The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at New Georgia

Tim Johnson, editor

July 8, 2007

 
In This Issue:
Too Much or Not Enough?
by Steve Klein

Perils to the Soul
by Rick Duggin

 

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Too Much or Not Enough?

   It is sometimes possible to get too much of a good thing.  For instance, the Bible says that honey is good (Proverbs 24:13), but it also says that "it is not good to eat much honey" (Proverbs 25:27).  So, when it comes to eating honey, moderation and balance are important.  "Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit" (Proverbs 25:16).  You want to enjoy it, but you don't want to overdo it.

  Apparently, there are those who feel the same way about some of the good things associated with being a Christian.  All will admit that coming to church is good, Bible study is good, and prayer is good.  But some folks apparently fear getting too much of these good things. 

  Is it possible to get too much of these things?  Well, it might be.  But how much is too much?  It is obvious that some people think that coming to church three times a week is too much.  Others seem to think that studying their Bibles twice a week at home to prepare their lessons for Sunday and Wednesday Bible classes is too much.  Some must think that praying before each meal as well as several more times a day is too much.  Is it?

  Are you willing to let the Bible be your guide when it comes to how much is too much?  According to the Bible:

  • DAILY CHURCH ATTENDANCE IS NOT TOO MUCH.  Members of the first church continued to meet "daily with one accord in the temple" (Acts 2:46).  The apostle taught "daily in the temple" (Acts 5:42).  The disciples in Ephesus met daily, because the Bible says that Paul was "reasoning daily (with them) in the school of Tyrannus" (Acts 19:9).  If that wasn't too much church for Christians in Bible times, how can we claim that three times a week is too much for us?

  • DAILY BIBLE STUDY IS NOT TOO MUCH. The people of Berea "searched the Scriptures daily" to find out the truth. (Acts 17:11).  Timothy was commanded to "give attention to reading" and to give himself "entirely" to such pursuits (1 Timothy 4:13, 15).  Do you think he could have done that while refusing to study the Scriptures at home twice a week?

  • PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING IS NOT TOO MUCH.  The Bible says to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).   It tells us that our foods were "created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth" (1 Timothy 4:3).  Colossians 4:2 commands us to "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving."  Obviously, unless you are praying at each meal and continuing earnestly in prayer throughout the day, you are just not in any danger of praying too much!

  It's sad really that so many Christians who are not doing near enough refuse to increase their commitment because they are afraid of doing too much.  What about you?  Are you doing too much, or not enough?

 -- Steve Klein
 

 Perils to the Soul

   Have you noticed the growing fascination that some have with other people's per-ils? They pay good money to watch stunt drivers jump a string of cars, or a tightrope walker make his way across a tiny rope 200 feet above the pavement. We marvel when someone unnecessarily puts himself at risk.

  The greatest risk of all is the danger that threatens our soul. Paul warned that perilous times would bring dangers that threaten to undo us (2 Tim. 3-4). These perils include. . .

  1. Ignorance of God's Word. Some will "creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (3:6-7). Those who do not know God's word are fair game for religious racketeers.

  2. Doctrines of Men. "Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith" (3:8). The Egyptian magicians resisted Moses by imitating his works. Satan is the great imitator. What God does, he counterfeits, forcing us to distin-guish between truth and error.

  3. Prejudice. "But they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was" (3:9). One who judges before he knows the facts is prejudiced. Some students searched the Scriptures and rejected the truth, while the Bereans searched the same passages and received the truth (read John 5:39; Acts 17:11). How can the same act (studying the Bible) produce such different results? The first group was prejudiced; the other, honest.

  4. Desire to Please Men. Paul warns Timothy that God will judge him (2 Tim 4:1), and therefore he must continue to tell people what they need to hear, whether they like it or not (vs. 2). One of Timothy's greatest problems would be the "itching ears" of those who de-mand something besides truth (3-4).

Covet correction and don't let these perils steal your soul!

-- Rick Duggin
Via The Exhorter, Oakland church of Christ, March 2007