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"...Shepherd the flock of God which is among
you, serving as overseers..." (1 Peter 5:2)
Elders
Morris Bass, Rick Holt , Joe
Price |
"...let them serve as deacons,
being found blameless..." (1 Tim. 3:10)
Deacons
Aaron Bass, Rich Brooks, Mike Finn
John Hague, Dan Head |
"And take...the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)
In this issue:
Spiritual Safety Belts
Time is Ticking Away (Truman Smith)
Understanding Prophecy (Bill Crews)
Noteworthy News:
Back Page Briefs
Spiritual Safety Belts
Joe R. Price
It is so important to wear
your seat belts. Nearly 43,000 people died in automobile accidents in
America in 2002. Of those fatalities, 17,419 were alcohol related. Auto
accidents are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 34.
Every thirteen minutes there is a death caused by a motor vehicle accident.1
These are among the reasons government has mandated wearing safety belts in
cars and trucks. They save lives. So, “click it or ticket.”
God’s word speaks of
another type of “safety belt.” The Bible teaches the importance of being
secure and safe in Christ. The most important thing we can do to insure our
spiritual safety is to obey God’s word in faith (Gal. 3:26-27; Heb. 5:8-9).
Jesus said we must obey the will of His Father to enter the kingdom of
heaven (Matt. 7:21). It is vital that we apply our faith by doing what He
says (Lk. 6:46; Heb. 11:6; Jas. 1:21-25; 2:14-26). When we obey Jesus in
every area of our lives we are putting on our “spiritual safety belts.” We
must not allow anyone or anything to hinder us from “obeying the truth,”
otherwise we are exposed to spiritual danger and death (Gal. 5:6; Rom.
6:23).
Car accidents harm and
kill the body; sin harms and kills the soul. “Then, when desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings
forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (Jas. 1:15-16).
All of us are tempted to sin against God. When temptation occurs we have a
choice to make: obey Jesus and be spiritually secure, or sin and bring
death to our souls. We wouldn’t dream of intentionally causing an
automobile accident, yet when we choose to sin we cause a far worse
outcome. By choosing to obey Jesus we will be safe from harm: “My sheep
hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of
My hand” (Jno. 10:27-28). There is safety in always obeying Jesus;
there is danger and death in sin. We must put on our spiritual safety belt
of obedient faith so our souls will always be secure in Christ.
_________________
1
Auto Accident Statistics – Online Lawyer Source
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Time is Ticking Away
Truman Smith
Children would try the
patience of Job! I watched one day as a young mother lifted her screaming
little daughter (by one arm!) out of the family car in front of a store. I
could not tell what it was the child was crying about, but the mother said
to an older woman, who was likely her mother: “Will she ever grow out
of that stage?” It was all I could do to keep from saying, “Yes, and before
you realize it!” But I would not intrude.
While parents are right in
the midst of bringing up their little ones it seems to them that it will be
an eternity before they reach the place where they will not be such a
“bother” and a worry anymore. Small children even at times will test the
strength of a seemingly strong marriage; and appear to “get in the way” of
success and progress.
A story from READER’S
DIGEST several years ago, written by Robert W. Wells, of which I give only
the first three paragraphs, is a beautiful and wonderful article. I hope
every parent will read it slowly, digest it fully, and be impressed forever:
“To an adult a tree is a
tree, a cloud passing before the moon is only a cloud like those that have
gone before. But a child is not like that. Things happen for the first
time to him.
“I remember a July day
when John was four. We had left the Manhattan apartment where we lived then
and were spending the weekend in a small town. After dinner, my wife, the
boy and I went for a walk. We came to an open field with a stand of oaks
behind it. John had been holding my hand, but now he slipped free. He
stood quietly for a moment, this big-city boy, surveying the largest expanse
of earth he had ever seen that was entirely devoid of people. And then he
was off, running hard.
“I can still close my eyes
and picture him, this child whom I shall never see again, although he still
lives concealed in a tall youth who has his name. Across the grass in the
dying sunlight he ran, short legs pumping, under the trees, up a hill, then
swooping back toward us, head erect, eyes half-closed. In spirit I was
running with him, feeling the things he felt, and I was suddenly aware that
the child who had loosed my hand and left me would never return, that in a
brief instant of time his babyhood had ended and his boyhood begun. I could
feel time ticking away.”
Oh, mother! Oh, dad!
Seize every moment you can lay hold upon in order to have some time with
your children while they are so young, so tender, and so innocent. Relish
some precious periods of play and lightheartedness with them! But, more
importantly, show them by a good example what being a faithful Christian is
all about. Prove to them that nothing is more important to you than the
Lord and His church by putting Him first every day. Let spiritual matters
take precedence in your thoughts, be first in your financial budget, have
supremacy in your time, and take priority in all your activities
(Matt.6:33). In becoming parents, accept a most serious responsibility!
“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and fruit of the womb is his
reward” (Ps.127:3).
Quick! parents, while the
clay is soft, pliant and easily molded. Hasten to the task! Don’t wait
another moment! Later will be too late!
“And, ye fathers, provoke
not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord”
(Eph.6:4).
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Understanding Prophecy
Bill Crews
Men without some
assistance have never been very good at understanding prophecy. The
fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies is clearly shown in the Old
Testament, and the fulfillment of other Old Testament prophecies is clearly
shown in the New Testament. From the Old Testament it is obvious that even
Jewish scribes and rabbis did not understand many of the prophecies about
the Messiah (Christ) and His kingdom. It is also obvious that some resorted
to twisting and perverting Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16). Here are some things
to keep in mind that will help us not to be taken in by the speculators in
prophecy today:
1. Most of the prophecies
in the Old Testament found their fulfillment in the histories of Israel and
other nations who came in contact with Israel. The bondage in Egypt, the
conquest and settlement of Canaan, the Assyrian captivity, the Babylonian
captivity, the restoration of the Israelites to their land, and the
historical period between the testaments are all dealt with in Old Testament
prophecies.
2. Many other Old
Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist, the
ministry of Christ, and the beginning and early history of the church (which
is the kingdom of Christ).
3. The 24th chapter of
Matthew concerns primarily the destruction of Jerusalem (which came to a
climax A.D. 70) and secondarily the second coming of Christ. Nearly all
present-day speculators misapply the things spoken by Jesus about the
destruction of Jerusalem to the second coming of Christ.
4. The revelation of Jesus
to John was written to the seven churches of Asia and is to be understood
from their viewpoint. They were under severe persecution; their suffering
would worsen. They needed encouragement; they needed to know that God was
aware, cared and would deal with their tormentors. To view the book as
either a preview of history from the first century down to the end of time
or as primarily a depiction of events that would transpire right before the
end of time is to miss the whole purpose of the book.
Some common mistakes made
by so-called experts in Bible prophecy:
1. To take fulfilled
prophecy (either fulfilled in the historical period of the Old Testament,
the period between the testaments, or the New Testament) and treat it as
unfulfilled.
2. To apply prophecies in
the Old Testament about the first coming of Christ to the second coming.
3. To make the kingdom and
kingship of Christ material; to insist that old national Israel was to be
brought back into existence and that the Messiah would reign from Jerusalem.
4. To maintain that some
prophecies were not fulfilled when they were supposed to be fulfilled (such
as the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom in the days of the Kings of the
fourth--Roman--kingdom, Dan. 2).
5. To engage in
speculation and showmanship by declaring that cur-rent events are always the
subject of Bible prophecy.
6. To insist that the end
is near, that Christ is about to come, that we are definitely living in “the
end times.”
-Good
News
Top
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the
light of Scripture)
Back Page
Briefs
Joe R. Price
Court says city can claim homes
The Supreme Court
ruled this week that the city of New London, Connecticut, can seize private
property under eminent domain for the purpose of promoting economic
development. Private home ownership was thus exposed to a broader
interpretation of eminent domain than before (The Bellingham Herald,
A1, 6/24/05). The bottom line: Ultimately, we really don’t own what we
think we own!
Doesn’t the Bible say
something about that? “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these
we will be content” (1 Tim. 6:7-8; see Lk. 12:15). People will continue
to dispute over lands and houses, but Christians should never forget that
our home is in heaven (Heb. 11:16). No one can take that home away from
God’s faithful ones (Jno. 10:29).
Chickadee Warning System
It seems the
black-capped chickadee uses highly sophisticated signaling system to warn
other chickadees of predators. A recent study conducted at the University
of Washington in Seattle concludes the song of the chickadee often contains
a response to lurking predators (like hawks, owls and falcons). Evidently,
the chickadee can vocalize the degree of danger that is present as well as
encourage a response from other chickadees. “The most exciting aspect is
probably just that there is so much information encoded in one
vocalization,” said Chris Templeton of UW in Science magazine. (Chickadees
Sing Complex Warnings, Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News, http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs)
Here’s my question:
If chickadees are the product of organic evolution, how did they ever
develop this warning system? Surely all the chickadees would have been
eaten for lunch before their warning system could evolve and protect them!
Hum. Natural Selection or Intelligent Design: What makes more sense? The
hand of God (Psa. 8:6-8)!
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