The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
December 7, 2003
In
This Issue:
They
Gave Him Audience
by
Greg Legg
"Oh
Come, Let Us _________ Him"
by
Steve Klein
True
Life
by
Bill Hall
The Gave Him Audience
It is interesting how people listen. We listen to things that interest us. I have watched how quickly the expressions of people change when they realize they are in disagreement with what is being said. They may have been in agreement until some little thing is said and at this point they are in agreement with nothing! This is the case in Acts 22:22 when Paul had the ear of the Jews in Ephesus until they heard something they didn't want to hear--the gospel sent to the gentiles. At that point they turned their ears and armed their hand riotously to kill him.
Many today listen to the words of the gospel until you start preaching that there is one faith and one church, then they rise up to stone you. Yet Ephesians 4:4-6 still says, 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Who are we really fighting with when we disagree with what is taught here--man or God?
Many today listen intently to what the bible teaches until you begin talking about subjection. The bible teaches that man is to submit to God (James 4:7), woman is to submit to her husband Ephesians 5:22-24), and man is to submit to civil government ( Romans 13:1). Listening is easy when we can have our own way, but do we listen when we find ourselves in disagreement with God? Many today only want to follow the bible's teaching if it agrees with them. Are we submitting to God or trying to make God submit to us?
The old story goes that as long as we are preaching to someone else everything is okay, but start dealing with a problem of mine and it becomes meddling. Friend take heed how you listen. Your eternal life is at stake. Take care that you not have the heart of the Ephesian Jews lest you find yourself fighting against a foe you cannot beat. He who has ears let him hear!
by Greg Legg
Do you know this song? It is very popular
this time of year. How do the words go?
Oh, come all ye faithful. Joyful and triumphant.
Oh come ye, Oh come ye to Bethlehem. Come and...
The song contains some good sentiment. Unfortunately, like several other decent hymns, it has become closely associated with the man-made religious celebration known as Christmas. Don't get me wrong. Christ should be honored. His birth should be proclaimed and praised. But the traditional ways and means of doing so typically involve man-made religious rites, false assumptions and teachings, and (worse yet) the neglect of God-ordained worship.
When honoring the Lord in a way that we have invented takes the place of honoring Him in the way He has prescribed, we have succeeded in defeating ourselves! The Jews of Jesus' day managed to accomplish this inglorious feat. They had a tradition that allowed a man to vow to give a gift to the temple rather than help his needy parents. There was nothing wrong with giving a gift to the temple, but Jesus CONDEMNED it when it resulted in neglecting to honor parents. "He said to them, 'All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition&ldots;making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down" (Mark 7:9-14).
There is nothing wrong with learning and singing about the birth of Christ. But if we make up a date for His birth, invent religious rites regarding it and impose them on others, produce pageants that teach error concerning it, and use all of this to replace worshiping Him according to His directions, we are no different from the Jews that Jesus condemned. For many people, the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25th is the highest point of their spiritual lives. They participate in it with great zeal. Things the Lord has actually commanded, like assembling with the church and taking the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week, are rarely done. The tradition of Christmas has replaced the commands of the Lord in their lives.
In Luke 6:46 Jesus asked, "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" In the same vein, we ask, why do people sing "Oh come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord," while in the process of worshiping Him in a way that He has not commanded? They are singing "Come, let us adore Him," but their actions are saying, "Come, let us ignore Him."
by Steve Klein
The goal of the gospel is to prepare people for heaven. Its emphasis centers upon happiness in a life to come rather than upon this life. "For what profit is it to a man," Jesus once asked, "if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" The Lord would teach us to look through faith beyond the suffering and heartaches of this life to a life free of suffering and heartaches; to lay up treasures in heaven rather than upon the earth. He wants us in our preaching to proclaim a message of salvation through His blood, to bring to people's consideration those things that are eternal. But when we succeed in leading men and women to surrender their lives in favor of the life to come, we lead them into gaining, not only heaven, but also the peace and contentment that make for real happiness upon this earth. "He who finds his life shall lose it," Jesus said, "and he who loses his life for my sake shall find it."
by Bill Hall