PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD
Edited and Published by Jack Critchfield
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Volume 6 Issue 5 |
May, 2002 |
Jack Critchfield
The central point in the history of mankind is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The prophecies of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the cross and attendant events. And all the world’s history since is defined by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The apostle Paul wrote, "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal. 6:14). It is only in the cross that man has a right to glory, not in his own accomplishments. The cross depicts what God has done for us. Our strength stems from that which God has bestowed upon us.
The cross of Christ reveals much about God, and man. If we would look to the cross to evaluate its worth, then we would more fully understand why Paul wrote those words in Gal. 6:14. We, too, would "glory in the cross" if we investigate what the cross reveals to us. As it was the focal point of Paul’s interest, so should it be of ours.
The Cross Reveals Our Sins
It was on the cross that Jesus died for us, to change our pattern of life. The apostle Paul wrote, "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:14-15). Because "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23) and "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23), all of us are under sentence of death. But Jesus took our place, and paid our penalty, on the cross. The result? "And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him…
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (Isa. 53:6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). Yes, Jesus, who was "without sin" (Heb. 4:15), paid the price for our sins when He died on the cross.
The Cross Reveals God’s Love
All the provisions, which our benevolent God pours upon us daily, may be overlooked by ungrateful mankind, or taken for granted. The beautiful sky, the life-giving rain, the glorious mountains and verdant forests all testifying of a loving Creator. But how much more does the cross portray God’s infinite, tender love for those made in His image? "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). The cross is the story that makes us sorry for our sins, and leads us to repent and turn to God: "For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation" (2 Cor. 7:10). Many a sin-calloused heart has been melted by the sweet story of the cross. No heart can hear the pathos of love presented in the story of the cross of Christ, and believe it, and not be moved by God's great love.
The Cross Reveals God’s Appeal
God’s strongest appeal to man is made by the cross of Jesus Christ. Because God appeals to us by the cross, the story of the cross had to be told to sinners. This became the burden of preaching for those who sought to save souls. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 1:18: 2:2). On the first Pentecost after the death of Jesus, the apostles were waiting in Jerusalem as the Lord had told them (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8). When they began to preach the gospel on this day, this message was central: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up" (Acts 2:22-24). The cross of Christ was God’s appeal to sinners then. It must be now, also.
The Cross Reveals the Perfection of Jesus
It was by the cross that the perfect character of Jesus was presented before the whole world. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone…And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Heb. 2:9; 5:9). The perfection of character of Jesus is shown in that He willingly accepted this course of compliance to God’s will: "…He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8). Jesus knew the price to be paid. He knew the pain He faced. Yet He told the apostles: "I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself" (John 10:17-18). Later on the apostle wrote of Him, "who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2). The nobility of His character is shown in that He endured the torture of death, knowing that He thereby could redeem us from sin.
The Cross Reveals the End of the Law
To show the place, and duration, of the law, which God gave through Moses, the apostle Paul wrote of Jesus: "having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross…He takes away the first that He may establish the second" (Col. 2: 14; Heb.10:9). It is only because the old covenant was taken away that we can come to God through Jesus Christ. Instead of being governed by "the letter" we are now led by "the spirit" (2 Cor. 3:6). For those who would go back to the Old Covenant, God shows the result: "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). The cross put an end to the old law, with its teachings about "food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths" (Col. 2:16). We live today under the New Covenant, "the perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25), which is sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:12-17).
The cross of Christ also reveals a responsibility for each of us. As Jesus expressed it: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24). Just as Jesus bore the cross for us, we must bear our cross for Him. But, as we contemplate the cross to be borne, let us also visualize the great joy that shall be ours when we, for eternity, exchange that cross for a glorious crown!
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A little boy was told by his mother that it was God who makes people good, replied, "I know it is God, but mothers help a lot."
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Larry Ray Hafley
Skepticism scoffs at faith and lays the ills of the world at the feet of religion. The scoffing, scorning skeptic says that most of the world’s wars are created by "religious" people contending for their god. Do away with the false concept of a divine being, rid people’s minds of such ignorance, superstition, and blind devotion, and the world will be a safer, less volatile place.
For once, I agree, at least in part, with the skeptics! No, of course, we cannot deny the Creator of heaven and earth. However, false religion and false rituals, in the name of false gods, have created havoc and heartache. What about "the Crusades"? Weren’t they fought by "Christians," by the authority of Christ? No, for Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (Jn. 18:36). Did the religion of Christ create the cruelty of the Crusades? No, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal" (2 Cor. 10:3, 4).
False priests, preachers, and prophets may have started wars and created human misery, but to condemn all religion because of impostures is parallel to the man who refuses all medical treatment because a "quack" doctor made him feel worse. A crooked lawyer must not be used to define the usefulness of worthy counsel.
True faith is not the problem. It is the solution, the only solution. The frightening belligerence of barbaric, religious men does not discredit God and godliness. Rather, it shows the need for truth and righteousness. A denial of God and his word does not solve the problems of this world. If God were eliminated from all faith and all Bibles were burned, there is not a single sordid, sinful thing that would be abolished. The darkness would only deepen. (And, if it did, why would it matter? If there be no God, there are no rules. So, why gripe and grumble? Why is it wrong to kill and to pillage and plunder if there be no God? If there is no God, I may kill you with as little concern as I would swat a mosquito.)
What these present, perilous times reveal is that we need more, not less, of "the words of truth and soberness." Yes, false religion has brought us mayhem, murder and massacre. But, beneath the blood stained banner of the Prince of Peace, it is his pure religion that alone can give us hope for our hearts and rest unto our souls.
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Steve Klein
People are often identified by the clothes they wear. In the Bible clothing identified people as being widows, harlots, kings, rich men, men, women and wedding guests. Today, just by looking at a person's attire, we can identify doctors, nurses, policemen, firemen, soldiers, football players, ballet dancers, and bums (uh, I mean street people). In 1 Timothy 2:9-10, the apostle Paul instructs women to dress in a way which "befits women making a claim to godliness" (NASB). Certainly it would not be fitting or proper for a soldier to dress in the attire of a bum or for a policeman to dress as a doctor. Likewise, it is improper for the godly to dress in clothing which characteristic of the ungodly.
When Paul instructs us to wear "modest apparel" (1 Timothy 2:9), he is in effect commanding us to dress in a way which proper for godly individuals. Webster's 7th New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word "modest" as "observing the proprieties of dress." It defines "propriety" as "the quality or state of being proper." But what is proper for those who are godly? The inspired apostle himself gives us the answer. "Modest apparel" for the person who is godly is apparel that can be worn "with shamefacedness and sobriety" (1 Timothy 2:9).
The phrase "with shamefacedness" refers to the fact that a sense of shame is to be demonstrated by our attire. A godly man or woman will dress in a way which shows an appreciation for the fact that God considers nakedness to be shameful (cf. Revelation 3:18). Realizing that God still considered Adam and Eve to be naked even after they had partially clothed themselves with aprons made of fig leaves (Genesis 3:7-10, 21), the godly are not satisfied with being partially clothed. But rather, godly men and women dress in clothes which are designed to cover, not reveal. Now ask yourself, "Are shorts, short skirts, halter tops, sun dresses and bathing suits designed to cover or reveal?" Surely a person cannot wear such clothing in public "with shamefacedness."
What about the word "sobriety" as it occurs in 1 Timothy 2:9? Both W.E. Vine in his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, and R.C. Trench in his book Synonyms of the New Testament, agree that "sobriety" refers to "that habitual inner self government with its constant rein on all the passions and desires which would hinder the temptation to these from arising." So, godly people dress in a way which hinders temptation. If you profess to be godly, ask yourself, "Are my clothes designed to incite lust or hinder it?" "Do they cause others to stumble or do they prevent such stumbling?" Often people attempt to justify their clothing by making a claim like the following: "My clothes wouldn't MAKE anyone lust!" But the question is, "Do your clothes HINDER anyone from lusting?"
Those who are interested in conforming to the will of God will be concerned about whether or not they dress in a way that is proper for godly people to dress. Do your clothes identify you as being godly? "Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8b).
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The bravest battle that ever was fought, shall I tell you where and when? On the maps of the world you will find it not – it was fought by the mothers of men.
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Steven Harper
For most of my growing-up years I wanted to somehow be a part of the automobile industry. I loved cars and everything about them, and decided I would try to get into the design end of the business as a career. When I finally found out where to go to school for this (try telling your career counselor you want to be a car designer and see how difficult is to find out what you need to do), I did what I had to do to get there. I got my two years of college background in Engineering Design Technology and worked on the artistic side of design, then moved on.
I moved out to Los Angeles to get me close to the school where car designers went (80% of them, anyway). It was tough to get into the school and I hoped I would have what they were looking for. I got a job in another field and worked in my spare time to get to where I needed to be, but it was slow and there were many others who were far more talented than I. I persevered.
After awhile, I got to work for an aftermarket wheel manufacturer that allowed me to at least get a "foot in the door" of the auto business, and it was during this time I saw some things that taught me some very valuable lessons that I want to talk about today.
QUALITY MATTERS. The company I worked for had a leader that looked to save money any way he could, even to the point of putting the business in danger of failing. I remember on two different occasions that they lost over $50,000 just in inventory (plus three weeks' worth of labor) because they were trying to use as low a quality material as they could get by with and still have a product that would pass testing. The bad thing about this was they knew the exact percentages of each material needed in manufacturing to get an acceptable product, but they kept trying to make it work with something less. Not only did they do it once and fail, but twice!
This reminds me of what happened inside the American auto industry back in the 1970's and 1980's when foreign competition started gaining ground in the home market. At first, they simply laughed and told us that they would never make much of a dent in the American market. The quality of American car design and build had declined, but the leaders thought they had the market sewn up and had nothing to worry about. (Meanwhile, an American who believed quality mattered, Alfred Demming, went over to
Japan and convinced the leaders that it would bring them success.) When foreign sales started to take 10% of the market, then 20% and more, the American companies started taking notice.
The attitudes and actions of these companies' leadership are not unlike some Christians, though. I have seen some Christians see just how little they can do for the Lord in hopes they will still eke out some hold on eternal life though they know full well what God expects of them if they are to be found pleasing in His sight. Instead of accepting the standard that has been set down, some will either try to see how little they can do or see how much they can live like the world and still feel comfortable with the "product."
As disciples of Jesus Christ, what are we seeking to be — the best we can be, or ones who do as little as we can get by with? I cannot comprehend having looked at what God has done for us and doing anything less than the best in return, but that is what some tend to do. Some will study their Bibles just enough to answer the basic questions, and refer everything else to the preacher or older Christians. Some will attend just enough worships assemblies to keep their names on the roll. Some will pray just enough prayers to ease their conscience. Some are just lukewarm Christians — not too hot and not too cold. Do we remember what the Lord thinks of lukewarm Christians?
YOU SEEK WHAT YOU DESIRE. Along similar lines, I am reminded of the car commercial from a few years back where a parent is seen telling a young boy to stay out of the mud hole at the beginning of the commercial. To ensure this was done, she attaches a leash to his waist and hooks it to the clothes line. As soon as this was said and done, the next thing we see is a row of clothes pins flying up into the air, with the implication the boy is heading for the mud hole as fast as he can go. Only at the last minute does he stop at the edge of the mud hole, and that only because he has run to the end of the leash. He stares longingly at the mud hole, with a look of disappointment that any boy would understand.
This reminds me of the behavior of some Christians, especially many young Christians, who want to know why they can't stand on the edge of the mud hole of sin and worldliness. They argue to great lengths that "it won't bother" them and "just once" would do no harm. The "evergreen" questions about dancing and drinking and immodest apparel come from the mind set that wants to look as much like the world as possible, when they should be asking how they can become more like the Master. You can't dress like the world, speak like the world, act like the world, and fill your mind up with worldly desires and expect to look like Christ.
Inexperience may be the excuse for young Christians who have not faced temptations as older Christians have, but what about those older Christians who do the same? How do you explain to a young Christian that we should not get as close to sin as we can when they see older Christians fill their lives with worldly entertainment and pleasures without hesitation? It's as if some are standing at the edge of the old mud hole and saying, "But I'm not in it!"
Surely we can see the fallacy of such thinking! If we walk with the world, we cannot be walking with God, for God walks in the light and the world is darkness (1 John 1:6, 7), and we it is not possible to have fellowship with lawlessness and righteousness simultaneously (2 Cor. 6:14). We must choose our path and stick with it if we want to get to the heavenly goal, letting nothing distract us or prevent us from giving of our best to the Lord.
Let's forsake the way of thinking that gives little to the Lord, and let's set our minds on greater things; high expectations bring greater results. Let's not stand at the edge of the mud hole, but separate from the world and shining as lights in the midst of darkness. Let us set our minds on things above and not on things of this earth, giving the Lord our best. Doing such will produce good fruits that will lead others to obedience. To do less will only produce that which will always fail the "test" of faith.
The Burns Park BEACON, November 26, 2000
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Jack Critchfield, Editor & Publisher
403 Coit Way, Salinas, Ca. 93907
(831) 772-9557
jcritch@a1above.net
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