The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
June 27, 2004
In
This Issue:
God's
Care for Us
by
Tim Johnson
The
Church's Purpose
by
Bill Hall
God's Care for Us
Psalm 23
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Do you ever get the feeling that you run out of money before you run out of month? Each day when you pick up your mail, does it seem that the "gimme, gimme" letters (a.k.a. bills) will never end? Do you find that the majority of your thoughts dwell upon the struggles and difficulties you have in just making it from day to day?
God has promised that he will care for us if we trust in Him. This assurance is clearly seen in Psalm 23. God gives us direction in our lives as a shepherd would give his sheep. God provides a place for us to rest and he revives us day by day through His word. He is by our side even when we come near to death. He honors us with His presence when we are compassed about by those who would tempt us to turn from Him.
Although God gives us this assurance that He will care for us, there are many of us distraught over how we're going to make it until the next payday. Jesus instructs us in Matt. 6:25-33 not to be overly anxious or worried about the affairs of this life. He points out that God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Will He not care for us also? Jesus further informs us that our "heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
So instead of dwelling upon our seemingly hopeless situation, let us remember the words of our Savior who said "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." If we concentrate our thoughts and actions upon these words, then we can have the same confidence the psalmist had as he wrote, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
by Tim Johnson
What is the purpose of the Lord's church? Is it to eradicate poverty, disease, social injustice, illiteracy from among men? Is it to bring about a cessation of war and conflict? Is it to campaign for a temptation-free society for Christians to live in?
If the church had as one of its great goals the eradication of disease, the Lord could have easily equipped it to accomplish that goal. Could not the same power that enabled one blind man to see have enabled all blind man to see; that enabled one lame man to walk have enabled all lame people to walk; that cured many people of varied diseases have cured all people of all diseases? And could not this same power have been given to the church in all generations?
If the church has as one of its great goals the eradication of poverty, the Lord could have easily equipped it to accomplish this purpose. After all, He fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes. He similarly fed four thousand on another occasion. Could not He who did these marvelous works have enabled His church in all generations to feed, clothe, and shelter the impoverished masses of the world through miraculous powers?
If the Lord had wanted His church to become a lobbyist group to apply political pressure toward a temptation and persecution free society in which to live, He would have given instructions in that direction. He did not even lead His church into a direct effort to destroy slavery, but taught the Christian slave to be a better slave and the Christian master to treat his slaves as he would have his heavenly Master treat him (Col. 3:22-4:1).
The church's purpose is to save souls and prepare people for eternity- It holds out to the impoverished the hope of some day walking a street of gold; to the suffering a time when there will be no pain; to the sorrowing a moment when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." It tells the tempted and persecuted that there is value in these afflictions, that the testing of their faith is "more precious than of gold," and to rejoice - It tells all to live godly lives in whatever environment they find themselves. It seeks to change people through the power of the gospel, not society through the coercion of legislators - Its weapons "are not carnal, but are mighty through God." Its motivating theme: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
When churches become involved in hospital and health clinic work, or when they build schools for the education of their children, or when they see as one of their great missions to provide for the world's poverty, or when they feel obligated to create social upheaval and campaign for human rights, or when they feel called upon to express their views on the government's use of nuclear armaments or whatever, they have a distorted view of the purpose of the church.
By Bill Hall,
via The Admonisher, Feb. 24, 1985