The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
October 9, 2005
In
This Issue:
Daily
Discipleship
by
Steve Klein
"Do
to Others"
by
Robert F. Turner
Daily Discipleship
Do you get a daily newspaper? How often does it come? Do you take a daily vitamin or daily medication? How often do you take it? Well, if it is truly a daily medication, you should be taking it every day. Are there other things that you do daily? Do you eat, drink, sleep, work, bathe, read the newspaper, listen to the radio, watch TV or exercise daily? Anything that is part of our daily routine is not done "just every so often" or "once in a blue moon."
Discipleship has daily challenges and responsibilities. Every day a disciple of Jesus is to take up his cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). Some of the daily responsibilities of disciples specifically mentioned in Scripture include the following:
DAILY PRAYER
In Matthew 6:11, Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our
daily bread " If we want to eat every day we should pray
everyday. A preacher asked a little boy whether he prayed every day.
"No, not every day," said the boy, "there are some
days I don't WANT anything!" As humorous as that is, the
boy was not being completely honest was he? Is there ever a day
that passes that we don't want something? Now obviously there is more
to praying than asking God to fulfill our wants and needs. But
suppose that was all that was involved in prayer; we would still need
to pray every day, wouldn't we? We need to "pray without
ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
DAILY PRAISE
The Lord is worthy of our praise not only because of His greatness,
glory and almighty power, but because He has blessed us each beyond measure.
"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His
name" (Hebrews 13:15). There is not a day that goes by
that God doesn't deserve our praise.
DAILY BIBLE STUDY
Disciples are obligated to regularly examine what they are taught.
Like the Bereans, who "received the word with all readiness, and
searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were
so" (Acts 17:11), we must also continue looking into God's law
of liberty (cf. James 1:25).
DAILY EXHORTATION TO OVERCOME SIN
Satan certainly tempts us daily. He does not take a day off.
Disciples of the Lord must help each other meet the daily challenges
of temptation. We need to encourage each other and receive
encouragement to overcome sin. "Exhort one another daily, while
it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13).
There is much for us to do in service to the Lord daily. Imagine that there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out and spend every cent, of course! Well, everyone has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's deposits. Being a disciple of Christ requires spending part of every day praying, praising, studying and exhorting.
--Steve Klein
The Lord gave me a yardstick by which to measure every relationship in my life. It is easy to understand, and easy to apply if I have the will to do so. It involves no complicated formula; it is with me every wakeful hour. Its strength is in direct proportion to my weakness; binding me with cords of my own weaving, or freeing me as I free my own heart. It comprehends my whole duty to man.
While yet a child I learned it as: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you;" but later I found it is properly stated: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." (14att. 7:12, see Lu. 6:31)
"All things"" is very broad. This includes my driving on the highway, selling a rifle, working for an employer, living with my wife, writing to my brethren, or about them.
Whatsoever ye would --" is not "whatsoever they do." This rule does not depend on the other fellow -- it is determined in my own heart. How would I like to be treated? The rule is so reasonable, so unquestionably just, that it defies objection. It asks no pound of flesh, because its regulator would give none. It prescribes fair, honest treatment, because the party of the first part desires such. Self-interest, which so often blinds me to my duty to others, becomes the very indicator of those duties. God made the rule, but I am left to apply it -- with the intensity gendered by man's most powerful inner force, self-love. "No man ever yet hateth his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it..." (Eph. 5:29)
"Do ye even so --" Lenski comments: "what we would like to have men do to us, whether they do that to us or not, we are to keep doing (poieite, durative) to them." Till seven times? Nay, but until seventy times seven. This regulates conduct, but it is far more than a law of "doing" -- it is a basic principle of attitude, of under-lying motive, which demonstrates itself in what we do.
"The law and the prophets" Jesus said; making it clear that this is no new rule, but one inherent in God's will for man in all times. Further, this clearly relates the rule to the giver of law, emphasizing the external authority of God. Those who seek to limit the "whole duty of man" to humanitarian obligations seem to miss this all-important point. I Jn.3:14-f clearly relates our love for our fellow man with our prior love for God. Because He laid down His life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (Vs. 16) "And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." (Vs. 23)
Christians are in a position to understand and apply the "Golden Rule", as are none others. But the sad fact is that many so-called Christians make little practical application of this rule in their life, and seem a bit embarrassed if the preacher uses it as a text. Until we learn well the "second table of the law" (Matt.22: 39) we preach the "gospel" (?) in vain.
-- Robert F. Turner
Via Plain Talk, Volume 4, No. 8