PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD
Edited and Published by Jack Critchfield
|
Volume 4 Issue 2 |
February, 2000 |
In This Issue:
God's Plan for the Family - Part 1
Danger! Beware of Dog!
Weighing Vices and Virtues
The Saddest Words Ever Heard
The Youth of the Day
A Reminder and a Warning
Part 1
Jack Critchfield
How can we build better families? How can we strengthen the foundation of a society?
As politicians campaign for office, it seems as if every one of them is trying to help the American family. Some want to give tax breaks. Others believe the offer financial help is the best way to attract votes. Still others look to instill better values. The one common thread that connects all these efforts is; the family needs help. Whether the politician is Democrat or Republican, the one thing they will agree on is the need to bolster the American family. Politicians may not agree as to exactly where the family is hurting or how to do this, but they do agree that families are hurting. They know that many families are disintegrating. They know that our society (or any society) is only as strong as its families.
Yet, very few turn to the real source of family values. To rebuild or strengthen the family, it is absolutely necessary that people turn to the One who created the family in the first place. It was God who brought Adam and Eve together (Gen. 2:22-25) making them "one flesh". It was God who commanded them to "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth" (Gen. 1:28). God established the family. God ordained that families would be the backbone of any and all societies. So, what is God's plan for your family and mine?
We hear a great deal today about the need for values. Many turn to schools or government institutions to try to teach children and adults about right and wrong. But these values are taught best and most powerfully in the home. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), that it may be well with that you may live long on the earth. And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:1-4). Paul tells us that values are learned at home.
Parents are to admonish and nurture their children. They are to instill a sense of honor and respect for parents. Children are to be obedient to parents and are to learn to respect them. These are the very values that seem to be missing in society: honor, respect, obedience, nurturing. If families respond to God's plan by living this way, our society would undergo a profound change from selfish violence, to selfless respect for others.
These values are passed to children in subtle ways. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deut. 6:4-7). As Moses restated the law, he explained the process that instills values. It begins with the realization that God is, that He is our God and that He commands our lives. These facts should not be wrapped up in sermons, but in a lifestyle that speaks of God, thinks about God, and talks about God.
Moses even gives ideas about how to do this. He suggests talking about God in informal settings such as walking, eating, getting out of bed or going to bed. Those parents who include God at meals by praying are accomplishing much in the way of instilling values. Those parents who pray with their children before bedtime are setting the example children need in order to learn good values.
Finally, realize that these values are more modeled than taught. Children learn much more by example than by lectures or sermons. Taking your children to church is important. But if the home life is a poor example of faith, then all the lessons in the world, taught by all the best teachers, will fall on deaf ears. What takes place in your home will set in concrete the values your children adopt.
(Next month, part two.)
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By Glen Young
Upon entering the little country store, the stranger noticed a sign saying "DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG!" posted on the glass door. Inside he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor beside the cash register. He asked the store manager, "Is THAT the dog folks are supposed to BEWARE OF?"
"Yep, that's him," he replied.
The stranger couldn't help but be amused. "That certainly doesn't look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?"
"Because," the owner replied, "before I posted that sign, people kept tripping over him."
Growing up a country boy, as I did, I became acquainted with dogs. There were hunting dogs and working dogs. There were purebreds and mutts. I learned early to be wary of dogs or you just might get bit. So, after a while, you become a pretty good judge of dogs, especially when it comes to the biting kind.
It doesn't take long to learn to avoid the dogs that come running up to you all fuzzed-up and growling deep down in their throat. If you make any sudden moves, you will be bitten. Then there are those I call sneaky biters. They will come up to you slow and cowardly, but the minute your back is turned, they bite you. And then, there are lazy hounds like the one in our story. They may not bite, but they can hurt you, just the same.
Sin is like the dogs I have described. There are some sins, which come at you with their intentions in full view. Then there are sins, which sneak up on you. And then there are sins, which lie there all calm and peaceful, waiting for you to stumble over them.
Sins like murdering the innocent, thievery imposed upon the helpless and sexual molestation of children are like the first dog. They present themselves as sin and all are in agreement that they will destroy you. We even put people in jail who commit these heinous crimes.
Other sins like adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lying, stealing, social drinking of alcoholic beverages, wearing clothing that exposes the body in a sensuous way, reveling, reviling and railing are sins which sneak up on you. I say this because there are those who have the appearance of piety who will tell you that adultery is not adultery if you have a divorce document from the powers that be. Likewise, they say that homosexuality is not a sin but an alternative life style. After all, God made them that way, didn't He? And what about a can of beer now and then or wearing modern swimsuits or partying down or giving those dumb drivers who cut you off a piece of your mind or engaging in a little harmless gossip, everybody does it don't they? Hell awaits those who will allow sin to sneak up on them.
By now, some of you are asking yourself, "What about the lazy dog? What is left for him?" How about the sins of ignorance, apathy and omission? They are always lying there in the Christian's path, waiting for us to trip over them. There is going to be some very disappointed Christians on the day of judgement because of these sins.
Remember, "... the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23), and that "... each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is full-grown, bringeth forth death." (James 1:14-15)
DANGER! BEWARE OF THE DOGS! Or, should I say, DANGER! BEWARE OF SIN! Either way, try not to get bitten!
Via Rock Creek Road Bulletin
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Weighing Vices and Virtues
On the Scales of Our Lives
By Tom Edwards
The following was printed on the first page of an ad: "lust, greed, power, sex, envy--All for 99 cents. Choose a free gift, too!''
Opening the ad, it turned out to be from a book company that was offering a special on their books; and, I imagine, the advertisers knew exactly what many people in our society are looking for--if even just a vicarious thrill--and, thus, used these allurements above.
Do you think as many individuals would have been intrigued, however, had it said, "godly love, selflessness, generosity, humility, fidelity, and good wishes toward others--that you might freely give even as Jesus has given''? Sadly, I would say that this second category probably would not have the appeal to most people as the former one would.
If we could weigh these two categories of vices and virtues in our lives, which way would the scales be tilting? This is something we need to seriously evaluate from time to time, to make sure we are not veering from heaven's course and ending up in a ditch of iniquity. And, actually--to the contrary of earthly standards--''one ounce'' of a sinful vice cannot be outweighed by even "ten pounds'' of virtue; so we must be sure that we do not allow for any sinful vice in our lives. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?'' Just as we need to give our car a checkup from time to time, even more important is this spiritual checkup we must give ourselves by looking into the "mirror'' of God's word--for unlike most mirrors that only give a superficial view, the mirror of God's word helps us look deep into our hearts and be aware of the areas that need attention (cf., James 1:21-25).
Rather than using the above scale-illustration, we should more accurately use the "measuring cup'' of virtue--leaving no room for vice--and realizing that no matter how many virtues we have, they can each be increased, such as love, mercy, patience, etc. So if we have "one cup'' of patience, let's try to increase that to "two cups,'' etc. This is also similar to faith: it is not always a question of merely having faith or not having faith, but we as Christians need to also be concerned of increasing our faith (Luke 17:5)--for faith can be "little'' (Matt. 6:30) or faith can be "great'' (Matt. 15:28) (and, I would assume, it could be anywhere in between, as well).
From what we can infer in Galatians 4:19, having Christ in us is something we must work at. It begins with our obeying the gospel to become a Christian and is to continue throughout our lives by our adherence to the Scriptures (cf., 2 Pet. 3:18). For in Galatians 4:19, Paul expresses his desire to work with them "until Christ is formed in you.'' Obviously, a figurative phrase that indicates the spiritual development of Christians who are conforming more to the nature of Jesus by putting the gospel into practice in their lives, which leads to a change in their thinking, a change in their actions, and even a change in their reactions. When we as Christians are living according to God's word then this is when we figuratively have Christ in us--who is our ultimate example (1 Pet. 2:21-23)--and our "hope of glory'' (Col. 1:27).
As a Christian, our duty, if we are following in the footsteps of Jesus, is to serve--and not to be served (cf., Matt. 10:25-28); to be more concerned with giving than receiving (which is more blessed--See Acts 20:35); and to give of not merely our money, but also of our time and our talents (which can be used in our service to God); for this is the life of fruitfulness.
It is sad that so many in our society are turned off to the gospel, but why are they that way? Could it be that they "have only enough religion to make them miserable,'' as someone once observed. Through their misconception of likening Christianity with belonging to a type of social club, which one needs to reluctantly show up for from time to time and observe a few, starched formalities, no wonder some have no desire to be a Christian. This reminds me of the one-talent man who merely buried his talent instead of using it because he knew his master (who represents the Lord) to be a "hard man'' (Matt. 25:24). How little the one-talent man really knew of his master. Others, though, as Jesus explains, hate the light [truth] and will not come to it because they love the darkness [sin] more (John 3:19-21).
Sin, of course, can have an alluring power; but its appeal is temporary. As Moses viewed it--and chose to endure ill-treatment with the people of God instead--sin is but "fleeting pleasures'' (Heb. 11:25, RSV).
Living spiritually, however, is not a temporary thing--and certainly far from anything mundane, for it is the exact opposite. It is the "abundant life'' that Jesus came to give to those who were already living (Jn. 10:10), a life that begins in time and continues throughout eternity.
Unfortunately, though, the cloak of sin has enshrouded the minds of many--blinding them from the right perspectives of holiness and deceiving them into thinking that there could be no pleasure in a godly life in which "you just have to be good all day.'' But many can be the joys and pleasures and blessings of the one who walks with Christ; and I often remind myself that heaven is a place that is so wonderful that God has been there for all eternity--and hasn't left yet! That must be some place!!!
Let us, therefore, conquer the sinful vices in our lives with the virtuous power of the gospel that Christ may reign supreme on the throne of our hearts; and we may truly be His loyal subjects who will one day be ushered in to the eternal realm of heaven's glory--where like the mice, not even one vice will be allowed to enter!
Via Gospel Observer
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Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.
(Psa 119:104 NKJV)
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Kent E. Heaton, Sr.
When God placed man in the Garden of Eden, he gave him laws to live by. God provided all things for man and would care for all the needs of man in every way. The relationship between man and God was based upon God's law and man's willingness to obey those laws. "Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Genesis 2:15-17)
As laws go, this was a simple law to understand and to obey. With the numerous trees in the garden, man had freedom to freely eat. There was only one tree in the garden that man was forbidden to eat. From the outside, we could look at this law and wonder how it could be misapplied or misunderstood. God's law was simple to understand in relationship to man's obedience.
In Genesis chapter three we find how a simple law of God was made to be a law that was confusing and difficult to understand. The tragedy of this story is that it only took four words to take away the relationship between God and man: "Has God indeed said?" The devil knew in order to persuade Eve to take of the fruit as forbidden by God, Eve would need to question the will of God. The approach taken by the devil was simple - question God!
Following the devil's tempting of Eve to consider the simple command of God as too complex and challenging her to think for herself, she took of the fruit and ate and gave it to Adam and he ate. The devil had won the victory! Man now stood alone and apart from his God. Sin had gained the temporary victory and would for generations upon generations destroy the lives of millions of souls. Only by the victory in Jesus Christ can man now fully understand and overcome the sting of sin. But the story continues.
Today the devil is still inducing people to question the simple commands of God. In the word of God, the plan of salvation unfolds with the majesty and simplistic nature of God's divine word. Man needs to come to God and obey him. Satan whispers, "Has God indeed said?" While most in the religious world agree in the need for hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17) and seeking repentance (Luke 13:3) - coupled with the confession of the mouth (Romans 10:10) - few believe that one must be baptized to be saved.
Satan has filled the hearts of so many today who teach the only thing a person needs to do is to accept Christ as their Savior and they are saved. Baptism is placed on the shelf as something good to do but not necessary. The Bible teaches in very simple tones the need of baptism for salvation. Baptism is the completion of one's obedience to Christ. In every case - every case of conversion in the gospel of Christ - every single person - every single person obeyed the law of God in baptism. There is not on example in all of the gospel of Christ where baptism is not shown as the completion of the law of God - and yet today men question God!
Multitudes of scripture teach the necessity of baptism for salvation. Nowhere in God's word does it teach that one is saved by faith alone. Never! And yet many people will hear the saddest words ever spoken to man - "Accept Christ as your personal Savior and you will be saved." These words are sad because if believed - and practiced - the final sad words will be given by Jesus himself when he says, "I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:23)
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Our youths love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority--they show disrespect for their elders and love to chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when their elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up food, and tyrannize teachers.
(Socrates, c. 400 BC)
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By Greg Gwin
Parents of school-aged children should be reminded that the United States Supreme Court ruled more than a decade ago that "public schools cannot teach that God created the universe." The National Academy of Science said last year that "evolution must be taught in public schools if children are to understand biology at all." The blind prejudice of this 'prestigious' institution was clearly exposed when they stated: "There is no debate within the scientific community over whether evolution has occurred, and there is no evidence that evolution has not occurred." Those who have taken the time to investigate such matters know that nothing could be further from the truth. There is, in fact, a great debate among scientists about the theory of evolution and there is an increasing body of scientific evidence, which demonstrates that evolution could not and did not occur.
- Quotes via an Associated Press article
in the Tampa Tribune, 2/11/99
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A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him.
(Prov 17:25 NKJV)
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Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.
(Prov 10:13 NKJV)
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Jack Critchfield, Editor & Publisher
403 Coit Way, Salinas, Ca. 93907
jcritch@jps.net