The Gospel Spotlight
(Electronic Edition)
(Romans 1:16)
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation . . . .”
June, 2002 Vol. 1 - No. 4
The Gospel Spotlight is a
publication of the Sixty Fifth St. church of Christ
7115 West Sixty Fifth St.
P.O. Box 19062
Little Rock AR 72219-1062
Editor and Evangelist
Don McClain - donmccla@msn.com
Contents:
"But I Have Obeyed The Voice of The Lord . . . ?" - By Don McClain
The Church For Everybody - Sewell Hall
Practicing One Another Religion - From Jim Sasser
More Tid-Bits from Jim Sasser
Wrong Is Always Wrong - by Clarence R. Johnson
The Sin of Gossip - By Joe R. Price
"But I Have Obeyed The Voice of The Lord . . . ?"
By Don McClain
At first King Saul rejected the notion that he had violated the instructions
of God, and brazenly informed Samuel that indeed he had been faithful to God’s
directives, (1 Samuel 15:20). The text tells us that Saul acknowledged bringing
Agag back to the camp as a prisoner, but it also implies that he saw nothing
wrong with doing so. He had justified his rebellion in his own mind; Saul had
brainwashed and deceived himself! Perhaps he thought:
1) I have done MOST of what God sent me to Amalek
to do. Perhaps Saul was even planning to kill Agag in the public eye after he
was satisfied with showing off his trophy back at the camp. After all, God didn’t
say that he had to destroy all the Amalekites at the same time and place, did
He? Nor did God specifically forbid Saul from bringing Agag back to the camp.
Did He? -
2) The people did something worse than I! "The
people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should
have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal."
(1 Samuel 15:21). Saul tried to justify his actions by comparing his deeds with
the deeds of the people. It is a foolish thing to engage in comparing ourselves
with other men, (2 Corinthians 10:12). He also tried the old idea, "the
end justifies the means." Sorry Saul - The end is never good if
disobedience is the means used to arrive at the end! (1 Samuel 15:22-23).
3) It was their fault! - Saul tried to justify his
iniquity by shifting the blame- "they pressured me into that which I have
done, (vs. 24), therefore I shouldn’t be held accountable." We could
extract many important lessons and applications from this text but space will
only allow for the examination of a couple. I would like to focus on the
excuses Saul used and point out how this mindset of Saul is definitely present
in many of our day.
Some have the mindset of Saul when confronted with their attendance habits.
Some argue that they "Obey The Voice Of The Lord" even though they
only attend one worship service per week, (Be advised, I am speaking of those
capable of attending other services). They claim that they can be just as good
of a Christian while not attending every worship service as they can if they
were to attend every service. What a selfish and twisted view of Christianity!
Such a claim exposes the lack of knowledge, understanding, and hunger one
really has of and for spiritual things! Some claim that they can worship and
study at home . . . (emphasis on the word "can"). - Worshipping and
studying at home is good - but it is never good to "Forsake The Assembling
Of Ourselves Together!" (Hebrews 10:25). We are commanded to consider one
another in order to stir up love and good works, (24), and to exhort one
another, (25) which neither can be done while absent! The Hebrew writer says,
"and so much the more," which apparently some interpret to mean,
"assemble less and less." God has given us positive commands to obey,
which can ONLY be obeyed in the assembling of the saints! Have you deceived
yourself into thinking that you can be pleasing to God without attending every
single service that you can attend of the local church of which you are a
member?
Others want to compare their attendance records with others who are less
faithful than they - "I attend as much or more than brother _________! I
even come on a few Wednesday nights!" Why not compare yourself to the
preacher? Do you attend as often as he does? Is the preacher MORE obligated to
attend EVERY worship service than any other member? What if the preacher gets a
headache, or is worn out from studying his Bible all day? Do preachers get
colds and soar throats? Why would a congregation "fire" a preacher if
he were irregular in his attendance? Seriously - what would you think of me if
I missed a Wednesday evening Bible study to participate in a Little League
baseball game, or to attend a band concert? What about during a gospel meeting
my sons and I went to the football game on Friday night so they could march in
the band and I could watch? Is it any less wrong for one Christian to miss a Bible
class for secular voluntary duties than another? Would Paul, Peter or Jesus lay
out of ANY BIBLE CLASS or WORSHIP SERVICE to participate in any secular
voluntary or recreational activity? Would you?
Still others are blame shifters - "I had company arrive and had to stay
at home," or "there are hypocrites up there, I ain’t gonna
worship with a bunch of hypocrites!" When you allow others to negatively
influence your attendance habits don’t blame them, blame yourself for
being too weak to be a good example for them. The unfaithfulness of others
doesn’t relieve you of your duty to attend. - You will be held
accountable! - By rejecting the commands of the Lord to edify, encourage,
influence, and strengthen both yourself and others the Lord will reject you, (1
Samuel 15:26; Hebrews 10:25-31).
1 Samuel 15:9 gives us interesting insight into the real underlying problem
"But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen,
the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly
destroy them." If you are unwilling to obey the Lord in the area of
assembling with the saints are you any better off than Saul? "For
rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and
idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected
you." (23). Do you know anyone rebellious and stubborn in that they
consistently refuse to obey the Lord’s command to encourage, admonish and
exhort their brethren regularly?
Some have the mindset of Saul when confronted with their sin:
Many deceive themselves by thinking God will judge based on a weight and
balance system - "If my good deeds outweigh my sins, (which for many, they
do), then I’m safe!" Many proclaim "I have Obeyed The Voice Of
The Lord," and profess before men to be righteous while harboring sin in
their life and refusing to recognize it as such. Sins of omission are more
difficult to recognize and deal with than the more obvious sins of commission.
I say that because righteousness is most often viewed on the basis of - "I
am not an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer" therefore I’m doing
OK. That’s the way many religious people think - (Luke 18:9-14) -."
Remember - Saul’s kingdom was taken from him because he did not FULLY keep
God’s commands . . . . The sins of omission are just as condemning as the
sins of commission. Either way, sin is a serious and dangerous thing that we
dare not take lightly!
Many try to justify their wrong doings by comparing themselves with worse
wrong doers. They may say to the preacher - "they are worse than me, why
don’t you go talk to them." Isn’t that what Saul is saying -
"The people took what God commanded to be destroyed, Samuel, you need to
be talking to them." A common rebuttal to rebuke is, "Leave me alone,
go talk to sister Anne - she not only gossips, she cusses while she’s
doing it, she even took the Lord’s name in vain, I don’t see you over
there beating her over the head with your Bible."
I heard a report on the radio once of a man in North Carolina who called the
cops on his neighbor who was stealing his plants from his backyard. The cops
arrived at the mans house to examine the crime scene and found that sure enough
several plants had been taken, but there were still several left - the man who
called the police was then arrested for growing marijuana. The sheriff reported
that it was their biggest drug bust in several years. The man claimed that he
didn’t know it was illegal to grow marijuana - (too bad ignorance of the
law doesn’t relive one of the consequences of breaking it). He was given
some paper work to fill out if he still wanted to prosecute his neighbor.
Adam was quick to point at Eve, and Eve was quick to point at the devil -
Such blame shifting didn’t work for them, it didn’t work for Saul,
and it won’t work for you or me! If I am guilty of sin it is my fault, and
unless I repent and get forgiveness by fully obeying the Lord, I will be lost.
Conclusion
If you are in sin, and someone loves you enough to point it out - you ought
to thank him or her! Don’t try to send them to someone else - or blame
someone else - REPENT, and get busy helping others overcome sin in their life!
You can’t rationalize away your responsibilities to the Lord and His
church by thinking you have done most of what God says, or by comparing
yourself to others, or by attempting to shift the blame of your shortcomings to
others. You can lie to yourself, to the preacher, to the elders, and to your
friends, but you can’t lie to God! You may refuse to listen to the
exhortations of God to honestly and objectively examine your life by comparing
it to His standard, the Bible. You may reject His plea to fully conform your
life to its guidelines while on earth, but understand this - you will not be
able to escape the consequences of doing so on the Day of Judgment. Saul didn’t
get away with it, and neither will you! By the time he realized his sin it was
too late.
You will stand before the Lord to give an account of your life on your own.
-The words, "But I have obeyed the Lorrd," won’t mean a thing if
in reality you haven’t - and all the excuses in the world won’t
change the pronouncement of God’s rejection of you (Matthew 7:21-23), and
the reality of being lost for eternity!
The alternative - willingly and completely obey the Lord, . . Worship and serve Him with your whole heart - On that great day, you can stand before the Lord knowing that you "Have Obeyed The Voice Of The Lord!"
The Church For Everybody
I agreed to go with a group
of Christian friends to a Braves game.
This was going to be
different. The field was covered with performing high school bands -- an appeal
to all who like music. And that was only the beginning. For those preferring
opera, a Metropolitan Opera star sang the national anthem. For those more
political in taste, the Attorney General of the U.S. led the pledge to the
flag. Lovers of money were tantalized by a $500 door prize. Cartoon fans were
entertained by a million dollar scoreboard featuring cartoon characters. Those living
on the level of the flesh were treated to the sight of a young lady in short
shorts running around the diamond sweep- ing off the bases between every
inning. And to climax it all, there was a huge fire- works display. I don't
remember what team the Braves were playing, much less who won, but that was a
game I shall never forget. That was baseball for people who don't like
baseball!
Far too many churches are
trying to remodel the religion of Jesus Christ to make it a religion for people
who don't like religion! For those desiring recreation, they offer recreation.
For those desiring entertainment, there is entertainment. For those whose
primary interest is secular education, they offer day care, kindergartens,
schools and colleges. For those whose appetite is for food, they build church
kitchens and dining rooms. The attempt is to be "the church for
everybody."
Such carnal, temporal
appeals were never authorized by the Lord. He intended that the church be a
"called out", separated body of people. If the gospel is the only
appeal, it will make the separation. In Corinth, where the wisdom of men was
valued, Paul "determined not to know anything...except Jesus Christ and
Him crucified" 1 Cor. 2:2. In a city where oratory was highly esteemed, he
refused even to dress up the gospel with "excellence of speech" 1
Cor. 2:1. His purpose was to see that the materials he built into the temple
were "gold, hay and straw" 1 Cor. 3;12.
No, the Lord's church is
not for everybody -- just for those who have those qualities which set them
apart as God's elect and chosen ones. ------Sewell Hall.
Practicing One Another Religion
Have
PEACE one with another - Mark 9:20
COMMUNED
one with another - Luke 6:11
That
ye LOVE one another - John 13:34
MEMBERS
one of another. Romans 12:5
PREFERRING
one another – Romans 12:10
BE
of SAME mind one TOWARD another – Romans 12:16
NOT...JUDGE
one another – Romans 14:13
One
may EDIFY another – Romans 14:19
RECEIVE
one another – Romans 15:7
ADMONISH
one another – Romans 15:14
SALUTE
one another – Romans 16:16
TARRY
one for another - 1 Corinthians 11:13
CARE
one for another - 1 Corinthians 12:25
SERVE
one another - Galatians 5:13
BEAR
ye one another’s BURDENS – Galatians 6:2
FORBEARING
one another – Ephesians 4:2
BE
KIND one to another – Ephesians 4:32
SUBMITTING
one to another – Ephesians 5:21
LIE
NOT one to another - Colossians 3:9
COMFORT
one another - 1 Thessalonians 4:18
CONSIDER
one another TO PROVOKE love and good works - Hebrews 10:24
PEAK
NOT EVIL one of another - James 4:11
GRUDGE
NOT one against another – James 5:9
CONFESS
FAULTS one to another - James 5:16
USE
HOSPITALITY one to another - 1 Peter 4:9
FELLOWSHIP
one with another - 1 John 1:7
From Jim Sasser -
5-28-02
More Tid-Bits from Jim Sasser
UNKNOWN TONGUES: There is great misunderstanding in
the religious world concerning UNKNOWN TONGUES. Actually in the original
language (Greek) the word "unknown" is not found in regard to
speaking in tongues. The KJV is the only popular translation that has injected
the term "unknown" in the text of 1 Cor. 14.
When we compare 1 Cor.
14 with Acts 2 where the apostles spoke in tongues we realize that speaking in
tongues was synonymous with speaking languages which the spokesman had not
previously learned.
Even in the first
century, during the time that the miraculous gifts were in practice, speaking
in tongues was classed as a very minor gift of the Holy Spirit.
Paul said in 1 Cor.
14:19 that he had rather speak five words that could be understood than ten
thousand words in a tongue. Evidently, speaking in tongues never was as
important as some of our "Holiness" friends believe.
In regard to both
"unknown tongues" (so-called) and divine healing, the Bible teaches
that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased when the Word of God was
fully confirmed. (Jno. 20:30,31; 1 Cor. 13:8-10; Jude 3).
We believe that all
healing today is divine, but we do not uphold the religious fakery of today’s
so-called faith healers.
———John
Ramsey in Truth in Love.
WARN THEM OF
DANGER:
I have some very dear friends who are admirable people, but they seem to be so
kind and loving they would rather allow other friends to die and go to
perdition than to tell them of their faults here and now, and perhaps save them
eternally. If we saw someone about to walk over a precipice or into the path of
evident danger to his body, we would take even the most drastic means to warn
him or drag him out of danger. But he may be going headlong to perdition, and
we are afraid to speak for fear we will "hurt his feelings."
It is a wonderful
blessing that God does not have that sort of concern for us. He warns regardless
of whether we like it or not. "Am I become your enemy because I tell you
the truth?"
———F.B.
Shepherd in Reminder.
HARD TO FIND: An old preacher once said he wished
he knew what kind of fruit Eve ate to make her realize she didn’t have any
clothes on; he’d like to pass it around again. —————Gene
Warman in Lincoln Street Bulletin.
The Sin of Gossip
By Joe R. Price
The tongue is a powerful
thing. It can comfort the grieving with kindness and concern, and it can
destroy a person’s credibility and good reputation. It can build up
brethren and it can destroy churches. "Even so the tongue is a little
member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our
members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature;
and it is set on fire by hell" (Jas. 3:5).
We must learn to restrain
our tongue by controlling our heart. Jesus said what comes out of the mouth
defiles the man because it comes from the heart (Matt. 15:11, 18). One such
defilement is gossip.
Gossip is a sin. It does not show love for one’s
neighbor, nor does it show evidence of tongue-control (1 Cor. 13:4-7; Matt.
22:39; Jas. 3:8).
The person who gossips is a
talebearer. "He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who
repeats a matter separates friends" (Prov. 17:9). To the gossip - and the
person who listens to it - a morsel of information about somebody else is
delightfully feasted upon: "The words of a talebearer are like tasty
trifles, And they go down into the inmost body" (Prov. 18:8). But, the
gossip fails to realize that the food of gossip is poisonous to his soul.
The person who gossips sows
strife. "The person who gossips is a slanderer" (Prov. 16:28).
One who "sows discord among brethren" is an abomination to the Lord
(Prov. 6:16,19).
The person who gossips is a
slanderer. "Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will
destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not
endure" (Psa. 101:5).
The person who gossips is a
busybody. "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an
evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters" (1 Pet. 4:15;
see 2 Ths. 3:11). To gossip is to meddle in the lives of others.
Idleness invites
gossiping:
"And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house,
and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they
ought not" (1 Tim. 5:13). If you are tempted to gossip about others it
could be you have too much time on your hands. Use your time productively to
bear the fruit of righteousness instead of the fruit of destruction.
The tongue requires
constant surveillance: "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly
evil, full of deadly poison." (Jas. 3:8) We cannot turn our back on the
tongue for a second! Keep constant vigilance over it to use it for a blessing
rather than a curse (see Jas. 3:9-12). By keeping a pure heart we help prevent
gossip (Phil. 4:8).
Wrong Is Always Wrong
by Clarence R. Johnson
"But he who does
wrong will be repaid for the wrong which he has done, and there is no
partiality"
(Col. 3:25).
This inspired statement
should help us to realize that it is NEVER right to do wrong. We may
sometimes be inclined to strongly identify with the wrong-doer, understand his
predicament, and even sympathize with him to some extent, but we cannot afford
to CONDONE his wrong deeds. Wrong is always wrong.
Wrong is always wrong,
no matter who does it. Job's friend Elihu correctly pointed out that God "is not partial
to princes nor does He regard the rich" (Job 34:19). These things may make
a difference in the eyes of men, but to God, wrong is wrong even when the rich
and powerful are guilty. The same is true whether the wrong-doer is Jewish or
Gentile -- even you or me, or our children or grandchildren. See Rom. 2:11-12;
Rom. 3:9-10.
Wrong is always wrong,
even if you don't get caught. In our society, many individuals, including most religious
people, seem to think that it is all right to do wrong as long as no one sees
you do it. Of course, the truth of the matter is that God sees your evil deeds
and will eventually reveal your secret sins openly, Num. 32:23; Prov. 15:3; 1
Cor. 4:5; Rom. 2:16. You've already been caught!
Wrong is wrong, even if
you do it for a good or noble cause. When Paul was accused of teaching men to do evil that good
may result, he called the accusation "slander" (Rom. 3:8). He further
showed that no amount of rationalization can legitimately excuse sin, Rom.
6:1-2. "To obey is better..." (1 Sam. 15:22).
Wrong is wrong, even if
others are doing something you consider worse. We often have a way of classifying
sins as small and great. (Ours are small. The other fellow's are great.) But in
reality, every sin is wrong. Often the words of Jesus in such passages as Matt.
7:3-5 and Matt. 23:23-26 are misapplied and abused. Jesus showed that BOTH the
plank from your eye AND the speck from your brother's eye need to be removed.
He did not say leave the speck in the brother's eye. He simply said take the
plank out of your own eye FIRST. He did not tell the Pharisees to quit tithing
mint, anise, and cumin. They were to CONTINUE to do that, but they also needed
to take action in such matters as justice, mercy, and faith. He did NOT rebuke
them for straining gnats -- He rebuked them for swallowing camels. They should
have strained out BOTH the camels and the gnats. Actually, we humans are poorly
qualified to classify sins as to their relative size and importance, but we can
clearly see from the Scriptures that wrong is always wrong.
And wrong is wrong, even
when it doesn't bother your conscience. Conscience is the God-given faculty that prompts us to do
what we BELIEVE is right, 1 Cor. 2:4, 7. If we have been improperly taught, we
can do wrong with a clear conscience, just as Saul of Tarsus did, Acts 26:9;
Acts 23:1. The Scripture, not our conscience, must be recognized as the only
infallible guide.
Finally, wrong is wrong,
even if most people approve of it. Consider Ex. 23:2; Luke 6:26; Rom.
12:1-2. Wrong is always wrong. It needs to be repented of by the wrong-doer,
and forgiven by the Lord. The Lord stands ready to forgive when we comply with
His conditions, Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38.
originally appearded in
-- The Susquehanna Sentinel, April 21, 20022 - via The Gospel Observer -
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards
e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com
web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go
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Sunday morning;
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Sunday Evening;
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Wednesday –
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Free
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Elders
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