By Ronald Bryant
Christian character is not
developed theoretically. Nor can it be developed merely by
the force of human will. The Christian graces are the
heartbeat of Christian character. The two are inseparably
connected. Both are learned and developed in the deep
recesses of the heart, in daily-life, and only in the
context of vital life-union with Christ. Communion with God
is the environment of spiritual life, and is thus the very
nature of life in Christ.
Discipleship is the manner and
method of Christian devotion. The demands of the Christian
faith are specific and unalterable, and they are essential
to daily life and to the hope of eternal life.
Christ begins with each Christian
at the point of their new birth. He guides, protects,
strengthens, and encourages their spiritual growth. That
growth ever moves toward the possession of a greater
knowledge of God and an ever increasing desire to know Him.
Spirituality, in Christ's program, develops steadily within
the heart and life of each genuine disciple, as they yield
to and honor Him. The various stages of development come in
order, with no stage being skipped. Steady growth takes
place as each disciple is instructed in the "grace and
knowledge" of Christ. God expects each Christian to grow
spiritually – to conform to the image of Christ.
The greatest and noblest desire is
to be conformed to the image of Christ.
The deep sincere desire to be like
Christ is life-altering. Under the sway of love for Christ,
the ruling desire of one’s heart is to catch and hold His
mood and manner, to be attuned to Him in every thought,
word, and deed. Such a desire is a blessing, not a burden.
To possess this desire, or rather, to be possessed of this
longing, is the greatest satisfaction.
Devotion to Christ is
life-altering. It is the rhythm of life, and the labor of a
lifetime. It moves one to be ruled by a longing to cast
one's heart into the mold that is Christ. Nothing is more
attractive than the majesty of Christ. His brightness and
glory moves us to love and adore Him; His mercy and grace
catch and hold our affections and are the means whereby our
souls are transformed as we yield to Him in obedience. We
are truly Christian only when we are in Christ and are like
Him. Only in Christ are we truly the people of God. Only in
Him can our souls be satisfied.
- Ronald Bryant; via The
Encourager, the weekly bulletin for the Calvert
City Church of Christ, Calvert City, KY. Lance Cordle
preaches for the congregation. He may be contacted
through the congregation's website:
http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
By Ty Nichol
He asked how I was feeling, and I
grinned a little—only a little—and said, “Aw, you don’t want
to know.” He nodded like a man that knew from
experience what I meant, and he grinned a little—but only a
little. We were silent for a moment and then he said,
“And how’s your faith?” It lights me up when I think of my
response—a genuinely felt and deeply grounded
response. I said something like, “Now that’s a whole
different story! Nothing seems ever to affect that.”
I’m not overly confident that I would be able to say that if
I were living under extreme circumstances for a very long
time. As it is, I have my share of troubles and
disappointments, but I don’t live in Darfur or Zimbabwe or
big city streets or other such models of purgatory.
But aren’t our feelings a gauge of
how healthy our faith is? Um…not really! The notion that if
you truly trust God you won’t feel pain or loss or
disappointment is silly. Trust in God doesn’t exempt a
man or woman from hurt or frustration or anxiety. Yes,
I know we hear preachers and read others who say otherwise,
and I know they can quote texts while they’re doing
it. And worse—because it’s more plausible—they tell us
when the roof falls in on us, we shouldn’t stagger under the
burden. Faith is supposed to take the pain out of the
pain and the weight out of the load, don’t you know.
(Faith in God through Jesus Christ is not the burdensome
thing. It’s an easy yoke and a light burden; but in a
fallen world it generates the stress of swimming against the
current.)
Imagine one of the glib ones asking
Habakkuk, “How are you feeling?” “Awful!” Habakkuk
would tell him. “I just heard a message I don’t
like. I heard and my heart pounded. My lips
quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my
legs trembled” (Habakkuk 3:16). If a modern believer
answered this way, a modern triumphalist response might well
be, “Oh, that’s too bad. I thought you really trusted
in God. If you did, you wouldn’t feel this way.”
Had someone said that to Habakkuk he would have said, “Oh,
but I do trust! Though the fig tree crop fails and the
fields produce no fruit, though there are no sheep in the
pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the
Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign
Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a
deer, he enables me to go on the heights” (3:17-19).
This is one of the loveliest,
strongest confessions in the entire Bible, and he makes it
while he trembles and while his legs can hardly support
him. The same pounding heart and quivering lips that
confessed his awful anxiety defied the anxiety he
felt. This is not an unusual case, but even if it
were, it would make the case that fear and anxiety can exist
in the presence of the profoundest faith.
- via THE SOWER, a
weekly publication of the Arthur Church of Christ, Arthur,
IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be
contacted through the congregation's website:
http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
By Bobby Duncan
Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: but
we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto
Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:22-24).
Is this statement by Paul concerning his preaching an
oversimplification? Or is it actually the case that the term Christ
crucified accurately denotes the preaching of that peerless apostle? In 1
Corinthians 2:1-2 he declared: And I, brethren, when I came unto you,
came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the
testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save
Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
This verse affirms not only that Paul preached “Jesus Christ, and
him crucified,” but that his preaching was limited to that theme; he
knew nothing else to preach. That which he here terms, “Jesus Christ,
and him crucified,” he calls simply, “the cross,” in 1 Corinthians 1:18,
where he wrote, “For the word of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God.”
While we know that the preaching done by Paul was not limited to the
mere fact of the crucifixion of Christ, it is significant that he used
these terms to denote what he preached. The cross of Christ was central
to the preaching, not only of Paul, but of all inspired preachers in the
New Testament. The magnificent sermon delivered by Peter on Pentecost
of Acts 2 centered around the cross, and showed both logically and
scripturally that Jesus of Nazareth whom the Jews had crucified had been
raised from the dead, thus proving Him to be the Christ, the Son of
God. In preaching to Cornelius and his household, Peter declared: And we
are witnesses of all things which he did both in the country of the
Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom also they slew, hanging him on a tree. Him
God raised up the third day, and gave him to be made manifest (Acts
10:39-40).
The Jewish leaders at Jerusalem knew exactly what the theme of the
preaching was that was done by the apostles. They said to the apostles
on one occasion:
Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this
name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and
intend to bring this man’s blood upon us (Acts 5:28).
Obviously, the apostles had been preaching about the crucifixion of
Christ. Jesus was speaking of His crucifixion when He said, “And I, if I
be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32).
We understand that Jesus had to die to enable God to be infinitely
just and at the same time justify sinners (Rom. 3:24-26). But why the
cross? Why crucifixion? The cross underscores the seriousness of sin and
God’s hatred of it. The world glorifies sin. The religious world, in
large measure, has chosen to classify sin as an ailment instead of a
misdeed. Even in the church, sin is overlooked and its seriousness is
minimized. But if one wants to know if sin is really bad, let him look
at the cross. For me to behold the cross, realizing what took place
there was brought on by my sins, causes me to see that sin is not
something to be smiled at; it is serious. God hates sin.
The cross emphasizes man’s lost condition. The familiar parables of
the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost boy (Luke 15) remind us that
the “Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke
19:10). If one wants to know God’s estimate of how terrible it is for
one to be lost, then let him look at the cross and see the price God was
willing to pay to redeem lost humanity.
The cross points to God’s love for sinners. Though God hates sin, He
loves sinners. That which pictures God’s hatred of sin is that which
portrays God’s love for sinners. For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Perhaps a passage even more meaningful in one sense is Galatians
2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
This passage does not merely say He died for sinners, but for me;
as much for me as if I were the only sinner in the world. He loved me,
and gave himself for me!
The cross emphasizes the necessity of obedience to the Scriptures.
Jesus went to the cross because that was the only way He could be
obedient to the Scriptures. With the cross casting its shadow over Him,
He said: “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he
shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then
shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (Mat.
26:53-54). In Philippians 2:8 Paul wrote that Jesus “humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Do you
want to know if obedience to that which is written is important? You
will find the answer when you look at the cross.
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
world (Gal. 6:14).
- via the Belvedere Beacon, the weekly bulletin of the Belvedere Church
of Christ, Belvedere, SC. Ken Chumbley preaches for this congregation,
and he may be contacted at their website:
http://www.belvederechurchofchrist.org
By Toby Miller
I remember walking through a store
with my Dad when I was ten years old (52 years ago!), and
asking him what gift I could buy Mom for Christmas. He
suggested a five - year diary. At the time, I thought that
was an extremely unexciting present! I thought Mom would be
much more pleased receiving a new fishing pole, or something
like that. However, since Dad was paying for it, I went with
his suggestion.
That began a tradition that
continues to this day. Every five years, I buy my Mother a
new five-year diary! In 1978, my wife and I were doing
mission work in England when the fifth year rolled around. I
purchased a diary in Birmingham, England and shipped it
overseas to her in Indiana thus keeping the tradition going.
My Dad passed away in 1995, but my
Mother, now 86, still enjoys reading through the old diaries
and bringing to remembrance many of the good things that
happened throughout the past fifty years. Many arguments
have been settled by those diaries! When questions arise
concerning the time or place of an event, my Mom just looks
it up in her diary, and that settles it!
The fact is, each one of us
are writing in a “diary” everyday of our lives, and God is
reading it. As we are about to finish our personal 2011
diary, it would be wise to go back and consider how it reads
(2Corinthians 13:5). What has Heaven recorded about your
life during this past year (cf. Genesis 18:21). What has
Heaven recorded about your zeal for the Body of Christ?
(e.g. John 2:17). How many excuses has it recorded
concerning why you couldn’t assemble to worship on various
weeks throughout the year? (cf. John 15:22). We will
probably “argue” with God on Judgment Day, but it will avail
nothing, as Jesus explains quite potently in Matthew
7:21-23. God will “check our diaries,” compare it with His
Word, and that will settle it.
We need to understand that it is
not God who will judge us on the last day - - it is HIS WORD
(John 12:48) - - God will simply issue the verdict and
sentencing: “enter into the joys of the Lord” (Matthew
25:21), or “cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth”
(Matthew 25:30).
My prayer for you is “peace.” But
genuine peace can only come from the “Prince of Peace” who
is Jesus (Isaiah 9:6 w/ Luke 2:11). Jesus promises this
unique peace to His disciples (John 14:27); it is a “peace
that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7). It is an inner
peace that surpasses all the uncertainties of this world;
but it can only be realized within the soul when one is
following in the footsteps of Jesus (1Peter 2:21), who is
the Word (John 1:1).
Diaries can be fun and enjoyable,
but they can also have the opposite effect; it all depends
on what is written therein.
- via The Encourager,
the weekly bulletin for the Calvert City Church of Christ,
Calvert City, KY. Lance Cordle preaches for the
congregation. He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
By Bryan Matthew Dockens
Trusting that God's word means
exactly what it says, you have obeyed the gospel by being
baptized into Christ to gain salvation (Mark 16:16; 1Pet.
3:21). Now what?
REJOICE. After Philip the
evangelist baptized the treasurer of Ethiopia, “he went on
his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:35-39), and after Paul and Silas
“spoke the word of the Lord to him”, the prison keeper in
Philippi “and all his family were baptized...and he
rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household”
(Acts 16:32-34). Joy is the most appropriate reaction to
one’s baptism because baptism brings about salvation, and
there can be no greater event in any person's life than to
be saved from the condemnation of hell. Neither material
success, nor marriage, not even the birth of one’s own
children or grandchildren merit as much delight as the
knowledge that God’s grace has spared you from the
consequences of sin. Even the angels of heaven thrill at the
news of one repentant sinner (Luke 15:7,10).
ENJOY THE COMPANY OF OTHER
DISCIPLES. After appearing to him on the road to Damascus,
the Lord sent Ananias to Saul, who “arose and was
baptized...then Saul spent some days with the
disciples”(Acts 9:18-19). Peter went to the household of
Cornelius in Caesarea, “And he commanded them to be baptized
in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few
days" (Acts 10:48). In Philippi, the merchant Lydia believed
the gospel when she heard Paul preach it, “And when she and
her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, ‘If you
have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house
and stay.’ So she persuaded us" (Acts 16:15). After the
Philippian jailor was baptized with his family, he “brought
them”, that is Paul and Silas, “into his house” (Acts
16:33-34). “Many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and
were baptized”, whereafter Paul “continued there a year and
six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:8,
11). Although baptism is the culmination of several steps
leading to salvation, it is merely the beginning of one's
life as a Christian. Those formative days, weeks, and months
following baptism require nurturing from other disciples.
The scriptures teach that Christians are and ought to be
dependent on one another, “so we, being many, are one body
in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom.
12:5; cf. 1 Cor. 12:13-27).
CONTINUE STEADFASTLY. On the day of
Pentecost following Christ's ascension, Peter preached
repentance and baptism for the remission of sins (Acts
2:38), adjuring his audience to be saved (Acts 2:40). “Then
those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that
day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they
continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts
2:41-42). We reiterate: although baptism is the culmination
of several steps leading to salvation, it is merely the
beginning of one’s life as a Christian.
With baptism, the new Christian
commits to a life of faithfulness thereafter. Paul exhorted,
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your
labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).
LEAD OTHERS TO CHRIST. After Saul
“arose and was baptized” (Acts 9:18), and “spent some days
with the disciples” (Acts 9:19), “Immediately he preached
Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God” (Acts
9:20). Don’t be satisfied with your own salvation while
others perish! Jesus taught, “You are the light of the
world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do
they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a
lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt.
5:14-16).
What have you been doing since you
were baptized?
- via the weekly bulletin of the Harrisburg Church of Christ
in Harrisburg, IL. You may visit their website at
http://www.harrisburgchurchofchrist.org
By Curtis L. Graves
Revelation 14:6-7 says: “And I saw
another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory
to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship
him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters.”
Several years ago a so called
religious broadcast network put out a brochure trying to
sell subscriptions to their programming. An interesting part
of that brochure was the bold headline, which read: “A
Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy.” The brochure claimed that
what John saw in the above passage was not an angel but his
best description of a modern communication satellite with
huge outstretched solar wings. Is this really an example of
serious Bible scholarship from these televangelists?
Revelation is certainly one of the most misunderstood and
misused books of the Bible. Would the persecuted Christians
of John’s day really be comforted by the fact that one day
there would be satellites in space so that so-called
preachers could tell fanciful tales such as this one? Halsay
and others talk about finding helicopters out of locust,
tire rationing, and nuclear weapons in the book of
Revelation. Again, I ask what comfort would that be to those
persecuted Christians?
Revelation must be looked at through
first-century glasses. What did it mean to the people of
John’s day? What message did Jesus have for those persecuted
Christians? It was not satellites and tire rationing. It was
relief soon (Rev. 1:1); and ultimate, final victory for the
faithful, obedient Christian. (Rev. 2:10).
Do not be lead
astray by false teachers. The angel is symbolic of God’s
messengers, His saints, preaching the Gospel to the world.
The message is: “fear God,” “give Him glory,” and “worship
Him.” This is the message we bring to you. We are not trying
to sell subscriptions or tell you fanciful tales just the
simple message above as presented in the Bible.
- via the Belvedere
Beacon, the weekly bulletin of the Belvedere Church
of Christ, Belvedere, SC. Ken Chumbley preaches for
this congregation, and he may be contacted at their website:
http://www.belvederechurchofchrist.org
By Charles C. Pugh III
An old gospel preacher stood before
a great audience and announced the text of his sermon.
He said, “My text is Genesis 3:9. The Bible says, ‘And
the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, Where art
thou?’” The preacher continued, “I will make three
divisions in this study. First, every man has to be
somewhere. Second, some men are where they ought not
be. Third, they that are where they ought not be are
one day going to find themselves where they don’t want to
be!”
God’s question to Adam
(“Where are you?”) serves to remind us today of spiritually
geographic locations where accountable persons find
themselves.
Some ARE in Christ. Those who
have obeyed the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 6:17),
and are living faithful to Christ are in Him (Ephesians
1:3). There is no condemnation in Christ (Romans
8:1). There is forgiveness of sins in Christ
(Ephesians 1:7). There is salvation in Christ (2
Timothy 2:10). The Scriptures teach that one is
baptized into Christ’s death where He shed His blood (Romans
6:3-4; John 19:33-34). Paul wrote, “For as many of you
as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians
3:27). Having been baptized into Christ, one remains
in this spiritual location by walking in the light (1 John
1:7) and remaining faithful to Him unto death (Revelation
2:10).
Some WERE in Christ. It
is possible for those who were once in the right spiritual
location (in Christ) to depart (fall away from) that
location. Those who think they stand in Christ are
warned to “take heed” lest they fall (1 Corinthians
10:12). The grace of God is in Christ (2 Timothy 2:1),
and some have fallen from that grace (Galatians 5:4).
Some were in the location where they had escaped the sinful
pollutions of the world, but they moved to another location
where they were condemned (2 Peter 2:20-22). It is
possible for those who have been enlightened by the truth,
and received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:4;
10:26-32; Acts 2:38), to fall away (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Those who do not abide in Christ will, one day, be where
they will eternally regret such (cf. John 15:6).
Some ARE NOT (and never have
been) in Christ. To be outside of Christ is to be
without hope (Ephesians 2:12). Most are in this
location (Matthew 7:13-14), because they have not obeyed the
gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).
Where are you? Are you
in Christ? Are you away from Christ due to having
fallen? Are you outside Christ because of having not
obeyed the gospel? “Examine yourselves as to whether
you are in the faith...” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
- via the weekly bulletin of the Harrisburg Church of Christ
in Harrisburg, IL. You may visit their website at
http://www.harrisburgchurchofchrist.org
