PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD
Edited and Published by Jack Critchfield
|
Volume 4 Issue 11 |
November, 2000 |
In This Issue:
In The End
Help Wanted
God or a god
Calling Upon The Name Of The Lord
Hope
Recently, while watching the American League Championship game, I notice that the members of the team that lost
were very dejected. In fact, in some cases, that dejection bordered on depression. Athletes and fans alike take
these games very seriously and when they do not win, especially if it is a very closely contested game, the sorrow
and disapointment can be very great. But no matter how deep their sorrow, it does not compare to the tragedy of
losing our souls on Judgment Day! Edgar A. Guest wrote these sobering words in a famous poem:
One day we shall stand with empty hands
And wonder what we are worth...
The prophet Ezekiel wrote of those who wandered away from God in their twilight years and ultimately died in spiritual
infamy: "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according
to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall
not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because
of them he shall die" (Ezek. 18:24). The good deeds of yesteryear will not save one who dies in sin and rebellion
against God. In 2 Chronicles 33, we read of Manassah who spent most of his life in rebellion to God and evil conduct.
At the end of his earthly life, he repented, but his influence lived on in the wickedness of his son Amon.
Demas once served the Lord as a co-worker with Paul in preaching the gospel (Col 4:14; Philemon 24). Sadly somewhere
during his life he departed from the Lord "…having loved this present world" (2 Tim 4:10). Far too many
other preachers have gone into apostasy, just like that, throughout the years. To serve valiantly and then to become
worthless to the cross of Christ is truly a heartbreaking situation.
Parents who wait too late to properly influence their children in the direction of heaven will realize how frivolous
it was to emphasize the wrong things. We can be forgiven sins of which we have repented and confessed, but the
seeds of ruin will haunt us for a long time. King David learned that the sad dividends of immoral actions leave
scars that are difficult to erase. At the end of time we will look back on decisions we made in life and regret
any choices that magnified materialism and diminished spirituality.
Solid foundations do not crumble under stress and duress, but shallow concepts and misplaced values are worthless
when serious matters confront us. Millions of people are not prepared for the final day of reckoning because their
lives are filled with inordinate affection for the various whims and fancies of secular endeavors. When "push
comes to shove" such folk have no depth and intensity with which to endure.
Have you ever noticed how some teams always win the close games, while their opponents seem unprepared for pressure
at the end? It is the difference in stamina and true preparation. When difficult moments and strategic endeavor
mesh, one team is thoroughly disciplined to meet adversity and the other group fades away. It will be much like
that as we blaze down the final lap of life.
Paul made it clear that we must pursue Christianity with loyalty and absolute commitment: "But I discipline
my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified"
(1 Cor. 9:27). To blunder at the finish line cannot be tolerated. We must "take heed" (1 Cor. 10:12)
lest we fall from steadfast resolve (2 Pet. 3:17).
We dare not falter at the end of time and be lost for all eternity. The faithful saints of centuries past are cheering
us on to finish the race with joyous hearts and victorious praise.
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A man's relationship to the Kingdom of God is controlled by his relationship with his possessions on this earth.
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HELP WANTED
Bob Craig
THE above heading was found in a San Antonio newspaper, The Northside Recorder, a few weeks ago. The help they
requested was this: "Evidence needed to prove Sunday worship from the Bible. Biblical evidence points toward
worshiping on Saturday. Secular proof points toward worshiping on Sunday. Does it make any difference to God? Assuming
it does not matter could cost you eternal life!"
The ad also quotes from James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore: "Is Saturday the seventh day according
to the Bible and the Ten Commandments? I answer, yes. Is Sunday the first day of the week and did the church change
the seventh day, Saturday, for Sunday, the first day of the week? I answer, YES. Did Christ change the day? I answer,
NO."
The answer to the first question is correct. The answer to the first part of the second question is correct. The
answer to the last part of the second question is false for several reasons, which I will examine shortly. The
answer to the third question is ambiguous and needs some examination also.
We'll notice the latter part of the second question. No one has changed Saturday, the seventh day, to Sunday, the
first day. Many so-called protestant denominational churches, following the lead of the Roman Catholic Church,
call Sunday the "Christian Sabbath" but then desecrate it in almost every detail. When Gibbons, and many
newspapers, uses the word "church," they have reference to the Roman Catholic Church. But there was no
Roman Catholic Church until 1054 and no church, whether the church of the New Testament or the Roman Catholic Church
or any of the hundreds of brands of churches of the present day, have the authority to change any part of the doctrine
of Christ.
Now, third question: did Christ change the day? This is asked in conjunction with another statement in another
advertisement: "Christ kept the seventh day Sabbath." Yes, Christ kept the Jewish Sabbath and also the
Passover and other Jewish feast days because he born under the law, lived under the law and died under the law.
"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law"
(Galatians 4:4). When Jesus died on the cross, he abrogated (To abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by
authority.) the law of Moses, the ten commandment law. He changed nothing. He brought in something new. "...
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house
ofJudah" (Hebrews 8:8) Then, Hebrews 7:22: "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament."
So, Paul, by the authority of Christ and through inspiration of the Holy Spirit said, "Let no man therefore
judge you...in respect...of the sabbath days" (Colossians 2:16). Why? Because you are not under the Jewish
law but under the new covenant of Christ.
Now the ad wants HELP in finding in the Bible, "evidence to prove Sunday (first day of the week) worship."
Well, here it is and we find it the same in the Catholic Bible as we do in the King James Version: (Acts 20:7)
"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them
..." And again, (1 Corinthians 16:2) "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him
in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
Catholic scholars and all other recognized scholars agree that the phrase "to break bread" has reference
to the Lord's Supper or what the Catholics refer to as the Eucharist.
Christians worship God, in some way, every day of the week, but a special part of their worship, is to take the
Lord's Supper on Sunday, the first day of the week. Why? Because we have a divinely inspired example of that being
right and pleasing in the Lord's sight. Let someone else bring forth a scripture, either explicit or implicit,
that authorizes us to do it on some other day.
Now, in answer to their question, "Does it make any difference to God? Assuming it does not matter could cost
you eternal life!" Yes, everything that is inspired of God makes a difference and, I agree with their conclusion,
"Assuming it does not matter could cost you eternal life!"
Let's follow the example of inspiration and do as they did under the new covenant, "they came together on
the first day of the week (Sunday) to break bread (take the Lord's Supper)."
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"The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness."
Prov 15:14 NKJV
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God or a god
Charles Osborne
It is frightening to think people will believe something merely by the suggestion of another person either in print
or by word of mouth. Do you believe everything you hear or read? Probably not, but the gullibility of many paves
the way for much deceit and fraud in the world. The apostles knew this.
Paul told the Galatians not to accept any teaching other than what had been delivered, whether from an apostle
or even from an angel (Gal 1:8). John wrote that anyone who did not abide in the doctrine of Christ should not
be accepted or encouraged (2 Jn 9-11). Further, we should "test the spirits whether they are from God"
(1 Jn 4:1), and "search the scriptures" to see if what is taught is true (Acts 17:11).
The Jehovah's Witness doctrine contends that Jesus of the Bible is not God. There are at least three reasons why
they believe this. First of all, because Jesus never said the words, "I am God." Secondly, Porphyry,
a 3rd century philosopher of Tyre (who was not a Christian), didn't believe Jesus was God. He claimed that Jesus
didn't preach about himself, but about the one God of all. And thirdly, they simply don't accept that the Bible
clearly teaches Jesus is God.
Let's compare some bible passages from the New American Standard Bible (NAS) (a translation highly respected by
most Bible scholars) with the Jehovah's Witnesses bible, the New World Translation (NWT), published by the Watchtower
Bible and Tract Society. John 1:1 (NAS) says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God." Verse 14 (NAS) says, "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." This "Word
become flesh" is then identified as Jesus, who was "in the beginning" and "was God." The
Watchtower's NWT translates verse the verse "and the Word was a god" [emphasis mine CO]. Isaiah 43:10
(NWT) reads, "Before me there was no God formed and after me there continued to be none." And Deut 32:39
(NWT) is translated, "See now that I, I am he and there are no gods together with me." So, in Jn 1:1,
their Bible says there was "a god" with God in the beginning, and the other passages noted above state
there was NOT!
Interestingly, Isaiah 43:11 (NWT) says, "I, I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior." Now, Titus
1:3,4 reads, "...under command of our Savior, God; ...God [the] Father and Christ Jesus our Savior" (cf.
2 Pet 1:11; 2:20). If God and Jesus are not one, then which one is the Savior? How can they both be the Savior
if Jehovah God says there is none beside Him? Of course, if the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are God,
then there is no contradiction!
Again, John 8:58 (NAS) records Jesus saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
This inflamed the Jews because they understood he was using the phrase, "I am," in the same way God used
it when he told Moses his name (Ex 3:14).
In John 10:30 (NAS) Jesus answered the Jews, "I and my Father are one," and in verse 33, the Jews state,
"...you, being a man, make yourself out to be God." This is why the Jews crucified the Christ: HE CLAIMED
TO BE GOD! And Peter told the same Jews on the Pentecost following his crucifixion, HIS RESURRECTION PROVES HIS
CLAIM! (Acts ch.2)
Of course Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe this. In their Bible Exodus 3:14 reads, "At this God said to Moses:
'I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE.'" Scholars of Hebrew and Greek agree that the phrases, aniy
haya and ego eimi ho on both refer to a timeless existence, best translated into English, "I AM WHO (or THAT)
I AM." Without proper and consistent translation the linkage between what God said in Exodus 3:14 and what
Jesus said in John 8:58 is lost (cf. Jn 8:24,28; 13:19).
In John 14:7 (NAS), Jesus told Philip, "If you had known me, you would have known the Father also; from now
on you know Him and have seen Him." When Thomas felt the wounds in the risen Christ's body, he confessed,
"My Lord and my God" (not, a god). Note that Jesus did not correct him or refuse the words, He accepted
the words. And in John 12:45 Jesus says, "And he who beholds me beholds the One who sent me." Be not
deceived, Jesus was God in the flesh and is alive still!
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A kind word is the hardest thing in the word to give away, because it keeps coming back.
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Calling Upon The Name Of The Lord
Clarence Johnson
In Matt. 7:21-23, Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them,
'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"
There are some passages, like Acts 2:21 and Rom. 10:13 that tell us that "whoever calls upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved," but we learn from Jesus' words in our text that there is more to calling on His name
than simply saying, "Lord, Lord." Another verse that tells us so is Luke 6:46, "And why do you call
me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do the things which I say?"
To call on the name of the Lord for salvation is to go beyond mere words, thus to do the will of God. Note how
in Romans 10, when Paul writes about calling on the name of the Lord for salvation, he shows in the context that
calling on the name of the Lord is equivalent to obeying the gospel. He asks, How then shall they call on Him of
whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?... Then he goes on
to remark regretfully that "they have not all obeyed the gospel." Those who have not obeyed the gospel
have not properly called upon the name of the Lord.
Likewise in Acts 2, as Peter promises his audience salvation to those who call upon the name of the Lord, many
respond to his preaching by asking what they must do. His inspired answer was, "Repent, and let every one
of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit" (verse 38). No one can call upon the name of the Lord unless he has heard about and believed
in the Lord. Once he has heard and believed, he is ready to repent of his sins and call upon the name of the Lord
by being baptized in the name of the Lord for remission of his sins.
Another passage that shows us that calling upon the name of the Lord is equivalent to obeying the gospel is Acts
22:16. After Saul of Tarsus had come to believe in Jesus as the Christ, he spent three days in penitent prayer.
An inspired spokesman of God came to him and said, "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and
wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
Thus, again we recall the words of Jesus in our original text: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord'
shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that
day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your
name?' And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"
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"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."
Rom 8:16-17 NKJV
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Hope
Billy Moore
Many are living their lives without hope...without hope of things getting better, without hope of doing what they
want to do, without hope of being what they want to be, without hope of having what they want to have, and certainly
without hope of eternal life. It is a pity that so many live this kind of life! There are physical things that
we may not be able to change: millions who are born in Africa or India or some other part of the world learn of
the U.S.A. and would like to live here but will not be able to do so; some are born with physical handicaps which
they cannot change. But there are millions of others who have changed things in their lives because they did have
hope of improving, and as someone has said, "hope springs eternal."
Unfortunately, many of our generation are like the Gen-tiles of the first century A.D., "strangers from the
covenants of promise" (covenants God had made with Abraham and his descendants - Israelites), "having
no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). This is not how God wants man to live. "God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3: 16), and that Son, Jesus, gave Himself a ransom
for sin, so that man could have forgiveness of sin and be brought back into a right relationship with God, the
Father of our spirits, and live with the hope of eternal life with God in the world to come. The gospel of Christ
is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) and is the story of Jesus and the salvation that He offers to
men. The gospel brings hope to those who learn of it (Colossians 1:23) and that "hope of the gospel"
means so much to Christians.
What Is This Hope?
The apostle Paul called it "the hope of your calling" (Eph. 4:4). The gospel is God's way of calling
men out of the power of darkness into His glorious light, out of the world into His kingdom (2 Thess.2: 14). It
is a "blessed hope" (Titus 2: 13); it is a "living hope" (1 Peter 1:3); it is "a better
hope" (Heb. 7:9), better than the hope of Israel in Old Testament days; it is "the hope of glory"
(Col. 1:27); the hope of salvation (1 Thess. 5:8) indeed, the hope of heaven (Col. 1:5), of eternal life (Tit.
1:2; 3:7); it is a hope reaching beyond this life (1 Cor. 15:19); it is "an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" (1 Peter 1:3-4).
There is "one hope" of your calling (Eph.4:4) and that hope is not of a thousand year reign with Christ
on this earth, hut of eternal life with Him in heaven.
What Is The Basis Of This Hope?
Hope is desire with expectation of that desire being fulfilled. Thus, hope is based upon faith or confidence. Example:
the farmer plows in hope of a harvest (1 Cor. 9:10). When Abraham was called to leave his native land and go to
a country he has never seen, God said He would give that land to him and to his descendants, Abraham believed God,
thus hoped for that which seemed impossible. The hope of Israel was based upon the promise of God (Acts 26:6-7).
Remove that faith or confidence and hope is gone. The one hope is based upon faith in Christ and His resurrection.
To Whom Is This Hope Given?
Those who answer the gospel call are given the promise of eternal life, this is the hope of our calling. Those
who are in Christ" receive this promise (1 John 5:11; 2:25). The apostle Paul said, he was "in hope of
eternal life, which God, cannot lie, promised..." (Titus 1:1-2). This promise is the basis for our hope. This
hope is called the "crown of righteousness" (2 Tim.4:6-8), and the "crown of life" (Rev. 2:10).
All of us who are children of God are heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ (Gal.3:26-29: Rom.8: 16-17) live with
this hope.
Those Who Have No Hope
There are some who have no hope founded upon God's promises. They are described as being "without God"
(Eph.2: 12). They do not "know God", that is, they do not recognize Him as the one true and living God
and they do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, thus have never obeyed the gospel of Christ by repenting
of sins and being baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38). The Scriptures teach that the Lord is coming "to take
vengeance" upon all them that know not God and that obey not the gospel (2 Thess. 1:7-8). This is why the
gospel is to be preached to every creature (Mark 16:15-16). This is why we continue to have gospel meetings. Those
who have not obeyed the gospel are still "in the world" and the gospel is the power of God to call them
out of the world and into Christ. But, those who learn must believe and obey the gospel in order to have "the
hope of the gospel", the hope of everlasting life in the world to come.
Via For A Better Understanding
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"For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth."
Psa 31:3-5 NKJV
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Jack Critchfield, Editor & Publisher
403 Coit Way, Salinas, Ca. 93907
critch1@juno.com