Polish Your Shield!

By Donna Wittlif

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the
man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8, ESV).
    The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (I Peter 5:8). If you are a child of God, Satan’s eyes are upon you, watching for your slightest weakness, looking for a way to take you. You may not know it, but he is constantly chipping away at your shield until it becomes damaged enough for him to attack.
    Our shield is our faith in God. Satan never ceases sending his flaming arrows at it, and they have many names: the death of a loved one; illness and pain; disappointment in ourselves and others; discouragement; the lure of the world, always tempting us to take the easy way out, enjoy ourselves, and give up on following God’s teaching and commandments; the lust for power, wealth, and the praise of men; false teaching.
    Let’s face it. We are weak, and Satan knows how to tempt us. He is waiting for us to take our eyes off God and Jesus and let life’s circumstances get to us. We need to polish our shield now and not wait until one or more of Satan’s flaming darts pierces our faith.
    So polish your shield. Look to the things above and not below. Take refuge in God and His Son. Reach for His hand to guide you as you study His Word for encouragement and strength. Pray always. Wait for our blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember that you are heirs of eternal life and look forward to the hope of glory in heaven with God and Christ. A strong faith in our God who is our refuge will keep you from Satan and His schemes.

- Donna Wittlif, the founder and first editor of BulletinGold, lives in Denver, CO. Donna is also a writer of fiction. Her novels, World Eternal: Promises and World Eternal: Proselytes, and World Eternal: Perils, and her newest book, Finding Her Heart,  are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book outlets. For more information visit her website. http://www.donnarwittlif.com/

Friend Or Enemy?

By Joe Slater

    At first the Galatians Christians counted Paul as a friend – indeed, as a beloved brother who had led them to the Lord. They would have done anything to help him, even to the extreme of plucking out their own eyes, had that been possible (Galatians 4:15). Now, however, false teachers had slandered Paul, and the fickle Galatians had fallen for it. The frustrated apostle asked in the next verse, “Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” How tragically foolish to treat a faithful proclaimer of truth as an enemy!
    But it was nothing new. Centuries beforehand, God sent Elijah to rebuke King Ahab for murdering Naboth to steal his vineyard. Ahab reproached the prophet thusly: “Have you found me, O my enemy?” (1 Kings 21:20). Truth be told, Elijah was Ahab’s best friend. Warning the king of impending judgment gave him opportunity to repent. But evil Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel preferred to kill the messenger!
    Even before the time of Ahab, the apostate King Saul attempted to murder his faithful warrior David despite having sworn in the name of the Lord not to do so. Saul reprimanded his own daughter for hiding David, referring to him as “my enemy” (1 Samuel 19:17). Like Ahab and the Galatians, Saul’s own sins twisted his mind into treating a true friend as an enemy.
    Loyal servants of God will not simply tell you what you want to hear. Because they are your friends, they will tell you the truth.
    Do not expect worldly people to appreciate you when you speak the truth. They may well see you as their enemy! “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18).

- Joe Slater serves as minister of the Church of Christ in Justin, TX. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://justinchurchofchrist.com

God, Make Us the Men You Want Us to Be

By Gerald Cowan

Where can we find strong men to stand
With us and You against all odds?
The time we live in now demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands
That will not yield to others what is God’s.

Give us men of honor and good will
Whom spoils of office cannot buy,
Men with great insight, strength and skill
Whom lust and stress of office cannot kill,
Men of integrity who will not lie.

In public or in private thought
Help keep our heads above the fog
And empathize with all who’ve sought
To free us from some tyrant, and have fought
A selfish and self-serving demagogue.

While we are mumbling thumb-worn creeds
Strife rules the day and freedom weeps.
The darkness cannot hide their deeds;
Wrong rules the land. In vain the righteous pleads.
Let us not fear while waiting Justice sleeps.

God, let us be men, big in heart.
Armed with the Holy Spirit’s sword
Let us be prompt to do our part
And stay with Him with whom we’ve made a start,
Not giving up to serve some other lord.

When Christ returns we then will know
The fulness of His wondrous love
Who, by his words and deeds, did show
That He from whom eternal blessings flow
Finds in us the men He wants us to be.

- Gerald Cowan, a longtime preacher and missionary, is retired from full-time pulpit preaching. Gerald publishes an e-mail newsletter entitled GERALD COWAN’S PERSONAL PERIODICAL WRITINGS. He is available for Gospel Meetings and he may be contacted at Geraldcowan1931@aol.com

A Father or a Daddy?

By Bill Brandstatter

    As I think of Father’s Day, I think of my father. He has now left this world, but I learn more about his wisdom every day. We all honor our dads on Father’s Day. There are various honors that fathers receive, but perhaps the greatest is respect.
    The writer of Hebrews tells of the respect of our earthly fathers and connects it to respecting our heavenly Father. The writer states, “We have had human fathers who corrected us and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” (NKJV) One way of showing respect is the way we speak to or about our father.
    I would not think of calling my earthly father by his first name. Even though I am a lot older, when my dad was living, I still showed him respect. Likewise, we should show our heavenly Father respect. Jesus gives us an example of the respect for God. He stated that when we pray, we should address the prayer to the Father. Jesus illustrated by stating, “Our Father in heaven...” (Matt. 6:9) God is not “daddy.” God deserves respect and honor. The Psalmist says “holy and reverend is his name.” (Psa. 111:9 KJV). Our Lord tells us that no earthly person should be addressed in a religious manner by using the term “father”. Jesus asserted, “Do not call anyone on earth your Father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” (Matt. 23:9) God deserves special respect and honor; therefore, as a preacher, I wear no religious title. I would not dare to have anyone call me father in a religious sense. That term is reserved for God Almighty.
    Let us honor him on this special day as well by obeying Him and showing our respect and love for Him. When Jesus addressed the Father, after saying, “Our Father in Heaven,” He then said, “Hallowed be Your name.” (Mt. 6:9) God’s name is to be respected, honored, and held as something special. God is special. His love transcends our thinking. His mercy is beyond our comprehension. His grace is great. He sent His son to die for us that we could have eternal life. (John 3:16) Let us honor our heavenly Father every day we live by obeying Him and living for Him. (Matt.7:21; Titus 2:11,12)

- Bill Brandstatter preaches for the Marion Church of Christ in Marion, IL. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/

An Introduction to Luke’s Gospel

By Jeff Arnette

     Most scholars will agree that Luke’s gospel account and the book of Acts were written by a disciple named Luke. The Luke found in the New Testament is an interesting character. Truthfully, we do not a whole lot about him. We do not know where he was born nor anything about his death. All we have that hints to Luke’s birthplace and how he and Paul met each other is found in Acts 13:1, where it speaks of Lucian of Cyrene as one of the prophets and teachers at Antioch. If this is Luke, then it seems like they meet each other at Antioch before Paul and Barnabas left on their first missionary journey. From this passage, we can suggest that Luke was a Gentile, like Timothy, and therefore beneficial for Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. He was also important to Paul and his ministry because of his work as a physician. Paul refers to Luke as “the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14) and this underscores his work with Paul. Several passages suggest to us that Paul suffered from health problems (thorn in his side, etc.) which would be helped by Luke’s presence.
     At some point during the second missionary journey, Luke is with Paul. We can be certain he was with Paul because of the “we” passages found from this point forward (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16). We know that his presence with Paul was different from that of Timothy or Mark because he is not listed in the list of his fellow workers in Colossians 4:14 but is listed in Philemon 23-24. I would suggest that this is because Luke began his work with Paul for a medical reason but eventually became that of a fellow worker. One last thing is important to remember about Luke. Near the end of Paul’s life, as recorded in the book of second Timothy, Luke was the only disciple who was still with Paul (2 Tim. 4:11) and was in prison with him.
     Simeon beautifully expresses the redemptive theme of Luke’s account of the gospel as he held Jesus in his arms. “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32, ESV)
     Another important aspect of Luke’s gospel is the Holy Spirit. He weaves the work of the Holy Spirit into every part of the life and ministry of Jesus. He does this to emphasize how important the Spirit was to Jesus and His work. He is conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35); descends on Him and remains at His baptism (Luke 3:22); led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (Luke 4:2), and anointed by the Spirit for His ministry (Luke 4:18). The Holy Spirit is in the background, leading, guiding, empowering Jesus for his work, and is present even when He is not mentioned.
     Another important part of Luke’s gospel is seen in the way Luke points toward the joy experienced by the people when the Messiah is present. The angelic host announced Jesus’ birth with the words, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14, ESV). Then, near the end of Luke’s gospel, we see Jesus approaching Jerusalem and the people are praising God. They are singing out, “saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38, ESV)
     All of this suggests that the redemptive theme found in Luke is complex and always points us toward Jesus as the Christ. It includes Gentiles along with the Jews, blends the empowering work into the life of Jesus and His disciples, and strives to bring all of us to a place of joy in Jesus.

- Jeff Arnette preaches for the Central Haywood church of Christ, Clyde, NC.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://centralhaywoodcoc.com/

What Have You Committed to God?

By Edd Sterchi

    Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, worded 2 Tim. 1:12 in a most interesting way: “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”  I am particularly fascinated by the phrase “He is able to keep what I have committed to Him.”  Paul had turned his whole body, soul, and efforts over to God and knew that God would keep them safe.  What a great example and reminder to each of us.  In light of that, ask yourself the following questions:
* Have I committed my life to God?
* Have I committed my family to God?
* Have I committed my occupation to God?
* Have I committed my leisure time to God?
* Have I committed my interests to God?
* Have I committed my all to God?

Turn it all over to God.  He is able to keep everything you give Him and return them with His blessings!

- Edd Sterchi preaches for the Broadway Church of Christ in Campbellsville, KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.broadwaychurchofchrist.net/

For Our Graduates

By Adam Faughn

    It is that time of year to recognize and honor our graduating high school seniors for reaching this milestone in life.
    Over the coming weeks, I am sure these graduates will get all sorts of  "life advice." They will have parents, grandparents, older people, teachers, classmates, and many others offering wisdom from their experience to try to help them as they transition to the next phase of their life, whatever that may be.
    Instead of adding my own thoughts to the many they will be receiving over the coming days and weeks, let me share with them--and all of us--one verse of Scripture that provides three commands that also serve as powerful reminders of how to go through times of transition.
    It is Romans 12:12, where Paul wrote, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Notice those three short commands in turn.
    1. Rejoice in Hope. If you are a Christian, you have hope! That hope is one of the things that helps Christians stay peaceful and level-headed no matter their circumstances. Graduates, you already know that there are some serious ups and downs in life. Hope is one way to stay strong and faithful no matter if you are "up" or "down." But  notice the command is to "rejoice" in that hope! Christians are to be people who exude joy no matter their external circumstances. The world is not a joyful place, and the reason is simple: the world does not know that hope!
    2. Be Patient in Tribulation. The word "tribulation" comes from a Greek term that literally means "pressure" or "pressing." In context, Paul is speaking of times that are pressure-packed due to our faith. Christians are pressed out by the culture and pressured toward being more like the world, but we must never give in. Instead, we must be patient (literally, bear under) through those times. Whether you go to college, enter the workforce, or are going to the military, there are going to be pressures to compromise your Biblical morals in various ways. Be patient! Bear up under those times in faith, knowing that your faith being tested produces good fruit (cf. James 1:2-4).
    3. Be Constant in Prayer. Prayer is a life-line for the faithful. It is no wonder Paul would tell us not to be sporadic in prayer; but to be constant in it. You simply can-not pray too often or too fervently. Pray during times of victory and  defeat. Pray when things are normal and when the storms of life are raging. Pray when you know what to do and when you have no idea what step to take next. As you make this transition, you are going to be busy. You may think you do not have time to pray, but the fact is: you do not have time not to pray!
    These three things are not the only things one needs to live a faithful life, but they certainly are a fantastic start. Additionally, knowing they are all in one simple verse of the Bible makes it a great page to mark in your Bible, so you can always turn and be reminded of three commands of  God  that will help you in any time of your life.
    We are proud of you and grateful for you. We pray for you as you complete your high school years and as you begin this time of transition. It is an exciting time, so cherish it! It is a nervous time, so stay faithful through it!

P.S.: No matter where you go next, be certain to find a faithful congregation of the Lord's Church immediately and get involved! If you need help finding a congregation, don't hesitate to ask us for help.

- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith.