____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ May 23, 1999 ____________________________________________________ A Call For Sincerity by Dee Bowman In our age of intense and concentrated advertising efforts, the finding of an open mind is indeed a rare thing. All of us are so bombarded with ideas from others that even from our earliest years we form prejudices which affect our lives from then on. Customs, traditions, backgrounds of various sorts influence the most insignificant decisions. The only solution to the problem of prejudice is a serious effort by every individual to obtain and maintain an attitude of sincerity. A sincere person is, first of all, a truth-seeking person. His quest in every situation and circumstance is for the truth. A person who is determined to base all his decisions on the truth has laid out for himself a most difficult course, for truth is not always easily accessible. However, prompted by a sincere desire to be right, he will not be deterred. The sincere person is looking for ALL the truth. Half-truths have ever been the major cause for man's demise. If the powers of evil can cause a person to subscribe to only part of the truth, the end is the same ruination as if he had subscribed to no truth at all! Such has been the problem of protestant denominationalism from the very beginning. It is based on part, but not all of the truth. ``Getting to the bottom of a thing'' is characteristic of him who sincerely seeks truth and that means he must engage in a sincere effort to find ALL the truth. Any person who seeks to excel in any area will solicit as much information as he can about that area. And the sincere person is interested in knowing as much as possible about a situation before rendering any decision about that matter. The sincere person applies the truth. The truth known, while it may thrill the intelligence of him who procures it, is not really valuable until it is applied. The person who knows a truth and does not apply it is only slightly better off than the person who does not know that truth at all! The Scriptures compare that person who fails to apply truth to a foolish man who views his physical imperfections in a mirror and walks away unconcerned about what he has seen (Cf. Jas. 1:23-25). On the other hand, the person who applies the truth as he sees necessary ``shall be blessed in his deed.'' Furthermore, the sincere person applies the truth without regard to consequences. Faith in God requires that we put our complete confidence in Him. That is, when He says a situation calls for a certain application of truth, we obey without consideration of any circumstances and with full confidence in Him. The sincere person is fully persuaded that God's way is the right way and that He would not require of man that which did not benefit him. A sincere person is respectful of the opinions of others. He has such a high regard for truth that he will not be guilty of forcing what he knows is opinion. Conversely, he has enough knowledge of truth to not allow you to force your opinions on him either! The sincere person is totally honest with the truth. -- Via Plain Talk ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES Let us be praying for Jim Lee's mother who fell and broke her hip. Next Sunday evening will be our ``sing night.'' If you have a request, please tell one of the song leaders prior to the service. John and Lou Pitman were not able to be with us last Sunday due to illness. Free Bible courses are available upon request. ___________________________________________ Local Church is no Sham by Robert F. Turner Paul wanted to ``join himself to the disciples'' in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26). What does this mean? It means he ``wanted to be accepted and known among the saints in Jerusalem as being a true disciple and to enjoy all the blessings of fellowship and common togetherness enjoyed by the disciples.'' That is the explanation one brother makes of it, as he, of all things, ridicules the existence of the local church with its functions. And what is a local church, but that relationship which he has described? Note, (1) Paul WAS a saint in Jerusalem, whether they accepted and recognized him or not. That relationship was established with God when he obeyed the gospel. But now he wanted something else--and rightly so. He wanted to be accepted and recognized by fellow saints. And to what end? (2) To enjoy the blessings of fellowship, etc. Does this mean he wished to worship with them? Who will deny it? Did he wish to work with them, as he encouraged saints to work together in Phil. 4:15; 1 Thess. 5:12, and elsewhere? Consistency demands it. And (3) what is this ``common togetherness'' of which our iconoclast speaks? Could it include such things as ``had all things common'' (Acts 2:44-f), selling possessions and making a pooled fund available for specified purposes (5:32-f)? If so (and I affirm it is) this is collective action by every fair standard of definition. Paul's early rejection, then later reception by the Jerusalem disciples shows they exercised their will in this matter (Acts 9:26-f). (Remember, Paul WAS a saint before acceptance.) So put it all together. Paul ``held membership'' (which in a scriptural sense means nothing more than being one of the group of saints who worked and worshipped together) in Jerusalem. When someone seeks to prejudice his readers with sectarian terms, and denies the very existence of the organized local church--apparently because he doesn't like the word ``organization,'' although he admits every element legitimately demanded by such a word--that fellow is getting close to being a true ``iconoclast.'' Don't let the old meaning ``breaker of images'' fool you. Today an iconoclast is ``One who attacks cherished beliefs as--(note, AS, not ``or'') shams; a radical'' (Webster's Unabridged). The first or historical definition does not fit today's ridiculer of the local church. If there are those who have an erroneous conception of ``church'' (and I do not doubt they exist, and have written many articles on this theme) then meet their actual error. Positively set forth the scriptures on the subject. And get out of the local church (saints in---who enjoy all the blessings of fellowship and common togetherness) that supports you from a common treasury. Consistency would surely demand this. Certainly ``church'' has been abused, as has many other words long used. If ``ecclesia'' had never been translated, usage would have abused it. (Witness ``ecclesiastical.'') Changing the word will be of little help today unless we teach the N.T. meaning of whatever word we use; and an iconoclast never builds anything. -- Via Plain Talk, January 1967 ___________________________________________ American Immorality by Al Diestelkamp If we can believe the opinion polls which have dominated the news in recent days, the vast majority of Americans have become apathetic toward the problems of immorality. Behavior which was once recognized as immoral has come to be viewed as acceptable. It is our belief that God, as our Creator, has the right to declare something to be right or wrong. When He does so, it is our responsibility to honor His word on the matter. God has not remained silent on the subject of sexuality. Listen to what His word says: ``Marriage is honorable among all, the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge'' (Heb. 13:4). Americans once listened to God on this subject. Since the so-called ``sexual revolution'' the conscience of America has been seared to such an extent that when we dare to point out God's condemnation of sexual immorality we are ridiculed as prudish, judgmental or suffering from some form of phobia. There is no doubt that God has greatly blessed our nation, but it would be a mistake for America to take those blessings for granted. The Old Testament is filled with examples of God blessing nations as long as they furthered the cause of righteousness, but later bringing down those same nations when they persisted in wickedness. God ordained governments for our good (Rom. 13:1-7) and said our leaders are ``sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good'' (1 Pet. 2:13-14). Our government is developing a pattern of doing just the opposite-praising evil and punishing those who do good. God has a warning about this too: ``Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil...'' (Isa. 5:20). America has been famous for its pride. The time has come for America to be ashamed! ``Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a shame to any people'' (Prov. 14:34). ___________________________________________ We Don't Just Go To Church.... by Bill Crews A young couple who had not been to church services for a number of years asked, ``What have we done wrong besides not going to church?'' They had robbed God of thousands of dollars (1 Corinthians 16:1,2); they had forsaken the Lord's own memorial supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26); for years their voices were unheard in the praises of the saints; their petitions and thanksgivings absent from the prayers of the saints; and their knowledge of God's word stifled and fading, while their spiritual growth was completed neglected--to say nothing of the bad example set and the wrong influence exerted upon others around them. Indeed, their souls had become dead to God, and yet they ask: ``What have we done wrong besides not going to church?'' May God help us to see ourselves as He sees us. -- Via The Old Path II, April 25, 1999 ___________________________________________ Home Studies can be scheduled for those in our area. Call today to set up an appointment. We would be happy to study the Scriptures with you. ___________________________________________ Musings about Death by Jere E. Frost Death does not seem as stark and harsh to me as it did in the days of my youth. There are several reasons for this, but two of them tower above all the others. The first and foremost is that the righteous will dwell in a better place and be clothed with a better body. Hence, it is only a doorway, a change of worlds. We know little about the place to which we go, or the body that we shall have. But we do know that (a) there will be joys forevermore and the former woes of death, disease and disappointment will be no more (Psalm 16:11; Rev. 21:4), and that (2) our bodies will be like His (I John 3:2). The second is that so many who were near and who still are dear to me have passed on. What form recognition will take, I do not know, but that there is such is inherent in the idea of being acknowledged and confessed by Jesus (Matthew 10:32; Luke 12:8). Even the angels have their individual identities, such as Gabriel and Michael. Abraham and Lazarus had their identities beyond death in the scene Jesus gave us (Luke 16:19f). The idea of being an anonymity among the anonymous is foreign to the very idea of intelligent beings who are but a little lower than the angels. In a single word, I fully expect to see and know dear ones from the past as well as the great and good of other ages. Why should I not want to be there? It is the passage -- death -- the thought of which is so painful. To some, it is altogether sad and forbidding. It is a passing into the unknown. It is a leaving behind of the earthly body and all earthly possessions and ties. Therefore the last steps of this passage are likened to a walking through a valley of shadows (Psalm 23). ``We are going down the valley one by one.'' This last mile must be haunting and bleak to those who must travel it truly alone, who have no fellowship with and therefore no sustaining comfort from the Lord at all. But the comfort the psalmist felt is common to all who trust in His person and promises; ``I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.'' So let be for us that ``to live is Christ, and to die is gain'' (Philippians 1:23). Let us live until we die, and may we hold this life dear until the end. And then, as those embarking on a great voyage and waving to well-wishers on the shore, whose ship that will carry them on the same journey is even now to be seen approaching on the horizon, let us say, ``Until we meet again.'' ``Farewell, mortality, Jesus is mine! Welcome, eternity, Jesus is mine. Welcome, O loved and blest, Welcome, sweet scenes of rest, Welcome, my Savior's breast, Jesus is mine!'' (Catharine J. Bonar) -- Via The Bulletin of the North Courtenay church of Christ, March 21, 1999 ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________