The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
May 25, 2003
In
This Issue:
Facing
Temptation?
By
Steve Klein
Zeal:
Are You on Fire for the Lord?
By
Bryan Gibson
Facing Temptation?
There is no sin in being tempted. Everyone is. Even Jesus was (Hebrews 4:15). John Wycliffe was of the opinion that "the holiest and highest in life have the most temptations. How much higher the hill is, so much is the wind there greater; so, how much higher the life is, so much the stronger is the temptation of the enemy." He may well have been right. The godly life is not the untested life, rather it is the life that has been pushed to the breaking point by temptation, "yet without sin."
So, you are tempted. Like every man. "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed" (James 1:14). The question is, "How are you going to deal with it?"
There are two lies Satan would like you to believe as a basis for dealing with your temptations. The first he tells us when we're facing temptation. It is, "Just once won't hurt." The second, after we've given into temptation is "Now that you have ruined your life, you are beyond God's use, and might as well enjoy sinning."
In reality, just once WILL HURT! It will hurt because the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23). It will likely hurt your conscience, your influence and your sense of self worth. It will hurt because it will weaken you and make you more susceptible to other temptations in the future. As Ben Franklin said, "It is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it." The truth is that if we can resist temptation to begin with, much "hurt" can be averted. Charles Spurgeon used to tell his students, "Learn to say no. It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin."
But if you do give in, don't give up! There is still hope for living a righteous life. What is true in war is also true in our struggle with Satan -- You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it! Some of the greatest lives ever lived were lived by men who had once committed grievous sins. King David's sins were so great that he declares "my iniquities have gone over my head" (Psalm 38:4). Peter once told Jesus, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8). Paul declared that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:15).
Are you facing temptation? We all are. Let us face it courageously, with our heads up, swords drawn, eyes clear -- Responding to Satan's challenge in the words of the prophet of old, "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise" (Micah 7:8).
~by Steve Klein
Have you ever heard of a man named Phinehas? This is what the Lord had to say about him: "&ldots;he was zealous with My zeal" (Numbers 25:11); "he was zealous for his God" (Numbers 25:13). Could the same be said of us? Are we showing zeal for God?
Of course, to be able to answer that question, we need to know what the word zeal means. Someone has defined it this way: "enthusiastic devotion to a cause, an ideal, or a goal; and tireless diligence in its furtherance." Webster offers this definition: "To be excited; intense enthusiasm, as in working for a cause; ardent endeavor or devotion; ardor; fervor."
Notice the last word in the previous definition: fervor. Other forms of that word are fervent and fervently, words which are found in the New Testament. This word fervor is an interesting one. It comes from a Greek word which means to boil with heat, to make hot. In fact, the Greeks used this word to describe boiling water. The Scriptures confirm for us that this is the basic idea found in the words zeal and fervency (see 2 Peter 3:10-12; Revelation 3:14-19).
So when the Lord tells us to be zealous, He is telling us to be "on fire." He wants us to have great interest and concern for His cause; to show eagerness and enthusiasm in our work for Him.
Now that we understand the meaning of the word, let's look at two major areas in which we ought to show zeal.
First, in doing the will of God.
The Scriptures teach us to love one another fervently
(1 Peter 1:22; 4:8); to pray fervently (Colossians 4:2, 12-13; James
5:16); to do really everything fervently (Colossians 3:23). What will
inspire this zeal? The fact that Christ gave Himself for us (Titus
2:11-14). Zeal will come when we remember that we are living for
someone who died for us. What will be the effect of this zeal on
others? As 2 Corinthians 9:2 indicates, it will stir up others. Our
zeal will make others more zealous.
Secondly, in teaching the will of God.
The following is said about Apollos: "being
fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the
Lord&ldots;" (Acts 18:25). In other words, Apollos was on fire;
he was eager to teach others the word of God. A similar attitude is
expressed by Peter and John: "We cannot but speak the things
which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). That's the kind of
zeal we need today; that's the kind of zeal which will cause the
church to grow.
A word of caution before we close this article. Zeal, by itself, is a dangerous thing. Here is what Paul said about his fellow-Israelites: "they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" (Romans 10:2). It is important to have zeal, but it is equally important that this zeal be directed in keeping with God's word.
by Bryan Gibson