The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
April 6, 2003
In
This Issue:
I
Believe God
By
Larry Ray Hafley
What
Have I Done?
By
Rick
Duggin
Love
is Kind
By
Steve Klein
"I Believe God"
In Acts 27:25, during a tremendous storm at sea, when "all hope" was lost that they should be saved, an angel of the Lord appeared to Paul and assured him that not one would perish, but that all would be rescued. Paul said of this heaven sent message, "I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me." When Abraham was told that he and Sarah would have a child, "against hope (he) believed that he might become the father of many nations" (Rom. 4:18). When Mary heard that she would give birth to the Savior, despite the fact that she had not been intimate with any man, she acknowledged the reality of it (Lk. 1:38). When Peter was told to go at the wrong time and to the wrong place in the sea of Galilee and catch fish, he, too, believed (Lk. 5:4, 5).
Often, it is hard to believe the promises of God, especially when, from our perspective, we see no way they can be fulfilled. Perhaps the devil's greatest weapon against the child of God is gnawing doubt, a secret skepticism, that is brought on by defeat, disappointment, and discouragement. Elijah fought it (1 Kgs. 19). Paul faced it (2 Cor. 1:8-11). There is indication that Timothy may have felt it, too (2 Tim. 1:7, 8).
Hebrews, with its warnings and exhortations, graphically reveals how the early saints were tempted to give up and to "draw back unto perdition" (Heb. 10:32-40). Peter and James refer to this insidious inner turmoil, this temptress of stress and unbelief (Jas. 1:2, 3; 5:10, 11; 1 Pet. 2:12; 3:13, 16; 4:12-19).
Some succumbed to it. The bleached bones of wilderness wanderers testifies to the fact that not everyone looked up and said, "I believe God." They fell, not to the burning sands of the desert 'neath the searing sun, but to the dried spirit of unbelief which scorched their hearts and seared their national conscience.
What tempest threatens your soul today? What fearful doubt has you quivering under the shade and shadow of self-pity and insecurity? Away with it! Arouse yourself with the triumphant trump of the trumpet of God which may be heard by the ear of faith (1 Thess. 4:16). One day its blast shall soothe all our fears, stop all our tears, and summon us to eternal glory and endless gladness.
By Larry Ray Hafley, via The Beacon
A soldier stationed in Morocco during World War II chanced upon an anonymous manuscript containing an insertion between Matthew 24:51 and Matthew 25:1. After Jesus warned evil servants that "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth," the manuscript adds, "And behold, a certain one of his disciples standing by said to him: 'Rabbi' (which is to say, being interpreted, Master) 'how can these things be, if they be toothless?' And Jesus answered and said: 'O thou of little faith, trouble not thyself; if haply they will be lacking any, teeth will be provided.'"
The preceding anecdote makes it painfully obvious that some people worry about the wrong things! Our great concern should not be how the Lord will judge people without teeth, but how to avoid such condemnation.
Jeremiah dealt with similar problems in more than forty years of preaching to hard hearts. "I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying 'What have I done?' Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle" (Jeremiah 8:6).
Not many today are willing to ask, "What have I done?" In fact, there are at least four ways to ask this question.
What has the Lord done for me? After God had done everything He could do for His people, He compared them to a vineyard that produced wild grapes in spite of its many advantages. He asked, "what more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?" (Isaiah 5:4). He has even more right to ask lukewarm Christians - what more could I have done for you? I gave My Son to die for you, I revealed My will in words that you could understand, and I gave you freedom to serve Me without fear of persecution, and you still produced only wild grapes!
What has the Lord done to me? Jonah had a problem. God sent him to Assyria; he went the other direction. The problem, however, was not his stubborn will, but God's mercy that he fear would spare a wicked nation. You see, Jonah's sin was someone else's fault. How many times today do we hear of someone who quits serving the Lord because of what some careless brother said or did?
What have you done for the Lord? Jesus pictured the judgment scene in which some would claim great works for the Lord (Matthew 7:22). The Lord did not recognize them as His own. There are many people who think they are doing great things for God; in reality, many of them are practicing iniquity, acting without His permission.
On the day of Judgment, if the Lord reveals that you have neglected your needs, I will care. But if this is the only thing that matters in the Judgment, why should it not be the only thing that matters now?
Instead of complaining about what someone else did to me, why should I not be more concerned about what I may have done to someone else? How foolish it is to forsake the Lord because another person did!
What have I done to the Lord? The purpose of the Hebrew writer is to prevent the complete apostasy of his readers. They were undergoing persecution, and thus had far more excuses to quit than anyone I know today. How ashamed we ought to be when we are tempted to quit serving God because of a minor inconvenience!
-- By Rick Duggin
In Gospel Power, Anderson, Alabama, 4/4/99
Simple descriptions of deep things are usually the best. And that is surely the case in the beautiful description of love given by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. Here we are told that, among other things, "love&ldots;is kind" (13:4). Love is kind in many ways.
LOVE SHOWS MERCY.
Mercy is what allows us to refrain from being harsh
toward others, even toward our enemies. Mercy enables us to
help the poor -- perhaps not charging the full price for something
they need or even giving it to them outright (see Proverbs 14:21, 31).
Jesus said, "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping
for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be
sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
{36} Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful"
(Luke 6:35-36).
LOVE FORGIVES.
How unkind it is to refuse to forgive. In
Ephesians 4:32 we are instructed to "be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ
forgave you." If God found it in His heart to forgive you and
me, surely we can be kind enough to forgive others, no matter what
they have done to us.
LOVE DOES GOOD DEEDS FOR OTHERS.
When Paul and his company shipwrecked on the island of
Malta, Acts 28:2 says that, "the natives showed us unusual
kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of
the rain that was falling and because of the cold." This
was a simple act of loving-kindness, performed by people who were not
even Christians. There are so many little acts of kindness we
can do. Out of love, let us look for these opportunities.
LOVE REBUKES.
Although we would not automatically think of rebuke as
a kindness, it often is. People who love us want us to be the
best we can be. From such motives a parent might rebuke a
child, a friend might rebuke a friend, and a Christian might rebuke
another Christian. Yes, "Let the righteous strike me; It
shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent
oil; Let my head not refuse it" (Psalms 141:5).
Proverbs 22:19 says that "what is desired in a man is kindness." Today, my challenge to me is to look for opportunities to be kind. This is what God desires. This is the behavior of love.
-- by Steve Klein