The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
November 9, 2003
In
This Issue:
God's
Drawing Power
by
Gilbert Alexander
Inside
Out
by
Steve Klein
God's Drawing Power
So, you "went to church?" What went ye out for to see - Big Bird, the Cookie Monster, a magic show, a demonstration of hypnosis? What went ye out for to receive - an eight-foot balloon, trick cards, hot dogs and Coke? What went ye out for to do - play on the softball team, go to the rodeo, visit Six Flags, attend the Sweetheart Banquet? But what went ye out for to see?
Zoos, social clubs, carnivals, or entertainment centers use such attractions to draw large crowds. But the church of our Lord has no right or reason to use such carnal attractions to draw audiences. The church has something far better, richer, and more beautiful to offer - the glorious gospel of Christ. If God's people will work diligently, personally, individually, and collectively to present God's way of salvation to people, those who have ears to hear will hear.
The gospel of Christ is God's drawing power. "No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him; and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Everyone that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me," Jesus said (John 6:44-45). God has spoken in these last days by His Son, the message being found in the gospel (Heb. 1:1,2; 2:1-4). The gospel contains the attraction, the incentive, the cure for man's spiritual life.
We do not seek to trick people into hearing the gospel. Some obviously lack confidence in the drawing power of the Word. One famous preacher said that the gospel is the hook and the promotions are the bait used. I emphatically deny such. Christ did not feed multitudes to draw a crowd (John 6:22-29). Peter did not used brother Simon (the former sorcerer - Boy, did he have the credentials!) to do a magic show to draw crowds in Samaria. Surely, if these things were according to God's wisdom, Peter and the other New Testament preachers would have had that wisdom. Paul, a man of great ability, could surely have worked up a great show as a come-on to attract people in Corinth, so he could preach to them! But he said, "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). When he said that the time would come when they would no longer endure sound doctrine, Paul offered no alternative or other incentive. Neither can we.
Please, brethren, let us go to individuals with the message of salvation in Christ, and beseech them to hear it. If they will not hear, then let us go to another who will hear. Let us not smudge the glory of the pure gospel of Christ with carnality. The salvation of the carnal man must come through changing his attitude, not through appealing to and feeding his carnality. Let us never doubt the power of God's word to accomplish what He desires of it. If we do our work well according to His authority, God will be pleased and His work will be done.
By Gilbert Alexander
When you turn something inside out you can see how it is put together. Two articles of clothing may look similar on the outside, but be of completely different quality when we examine the workmanship on the inside. The same is true with cars, houses, appliances and people! What is on the inside determines quality.
Humans tend to focus on the outward when sizing up one another, which is exactly why we're so bad at it. Outward appearances can surely be deceiving. Jesus noted that the Pharisees cleansed "the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence." He commanded them to "cleanse the inside of the cup that the outside of them may be clean also" (Matthew 23:26-27). From a human viewpoint, these people surely appeared to be pleasing to God, but their inner uncleanness made them unacceptable to Him.
Unlike humans, God judges based on what is inside, which is exactly why He is so good at it. Jesus asked the Pharisees, "Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?" (Luke 11:40). Indeed He did. And He judges the inside and outside by His word, which "is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13 cf. John 12:48).
What a blessing it would be if we could learn to "not judge according to appearance" (John 7:24), but to see others as God does. Long ago, when the prophet Samuel was eyeing one of the Sons of Jesse to anoint him as king, the Lord told him, "Do not look at his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
As surely as the inner man contains the true quality and character of others, it contains our true quality and character as well. The man who can stand justified before Him is the man who "has clean hands and a pure heart" (Psalm 24:4). Each of us needs to come to this realization.
by Steve Klein