September
1st, 2004
How Does A Reverent Person View Scripture?
By
Harry Osborne, edited for space
A
reverent person seeks to abide within and obey the word
of God because of his respect for God who revealed that
word. The one who fears God does not look at the Bible as
an old-fashioned and out of date collection of writings
from mere men. So, how does the man or woman of reverence
view Scripture? Let us see how God says we should view it.
"All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness, that the man of God maybe complete, furnished
completely to every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). If
the Bible is complete and it completely furnishes one to
every good work, what else could be needed? It alone is
sufficient to guide one in God's will! One who fears God
will ask only what the Bible teaches in order to be guided
in all matters pertaining to life and godliness.
"Hold
fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from
me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus" (2
Tim. 1:13). The words of the inspired writers constitute
a "pattern" for one to follow. Since that pattern
was revealed through the Scripture, one can learn that which
God expects by studying the Bible. With each doctrine and
commandment given, the reverent person sees a part of the
whole pattern God has for making one what God desires. Just
as with any pattern, every piece has a purpose in bringing
about the intended product. Thus, the one who fears God
will treat with care every principle laid down in Scripture
and never alter it in any way.
"If
anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God"
(1 Peter 4:11). There can be no higher goal for the speech
of a reverent man than to speak as God speaks - to let our
words be a reproduction of his words. One who truly fears
God does not seek to be innovative and original when he
speaks of spiritual matters. He seeks merely to hide self
and let the word of God be magnified (1 Cor. 2:1-5). The
demand of this passage is obvious. It declares that religious
teaching which cannot be proven from the Bible has no place
being spoken. We are instructed to abide within the revealed
will of God for the content and manner of our speech.
"He
answered and said to them, 'Well did Isaiah prophesy of
you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me
with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in
vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments
of men. For laying aside commandment of God, you hold the
tradition of men.' And He said to them, 'All too well you
reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition'"
(Mark 7:6-9). There should be no doubt that the modern practice
of writing and adopting human standards for religious conduct
is not according to the will of God. Every time men write
a creed, establish man-made dogmas, and create manuals to
govern in religious matters, they take upon themselves the
place that God alone has as the One who reveals all truth.
The reverent person would never condone such a usurpation
of God's place. If it is not revealed in the sacred writings
of Scripture, the one who fears God will not bow to it.
Conclusion:
Religious division is due to the changes man has made in
God's instruction. The result has been the establishment
of a multitude of churches teaching every doctrine conceivable
and practicing anything that will bring in more people.
Man may love it, but God abhors it! The denominationalism
we see today can be ended immediately for all who will simply
have true reverence for God and respect for his word, allowing
it to govern as the divine standard and pattern of truth.
Once the commandments and traditions of men are taken away,
unity can be achieved using the Bible as the only guide
in all things. This plan for unity through reverent submission
has worked among God's people in the past and will work
today.
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September
8th, 2004. This week, we are using our article space
in the local newspaper to offer a Bible Correspondence Course.
Have
You Lost Your Bible?
Heath Rogers
Robison
Street Church, Edna, Texas
In
2 Kings chapter 22 we read of a time when the Book of the
Law of God was actually lost in the house of God. "Then
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, 'I have
found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.' And
Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it... Then
Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, 'Hilkiah the
priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read it before
the king. Now it happened, when the king heard the words
of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. Then the
king commanded Hilkiah the priest… saying, 'Go, inquire
of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning
the words of this book that has been found; for great is
the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because
our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do
according to all that is written concerning us.'" (vs.
8, 10-12).
The
people of Judah were God's chosen people. They had the Temple
and the Levitical Priesthood. They had a descendant of David
sitting on the throne. They even had a copy of the Law of
God. However, in spite of all this, they were still subjects
of God's wrath. Why? Although they had a copy of God's law,
it did them no good because they did not read it. It was
in their possession, yet it was lost because of years of
neglect.
The
same thing can happen to us today. Simply having a Bible
in our possession does not benefit us or obligate God to
bless us. The Word of God has to be read and obeyed.
It
is very likely that everyone reading this article has a
Bible, but how much time have we spent with it open, reading
and studying from its pages, meditating upon what it says,
allowing it to change the way we think and live? Unless
we read it, it is as good as lost to us.
We
are offering a FREE, no obligation, Home Bible Correspondence
Course to aid those who are interested in studying their
Bible. This six-lesson course allows you to study your own
Bible, in your own home at your own pace. To receive lesson
one and begin your study, you can fill out this coupon and
mail it to the address below, call and leave your name and
address at 782-5506, or e-mail your request to heathrogers@mindspring.com.
If
you don't have a Bible, please let us know. We will be glad
to supply you with one.
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September
15, 2004
Searching For Treasure
by Heath Rogers
Robison
Street Church, Edna, Texas
The
true story is told of an African farmer who lived in the
late 19th century. He heard that others had made millions
discovering diamonds. The African continent was rich in
diamonds and he could hardly wait to sell his farm and go
off in search of diamonds himself. The farmer sold his farm
and spent the rest of his life wandering the vast African
continent searching for those "gleaming gems"
which had brought fortunes to others, but he was not successful.
Finally, after years of unrewarded searching, broke and
desperate, he threw himself over a bridge and drowned.
Meanwhile,
the man who had bought his farm got to work cultivating
the land. One day, while plowing a field, he found a large
and unusual stone. This particular field was literally covered
with them. He wasn't sure what it was, so he took one of
them to an expert to have it examined. It turned out to
be a diamond of enormous value! Today, his farm is one of
the richest diamond mines in the world!
Imagine,
the first farmer sold his farm for practically nothing in
order to look for diamonds elsewhere. If he had only taken
the time to examine what he already had, he would have had
the riches that he sought – right in his own back yard!
Did
you know that the Bible describes itself as a treasure?
The psalmist wrote, "The law of Thy mouth is better
to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (Psalm
119:72). Solomon wrote, "How blessed is the man who
finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. For its
profit is better than the profit of silver, and its gain
than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; and nothing
you desire compares with her" (Proverbs 3:13-15).
The
Word of God is the most valuable treasure that we will ever
find. It not only tells us how to make the most out of this
life, it is the only book that offers us eternal life. Most
people have a Bible (or have easy access to a Bible), but
like the first farmer, they just haven't taken the time
to look at it and realize what they have.
We
are offering a FREE, no obligation, Home Bible Correspondence
Course to aid those who are interesting in studying the
Bible. This six-lesson course allows you to study your own
Bible, in your own home, at your own pace. To receive lesson
one and begin your study, you can fill out this coupon and
mail it to the address below, you can call and leave your
name and address at 782-5506, or you can e-mail your request
to heathrogers@mindspring.com.
If
you don't have a Bible, please let us know. We will be glad
to supply you with one.
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September
22, 2004
Robison Street Church, Edna, Texas
What Is Reconciliation?
by Frank Himmel
When
estranged friends or loved ones work out their differences
and renew their association, they are reconciled. When you
balance your checkbook to bring it into agreement with the
bank statement, the account is reconciled. And when people
who are out of harmony with God, separated from Him by sin,
are returned to fellowship with Him, the Bible calls that
reconciliation.
Consider
just a few of the Bible passages that discuss this subject.
"For
if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through
the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled,
we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10).
"Now
all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself
through Christ…, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling
the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against
them…" (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
"And
that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through
the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity" (Ephesians
2:16).
"And
through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made
peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20).
These
verses answer several questions about reconciliation.
How
does God reconcile sinners to Himself? By forgiving their
trespasses. That makes them pure again. The Bible does not
teach that God imputes Jesus' perfection to us or covers
us with it so that He cannot see our sin. God does not pretend
that we are righteous; He makes us righteous by erasing
our sin.
Whom
does He reconcile? Both Jews and Gentiles. The same opportunity
is available to all. The Bible does not teach that God has
separate plans for Jews and Gentiles. All who are reconciled
to God are reunited with Him in the same way.
By
what means does He reconcile? Through the death of His son,
through the blood of His cross. The Bible does not teach
that we can make up for our wrongs by doing good. Quite
the opposite, it emphasizes the futility of that approach
(Romans 3:21). No, the only solution is Jesus' dying in
our place, satisfying the divine demand for justice.
Where
does He reconcile us? In one body, which is His church (Ephesians
1:22-23). The Bible does not teach the popular notion that
one can be right with God without being a part of Christ's
church. When you are baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27)
you are baptized into His body (1 Corinthians 12:13). And
remember, He has but one (Ephesians 4:4).
"We
beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God"
(2 Corinthians 5:20).
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September
29, 2004
Robison Street Church, Edna, Texas
Is God Really Colorblind?
by Heath Rogers
Racial
discrimination is a terrible thing. Our country bears the
scars of this shameful part of our history, and in some
ways we are still struggling to recognize racial equality
within our society.
Racism
certainly isn't anything new from a historical perspective.
There are actually examples of racial discrimination in
the Bible. Pharaoh had promoted Joseph to the second in
command in Egypt, yet no Egyptian would eat with him because
he was a Hebrew (Genesis 43:32). Moses' own brother and
sister criticized him because he had married an Ethiopian
(Numbers 12:1). We know that the Jews saw themselves as
superior to the people of other nations. They were especially
prejudiced toward the Samaritans (John 4:9).
Racial
differences are important to some people, but the Bible
makes it clear that they do not matter to God. God does
not show partiality based upon the color of one's skin.
"For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for
the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him"
(Romans 10:12).
"Where
there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,
Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and
in all" (Colossians 3:11).
"There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
"Then
Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive
that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation
he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted
with him" (Acts 10:34-35; see also Romans 2:11).
God
may be colorblind when it comes to our skin, but He is not
colorblind when it comes to our souls. The Bible tells us
that sin leaves a stain upon our souls that God can see.
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
God
does care what color our souls are. When He gave them to
us, our souls were perfectly clean, as white as snow. When
we sinned, they were stained a bright, deep red. The red
stain of sin is a stain that we can never remove on our
own. However, God has made it possible for the stain of
sin to be cleansed. The blood of His Son can wash us and
make us white again. "But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
all sin" (1 John 1:7). "And from Jesus Christ,
who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him
that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood"
(Revelation 1:5).
We
can't do anything about the color of our skin. However, we
can change the color of our souls - and change we must if
we entertain any hope of Heaven! What color is your soul?
It is still stained red with sin, or has it been washed in
the blood of Jesus? The choice is up to you. If you will believe
that Jesus is the Son of God, and humbly obey His gospel,
your sins will be forgiven, washed away in the blood of the
Lamb. Please contact us if we can help you with this important
decision.
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Eternal
Fire Prevention
Heath
Rogers - Edna, Texas
This
past week was Fire Prevention Week in the Edna Public Schools.
Our children came home from school telling us that they had
learned about the importance of smoke alarms, fire extinguishers,
and evacuation plans; not to open a hot door, to crawl on
the floor when the house is full of smoke; and the ever popular
"Stop, drop, and roll." We all know how dangerous
fire can be, and I believe we would all agree that this is
a worthy cause deserving of our children's time and attention.
The
Bible warns of an eternal fire that is awaiting all of us
who are unprepared. Jesus spoke of Hell more than any other
person in the Bible, and the word He used most often to describe
Hell was "fire." In Matthew 13:50, He spoke of the
wicked being cast "into the furnace of fire". In
Matthew 25:41, Jesus said that after judgment, the lost would
depart from Him "into everlasting fire, prepared for
the devil and his angels". In Mark 9:43-48, Jesus described
Hell as "the fire that never shall be quenched".
The apostle John described Hell as "the lake of fire
and brimstone" and that those in it were "tormented
day and night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).
Why
is fire associated with Hell? Because the pain and destruction
caused by fire are known by everyone. Jesus couldn't have
picked a better word. We want our children to learn to take
fire seriously and do what they can to avoid its dangers.
In using fire to describe Hell, Jesus is making the same appeal
to us. He wants us to take Hell seriously and do everything
we can to escape it.
How
can we prevent ourselves from suffering from the eternal fire
of Hell? We can't save ourselves on the basis of our own goodness
(Titus 3:5). We must receive our salvation as a gift of God's
grace (Titus 2:11). What does the Bible say we must do in
order to be saved? We must believe that Jesus is the Son of
God (John 8:24). We must repent of our sins (Luke 13:3). We
must confess our belief in Jesus before others (Romans 10:9-10).
And we must be baptized in order for our sins to be washed
away in the blood of Christ (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 22:16).
With
the utmost respect to those who have suffered pain and loss
as a result of fire, the Bible teaches that the fire of Hell
will inflict much more pain, suffering, and loss than any
person has ever known. The fires of Earth can only destroy
physical things. Hell's fire will torment the soul for eternity
(Matthew 10:28). That fire will never go out, it will never
be quenched. The marquee on a church sign once read, "Stop,
drop and roll won't work in Hell!" That church wasn't
trying to be cute, or make light of people's suffering. They
were trying to get people to think seriously about Hell. That's
exactly what the Lord did. We are trying to do the same. Please
contact us if we can help you understand what you must do
in order to be saved.
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