ``delight'' was in the law of the Lord (Matt. 5:6 Psm. 1:2). When people are hungry, they do not have to be urged to go where there is food; nor do they eat ``because of a sense of duty.'' Faithful Christians had great respect and veneration for Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:23-f)--hence, welcomed opportunity to participate in the memorial supper. Their hearts were warmed and faith renewed as they worshipped ``in remembrance of'' Christ. Each one's concern for his own spiritual welfare, as well as that of fellow Christians, was reflected in the assembling. In Heb. 10:23-25 note how ``let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering'' is related to their gathering together. And because ``every man according to his ability, determined-'' the making of a common treasury brought them together (Acts 11:29; 1 Cor. l6:1-3). A pooled fund is the means of exchange by which a plurality of saints act as one to do God's will. Some early churches were so anxious to do God's work they begged Paul to take their offering (2 Cor. 8:4). The next verse explains this eagerness: they had given themselves to the Lord. Saints today assemble for these same reasons. I do not refer to those who occasionally ``attend'' worship; I mean those who worship with regularity, the faithful few or many. The indifferent and the hypocrites make excuses; perhaps even try to make some ``logical'' argument, as, ``I can worship God, being alone.'' Of course what one could do, being alone, is hardly the question. The hypocrite is seldom alone (i.e., there are other saints within reach) and if one were alone there is little reason to believe he would worship God. Such people usually compound their wrong by lying--to others, to themselves, and to God. If you are a ``oncer'' (once-a-week) or worse, allow yourself a moment of truly honest self-inspection. Can you believe that one who loves his brethren because they are brethren, who delights in Bible study, has deep respect for the Lord's Supper, and is truly concerned for God's work and his own soul, would ``do as you do''?? -- Via Plain Talk, June 1964 ___________________________________________ MAINTAINING OUR MARRIAGES by Greg Gwin My friend Ted Fisher once pulled into a gas station and asked the attendant to check the oil in his car. Ted asked, ``How is it?'' The attendant said, ``Filthy!'' You see, Ted hadn't learned about the importance of preventive maintenance. Cars, and other things, too, need regular attention and care. Our marriages are like that. If not cared for and nurtured, they can begin to crumble and fall apart. Let us suggest a couple of important areas that need constant attention: 1) Never forget that you are involved in a life-long relationship. Too many have the view that if things don't work out exactly to their liking, they will simply divorce and find another mate. With this outlook they are destined to fail, because no marriage is perfect and no marriage partner is flawless. On the wedding day, and every day thereafter, we must be committed to this principle: ``What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder'' (Matt. 19:6). Fulfilling this commitment will require us to learn about true love -- as opposed to simple physical passion. True love is learned (Titus 2:4), and can be re-learned. Passion can fade, but true love grows stronger and stronger. 2) Realize that self-sacrifice is essential to a successful marriage. Too often husbands are only concerned with their own selfish interests. Wives only submit when it pleases them to do so. Read Ephesians 5:22-29 to get an accurate picture of how things ought to be. Remember that one of the basic characteristics of true love is that it ``seeketh not her own'' (1 Cor. 13:5). A happy marriage is a great blessing from God. We should work hard to keep ours in good repair! ___________________________________________ Is There A Need For Continuing Revelation? by Kent E. Heaton, Sr. When man approaches God, he must ask himself whether God has given him everything he needs for salvation or whether God must continue to reveal Himself to man with further revelations. God manifests himself to man in two ways: natural revelation and special revelation. In natural revelation, God unfolds His majesty through the agency of nature and the world about us. Paul spoke of this natural revelation in Romans 1:20, ``For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.'' Man will not be able to stand before God and say that he was unable to know the existence of God. In the very basic nature of the world God has revealed Himself by the things that are made. If man rejects this knowledge, he will be lost. Paul declared in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, ``To give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.'' No man will be able to stand before God with an excuse! The second manner that God has revealed Himself is through ``Special Revelation.'' This type of revelation goes beyond the elements of this world to reveal the character and message of God. Through special revelation, God reveals to man His will and how man must approach Him. The first example of special revelation is when God gave commandments to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:16-17. Later, when the children of Israel became a nation, God instructed Moses to write down the law (Exodus 24:1-8). The kings of Israel were instructed to write the law with their own hand to abide by its commands (Deuteronomy 17:18-20) The apostle Peter affirms the message of these holy men in 2 Peter 1:20-21, ``Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.'' God revealed His will to men so they could read and understand His will. Paul shows this process of revelation in Ephesians 3:3,4 - ``How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).'' The question we must ask today is whether God is able to reveal Himself to man in the written word conclusively throughout generations upon generations or whether He must continue to reveal Himself through special revelation until time is no more? Many in the religious world suppose that God is unable to reveal Himself without continuing revelations today. An understanding of the meaning of revelation will clarify this. A revelation is a revealing of something that was previously unknown. If God reveals something to man today that is already written in His word, there is no revelation. If God reveals something that is not in the written word, that would be a revelation. There are numerous passages in the N.T. that anticipated the completed written revelation of God's will to man. Hebrews 2:1-4 says there is no excuse for ignorance and neglect. 2 Peter 1:1-4 says we can only be as complete as our available knowledge. 1 Peter 3:11 affirms that the oracles of God were established. Jude reminds us in verse 3 that the faith was once for all delivered to the saints. According to Galatians 1:8,9, all systems of continual revelations must maintain either that the Scriptures are not accurately translated or are not complete. If there is continual revelation today, the Bible is a hoax and God is a liar. The reason that men today seek continual revelation is not to teach the will of God but to teach the will of man. In the realm of continual revelation, man becomes God. The God that I serve is a God who is able to reveal Himself in the written word and preserve it for all mankind. Glory to God for His power. ___________________________________________ "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). ___________________________________________ Daily Bible Message #1 Everything we parents do influences our children. Whether we like it or not, they will become what we have trained them to be. If we are negative, sarcastic and bitter, there is a better than even chance that our children will be that way too. If our lives reflect the love of Jesus, then our children will get the message. It will be clear because we'll speak of Him at the supper table, in the car on the way to worship services, on family trips, and anytime the opportunity presents itself. We'll not only speak of Him, we'll also live for Him. The law of Moses required the Israelites to make the commands of God an integral part of family living. They were told in Deuteronomy 6:7; ``You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.'' Christianity is not apt to surface in the lives of our children if their only exposure to it is at the church building on Sunday. Furthermore, it's not apt to develop if the example set by the parent does not agree with what the parent teaches. A child needs total exposure to Christian living and Christian teaching in the home because he will most likely become what he sees and hears. There's a lot of truth in the proverb: ``Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it'' (Proverbs 22:6). (Originally Compiled by Tom Sutherland for Brief Phone Messages) ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES I heard from Les Atkinson recently. His surgery, which is expected to take 4 to 8 hours, is scheduled for January 18. It will have him confined to the hospital anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks, and the recovery time will be from 1 to 3 months. Part of his esophagus will be removed and the stomach will have to be reattached, so let us pray that the two will heal together properly--and that all the operation will be a great success, and that Les will have a speedy recovery! Joe Music was back at the UK Hospital last week to determine if the medication has been helping the undefined lumps--and there has been even more shrinkage of these, which is certainly a good sign. Joe will, therefore, continue with the medication for a few more weeks before the possibility of surgery being reconsidered. We appreciate the fine job Rick Fleeman did in preaching for us last Sunday night, and the good short talk that Chris Withrow gave during our ``Sing Night'' on the last Sunday evening of the month. Thanks, guys! We had 12 different visitors for December and 16 guests for November. Free Bible courses are available upon request. We cordially welcome those of you who are visiting with us this day. Please come again. ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________