July 2015

ONE ANOTHERING

For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies unto himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. –ROMANS 14:7

This whole chapter is dynamite. It deserves to be read, re-read; taken apart and taken to heart; digested and assimilated by every person claiming to be a child of God.

It introduces some radical concepts, which taken to their logical conclusions; would begin to change us and the church almost over-night. We would begin to be changed from what we are to what we can be for God—what He truly wants us to be

Thoroughly ingested, it would result in church growth from within and without. From within by reason of elimination of some of the thought patterns that stymie our spiritual growth. From without by reason of spectators not knowing what it was we had—but being convinced that whatever it is; they would want in on it, too.

Mission awareness would dramatically increase.

Church giving problems would virtually disappear.

Personal conflicts within the church would be pretty much a thing of the past.

What is it I am talking about? I am talking about a conceptual change in our spiritual being. I am talking of changing our focus from what we personally like and prefer to what is good in the sight of God for our brothers and sisters.

The label for this conceptual change is “One-Anothering”!

Right now I would like to take you on a rapid journey through the pages of God’s word to visit some of the sites that list thirty-five different commands of how we are to treat each other.

FOR STARTERS; LET US LOOK AT THE THINGS ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THE LEDGER.

To begin with—we are not to judge or adversely challenge one another.

Let us therefore stop passing judgment on one another. Instead make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. – ROMANS 14:13

We are not to envy or provoke one another, lie to one another, or speak evil against one another.

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another. –GALATIANS 5:26

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices. –COLOSSIANS 3:9

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. –JAMES 4:11

We are told not to complain against one another or repay one another for evil.

Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The judge is standing at the door. –JAMES 5:9

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. -I THESSALONIANS 5:15.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible; as far as it depends upon you, live at peace with one another. Do not take revenge my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to repay, I will repay”, says the Lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him to drink. For in so doing you will heap coals of fire upon his head. –ROMANS 12:17-20

Can you imagine the change in us that would result if each of us always took each of these teachings to heart and lived them out day by day?

Can you imagine the impact this could have on those who are outside of the church who are looking to see what we mean by what we say?

The world will not be swayed, enticed or converted by a church consisting of members who insist on their rights to act like the rest of the world.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. LET’S MOVE OVER TO THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE LEDGER.

Eleven separate times the Holy Spirit commands members of the church to love one another. It is by far the most reinforced of all of the “One Another” commands.

See ROMANS 13:8; I THESSALONIANS 3:12 & 4:9; I PETER 1:22 & 4:8; I JOHN 3:11, 23 & 4:7, 11 & 12; & II JOHN 5.

The command to love one another is the fountain-head of all of the other “One Another” commands. And it finds its roots in Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor even as ourselves. All other “One Another” commands are merely an explanation of how we are to practice our love.

We are commanded to be devoted to one another; build up one another; bear the weaknesses of one another; please our neighbors for their good, and care for one another.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. –ROMANS 12:10

Let us therefore make every effort to do whatever leads to peace and mutual understanding. –ROMANS 14:19

Therefore, encourage one another and build up each other, even as you are doing. –I THESSALONIANS 5:11

We who are strong ought to bear the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up—even as Christ did not please Himself. –ROMANS 15: 1-3a

Nobody should seek the good of himself, but the good of others. –I CORINTHIANS 10:24

So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. –I CORINTHIANS 12:25

Because we are put together by God in the same body; God admonishes us to be the same mind one toward another; accept one another; serve one another through love; bear one another’s burdens; and show forbearance to one another in love.

May the God who gives you endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus! –ROMANS 15:5

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. -ROMANS 15:7

I appeal to you brethren, in the name of Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing; that there be no divisions among you; but rather that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment. – I CORINTHIANS 1:10

You, my brethren, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge your sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. –GALATIANS 5:13

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. –GALATIANS 6:2

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. –EPHESIANS 4:2

Bear with each other, and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. –COLOSSIANS 3:13

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. –I PETER 4:8-10

Using our spiritual gifts, we are to speak truth to one another; speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; comforting and encouraging one another. –EPHESIANS 5:19

Therefore, each of us must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. –EPHESIANS 4:25

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. –ROMANS 15:14

Therefore encourage one another with these words… Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. –I THESSALONIANS 4:18 & 5:11

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. –HEBREWS 3:11

As we do these things, we need to consider how we may stimulate one another to love and good deeds, to seek after good for one another; and how to live in peace with one another, being kind and tender-hearted toward one another.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up the practice of meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. –HEBREWS 10:24 & 25

Hold them in the highest regard in love…live in peace with each other…encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but always be kind to each other and to everyone else. –I THESSALONIANS 5:13-15

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as in Christ, God forgave you. –EPHESIANS 4:32

The glorious end result—we will wind up being subject to one another, with humility of mind, regarding one another as being more important.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Jesus Christ. –EPHESIANS 5:21

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than your selves. –PHILIPPIANS 2:3

Young men, in the same way, be submissive to those who are older. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. –I PETER 5:5

This change in mindset will make it easier to follow more of God’s ONE ANOTHER commands—to confess our sins to one another, to pray for one another, and to be hospitable to one another.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be perfect and healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. -JAMES 5:16

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. –I PETER 4:9

And becoming acclimated to practicing these virtuous and loving actions; how easy will it be to obey the five-time repeated scriptural command—TO GREET ONE ANOTHER WITH A HOLY KISS [hug, handshake or assorted other greeting]. See ROMANS 16:16; I CORINTHIANS 16:20; II CORINTHIANS 16:12; I PETER 5:14; I THESSALONIANS 5:26

By now you are probably shaking your head and saying; “Boy, I didn’t know God put all of that stuff in there!”

Our opening text started out with “For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. ROMANS 14:7.

That is the essence of all we have read from God’s Word this morning. God keeps hammering away at this one idea. Real life, true life; the kind of life God calls us to live can never ultimately be centered in self.

Oh, I know that we must think enough about ourselves to be concerned about our own salvation. We are commanded to save ourselves from this untoward generation…to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. That’s a given.

But above and beyond that, we are to be concerned about the welfare of others.

And in so doing the second we actually enhance the first—because God’s word tells us time and time again, whatsoever we do unto others will be done unto us.

In doing good for others, we are actually doing good for ourselves! THINK ABOUT IT!!

I would like to close out by sharing with you a couple of word portraits borrowed from one of William Barclay’s commentaries—one portrait of heaven and the other one of hell.

Portrait number one pictures a bunch of souls gathered around a large table. In the center of that table is a large bowl, filled to overflowing. Each soul gathered around that table has a long spoon strapped to his wrist. This arrangement allows each soul gathered around that table to readily dip into that bowl. But each one gathered around that table is emaciated—starving. Why? The reason is simple. Each individual gathered around that table is trying to feed his or her own self with that long spoon. And try as they might they can’t manage to position that spoon in such a way as to get it into their own mouth. This is the picture of hell.

The portrait of heaven is much the same—with one distinct difference. Each of the souls gathered around that table are feeding one another, making use of the long spoons strapped to their wrists. The end result is that everybody is fed and happy.

I ask you, considering all of the scriptures I have shared with you in this article: is it just possible that these word portraits may have greater truth than what we are generally willing to concede. Is it just possible that our willingness to be “other-centered” in this life may have a direct bearing on where we are going to wind up in the here-after? Before you dismiss that possibility I would urge you to review each of those “One-Another” verses I have shared with you!

Your Brother in Christ…Howard

JELLY BEANS

The four of us were new Christians when we ran across the verse during our family Bible reading, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him.” ROMANS12:20

Our sons; aged seven and ten at the time, were especially puzzled. “Why should you feed your enemies?” they wondered. My husband and I wondered too, but the only answer John could come up to give to the boys was, “Because God’s Word says so.” It never occurred to us that we would very shortly learn the why of it all by experience.

Day after day John Jr. came home from school complaining about a classmate who sat behind him in fifth grade. “Bob keeps jabbing me when Miss Smith isn’t looking. One of these days when we’re out on the playground, I’m going to jab him back!”

I was ready to go to school and jab Bob myself. Obviously the boy was a brat. Besides, why wasn’t Miss Smith doing a better job with her kids? I’d better give her an oral jab, too, at the same time!

I was still stewing and fuming over this injustice to John Jr. when his seven-year-old brother spoke up: “Maybe he should feed his enemy.” The three of us were startled. None of us were quite sure about this “enemy” business. It didn’t seem that an enemy would be in the fifth grade. An enemy was someone who was far off…well, somewhere. Exactly where, however, remained a bit vague!

We all looked at my husband. Since he was the head of the family, he should come up with the solution. But the only answer he could offer was the same one he gave before: “Because God says so.”

“Well, if God says so, you’d better do it,” I told John Jr. “Do you know what Bob likes to eat? If you’re going to feed him, you may as well get him something he likes.”

Our older son thought for a moment. “Jelly beans,” he shouted. “Bob just loves jelly beans!”

So we bought a bag of jelly beans for him to take to school the next day. We would see if this enemy feeding worked or not.

That night we discussed the strategy to be used. When Bob jabbed John Jr. in the back the next time, John would simply turn around and deposit the bag of jelly beans on his enemy’s desk.

The next afternoon I watched and waited impatiently for the yellow school bus to pull up; then I dashed out the door to meet the boys before they even got halfway to the house.

John Jr. called ahead, “It worked, Mom, it worked.” His little brother claimed credit. “Hey, remember it was me who thought it up.”

I wanted details: “What did Bob do? What did he say?”

He was so surprised he didn’t say anything—he just took the jellybeans. But he didn’t jab me for the rest of the day!”

Well, it wasn’t long before John Jr. and Bob became the best of friends—all because of a little bag of jelly beans.

Both of our sons subsequently became missionaries on foreign fields. Their way to show friendship with any “enemies of the faith” has been to invite the inhabitants of those countries into their own homes to share food with them around their own tables.

It seems “enemies” are always hungry. Maybe that’s why God said to feed them.

-Isabel Champ Wolseley

A SICK AMERICAN

There are those who claim that ours is a sick society; that our country is sick, our government is sick; that we are sick. Well, maybe they are right. I submit that I am sick…and maybe you are too.

I am sick of having policemen ridiculed and called “pigs” while cop killers are hailed as some kind of hero.

I am sick of being told that religion is the opiate of the people, but marijuana should be legalized.

I am sick of commentators and columnists canonizing anarchists, revolutionaries and rapists, but condemning law enforcement when such criminals are brought to justice.

I am sick of being told that pornography is the right of free press, but freedom of the press does not include being able to read the Bible on school grounds.

I am sick of paying more and more taxes to build schools while I see some faculty members

encouraging students to either tear them down or burn them.

I am sick of Supreme Court Decisions that turn criminals loose on society—while other decisions try to take away my means of protecting my home and family.

I am sick of pot smoking entertainers deluging me with their condemnation of my moral standards on late night television.

I am sick of being told that policemen are mad dogs, who should not have guns, but criminals, who use guns to rob, maim and murder should be understood and helped back to society.

I am sick of being told that it is wrong to use napalm to end a war overseas—but if it is a Molotov cocktail at home, I must understand the provocation.

I am sick of not being able to take my family to a movie unless I want to have them exposed to nudity, homosexuality, and the glorification of narcotics.

I am sick of riots, marches, protests, demonstrations, and the other mob temper tantrums of people intellectually incapable of working within the system.

I am sick of hearing the same phrases, the same slick slogans, the cries of people who must chant the same thing like zombies because they haven’t the capacity for verbalizing thought.

I am sick of those who say that I owe them this or that because of the sins of my forefathers—when I have looked down both ends of a gun barrel to defend their rights, their liberties, their families.

I am sick of cynical attitudes towards patriotism. I am sick of politicians with no backbone. I am sick of permissiveness. I am sick of the dirty, the foul-mouthed; the unwashed. I am sick of the decline of personal honesty, personal integrity, and human sincerity.

Most of all, though, I am sick of being told that I am sick! I am sick of being told that my country is sick—when we have the greatest nation that has ever been brought forth on the face of this earth. Fully fifty per cent of the people of the world would willingly trade places with the most deprived, the most underprivileged amongst us.

Yes, I may be sick, but if I am only sick, I can get well. I can also help my society get well—and help my country get well.

Take note, all of you…You will not find me throwing a rock or a bomb; you will not find me under a placard; you will not see me take to the streets; you will not find me ranting to wild-eyed mobs. You will find me at work, paying taxes, serving in the community where I live. You will also find me expressing my anger and indignation to elected officials.

You will find me speaking out in support of those officials, institutions, and personalities who contribute to the elevation of society and not its destruction. You will find me contributing my time, money, and personal influence to help churches, hospitals, charities and other establishments which have shown the true spirit of this country’s determination to ease pain and suffering, eliminate hunger and generate brotherhood.

-Pat Michaels of Radio Station KGO

[The above mentioned article was taken from the conclusion of Mr. Michael’s speech at the 8^th Annual Policemen-Fireman Awards Breakfast in Oakland, California.]

MEN WHO PAID FREEDOM’S PRICE

On July 4, 1776, there was signed in the city of Philadelphia one of America’s historic documents: The Declaration of Independence. It marked the birth of this nation which under God, was destined for world leadership.

We often forget that in declaring independence from earthly power, our forefathers made a forthright declaration of dependence upon Almighty God.

The closing words of this document solemnly declare: “With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

The fifty-six courageous men who signed that document understood that this was not just high-sounding rhetoric. They knew if they succeeded, the best they could expect would be years of hardship in a struggling new nation. If they lost, they would face a hangman’s noose as traitors.

Of the fifty-six, few were long to survive. Five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes from Rhode Island to Charleston, sacked, looted, occupied by the enemy, or burned. Two lost their sons in the army. One had two sons that were captured. Nine of the fifty-six died in the war, from its hardships or from its bullets.

Whatever ideas you have of the men who met that hot summer in Philadelphia, it is important that we remember certain facts about the men who made this pledge: they were not poor men, or wild-eyed pirates. They were men of means; many of them were rich men who enjoyed much ease and luxury in their personal lives. They were not hungry men, but prosperous, wealthy land owners, substantially secure in their prosperity, and respected in their communities

But they considered liberty much more important than the security they enjoyed, and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. They fulfilled their pledges.

Someone has said, “To be born free is a privilege. To die free is an awesome responsibility.” Yet freedom is never free. It is always purchased at great cost.

Little did John Adams know how significant his words would be when he spoke to his wife Abigail, on the passing of the Declaration of Independence and said, “I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost to maintain to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states; yet, through all the gloom I can see the rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means.”

To those who sacrificed for our freedom, the end was worth the painful means. Where would we, who are citizens of the United States of America, be today if there had not been those who counted the cost of freedom and willingly paid for it? Where will we be tomorrow if men and women of integrity do not come forward today and pay the price to reclaim a dying America?

-The Sunnyview Horizon

June 2015

THE STORY OF ONE MAN’S SEARCH

In Luke 15:11-31 we have a delightful story—one that Jesus taught. In my humble estimation it is probably one of the very best Christ has shared with us. Technically speaking, it’s a parable—an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The word “parable” is derived from two Greek words, “PARA” [alongside of] and “BALLO” [to cast]. These two words spell out the design and purpose of this kind of story—to cast that which is known alongside of that which is not so readily known in order that we might see and grasp that which we otherwise might miss. Having said that, please allow me to share with you some of what I see in this story.

The First Thing I See Is The Heavenly Father…

It is an earthly father who Christ mentions. But it is God our heavenly Father, Jesus wants us to see and understand. The two sons have no fixed identity. The characteristics of these two however are too typical to readily dismiss. They may be depicting one or the other of us.

Let’s Start With Scene # One—“Discontentment At Home!”

I hold it as a fact that each of us start out life believing Dad is the best and the wisest…his judgment is sacrosanct. But time has a tendency of producing in us a metamorphosis that is as radical as a tadpole changing into a frog or a caterpillar into a butterfly.

In the aftermath we can typically see our father as an old fogy, out of touch with the modern generation—A GENUINE KILLJOY. Do we sometimes do this with God? You bet! In that condition we can feel that we have got to break loose or we are going to suffocate. WE JUST CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE! THE YOUNGER SON FELT THAT WAY. SO CAN WE!

The indication that the young man in the parable had arrived at that point is evidenced by his request… “Father, give me my share of the estate!”

Which Brings Us to Scene # 2—A Common Misconception

The young man is operating under a common human delusion—that the father, whether he be our earthly father or our heavenly one, owes us anything. He demands his inheritance—something customarily not granted under the Jewish culture until the passing away of the Father…AND CERTAINLY NOT OWED.

I like what one father at Mancelona, Michigan told his daughter when she was acting uppity… “When I took you in you did not have a stitch to your name.” It was his way of telling her that for all the years she was growing up he had cared for her, provided food clothing, shelter, education, protection, etc.

He had provided the necessities of life at a point in her life when she could not provide them for herself. He had done so not because he owed her but because he loved her.

And I think there is a lesson here for each of us. Whether we are talking about our heavenly father or our earthly parents—they don’t owe us…we owe them, starting with love and respect. And another part of what we owe them is to grow up—give evidence that what they have invested in us all of these years has not been in vain.

Scene # Three—Fatherhood Put To A Severe Test

Mark Twain once stated that when a child turned twelve the parent should seal the child in a wooden barrel with only the knockout plug for an opening. He further cited that at age fifteen, that hole should be plugged.

The father in the parable, despite his son’s opinion of him, is no fool. He is aware of what is out there in the world…the course the son has chosen…and the disastrous results of pursuing that course.

He could have refused the son the inheritance, barred the gate and locked the door, but he knew his son’s heart was already lost to a faraway country.

He knew that the son could never find out the truth about what was out there until he had collided with it head first. His only hope to regain his son was to turn him loose. MAYBE HE WOULD COME TO HIS SENSES AND COME BACK HOME—MAYBE!!

And so, with heavy heart, he let him go! And so it is with God who is wiser than us. He tells us what we need to do to live a full and productive life, but if we persist in ignoring Him—He steps aside. Not that He’s happy about the situation. Not that He couldn’t lock us up—take away our freedom of choice. Not that His heart does not break when we choose another course. But for His relationship with us to mean anything—it’s got to be voluntary on our part. AND THAT LEAVES HIM VERY VULNERABLE!!

Moving On We Come to Scene # Four—The Faraway Country, The Friendship of the World, and the Lessons to be Learned There!

In that faraway country he’s one very popular fellow until his substance runs out—as long as he has the coin of the realm. But at that point he was reduced to “Hey You” status—a nameless nobody that no one would give so much as a scrap to.

How low did he sink? The only job he could get was feeding pigs—feeding an animal that the Jewish law had labelled as unclean.

He was so hungry that the scriptures declare he contemplated eating corn husks or pods—WHATEVER IT WAS THAT THE PIGS WERE EATING.

This Brings Us to Scene # 5—Where the Light Finally Goes on in the Attic! As One of My Classmates of Yesteryear Put It—“When the Son Lost His Shirt, He Finally Came to Himself!”

In the midst of hunger, depravity and despair he begins to think about home. He begins to think about what he gave away to gain what he presently had. You know–sometimes we have to bottom out to be able to look up! That was definitely true in his case and probably it has been in some of our cases too!

Scene # 6—Arrival at Repentance!

Some people mistakenly confuse sorrow with repentance. That’s not quite true. The Bible tells us that godly sorrow leads to repentance.

Repentance is a change of resolve, a change of direction, a change of action. He resolves to head back home, try to start life anew—to do whatever it takes to get back on track and get out of the mess he got himself into!

Scene # 7 May Be Best Described as “Humility Personified”.

There in that pig pen, midst the muck and mire he formulates the words he is going to speak to his father when he sees him… “I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Take and make me as one of your servants.”

These words tell us that he has finally learned what he should have known all along—that his father owed him nothing. His father had shared with him because he loved him.

Many of us as human beings have been to that far away country—pursued things not worthy of being pursued and engaged in things we ought not to have done.

The first step on our journey back to God is to admit in complete humility that we were dead wrong and need to change. IT’S AN ESSENTIAL STEP!

Scene # Eight Opens With An Expectant Father.

We customarily refer to expectant mothers not fathers. Mary Marsh has wisely noted that the only time in a woman’s life when she wishes she were nine months older is when she is pregnant.

She eagerly looks forward to the arrival of her son [or daughter as the case may be] so that she can finally be at rest.

God the Father in this parable can relate to that. Probably each and every day since his son left He has scanned the horizon, hoping to see some speck of dust, or a silhouette telling him his son has turned around and is headed home.

Our heavenly Father is perpetually pregnant with hope—hoping that some wayward son or daughter will turn about and come back home.

Scene # Nine—The Reunion!

Finally one day the father’s efforts are rewarded. Off in the distance there is a speck of dust. It grows in size until a human outline can be discerned. The clothes are tattered, the figure is disheveled; the beard is unkempt.

Could this be the one he has been looking for all of these months?

Scene # Ten—The Father’s Response…Grace to the Rescue.

The father could have made the son travel all the distance that separated them—after all the son had put all that distance between them—but he didn’t. He ran out to meet him.

He could have waited until the son delivered the speech he had prepared back in the pig pen—but instead he embraced him and kissed his neck.

He could have rubbed his son’s nose in the mess he made of his life—but He didn’t.

Instead, He provided four things that the son needed so very badly but had no right to ask for:

He was given shoes to show that he was a part of the household [All God’s children got shoes]; a robe to cover his nakedness. A ring to signal that he was reinstated as an heir, and food to feed him!

God’s grace stands ready to receive back His wayward sons and daughters who likewise are ready to repent and in humility come back home to the father.

The Closing Scene—The Father’s Conversation With His Other Son

In the opening part of this chapter we have the Parables of the Lost Coin and the Lost Sheep.

The coin was inanimate—but finding it was still a cause for rejoicing. It had its value to the owner of that coin. The sheep was animate, but far less than human. Still the owner left everything else he had and went in search of it.

This third parable brings us up to speed—far more valuable than money or livestock is the human soul. While finding the former two was deemed to be important; the prodigal son was worth infinitely more.

What this parable is intent on telling us that God our Father is obsessed with the idea of saving souls—reconciling them to himself—reconciling them to the other members of the family…including to the brother who had stayed home. To make the prodigal son’s return it all that it could be, the father knew that a change in the heart of the elder son was essential. That’s why he sought out the elder son—to ask him to cooperate in welcoming the younger son back home.

In the same way God longs for those of us who have never gone astray to find it in our hearts to welcome that lost sinner back and work with God in trying to help the sinner to become all he can be in the family of God.

A BOY NEEDS A FATHER

A boy needs more’n anything

A dad to guide his hand,

And help with problems, now an’ then

In ways he’ll understand.

He needs him for companionship

An’ counsel he can give.

An’ too for teaching him the way

A growin’ boy should live.

It’s necessary for a boy

T’ have a dad who heeds

Th’ calls for such assistance as

A youngster often needs.

A lad can’t do without a dad

An’ keep on havin’ fun,

Or win for self th’ battles

Some other lads have won.

He never has a chance to brag

-bout things his dad can do;

Nor has an ear that he can tell

His private troubles to.

Indeed, a lad must have a dad

T’ guide him every day,

An’ keep him from temptation which

So often comes his way.

-Fred Toothaker

WHY I AM AFRAID OF GRASSHOPPERS

This morning I want to talk to you about a phobia I have. How many of you are familiar with the term “Phobia”? Do you know what I am talking about? I am talking about a fear. More precisely, I am talking about an overwhelming fear; one that has such a grip on me that I am having trouble coping with it.

Some of the more common phobias that we hear about are those involving water, speed, being in close quarters, height, depth, darkness and certain animals. Thrust into some of these scenarios, some people can literally freeze up or go bonkers.

I remember David Bruess telling about a fellow who had a very unlikely phobia. That man was afraid of being in a room where there were any open doors. Forced into a situation of being in a room with any open doors, he would literally freak out. His brother, a psychologist, tried everything he knew to cure the man of this phobia, but to no avail. Finally, in a last ditch effort to cure his brother, he decided to use fear to cure his brother’s phobia. He threatened to lock his brother in a room full of open doors!

We can laugh at that one if we like, but I rather suspect that most of us have a phobia of one sort or another of our own. I have one that I’ll bet you dollars to donuts you have never heard of before. I’M AFRAID OF GRASSHOPPERS. I am dead serious. In order to explain it I need to tell you a story.

A long, long time ago there was a king. And this king had a son…a son that was soon to be married. It was the king’s desire that the occasion be very, very special…something that would be remembered for a very long time. In musing over the idea he decided that the best way to accomplish this was to do something that would cause great joy and happiness in the hearts of his subjects—a happiness unlike any other they had ever experienced.

But how do you accomplish this? That was the question. He thought and thought; and then he thought some more. It finally hit him. The ideal way was to make an offer of forgiveness unto anyone who owed him anything. But there would be a stipulation—THEY MUST PRESENT THEMSELVES TO THE KING PRIOR TO THE DAY OF THE WEDDING AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. THAT THEY DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE TO DO!

Now in that faraway land there were no radios, no television, no printing presses and no telephones. The only way to get the word out to every citizen was to employ a person called a page. That person would have the task of going out into the kingdom and contacting each and every subject. And to each and every subject he would orally deliver the message.

Bright and early the next morning the page set out to spread the word so that everyone in the kingdom might find forgiveness. Quickly he covered the town near the castle and he moved out into the surrounding settlements. By mid-afternoon he had covered most of the denser populated areas.

It was in a meadow that it all began to happen. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and a nearby brook was babbling. There was not a cloud in the sky. He felt very happy indeed. After all, was he not on business for the king? And was not the message that he carried immensely important? But then it happened. That totally unexpected little bit of nothing that was destined to change everything suddenly occurred. Something flew up before him and startled him. He jumped back. Gathering his wits about him; he decided to investigate. Soon he spotted it. It was only a winged grasshopper.

His immediate response was to try and stomp the stuffing out of this insolent insect who had dared to upset his day. But each time just before the page’s foot came down, the insect flew to a place of safety. This only served to further infuriate the page. How dare that grasshopper defy him? After all, was he not an official emissary of the king?

Again and again the page tried to rub out the insolent little insect. But each time the grasshopper easily escaped. Finally the page became so obsessed with annihilating the insect that he lost all sense of time, distance and direction. Before he knew it he had left the field and become lost in the densest part of the forest. In the oncoming darkness he stumbled over the edge of a cliff and plunged to his death.

I believe the heart of the matter can be summed up thusly: 1) The message of the king was thwarted because the page allowed himself to get side-tracked from his assigned duty. 2) Because of this the page spent and lost his life in a cause far less than noble. And 3) Souls which might have been forgiven and set free, remained chained and bound by their debts.

The story itself is not found per se in the Bible, but the truths embodied in it are:

God is the King. In fact He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords…the ultimate ruler anywhere for all time.

God has a Son…a Son soon to be married. And if the signs of time are any indication; it could be any moment now. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is coming back to get His bride elect [the church] and take her back to His Father’s house.

God wants the occasion to be very special…an occasion for real rejoicing. He has made provisions for forgiveness. He has spelled out the terms. Like in the story, people will have to seek and secure it from God prior to the wedding of His Son. Those who wait until the wedding to seek forgiveness will find they have waited too long.

Which brings us to the fourth point; the place where it begins to get real heavy! We who are Christians are called to get the word out. We are to start at the point where we are at and move out in ever-widening circles until everyone has been given the word. Cp. Acts 1:8.

The message in and of itself is relatively simple. If we know enough to be saved ourselves, we know enough to tell someone else how to be saved.

Years ago I recall an imaginary little story of what could have taken place on the day that Christ returned to heaven after his sojourn down here in our midst. The angels gathered around Jesus, asking Him question after question about what it had been like down here and what He felt He had really accomplished. He summed up His response by saying that 1) He had died for the sins of mankind as required by God’s plan. 2) For three and a half years He had taught mankind both in word and deed what God expected of them. 3) He had given special training and teaching to a group of men whom He commissioned before He left. They were to carry on the work and get the message out to the rest of the world in order that mankind might be saved.

It was at this point an angel asked the sixty-four million dollar question—“What if these men he had trained or the men trained in a succeeding generation dropped the ball and failed to get the word out? What difference would all that He sacrificed for and said to mankind make?”

Jesus answered that He had confidence both the men He had trained and the men of succeeding generations. He was confident they would faithfully get the necessary word out. The angel, on the other hand, like a dog with a bone, was not ready to turn lose. He emphatically repeated, “But what if they don’t?”

With a saddened look on His face, Jesus replied… “I have no other plan!”

Like the king in our little story this morning; God has no other plan. The success of what God wants to accomplish totally hinges on our ability and willingness to get the word out there to the world. If we faithfully execute what He has charged us with; the plan will meet with success. If we don’t, we will doom God’s plan.

THAT BRINGS US DOWN TO THE GRASS-HOPPERS! WHO OR WHAT ARE THEY?

Perhaps the best way to answer that question is to say that grasshoppers come in all different shapes and sizes…you and I in all likelihood each have a different set…as probably does the person sitting next to us.

The best way to identify our own personal grasshoppers is by asking ourselves a set of questions:

Does something obscure our primary purpose as Christians—that of getting the message of salvation out to those who need it?

Does it so capture our focus that we lose sight of why we are here as individuals, or as members of the church?

If it does these things—then we have just identified our own personal grasshopper.

WHY THEN SHOULD I BE DEATHLY AFRAID OF GRASSHOPPERS? THE REASONS ARE TWO-FOLD.

Because my failure to do my part could well doom other souls to hell; souls which might have gone to heaven if I carried out the mission God charged me with.

And because, like the page in the story, losing my focus on my God given assignment could well cost me my life—not just in the present existence but for eternity. And that causes me to tremble more than a little!

And to my way of thinking, each and every child of God should also be afraid of grasshoppers for the same reason!

Some Notable Quotables About Fathers

My authority in my home is exactly proportional to what I get fresh from God that day. I don’t even have to talk about it—there’s a heavenly aura when Dad’s met God. When I backslide, everything at home falls apart. -ROBERT A. COOK

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned. -MARK TWAIN

I am not too concerned that my family remembers me as a profound person, but rather as a husband and a father who was fun to live with. I really do not care if they’re able to repeat rules and regulations that came from my lips, but I hope they never forget the sound of my laughter. I hope it is absorbed in the walls of my home. That’s one particular contribution I desire very much to make permanent. -CHARLES R. SWINDOLL

A good father is one of the most unsung, un-praised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society. –BILLY GRAHAM

My father can climb the highest mountain and swim the deepest ocean. He can fly the fastest plane and fight the strongest tiger. My father can do anything, but most of the time he just takes out the garbage. -EIGHT YEAR-OLD’S CLASS COMPOSITION

A careful man I want to be;

A little fellow follows after me;

I dare not go astray for fear

He’ll go the selfsame way.

I cannot once escape his eyes;

Whatever he sees me doing he tries.

Like me he says he’s going to be—

That little chap that follows me!

I must remember as I go

Through summer sun and winter snow

I am building for the years to be

For that little chap who follows me!

-ANONYMOUS

A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

-SOLOMON [Proverbs 10:1]

A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be. -FRANK A. CLARK

Any father who thinks he’s all important should remind himself that that this country honors fathers only one day a year while pickles get a whole week. –ANONYMOUS

Live so that when someone tells your son that he reminds them of you, he will stick out his chest and not his tongue. -ANONYMOUS

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

-THEORDORE M. HESBURGH

A father is someone who carries pictures where his money used to be. -LION

Let every father understand that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice.

-NUGGETS OF PURE GOLD

The best gift that a father can give to his son is a gift of himself—his time. For material things mean little if there is not someone to share them with. -C. NEIL STRAIT

Our father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. -GEORGE HERBERT

We have clocks to tell the time of day

And scales to tell the weight of hay;

But what rule would you employ

To tell the worth of a girl or boy!

Measures there are for silver and gold,

By carats the worth of diamonds are told;

But there is no measure on all the earth

To tell what a boy or girl is worth!

May 2015

A PROFILE OF A MOTHER

A mother appears to be a normal human being. She has the same physical features that other human beings have—two eyes, two hands, two arms, and two feet—all connected to the body. Now that is what you see if you just look at the exterior of a mother.

If you were ever a child you will know that she has at least three sets of eyes—a pair in front, a pair in back so she can see the hidden things that she must see if she would protect and develop you, and one on each side of her head so she can protect the cookie jar [no matter where she stands in the kitchen. All of them are capable of seeing through wood and plaster so she can tell what’s going on behind closed doors.

She has bionic ears so she can hear a dirty word whispered a block away. She can hear a complaint without it being voiced—simply thought by her children when they are assigned various tasks which they deem as unpleasant.

With her many arms and hands she can prepare a meal, find dad’s shirt, change a diaper, run the vacuum cleaner, and spank two kids at all the same time.

With strong, fast legs, she can move about the house like a speeding bullet. She patrols the streets, stops a fight in the back yard, catches a tennis ball before it is flushed down the toilet; prevents a child from falling out of a tree, and moves all of the toys out of the driveway before Dad comes home—all at the same time.

Her endless supply of energy can only be a God-given attribute. She is the first to rise in the morning, has breakfast ready for the “brood” as they get up, gets each child ready for school, is both a barber and beautician, fashion consultant, chairman, budget director, purchasing agent, paramedic, mechanic, veterinarian, interpreter, travel agent, interior decorator, and is the last to bed at night.

With a tender kiss, she can heal everything from a cut finger to a broken heart. With her kiss, she can convince a balding fifty-year-old man that he is just as handsome as he ever was!

Her ability to love is exceeded only by God’s love itself. Her love grows with her children and it is impossible to tell the success or failure of her children by her love.

There are no depths to which a child can fall that will diminish her love and no height of success a child can ever achieve that will increase it. Her love is protective, tender, consistent, understanding, forgiving, unchanging, unselfish, giving, contagious, comfortable and everlasting.

The nearest thing we can see in this world to God’s love is a mother’s love! -Rex R. Burns

To a mother, a son is never a fully grown man; and he is never a fully grown man until he understands and accepts that about his mother. -SYDNEY HARRIS

THE HOUSE BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

There are hermit souls that live withdrawn

In the peace of their self-content;

There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart,

In a fellow-less firmament;

There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths

Where highways never ran;

But let me live by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

Let me live in a house by the side of the road

Where the race of men go by—

The men who are good and the men who are bad—

As good and as bad as I!

I would not sit in the scorner’s seat,

Or hurl the cynic’s ban

Let me live by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

I see from my house by the side of the road,

By the side of the highway of life,

The men who press with the ardor of hope,

The men who are faint with the strife;

But I turn not away from their smiles or their tears—

Both parts of an infinite plan;

Let me live in my house by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead,

And mountains of wearisome height,

That the road passes on through the long afternoon

And stretches away to the night;

But still I rejoice when the traveler rejoices,

And weep with the strangers that moan,

Not live in my house by the side of the road

Like a man who dwells alone.

Let me live in my house by the side of the road

Where the race of men go by—

They are good, they are bad; they are weak,

They are strong, wise; foolish—so am I

Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat

Or hurl the cynic’s ban?—

Let me live in my house by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

-Sam Walter Foss

THINGS WHICH SOME HAVE WRITTEN AND SAID RELATIVE ABOUT PRAYER

The pulse of prayer is praise. The heart of prayer is gratitude. The voice of prayer is obedience. The arm of prayer is

service. -WILLIAM A WARD

More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. –LORD ALFRED TENNYSON

Day by day,

Dear Lord of Thee,

Three things I pray:

To see Thee more clearly,

To love Thee more dearly,

To follow Thee more nearly,

Day by day

-ANONYMOUS

Do not have your concert first and tune your instruments afterwards. Begin the day with prayer. -HUDSON TAYLOR

The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel. -THOMAS WATSON

Cold prayers ask the Lord not to answer them. Those who do not plead with fervency, plead not at all. -CHARLES SPURGEON

When Daniel was faced with a decision,

It didn’t take him long to declare;

He would far rather sleep with a lion,

Than to try and live without prayer.

-SWEETWATER SATELLITE

Any church calling itself a house of God, and failing to magnify prayer; which does not put prayer at the forefront of its activities; which does not teach the great lesson of prayer, should change its teaching to conform to the divine pattern, or change the name of its building to something other than a house of prayer. -E. M. BOUNDS

It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” –JESUS [Matthew 21:13]

The spectacle of a nation praying is more awe-inspiring than the explosion of an atomic bomb. The force of prayer is greater than any possible combination of man controlled powers because prayer is man’s greatest means of tapping the resources of God.. -J. EDGAR HOOVER

Oh Thou God, that heard Solomon in the night when he prayed for wisdom; hear me. I cannot lead this people. I cannot guide the affairs of this nation without Thy help. I am poor, weak and sinful. Oh God, who did’st hear Solomon when he prayed for wisdom, hear me and save this nation. -ABRAHAM LINCOLN

I have so much work today I don’t see how I will be able to get it done without at least four hours of prayer. -MARTIN LUTHER

First talk to God about your children and then talk to your children about God! -KINGSFORD KALLER

If God is not first in our thoughts in the morning, He will be last in our thoughts all day long. KING’S BUSINESS

Certain thoughts are prayer. There are moments when whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees. -VICTOR HUGO

He who fails to pray does not cheat God. He cheats himself. -GEORGE FAILING

Good morning God, I love you! What are you up to today? I want to be a part of it. -SAMUEL D. GORDON

The real victory in all service is one accomplished in secret beforehand by prayer. Service is simply gathering up the results.

Prayer is more than verbally filling out some requisition blank. It’s fellowship with God. It’s communion with God through praising Him, rehearsing His promises, and then sharing your needs. -BILLY GRAHAM

The preachers who are the mightiest with God in their closets are the mightiest in the pulpits with men. The man, the whole man lies behind the sermon. Preaching is not the performance of an hour. It is the outflow of a life. -E. M. BOUNDS

Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church. It is a Godly Christian’s weapon. -MARTIN LUTHER

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR MEMORIAL DAY

JUST LIKE THEM—ALIVE AND CAREFREE!

Driving along the highway we saw a sign in front of an old farmhouse: “Stop here for free flowers.” An elderly woman, thin and work worn, greeted us. I’m mighty glad you stopped. The flowers are the prettiest now,” she remarked, smiling.

We followed her to a beautiful field of gladioli—red, pink, white, lavender, and yellow. “Why do you give them away?” I asked.

“Most everybody asks that,” she said, her eyes becoming serious. “We used to have two boys, Bill and Jack. They always helped me keep the glads. Each year we sold them and divided the money to buy things for each other on Christmas, Birthdays, and the like. So Pop and I decided to keep on planting these glads each year and give them to folks as a living memorial to the boys. It was the most fittin’ one we could think of—just like them—alive and carefree. -Mrs. Katherine Benton, Coronet

A LIFE MEMORIALIZED

The life of James Lewis Pettigru was so exemplary that after his death the community erected a monument in his honor. It was inscribed as follows:

“UNAWED BY OPINION,

UNSEDUCED BY FLATTERY,

UNDISMAYED BY DISASTER,

HE CONFRONTED LIFE

WITH COURAGE,

AND DEATH WITH CHRISTIAN HOPE “

What a blessed memorial! Let each of us assay by the grace of God to so live and conduct ourselves; by serving others, to be so remembered—whether in mind or in marble!

A KNOWING SACRIFICE

In World War I a British unit was caught in a gas and artillery attack. Most of the men were able to find cover, but a sergeant was wounded and unable to put his gas mask on. A lieutenant rushed to where he was, put his gas mask on and was able to haul the wounded soldier to safety. But in so doing, it cost him his own life. In the effort to save the other man, his own gas mask was ripped off, he inhaled enough gas, and moments later he was dead.

The parents, upon receiving the news of their son’s death, were obviously grief-struck. They had lost someone very precious and dear to them. After a brief period of mourning, the father was able to regain his composure and move on with his life—even though the pain remained. But it was not so with the mother. The grief overwhelmed her, making life seem unbearable. She verbalized her grief to her husband, “If only I could know that our son died for a good man—then I could find peace of mind.”

The father contacted the sergeant; asking that he stop when in London and visit them. He even offered the sergeant some money if he would honor the request. Several weeks later the sergeant was on furlough and dropped in on the couple. When he arrived, he was hopelessly intoxicated; and it soon became obvious that the man was a complete wastrel, about as bad a man as they come.

By the time the sergeant left, the poor distraught mother was on the verge of a collapse. Instead of helping to heal the mother’s mental wounds, the visit had only served to further inflame them. The mother cried out, “To think that our son, our precious son, gave his life for such a worthless one as that—this is more than I can bear!”

Her husband, trying to salvage something out of this grief-relief experiment gone sour; turned to his wife, a religious person, and reminded her of two things. First of all—their son as a lieutenant had to know exactly what kind of man this sergeant was. And he had to know exactly what kind of man he was risking his life for. Yet, armed with that knowledge, he gave his life. To not honor the son’s choice was paramount to not honoring the kind of man they had raised him to be. Secondly, their son, a Christian, had just followed in the footsteps of his Lord and Master—He, too, had given his life for sinful flesh! (Romans 6:7, 8) -Anonymous

REMEMBERING CHRIST

Of a truth we have had some excellent Bible study material recently in our adult bible school on Sunday morning. Both Brother Dyer and Wilson have repeatedly stated that opinion. And I for one wholeheartedly concur. One of the recent lessons dealt with the subject of the Lord’s Supper or Communion. As fine as the lessons were on this topic, and they were; I hold this thought to be true. Not everything worthwhile on this topic was voiced. There just simply was not enough time for each of us to put our additional two cents worth in. I for one sorely regret that. I would like to take out a few moments and throw a couple of random thoughts into the pot on this subject.

To start with I would draw you attention to a pair of texts we seldom look at intently. The first one is found in I Peter 1:20. The second Revelation 13:8. Both of these refer to the fact that Jesus Christ was foreordained before the foundations of the world to be slain as a lamb without blemish for our sins. In short, before the creative activity in referred to in Genesis 1 Christ was already slated to one day die on a cruel Roman cross.

John 1:3, referring to Jesus under philosophical term “the Word” says of Him, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. Condensed down into simple language; despite His foreknowledge, Jesus Christ was instrumental in creating the human race [for which He would one day have to die] and the material for the cross [on which He one day would be slain]. I don’t know about you, but this gives me an expanded view of the one I call Lord and Master. That in my mind’s eye makes Him yet more precious to remember when I gather around the Lord’s Table and partake of the cup and the loaf.

Philippians 2:6-8 gives me yet more food for thought as I gather around the Lord’s Table to Honor my Lord. The Apostle Paul says of Jesus, “Who, although He existed in the form of God [like God was deity] did not regard that as something to be clung to or grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, humbled Himself, unto the point of dying on the cross.”

What we have here in this scripture is the portrait of the great step down. He who was superior to all of creation, ranking only second to God in authority, invulnerable; stepped down for a time to the point of becoming as it were the servant of all mankind by His sacrificial death.

In Matthew 5:3-11, a part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we have a series of beatitudes; each of which start out with the word “Blessed”. “The original Greek word in these passages from which the word “Blessed” is translated is the word “Makarios”. Literally translated that word means “the joy of the gods”. In Acts 20:35 Luke gives us another such beatitude; quoting Jesus as having said, “It is more blessed [Makarios] to give than to receive.” Commenting elsewhere upon the greatest form of giving, Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he gives his life for another.” Jesus not only preached this kind of love, but He practiced it. And in my mind’s eye, that is something else worth remembering about Jesus.

Time frame wise there are other things that Jesus did on the night He instituted the Lord’s Supper. One thing that really catches my attention is a part of what else He prayed for on that fateful night. I speak specifically of what is recorded in John 17:20-23. In that passage Jesus prays that we believers all be one in Him as He is one in the Father. He was subservient unto God, living the life that God had ordered Him. The spinoff is that Christ calls us to continuously look at the life that He lived and assay to live it in attitude, action and word as He lived it. Why? So that the world might be drawn unto Christ and be saved.

What we might easily enough miss when we gather around the Lord’s Table is that it affords us a chance to focus in on who and what Christ truly is. And having done so it affords us an opportunity to examine our own lives and compare it with the example and teachings of Christ. It has been well stated that the best way tell if a stick is truly straight is lay it along side of that which is a standard of straightness. Christ is God’s given standard of the kind of life He would like us mortals to daily live.

Paul in Ephesians speaks of our striving to become one with another and one in Him until we reach the full measure of the stature of Christ. I have oft said that if I were called upon to select a word that best characterized the Christian Life it would be that word, “Change”. Day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, we are called upon to become more like Jesus. How much more like Jesus? I think Paul captured the essence of the matter when he said that he had arrived at that point where he no longer lived but Christ lived within him.

Then there is the matter of the crucifixion of Christ. What was it like? Farrar’s Life of Christ gives us perhaps the best description of what Jesus went through by dying that way.

It was unanimously the most horrible form of death. Among the Romans the degradation was also a part of the affliction; and the punishment, if applied to freemen, was used only in the case of the vilest criminals. [The exact opposite of what Jesus was!]

The one to be crucified was stripped naked of all his clothes, and then followed the most awful moment of all. He was laid down on the implement of torture. His arms were stretched along the cross-beams, and at the center of the open palms the point of a huge iron nail was placed, which by the blow of a mallet was driven home into the wood. Then through either foot separately, or possibly through both together, as they were placed one over the other, another huge iron nail was driven through the quivering flesh. Whether the sufferer was also bound to the cross we do not know; but to prevent the hands and feet from being torn away by the weight of the body, which could not “rest upon anything but four great wounds, there was on the center of the cross placed a wooden projection strong enough to support at least in part, a human body, which soon became a weight of agony. Then the “accursed tree” with its living human burden was slowly heaved up and the end fixed in a hole in the ground. The feet were just a little raised above the earth. The victim was in full reach of any hand that might choose to strike it.

A death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of the horrible and ghastly—dizziness, cramp, thirst, hunger, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds; all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but just stopping short of the point which would give the sufferer the relief of unconsciousness.

The unnatural position made every movement painful. The lacerated veins and crushed tendons throbbed with incessant anguish. The wounds, inflamed by exposure gradually gangrened. The arteries, especially of the head and stomach, became swollen and oppressed with surcharged blood; and while each variety of misery went on gradually increasing, there was added unto them the intolerable pang of a burning thirst. Such was the death to which Christ was doomed.

Could Jesus have averted dying this way—or dying at the hands of men at all? That’s a good question?

And the answer is a resounding yes. According to Jesus’ own words He would have only to have spoken the word and God would have immediately sent twelve legions [72,000] of angels to defend Him. The Old Testament records one lone angel wiping out 185,000 humans on one occasion. There were only 6,000 Pharisees, perhaps twice that many Sadducees, and roughly 36,000

Roman soldiers in Palestine. In short a mere 1/3 of an angel could have wiped out all three groups in a heartbeat! The swelled population of Jerusalem at Passover time could have been annihilated by a mere ten to fifteen angels. And the entire world population, an estimated 54,000,000 could have been decimated by a mere 296 angels—leaving the remaining 71,704 angels free to go on a coffee break, or simply sit around and twiddle their thumbs. To use the total destructive force of the 72,000 angels to defend Him would been like using an atomic bomb to kill an ant.

But, Jesus, as was prophesied about Him in Isaiah 53:7 was silent as a lamb being led to the slaughter.

Don Cooper, President of Northeast Ohio Bible College, pointed out another simple way in which He could have avoided going to the cross. All He had to do was to have sinned one time and He would have been disqualified as a suitable candidate to die for the sins of mankind. Instead He lived a life under a pressure none of us can begin to understand. Moment by moment He had to be constantly reminding Himself, “I dare not drop the ball. I dare not muff it! I dare not sin even once.” How would you like to live under that moment by moment pressure?

Is there more that could be said or written on this topic? Certainly, but I will leave that for you, the reader to reflect on it and add to it! I will sign off for just now, leaving room for your additions.

GOD’S HIGH CALLING OF A HOMEMAKER

I believe in the equality of women; I believe in women’s rights. However women have many rights that Christian women do not choose to exercise. A woman has the right under the law to drink alcohol, but the Christian woman does not. A woman has as much sense as a man; and her judgment is as good as that of a man. God in a special act of creation made woman of man, and for man, to answer his needs. Women down through the ages have often been men’s instructors in the finer qualities of life.

We have reached the place where it is no longer considered proper to teach a girl to be a mother. She must be taught to be a business woman. Few young women have a desire to marry, raise a family, and be a keeper of the home. Some mothers who stay at home are embarrassed when asked their occupations. They reply, “Oh, I’m just a housewife.”

Sister, dump the word “just”! Fling your shoulders back, lift up your head, look the world in the eye—you’re a mother! What a high calling! What a challenge! This means that your children will never have to come home to an empty house. You are there to see your children off in the morning and there to greet them when they come home in the afternoon.

Countless thousands of children return to empty houses and are empty inside. Television, bad company and idleness are destroying them. Motherhood is one of God’s greatest honors. It is also one of life’s greatest responsibilities, namely the training and development of those children in the home for Christian living.

The training of a child starts when the life of the child begins within the mother. Long before birth, the future infant is already stamped with individuality. A well-ordered home is the best guarantee of mental health in the growing child. The mother is needed in the home. Mother, your child needs you in the first few years of his life as he will never need you in any other period. This is the time that you lay the foundation for his training in life, here and in eternity.

It is not a sin for a wife and mother to work outside the home. However, a Christian mother with small children should not work voluntarily in the business world and leave her children to be cared for by others, unless such work is absolutely necessary to support the family. Too much is at stake. The family is more important than things. Parents can bridge the generation gap by their presence. Children need their parent’s presence more than their presents.

Child-raising is just as much of a parental partnership as getting the children in the first place. Children are the product of both parents, and they need both. A mother is more likely to spend more time with the children, but her companionship can never substitute for the father’s friendship. It’s up to you, Dad. You are the spiritual guide of the home, the leader in family worship and child training.

The Bible gives this advice to older women: “That they may teach the younger women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God might not be blasphemed. –TITUS 2:4, 5. Old fashioned, you say! Yes, how true—but it is the Word of the Lord. -Bobby Keyes—“Four State Gospel News”

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

Men are born with two eyes, but with one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say. -CHARLES CALEB COLTON

The longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs the affairs of men, and if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that a whole empire can rise without His aid? -BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Imagination was given to man to compensate for what he is not. A sense of humor was given to console him for what he is. -ANONYMOUS

April 2015

IT IS FINISHED

When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished”. With that He bowed his head and gave up his spirit. JOHN 19:30

In preparing this article for this month’s issue of the Printed Preacher, my mind wandered back to something I read over forty years ago. The whole creation story in the Bible entails only something like 450 words. Yet back roughly forty years ago our Federal Government by contrast put out a 255,000 word document to fix the price of cabbage for that year.

The bottom line—we love to hear ourselves talk—even if we have precious little to say. God, on the other hand; not infrequently uses the least possible amount of words to express volumes. I believe our text is a classic example.

In three words the KJV sums up what Jesus had to say with his last breath. The Greek text, from which our English versions are translated, reveals the usage of but a single word… “TETELESTAI”! Yet that single word spoke volumes to those who truly heard it on that day…and to those of us who are still hearing it!

Let’s begin by looking at what it must of meant to those who heard that single word on that fateful day…the word which we have translated—“IT IS FINISHED!”

To Satan That Word Probably Meant That He Had Finally Got The Best Of Jesus.

He had tried every trick in the book to win Jesus over to his side. When that had failed he had maneuvered and manipulated every circumstance possible in every way imaginable to cause Jesus to fail…BUT TO NO AVAIL.

Now in one final masterful stroke of strategy he imagined that he had disposed of his chief nemesis—He thought he had Jesus boxed into a dead end with no possible way out.

Finally Jesus would be forced to be silent.

Little did he know that Jesus would turn the tomb into a thoroughfare and cause the silence of the moment to become something men would speak about for ages yet untold. And the witness that they would bear of this moment would be deafening! It would cause him to wince in pain at his folly of thinking that He had finally gotten the best of Jesus.

To The Pharisees And The Sadducees—These Words Marked The End Of A Troublemaker…

These two groups had seldom been able to agree upon anything. Generally speaking they viewed each other as bitter enemies.

But here, in Jesus, they had found a common enemy—one who had rocked both of their religious boats, threatening to swamp them.

He had challenged their authority, their inspiration, their motives and their morals…HE HAD TO GO!

And in their mind’s eye—that had been accomplished. The words, “IT IS FINISHED,” signaled to them a return to the normalcy of what they had enjoyed before He came on the scene.

But if they had only known what they had set in motion by their actions; they would have sat down and wept bitterly—counting this as one of the blackest days of their lives. Normalcy, as they viewed it, would never again be the same.

To The Zealots, The Jewish Patriots Of That Day—It Was Also The End Of Something.

It was the end of a dream. They had hoped to win Jesus over to their cause. The scriptures indicate that they fain would have made Him King.

Can you imagine a commander in chief which could heal the sick and wounded—raise from the dead the fallen Jewish soldier, and feed an army on a few biscuits and a few fish?

The Zealots could—they had seen Jesus perform these types of miracles. They must have viewed Jesus’ death as a major blow to their military aspirations.

To Mary, Jesus’ Mother, These Words Signaled That Which She Dreaded.

In his lifetime she had not always understood Him. Upon occasion she would fain even have kept Him from doing His God-assigned task.

From the early days of His ministry she must have been acutely aware of the inherent danger in the course He was taking. You could not buck the religious system of His day the way He was and expect to get by with it. Sooner or later there would be the piper to pay.

Yet, as any loving mother would, she must have hoped against hope that either He would turn aside or that He would be miraculously spared death. But now her worst fears were realized!

A part of her died that day—a numbness set in that would anesthetize her against any other calamity that could happen that day. The memory of her first-born son, which had its roots in a time frame that even preceded her marriage, would haunt her.

To Another Mary; To Martha, Lazarus, And Countless Others, It Marked The End Of A Beautiful Friendship.

True friends like Jesus come along only once in a lifetime…and then only to a fortunate few. In their relationship they had been constant recipients, being able to return to Him only a few meager tokens of what they had received at His hands.

Quite possibly they constantly looked for that occasion when they could do more—to repay some of their indebtedness. But now it was too late…How could they repay one who had now crossed over—one who shortly would be laid in a grave?

And few things weigh so heavily on a grateful human heart as a debt unpaid. Little could they know—but as the result of the happenings of this day they would be immeasurably deeper in debt to Him.

To The Apostles It Was The Culmination Of 3 ½ Wonderful Years.

He had fed them both physically and spiritually. They had shared the same shelter, strolled under the same clouds and probably slept under the same stars.

For 3 ½ years He had been their constant, guide, companion, and mentor…and most of all—THEIR FRIEND!

They probably recalled an incident when Jesus had asked them if they would walk away also, even as the crowd had done. Peter piped up and said, “Where shall we go, only You have the words of eternal life.”

Now the one whom they had left all to follow had gone and left them! There had to be an emptiness, a hollowness; an unfathomable depth of despair.

To Jesus These Words Signaled The Completion Of An Earthly Task.

He had taught the complete counsel of God entrusted unto Him. He had exemplified the full character of God. He had fulfilled every last prophecy concerning His self this side of the grave.

In mere seconds He would He would put a cap on it—dying an atoning death for all mankind, for all time.

Save for resurrection and eleven post-resurrection personal appearances, He was homeward bound. How sweet it would be to get back to heaven.

Yet in reality it was not all finished—just the segment God had assigned unto Christ.

In closing I would like to share the following story with you!

A little boy was gazing at a picture in an art store window. The particular picture was of the crucifixion of Christ. A gentleman approached, stopped, and looked. The boy detecting the man’s interest, explained, “THAT’S JESUS.” The man made no reply. The lad continued, “THEM’S ROMAN SOLDIERS,” and after a moment he added, “THEY KILLED HIM!”

There was at that point a lull in the conversation. The gentleman, figuring that he had heard all that the boy was going to share with him; turned and walked away! However, he hadn’t gone but about a half a block and he heard running footsteps behind him. He turned to see the boy and to hear the rest of the story. “BUT THAT’S NOT ALL, MISTER. I FORGOT TO TELL YOU THE BEST PART. HE AROSE!”

Neither the crucifixion nor the resurrection story is complete as long as there is an ear anywhere who hasn’t heard it. It is not complete as long as there is a voice of one of His followers to share it.

No, in actuality it is never quite complete until the last trumpet blows and we are all called home!

Let’s all of us be up and doing, never in absentia, never misconstruing; always faithful, always true—to the end that we too can say to this world… “IT IS FINISHED!”—and then it will have only really begun!

THE ONES THAT REALLY WIN

A man had just been baptized into Christ. In the dressing room the curious minister asked the new brother what sermon it was that had convinced him to give his life to the Lord. The man replied, “Preacher, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but it wasn’t anything in the sermon that you preached that won me. Six years ago we moved into town, just across the street from Mr. Griffith. The very first week after moving here, he invited us to go to church with him. We told him that we had just moved in and didn’t have time yet. The second week he was back to invite us once again…as he did again in the third week. To my way of thinking, he was becoming a nuisance, and I bluntly told him so—adding that we weren’t interested in anybody’s religion.

Much to my surprise, he took no offense at my bluntness. He remained as friendly as before, yet he respected my request—no more talk about religion. But he needed not to talk—I was watching him. At first I was watching him to find some flaw in his lifestyle or religion. Over due course of time this evil motive gave way to admiration! Every Lord’s Day morning, evening, and Wednesday night, regardless of the weather, I saw him with his family, leave the house. I knew they were coming up here to go to church. He and I are in the same service club. But I soon learned that if there was a gathering here that you would not see him at the club meeting. Some called him a fanatic. But never did I hear an unkind word from his lips towards those who criticized him. We visited in their home. Peace, harmony and real contentment was evident on every hand. He had something I wanted. That was why we started attending here. Preacher, I’ve appreciated your fine sermons. Without your teaching I would not have become a Christian tonight. BUT THE SERMON THAT WON ME LIVES ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME!”

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO WILL AND WHO WON’T GET THE POINT

The preacher had just concluded a hot sermon on the sin of swearing. In the course of the sermon he stated several times that he knew one of his members was guilty of this particular sin.

The service ended. The worshipers filed out the door one by one. The first was a man whom the preacher had never suspected of using foul language. With a red and angry face he said, “I’ll never darken the door of this church again. Before the preacher could recover from that blast, another member said, “Well, brother, if I had known you were there last week, I would have been more careful of my language. And third member scolded the preacher, saying, “I think you might have at least come to me privately without blabbing it to the whole congregation.

A fourth member remarked, “I have never been so embarrassed in my life.”

Just about then the real culprit came out—the one to whom the preacher had principally aimed his remarks. With a bland and innocent smile he shook the preacher’s hand and said, “Brother; that was what I call a real sermon. You really did pour it on them today!”

-Bill Truitt—“The Brilliant Light

Yet in this realization, the cross of Christ is inevitable, for the infinite love could only express itself in an infinite way! -ROBERT E. COLEMAN

HE TOOK YOUR PLACE

One day a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and was about to walk to the church building. Another driver arrived and said, “Hey buddy, I always park there. You parked in my place. You’ll have to move it!” And so the visitor, without comment, did!

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and said, “Hey mister, that’s my seat. I always sit there.” The visitor moved to another chair. He was a bit taken back by the young lady, but said nothing.

And hour later he made his way to the sanctuary, found a vacant pew and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said. “I’m sorry, but you took my place…I always sit there.” The visitor was a bit more perturbed, but still said nothing.

Later on in the service the congregation was praying for Christ to come and dwell amongst them…as they were accustomed to doing. The visitor stood upright and suddenly his appearance began to change.

Huge, grotesque scars on his hands and sandaled feet became visible. Someone sitting nearby, cried out, “Hey mister; what happened to you?

The answer was brief but very pointed—“I TOOK YOUR PLACE!

What kind of response do you suppose Christ would get if some Sunday morning He appeared, incognito, at the place where you gather to worship? Remember that the Bible admonishes us to be given to hospitality—for many have entertained angels unaware. How far a leap is it to suppose that one who promised to always be with us might visit us in such a fashion? -Anonymous

CONQUERED BY CHRIST

He was a huge man with an interesting and remarkable story. A former heavy-weight boxer, he spoke of a time when he had been in training for a big fight—the biggest of his career. Anyone could have seen he was in the pink of condition. Yet, there was something happening to him. He knew that his wife had been converted sometime before, and she was praying for his conversion, but he had determined not to let it upset him. Nevertheless, he was worried, miserable, and apprehensive. In his secret heart he knew that the Lord was speaking to him about his sinful state; but he was ashamed to admit it to himself or to anyone else.

The night of the important fight came and he climbed into the ring; waiting in his corner for the bell to ring signaling the start of the first round. Suddenly he knew that it was all over as far as he was concerned.

He won the fight, but immediately after he was announced the winner, he made the boxing ring his first pulpit and he told the crowd that he was through boxing. He then and there accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior; kneeling down and yielding his life to Christ. It was the only time that he had ever been knocked out in his life. That night he registered his greatest defeat, and his biggest victory. He had been conquered by the conquering Christ that he might become a fighter in the greatest cause this side of Heaven. -Copied

CONVICTION BY MEMORY

Years ago in Germany, an incident happened which furnishes a wonderful illustration of the gracious providence of God and of His power to save the lost. It took place in a secluded spot in the wooded hills of the Black Forest.

The spot was a strange one for an auction sale. But then the participants were a strange lot—they were a band of robbers, as ruthless a band as one might ever encounter. Earlier that evening they had plundered a richly laden wagon belonging to some wealthy merchants. They chose on that occasion to divvy up the loot conducting an auction amongst their own selves. A bottle of wine was passed amongst them to loosen their tongues and to prepare them to engage in the proposed activity.

One by one, costly items—jewelry, fine clothing, gold and silver dining utensils, etc. were offered. One by one the items were disposed of to the highest bidder. Nearing the end, the auctioneer held aloft a New Testament and invited bids for this item. Cheerful laughter greeted the jeering blasphemies he uttered.

In the midst of the profanity, one robber proposed that the auctioneer might read a chapter, in order that they might judge the worth of the merchandise. He assented, encouraged by the fresh applause which greeted the proposal. In a tone of bitter mockery he read, to the intense amusement of all who were present—well almost everyone. In their merriment, they failed to take note of one of their number—the eldest member of their cutthroat band, the leader of the group. Ordinarily he was the hardest drinker and had the most profane mouth of any—but not here, not at this moment…not as this scripture passage was being read. Instead, he was sitting off to the side in a quiet contemplative mood; his folded hands resting on his knees.

What could account for this strange mood in such a man? The passage being read that evening was one he remembered from thirty years ago. More precisely—it was the passage that his father read on the morning when this robber had left home— fleeing to escape capture and incarceration at the hands of the police. To that home he had never returned. But the memory of that occasion was deeply etched into his mind. The scene of the happy family seated around the breakfast table—his aged father reading this very passage—came flooding back over him. He saw his dear old mother listening eagerly to the Word of God, and his brothers and sisters participating in the privilege. Above all, he saw himself, and his heart was breaking. Since that day he had flung religion to the winds. Since that morning he had never offered another prayer to God!

But now that same Word of God, so highly rejected by other members of this cutthroat band, was doing a mighty and miraculous work in this lost man’s soul. The hammer of truth was smashing the rocky hardness of his heart. The coldness of unbelief had frozen the finest sensibilities of his being; but the warmth of this passage was now melting the ice that had gathered there. Into his memory streamed words of loving counsel and instruction which his father and mother had administered to him in his early years. Absorbed by these gracious and sweet recollections of his youth, the robber chief forgot all that was around him. He was deaf to the impious uproar, until he was suddenly slapped on the shoulder by his nearest companion.

With that gesture, his companion said to him, “Why are you not bidding for that book? You know that you need it worse than anyone else, for you are the biggest sinner amongst us.” “Yes,” said the robber chieftain, “I am all of that. Give me the book. I will pay full value for it.”

The sale proceeded and eventually the circle broke up. In the morning the robbers dispersed to try and dispose as best they could their accumulated spoil. But the purchaser of the New Testament spent his day otherwise. Retreating to a secluded spot among the rocks, he spent the day and the next night in terrible spiritual struggle. His agony of conscience was fearful. He was as David in Psalms 116:3, 4, “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul.” He would open the book and read a little, seeking comfort or hope, and then lay it down thinking that after such a career as his, during long years, for him there could be no forgiveness.

He struggled between fear and hope. As he read and prayed, promise after promise poured into his mind, bringing hope of pardon to his soul. He was not hopeless any longer. He had a precious sight of the great Redeemer, Jesus. He resolved to quit his associates, to abandon his shameful calling, and to surrender himself to the officers of justice in order that he might seek some sort of atonement according to law for his evil deeds. He concluded that he would seek the pastor of the nearest village in the Black Forest and tell him about his case.

He went to the village and learned that the whole band had been captured by a detachment of soldiers and lodged in prison. Going to the pastor’s house, he told his story, confessing that he, by the grace of God, had come to the cross of Christ to seek salvation as a lost sinner. The pastor assured him that coming thus to the Redeemer of sinful souls, he could not fail to find acceptance with God. He asked the kindly pastor to accompany him to the judge, which the pastor did. The judge listened to his story with astonishment and expressed hope that this voluntary surrender and confession would save his life. The robber chieftain was given a sentence of but ten years for his life of crime—a sentence that was later reduced to seven years because of his exemplary life in prison. Upon his release he entered into the service of a kindly nobleman. In that household he became a lasting blessing, dying in old age—giving God praise with even his last breath for the grace that had been extended him. -Anonymous

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Saying that Christ is the answer assumes that we have a legitimate question. Claiming that Christ will fulfill all our needs assumes that those needs are all proper. But sometimes our questions and our needs are all wrong. Do we really need better health? Do we really need more financial security? Do we really need a greater stability in our lives? -E. STANLEY JONES

THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS DAUGHTER’S SHOES FOR A BOTTLE OF WINE

Mel Trotter was both an alcoholic and a wino. Additionally he was an ex-convict living in Grand-Rapids, Michigan; a half-breed Indian whose only pride in life was the fact that he had no friends. The only good thing that Mel Trotter had going for him was a wonderful Christian wife who worked as a custodian at the local hospital.

On many occasions Mel would physically beat her, take what money he could find in the house, and go out and drink for days on end. Mel had such a reputation among the tavern owners in Grand Rapids that many times they would meet him at the front door with a request for him to leave. They would say, “Mel, we don’t need your business here. Please go elsewhere and do your drinking.

One day when Mel came in from a drunken spree, he learned that his four-year-old daughter was chronically ill. In tears his wife said, “Where are we going to get her medication? We have borrowed money from everybody we know. We have extended our credit as far as we possibly can at the hospital. How are we going to pay for medical care?”

Mel Trotter, unable to face reality, beat his wife severely that night and left. He stayed drunk for two days and three nights. When he came home on the afternoon of the third day, he was to learn that his four-year-old daughter had died.

The local Salvation Army had erected a temporary funeral parlor in one of the rooms of the Salvation Army storefront. As Mel walked into that room he noticed that the only other people there were his wife and mother-in-law. When they saw this man with three days growth on his face and smelled the stench of the drunk who had been vomiting on himself and sleeping in the gutters, they left in tears. He hadn’t even cared enough to clean up to come to his own daughter’s wake.

Mel was now alone with the body of his daughter. He walked over and looked into the casket. There he saw that someone had provided her with a beautiful white ribbon for her hair, a white dress for her body, and white socks along with black patent leather shoes for her feet. Mel reached over into the casket and removed the shoes, took the shoes down the street and sold them for $6—with which he bought a bottle of cheap wine.

It was while Mel was drinking this $6 bottle of wine that he heard God’s messenger on the street corner, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Although he was in a drunken stupor at the time, Mel stumbled to the front of that street audience, fell on his knees before the speaker, and confessed his need for a Savior.

Now I seriously ask you these questions. Does God need a man like Mel Trotter? Could God effectively use a person who was an ex-convict, a person who was a seemingly hopeless alcoholic and wino? Does God care about these kinds of people?

Oh, He certainly does. God not only forgave Mel Trotter of his every sin, but God raised him up to become one of the greatest gospel witnesses this present generation has ever known. It was Mel Trotter who started the first mission for alcoholics in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Even today you can go to Grand Rapids and you will find the Mel Trotter Mission.

This is the man who has led not hundreds but thousands of people out of alcoholism and drug addiction to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. This man has led thousands of runaway and throwaway children back into their homes, and more importantly, into the church. Just think—one time he was such a sinner that he stole and sold the shoes from his dead daughter’s feet in order to buy a drink! -Joe Garman

March 2015

CHRIST, OUR PASSOVER LAMB

And when the hour came, Jesus and His disciples reclined at the table, and He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God. –LUKE 22:14-16

Christ in this brief passage links the Passover—a remembrance of a past event with the suffering He was shortly experience at Calvary.

The Jews customarily saw the Passover and the event that triggered it as an entity unto itself—full and complete. Jesus corrected that notion in this passage. He speaks of it yet needing to find fulfilment in the coming Kingdom of God; which He had often spoken of as being at hand.

Paul in HEBREWS 10:1,2 spoke of things which had happened in the past as being shadows of things to come. In short, we could not know the full measure of some of those institutions, events and persons involved until we viewed them in comparison to their New Testament counterparts.

I would like to share a series of comparisons with you this morning involving the Passover of the Old Testament and Christ—our Passover Lamb of the New Testament.

LET’S START WITH THE TERM “PASSOVER”.

The root definition of the Hebrew word for “Passover” is “To leap over, to spare; to show mercy”!

The Passover feast was based on the remembrance of when God did precisely that. You can read about it in EXODUS 12:12, 13. God promised to send the death angel to Egypt to kill the firstborn, whether man or beast. The Israelites were instructed on how they could make sure that the angel did not visit their household—by the smearing of the blood of the Passover Lamb on the doorposts of their dwelling place.

The angel, seeing that blood, would leap over that house, sparing the inhabitants therein—showing them grace and mercy!

The thing we need to note is its incompleteness. Those who were spared on that night would die later—probably most of them in the Wilderness of Sin on their way to the Promised Land. It was a temporary fix.

To be complete, another kind of lamb at another time and place would be required—one that would enable all of mankind—including the eldest and the gentiles—to live forever.

That’s where Christ, our Passover Lamb comes in!

PARTICULARS ABOUT THE PASSOVER LAMB:

It was to be without spot or blemish. To insure that it was indeed without spot or blemish it had to be taken out of the flock on the 10^th of Nissan and observed until the 14^th before it could be sacrificed.

Christ, as our Passover Lamb, was scrutinized for three and a half years prior to His being sacrificed at Calvary.

The ironic part about it is that Pilate who found Christ without spot or blemish would fain have spared Him. The Jewish leaders, who invented all sorts of lies about Him—falsely accusing Him of being blemished—are the ones who demanded He be sacrificed.

It was to be a mature male, depicting the giving of the fullness of its strength.

According to Jewish custom, a man did not reach enough maturity to serve God until he was thirty years old. Jesus was thirty years of age when He began to preach. And three and a half years later He gave of the fullness of His strength as our Passover Lamb.

The lamb was to be killed at the time of the evening sacrifice [3 O’ clock]; symbolizing the time that the Israelites came out of Egypt. MATTHEW 27:46 reveals that was the hour at which Jesus died.

The blood was to be sprinkled on the doorposts and lintel of the door to insure the passing over of the death angel. EXODUS 12:22-24 It is the blood of Jesus Christ that gives us the same coverage. Compare with I PETER 1:2 and HEBREWS 10:22.

The sacrifice was to be whole—not a bone broken. JOHN 19:36 specifies that this was the case of Jesus—fulfilling the type/ antitype relationship.

Concerning the Passover Lamb, the remains that were not eaten were to be burned. NONE OF IT WAS TO REMAIN UNTIL MORNING LEST IT SEE CORRUPTION.

The body of Christ was hastily taken down off the cross that day and buried in a tomb. According to ACTS 2:24-27, His body did not see corruption.

Mosaic Law further specified that no part of the Passover Lamb was to be wasted. Christ’s sacrifice as our Passover Lamb has spiritually speaking provided us with sustenance for nigh unto 2,000 years.

CONCERNING THE EATING OF THE LAMB…

They were to eat it at night. Darkness represents sin and reminds us of our need of God’s grace. Indeed no one can ever benefit from the sacrifice Christ made at Calvary until he or she readily admits of their sinful deficiencies—THEIR NEED TO BE COVERED BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.

The Passover meal as it was instituted in EXODUS 12:11 was to be eaten in haste with their staff in their hand and their shoes on their feet.

Originally this was given to the Jews to signify their readiness and willingness to flee Egypt and the captivity it personified. But looking forward unto Christ and the future; it symbolized the willingness of God’s people to flee sin and the captivity it personified. Compare with ROMANS 6:1, 2.

The truth is both pointed and true. Not only must we be willing to flee the sin that entangled us in the past; but to flee from all future sin that would entangle us.

The necessity of a Christian keeping himself from sin once he has been freed is repetitively mentioned in God’s Word. –HEBREWS 12:1; I THESSALONIANS 5:22

They were to eat the Passover Lamb with bitter herbs. This was to remind them of their bitter experiences under Egyptian bondage.

For the Christian observing the Lord’s Supper; there are two things we should never forget—the bitter agony Christ suffered to set us free and what our life was like before we surrendered it to Jesus.

Both of the remembrances serve to remind us of something else—HOW MUCH WE REALLY OWE GOD!

In conjunction with the Passover meal the Hebrews were to eat unleavened bread. Symbolically speaking the Bible has always equated leaven with sin and its influence. However from a practical standpoint, in the aftermath they were to take the bread with them as they fled Egypt. Unleavened would keep better while traveling.

For us Christians it reminds us of the necessity of leaving some things behind us as we begin our Christian journey; retaining only those things which will neither detract nor spoil. HEBREWS 12:1 and I THESSALONIANS 5:22

Both the Passover meal and the Lord’s Supper have been given by God to us as reminders of the wonderful grace of God towards us.

BUT WAIT, THERE ARE MORE THINGS WE NEED TO GLEAN…

The Passover meal the Jews observed in Egypt and the Passover observance which God later gave them had some distinct differences. In particular, the first one lasted but one night. The second lasted eight days.

On the third day after the killing of the Passover Lamb, the first fruits of the barley harvest were presented as a wave offering to the Lord…symbolizing the expected harvest at the end of the season. On the third day after the crucifixion Christ arose—the first fruits of the harvest, embodying the expected harvest at the end of this present age. In fact Paul in I CORINTHIANS 15:20 speaks of Jesus as the “first fruits of them that slept.”

Christ is our “Prototikos” of “Prototype;” demonstrating not only the possibility of resurrection but that of spending eternity in heaven with God.

WHAT DO YOU THINK NOW?

Was the Passover and the institution of the Passover Feast merely historical relics of a dead and buried past, or were they a primer to get us to see things we might otherwise have missed?

Was Jesus’ statement of the Passover Feast finding fulfilment or completion in the Kingdom of God just a bunch of smoke or something real and vital?

I don’t know about you, but I believe that God has never done a pointless thing in His entire existence. I believe that He is ever teaching those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. I believe we never really graduate from His school of learning in this life—and perhaps not even in the one yet to come.

Let me tell you something else I believe based both upon what we have studied in the passage, and what is written elsewhere in the Word of God—only those whose lives are covered by the blood of Jesus have a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving the second death—the one in which the sheep and the goats are separated…each going to their eternal destinies.

How about you? Are you covered by the blood of Jesus Christ? Have you been baptized, washing away your sins? If not; why not? Why wait until it’s too late?

YOU PREACH FIRST

The first sermon to be preached each Sunday is not by the minister, but by you.

You preach a message of good cheer when you say “good morning” in the parking lot, or as you give a similar salutation in the hallway or classroom.

You preach a message of welcome when you slide over to the center of an otherwise empty-pew—allowing latecomers to be seated without embarrassment.

You preach a message of hope and joy when you sing enthusiastically during the service.

You preach a message about the power of prayer when you fervently enter into the season of prayer.

You preach a message about respect when you listen attentively while the special music is being presented.

You preach a message of love when you smile at visitors, say “hello,” and introduce yourselves.

You preach a message about faith when you give your tithes and offerings.

You preach a sermon about the importance of the scriptures when you bring your Bible to church and open it to study texts during both Bible school and Church services.

Yes indeed, you actually get the first crack at the congregation in more ways than you can possibly begin to imagine. Just a thought—why not make it the best sermon you possibly can!

DO PREACHERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE BORING UPON OCCASION?

That’s a good question. Have you ever stopped to think about it—really think about it? Don Bullock, former minister at the West Village Christian Church of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, did—and this is what he came up with.

The average sermon contains about 5,000 words. The average preacher preaches about ninety sermons per year—or about 450,000 words worth. An average novel contains 50,0000 words. So in retrospect, the average preacher is expected to produce the equivalent of nine novels a year.

The bottom line of all of this information, according to Brother Bullock—given the time constraints and the production schedule, you can’t logically expect each and every chapter to be a prize winner…perfectly suited to your tastes. There are bound to be some clinkers in there somewhere. We need to extend the same tolerance to preachers that we would to authors of novels—even when a preacher occasionally lays an egg and puts everybody to sleep.

JESUS IS COMING

Jesus is coming; He’s coming again!

How soon t’will it be?

Only God knows when!

However, the one thing I know;

When He comes for me,

With Him I will go!

Yes, Jesus is coming; He’s coming again!

Coming in clouds to claim His own;

Taking us to heaven—Amen!

To live with Him there above;

Gathered around His throne,

Immersed in His love!

Oh what glory that moment will be;

Separated from earth’s time;

Catapulted into eternity;

Freed from earth’s sorrow and woe,

Oh what joy sublime

We at that moment shall know!

Yes, Jesus is coming; He’s coming again!

It is at that point we shall see Him;

Jesus, Lord and Master of men!

Showered and immersed in His light;

Out beyond earth’s present rim—

A place where there is no night.

Yes, dear brother, He’s coming again!

Jesus Christ, the rewarder of men.

Let us use wisely this present life.

Moment by moment making the right choice

So that our meeting Him will be free of strife;

Free with our whole heart to rejoice.

-Howard L. Chartier

LINEN BURIAL CLOTH

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? Is there some subtle significance—something we could easily miss! John 20:7 tells us that the linen cloths that had covered Jesus were just left lying there. The napkin, on the other hand, was folded and laying apart from the linen cloths.

In order to understand something we might easily otherwise miss, we need to understand a bit of Jewish tradition from that day. It’s tied back to a message void of words from a master to his servant…a silent signal.

When a master dined, besides using the napkin in the way we are accustomed to in our culture; he would do one of two things. He would either fold the napkin or he would wad it up and toss it aside. If he wadded it up; that was a sign that the master was through and the servant could come and clear things away—IT WAS ALL FINISHED!

The folded napkin, on the other hand, indicated that it was not all finished—THERE WAS MORE TO COME.

Christ’s atoning death on the cross was done—FINISHED, BUT NOT THE REST OF CHRIST’S ACTIVITY. Cp. JOHN 19:30. He would yet put in 11 personal appearances, testifying to the fact that He had risen. He would ascend back to heaven in clouds of glory. And at some yet undisclosed time He would reappear [ACTS 1:11]—a twelfth appearance [this time to be seen by the whole world]. At this juncture in time what He began 2000 years ago on earth will be brought to a closure. Each and every human being will be air-lifted to meet Christ in the sky. Some will be welcomed to the great wedding feast at the end of this present age when Christ [the Groom] welcomes His bride to be [the redeemed]. Those who denied Christ on earth by their actions and words will be denied entrance to the wedding feast.

Will the napkin in the aftermath be crumpled by the Master and set aside? I suppose that is a matter of interpretation and speculation. When, if ever will that wedding feast be brought to closure—THERE IN ETERNITY? HOW DO YOU READ IT?

-Howard L. Chartier

ONCE OUR SAVIOR…SOME DAY OUR JUDGE

A story is told of a young man who was facing the death penalty for a murder he had committed. Upon arriving at court for final sentencing, the young man looked long and hard at the judge, and the judge very inquisitively looked back. The judge all at once began to recognize the face of the accused and called him to the bench. “Why I know you; you were in my Bible School class years ago,” said the judge.

The judge called the young man into his chambers where they talked about old times and the remembrance of one particular event that stood out in their minds. It was the time when during a church picnic the youth had been playing too close to the swollen banks of a creek and had fallen in. A strong current had threatened to sweep the boy away, but the judge had jumped and rescued him, bringing the boy back to safety.

The boy, now condemned of a terrible crime, looked into the face of the judge; thinking that by reason of this past event the judge might be more lenient. But the judge turned to the youth with tears in his eyes and said, “Once I was your savior, now I am your judge. Please do not expect me to be otherwise, for I cannot.”

Jesus can well relate to that. At one time he died for all mankind in an effort to save them. Despite the sorrow in His heart and the tears in His eyes; His future role will be quite different. When He returns—it shall be as our judge! -Anonymous

A CHILD EXPLAINS GOD

Eight-year-old Danny Dutton of Chula Vista, California, was given a homework assignment of trying to explain God. The following contains the fruits of his efforts. You may find it entertaining. You may find it enlightening! One thing for sure you will find—that it’s well worth your time to read it.

One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones who die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth.

He doesn’t make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He does have to take up his valuable time teaching them to walk and talk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV on account of this. Because He hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.

God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere, which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t waste His time by going over your Mom and Dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.

Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren’t any who come to our church.

Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind, like his father, and He told His Father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them…and God said, okay!

His Dad (God) appreciated everything he had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn’t have to go out on the road any more. He could stay in Heaven. So He did. And so now He helps out His Dad by listening to prayers and seeing which things are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of all by His self without having to bother God.

Like a secretary, only more important. You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it all worked out so one of them is on duty all of the time.

You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy, it’s God.

Don’t skip church to do something you might think will be more fun; like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn’t always come out at the beach until noon any way!

If you don’t believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when you’re scared in the dark or when you can’t swim and you get thrown into real deep water by the big kids.

But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.

And that’s why I believe in God! -Danny Dutton

THE WALLS OF JERICHO

A preacher entered a Sunday School class while the lesson was in progress and asked the children some questions. Amongst them was the query, “Who broke down the walls of Jericho?”

A boy piped up, “Not me, I didn’t do it.” The preacher turned to the teacher and asked if this was the general caliber of reply in the class. To which the teacher responded, “This boy is honest and I believe him. If he said he didn’t do it; you can bank on it as the truth.”

The preacher left the class, somewhat disenchanted with the obvious lack of Bible knowledge. He sought out the Bible School superintendent and recounted the incident word for word. The superintendent’s response did little to lift the preacher’s spirit—“I have known both the teacher and the boy for some time…and if they say he did not do it, you can believe them.”

By this time the preacher was heartsick and took the matter for the elders. Their reply—“We see no point in getting bent out of shape over the matter. Just get a couple of repair estimates on the wall, have it repaired, and submit the bill to the church treasurer for payment.”

-Anonymous

MESSAGES FROM GOD

A few years ago a series of “Messages from God” billboards began to show up in Florida. Later they popped up in the Cleveland, Ohio area. A Cleveland newspaper took the time and trouble of collecting and printing some of them. We think you may enjoy reading them—and perhaps wishing that we had some such signs in our area.

Let’s meet at my house Sunday before the game. –God
C’mon over and bring the kids, -God
What part of “Thou shall not…” didn’t you understand? –God
We need to talk. –God
Keep using my name in vain and I’ll make the rush hour longer. –God
Loved the wedding, invite me to the marriage. –God
That “Love your neighbor” thing—I meant it. –God
I love you and you and you and you and… -God
Will the road you are on get you to my place? -God
Follow me. –God
Big bang theory, you’ve got to be kidding. –God
My way is the highway. –God
Need directions? -God
You think it’s hot here? -God
Have you read my #1 bestseller? There will be a test! -God
Do you have any idea where you are going? -God
Don’t make me come down there. –God

February 2015 Issue

THE FOCAL POINT OF CHRISTIANITY

Some unknown soul has quipped—opinions are like arm pits…everybody has them and some of them stink. After nearly 2,000 years we are still plagued with a vast diversity of opinions as to what constitutes true Christianity. Furthermore, we are divided regarding opinions of which aspects of Christianity are truly the most important. I’d like to offer a suggestion. Maybe the problem is that we have any opinions at all in this area.

The first Century church was plagued with this diversity of opinion. The Apostle Paul stepped out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and settled the matter—took it out of the realm of opinion and placed it on the solid foundation of “Thus saith the Lord”. It’s recorded in I Corinthians 13. I think that every now and then we need to dust it off and re-examine it. Perhaps right now might be a good time to do so!

For though I speak with the tongues of men and angels [attain the highest degree of proficiency in the art of communication] and have not love, I am become as sounding brass or tinkling cymbal [impressive sounding, ostentatious, but in reality hollow and empty…void of any real significance].

And though I have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries and knowledge [Know all of the things that the rest of humanity can only guess at] and have faith so that I can move mountains [have the ultimate measure of faith any mortal can know] and have not love, I am nothing. [On God’s scale of 1-100 I come out less than 1—zero, zilch, completely void of any redeeming feature].

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned [Make the ultimate human sacrifice possible] and have not love, it profits me nothing. [God will not have taken notice of my sacrifice. It has been an exercise in futility…purely and plainly, wasted effort].

Love suffers long and is kind; [Puts up with a lot of guff from a lot of unloving, unlovely people for extended periods—does not treat people as she is being treated, but rather loves people…because that’s what they need] love envies not, [her nose is not out of joint because something good is happening to someone else and not to her] love vaunteth not itself, [does not push herself to the forefront for the purpose of being recognized and told how great she is] is not puffed up, [does not have an inflated ego problem]

Does not behave herself unseemly, [is not immoral, rude, or crude] seeks not her own [is more interested in the welfare and feelings of others than in her own] is not easily provoked [is not characterized by a short fuse and an inclination to explode if things don’t go her way] thinks no evil [looks for the best in other people and for ways to do good unto other people].

Rejoices not in iniquity [is not happy with the falseness and depravity of mankind that deprives her of a right relationship with her Creator] but rejoices in the truth; [the truth both received and lived out in our lives as we attempt to walk day by day with God].

Bears all things, [does not draw a line in the sand declaring that she has put up with all of the abuse she intends to] believes all things, [believes the good that people promise despite the fact that they have a bad track record in the arena of truth and follow-through] hopes all things, [sees that which the rational mind cannot—and clings to it] endures all things [does not look for loop holes in the commandments of God that will excuse her from having to put up with certain treatment from other people]

It never fails: [Oh, our imperfect imitations of love will fail—but not the God-ordained variety. Because the moment it fails it loses its identity and credentials as the God-ordained variety].

Paul throughout the remainder of verses 8 through 12 deals with the temporality of most of those things which the Corinthians were using as an acid test of their Christianity. He told them they were building their theological structure on things that would not stand the test of time. Conversely, in the 13^th verse, he gave the Corinthians three things that would still be around when the sands of time ceased to shift and eternity replaced them. The three items were faith, hope, and love. And Paul stated that of these three—love was the greatest.

Let’s try and put it all in perspective. Christian love, the God-ordained variety, is more than a warm fuzzy feeling. Quite the contrary—sometimes it will tear at our insides because of the stress it puts on us to conduct ourselves as sons and daughters of God. It is not a substitute for Christian doctrine, but rather it is an integral, indispensable part of it. It’s that part of our faith that helps us to translate what we believe in such a manner that it helps others also to believe in God.

Jesus in giving us the two greatest commandments, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. –MATTHEW 22:37-39, went beyond just giving them that elevated status. He told us that from these two commandments all others were suspended.

Paul gave a similar assessment of the value of love…”For all the law is fulfilled in this one word, even this; you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” –GALATIANS 5:14

The Apostle John declared, “If we love one another, God dwells in us and His love is perfected in us.” -I JOHN 4:12. Eight verses later he adds, “If a man says he loves God and hates his brother, that man is a liar.” -I JOHN 4:20. More pointedly, John says, “Whosoever hates [continuous action] his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life.” I JOHN 3:15

What then is my bottom line? I could learn to dot all my spiritual “I’s” and cross all of my spiritual “T’s” in this life and yet find myself on the outside of the pearly gates on the judgment day—if I have not learned to love. Love is not an option—it is essential. And for the sake of eternity, if for no other reason, you and I need to regard it as such! -Howard L. Chartier

THE TROUBLE WITH TAKING SHORTCUTS

When James A. Garfield was president of Hiram College, a man inquired of him regarding getting his son an education. The father was seeking a shorter than normal course of study, prefacing his remarks with the idea that the son could not endure the rigors a normal course would demand. He said, “Isn’t there a less strenuous load my son can take and still get a degree?

Garfield replied, “Oh yes. He can take a short course; it all depends on what you want to make out of him. When God wants to make an oak He takes a hundred years; but He only takes two months to make a squash.”

TOO BUSY TO LISTEN

Some years ago a number of applicants were sitting in an outer office waiting to be interviewed for a job as a wireless operator. With the exception of one man; they were speaking so loud that they failed to hear the dots and dashes that were signalled over the loudspeaker. This man quietly snapped to attention, walked over to the private office door, and moments later came out with the job.

The other applicants were irate, citing that they had been waiting longer and should have been given the first crack at the job.

The reply they received was, “Any one of you could have received the job had you been listening instead of broadcasting. There was a message tapped out over the loudspeaker. It simply said, ‘The first applicant to come to my office upon hearing this message will be placed on one of my ships as an operator.’”

The trouble with those applicants is shared by the majority of humanity today. We are so enthralled with the sound of our own voice, expounding our own message, that more often than not we are oblivious to God’s message for us. God wants to use each and every one of us. And He has a job for each of us. The benefits of working for Him are in a word—“simply out of this world.” But we have got to meet Him half-way—WE HAVE GOT TO DISCIPLINE OURSELVES TO PAY ATTENTION!!

IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two—

If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do.

Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honored Guest,

And all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best.

And you would keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there—

That serving Him in your home was a joy beyond compare.

But—when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door;

With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly Visitor!

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in?

Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’d been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard?

And wish you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymnbooks out?

Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder—if the Savior spent a day or two with you,

Would you go right on saying the things you always say?

Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation keep up its normal pace?

And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read?

Letting Him know the things upon which your mind and spirit feed?

Would you take Jesus with you every place you’d planned to go?

Or would you maybe change your plans for a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends?

Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?

Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do

If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you!

-Lois Blanchard Eades

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

Love can be counterfeited, falling short of God’s commanded love, fooling man. We are not commanded to learn what love is, but to learn to love. Immature love wants to work with those who are easy to love, while mature love works with those who are available to love. It’s easy because selective love is an imitator of real love. “All have sinned,” therefore all equally need to be loved. -DENNY COBURN

To love a person is to give him power over us. God loves us and He has given us that terrible power over Him. We can make Him suffer terribly. We can scorn Him and ignore Him. -LOUIS EVELY

What does love look like? It has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see the misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. -AUGUSTINE

I am convinced that nine out of ten persons seeing a psychiatrist do not need one. They need someone who will love them with God’s love and take the time with them and believe with them and they will get well. -DR. PAUL TOURNIER

The need to love and to be loved is the simplest of all human wants. Man needs to be loved like he needs the sun and the rain. He perishes without it. His basic longing is to be the object of love and to be able to give love. No other need is quite so significant to his nature. -CHARLES GALLOWAY

SOME BEAUTIFUL HANDS

A little girl looked at her mommy’s old dark gloves and said, “Mommy, you’ve always got those gloves on. Please, Mommy, can I see your hands? The story goes that the mother took off those dark gloves without saying a word and the little girl saw her mother’s hands for the first time. Viewing these hands the little girl said, “Oh, Mommy, they are ugly. They are burnt. They are gnawed and they are bitten. They are ugly hands. Why are your hands so ugly?

The mother, with tears in her eyes, answered the daughter. “Some years back our house caught on fire. My precious baby was in a crib and I was in the back yard when I saw flames coming from the house. I ran in and grabbed that little baby, wrapped it in a blanket and ran out again. As I was running out the blanket caught on fire and I had to beat the fire out with my own bare hands so the baby wouldn’t be burnt!”

The little girl, looking intently at the mother queried, “Was I that little baby?”

“Yes, dear,” replied the mother.

With that the little girl took hold of her mother’s hands and said, “I was wrong, Momma, you have the most beautiful hands in the world.”

Brothers, sisters, young people; there is someone else who has very beautiful hands—the most beautiful in the world. I speak of Jesus whose hands were pierced at Calvary that you and I might live. The best thing you can do in response is to take hold of those hands and allow them to lead you day by day. -Ansil Harpold

SOMETIMES IT TAKES THE SHAPE OF NAGGING

Barbara Peters nagged her boyfriend about getting married, about buying a house and about having a family. All that nagging finally paid off. Doctors said it helped secure consciousness to her boyfriend, David Logan. David lost his consciousness as a result of a 100 mph motorcycle accident which occurred while he was practicing for the Isle of Mann Grand Prix.

For seventeen days Barbara nagged her boyfriend about the aforementioned things. On the seventeen day of nagging he regained consciousness and spoke. [Exactly what he said—maybe “Bug- off Barbara” was not mentioned in the article]. But the doctors concur that had it not been for Barbara nagging him, his brain would have most likely atrophied and David would have wound up a vegetable.

God, by reason of his love, has seemingly been nagging a lot of people about things that should be priorities in their lives. He has been trying to get past a seared conscience. Does he always meet with success? No! But He keeps trying because He knows that He is their one and only hope for a future existence that’s worth the living. -Anonymous

THE BLIND BUS RIDER

The passengers on the bus that day watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he’d told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg. It had been a year since the thirty-four year-old Susan became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity.

Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan felt condemned by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone around her. “How could this have happened to me?” she would incessantly ask herself.

But no matter how much she cried, ranted or prayed, she knew the painful truth—her eyesight was never going to return. A cloud of depression hung over Susan’s once optimistic spirit. Just getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion; and all she had to cling to was her husband, Mark.

Mark was an Air Force Officer, and he loved Susan with all of his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair, and was determined to help his wife regain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again. Mark’s military background had trained him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the most difficult battle he would ever have to face.

Finally Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but now she was too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city.

At first this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark’s need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Mark, however, soon recognized that this arrangement was not working. It was hectic and costly. He admitted to himself that Susan would have to start taking the bus again, but just the thought of mentioning it to Susan made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react?

Just as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. “I’m blind,” she responded bitterly. “How am I supposed to know where I am going? I feel like you’re abandoning me.” Mark’s heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and each evening he would ride the bus with her until she got the hang of it and felt comfortable in doing it.

And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her to befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat. He made her laugh, even on those not so good days when she would trip exiting the bus or drop her briefcase.

Each morning they would make the journey together, and Mark would take a cab back to his office. Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew that it would be just a matter of time before Susan would be able to ride the bus on her own. He believed in her, in the Susan he used to know before she’d lost her sight, who wasn’t afraid of any challenge and who would never quit.

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to make the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus-riding companion, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, patience and love. She said goodbye, and for the first time they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it. She was going to work all on her own.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was exiting the bus the driver said, “Boy, I sure envy you.” Susan wasn’t sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year. Curious, she asked the bus driver, “Why do you say that you envy me?”

He responded, “It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you are.” Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and further questioned him, “What do you mean?” The driver answered, “You know every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner, watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure that you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one very lucky lady.”

Tears of happiness poured down Susan’s cheeks, for although she couldn’t physically see him, she always had felt Mark’s presence. She was lucky, so very lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she did not need to see to believe—the gift of love that can bring light where there had been darkness.

God watches over us in the same way. We may not know that He is present. We may not be able to see His face, but He is there nonetheless. Be blessed in this thought: “God loves you—even when you are not looking.”

Have a Blessed Day. BE PRAYERFUL AND THANKFUL FOR ALL THINGS!!!

ANOTHER NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Love is the true point of contact between God and man. The more kind and loving a man is, the more like God he is. -EDWARD JOHN CARNELL

SOMEBODY LOVES YOU

When my children were young I used to read to them every evening before bed. One of their favorite stories was called, “Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. Mr. Hatch was a lonely man living a lonely life. He never smiled. He walked alone to work every day and ate his lunch in a corner. He never talked to anyone on his way home either. In the evening he would buy a newspaper, read it after supper, and go to bed early.

His life changed, however, on Valentine’s Day when he got a heart-shaped box in the mail full of candy, accompanied by a note that read, “Somebody Loves You”. At first he couldn’t believe it, but as he let the message sink in, he began to laugh and dance around. That single message had opened his heart to the power of love. Soon he found himself sharing his smile and laughter with others. He became a joy at work and began to help out people in the neighborhood. As the days and weeks went by his laughter, smiles, kindness caring, happiness and love touched the hearts of everyone in the community.

Later Mr. Hatch found the candy heart had been delivered to him by mistake. He felt crushed and began again to withdraw from the world. When his neighbors found out, however, they were determined not to lose the light he had shared. They surprised him with a party and a huge banner that read: “Everybody Loves You, Mr. Hatch”. Mr. Hatch cried when he realized that somebody loved him after all. Then he laughed, smiled, and re-joined his friends.

I think we all have a bit of Mr. Hatch in us. At times we all feel unloved and unlovable. Somebody does love us though. God loves us. He loves us with a powerful, unconditional, and life changing love; and he wants us to love each other as well. It is what we are here for. It is what we were meant for. May the pages of your life be full of love!

A VALENTINE’S DAY LOVE STORY

It was a busy morning when an elderly man—in his eighties—arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb wound. He stated that he was in a hurry because he had a 9 a.m. appointment. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat until someone would be able to see him.

I noticed him looking at his watch, and since I was not busy with another patient, I decided to evaluate his wound. On examination it was well-healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress the wound.

While taking care of his wound I engaged him in conversation and asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning being he was in such a hurry.

He told me that was not at all the situation; that he needed to go to the nursing home and eat breakfast with his wife. I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and was a victim of Alzheimer’s disease.

As we talked and finished dressing the wound, I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew him—hadn’t recognized him for over five years now.

I was surprised and asked him, “And you are still going every morning even though she doesn’t know who you are?” He smiled as he patted my hand and said, “She doesn’t know me…but I still know who she is.”

Editorial Notation: This story reminds me of a very important fact. God does not love me because of what I am, but in spite of what I am—because of who and what He is!

WHAT IS THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE?

Christ in Matthew 10:37 has some harsh words for us—some words which we need to take to heart…even if they hurt. He said, “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for my sake shall find it.”

Jim Dennison served as a missionary in East Malaysia. While there he attended a small church. At one of the church’s worship services, a teenage girl came forward to announce her decision to follow Christ and to be baptized.

During the service, Dennison noticed some worn out luggage leaning against the wall of the church building. When he asked about it, he was told, “Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she could never come home again. So she brought her luggage.

Here was a young girl who seriously counted the cost of following Jesus and decided to pay the cost. Have each of us done likewise? -Anonymous

GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN!

For thirteen years a faithful missionary worked in Urfa, Mesopotamia, without anyone accepting Christ. Humanly speaking, the situation was hopeless. Then a death dealing scourge came to the people—an epidemic of cholera! The fear stricken natives fled like stampeded cattle, abandoning the sick and dying to certain death. But not so with the missionary; he stayed behind, ministering as best he could to the suffering and dying. Eventually he himself succumbed to the disease and died. His body was interred outside of the city walls. Did his death terminate the work he had begun? Not really! Another missionary was sent to replace him. By reason of the sacrifice of the deceased missionary many of the natives then accepted Christ; speaking endearingly of the fallen missionary as “The man who died for us!”

Christ did the same for us twenty centuries ago; demonstrating the love of God by His actions [including giving His life]—demonstrating it to a world that was tired of words and wanted something tangible. -Anonymous

SOME MORE NOTABLE QUOTABLES

A person who goes to church wants to be remembered as something more than a number. The government regards him as a number, likewise the insurance company, perhaps even his employer. The supermarket sees him as three bags of groceries and a stack of money. In the church he wants to be more than a body and an offering envelope. We as fellow members of the church are obligated by love to communicate to him or her that they are important—that they are loved. We owe them that and a whole lot more by reason of the love God has given us through His Son. –MARGARET AND BARTLETT HESS

A bell is not rung until you ring it;

A song is not sung until you sing it.

Love in your heart is not put there to stay;

Love is not yours until you give it away.

January 2015 Issue

WHAT’S NEW?

Several decades ago there was a pop singing artist by the name of Tom Jones. Part of the lyrics of one of the songs he made popular was, “What’s new, pussycat?” For the life of me I can’t remember any of the rest of the lyrics. I can’t even remember the title. Neither can I remember the last time I heard of Tom Jones. Time has a way of taking things and people that were once in the lime light and burying them under the dust of obscurity. That’s life.

Three thousand years ago Solomon answered the age old question of what was new. It was his opinion that nothing was really new. Everything was but a re-run—that which had been and would continue to re-emerge in the future. The New Testament, however, disagrees. It declares that there is host of new things beyond our present horizon—things which could emerge in a split second. In the aftermath very much of what we have known will not be quite the same.

First of all there is a new day coming— a day unlike anything we have ever seen before. The days which we have seen thus far consist of twenty-four hours; divided into periods of darkness and light. Presently seven days make a week. Twenty-eight to thirty-one days make a month. And three-hundred and sixty-five days make a year. But that’s all going to be changed. The child of God will exist in a realm where darkness is unknown. He will live in the presence of God who is light. On the flip side those who have refused to become children of God will live in a realm of perpetual darkness—a place where light is unknown. In place of twenty-four hour segments of time will be time immeasurable—ETERNITY! Calendars in that time realm will be as functional as a cow with a kickstand.

The places where we will live will be markedly different. In this life Christ challenged us to build our lives on Him—a solid rock foundation. Those who refused to accept that challenge, and instead have built their lives on earthly foundations will find themselves consigned for eternity in a place called Hell—a bottomless pit! And in my mind’s eye that will be a universe of difference.

We here in America have come to associate the new year with the idea of making resolutions to change things in our lives to better achieve our goals. What vows have you made? In particular what decisions have you made to better assure where and how you will spend eternity? Don’t wait until it’s too late. Make right decisions now—and follow through on them.

-Howard L. Chartier

THE BEGGAR’S RAGS

A beggar lived near the king’s palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their royal families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?

He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate, “Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king.” “Wait here,” replied the guard. In a few minutes he was back. “His majesty will see you,” he said, and led the beggar in.

“You wish to see me?” the king asked. “Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments that I may attend the banquet?”

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king’s face. “You have been wise in coming unto me,” the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. “Take this man to your room and array him in some of your old clothes.”

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for. “You are now eligible to attend the king’s banquet tomorrow night,” said the prince. “But even more important than that; you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever.” The beggar dropped to his knees. “Oh, thank you,” he cried.

But as he started to leave he looked at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again? Quickly he gathered them up.

The banquet was far greater than he had even imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should have been able to. He had made a small bundle of the old rags and it kept falling off of his lap. The food was passed quickly, and due to the fact that he was somewhat preoccupied with his bundle of rags, he missed some of the greatest delicacies.

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes he had been given him lasted forever. Still the poor beggar clung to the old rags. As time went by people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing and saw only the bag of old rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags.

One day as he lay dying, the king visited him. The beggar saw the sad look on the king’s face as he looked at that small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince’s words and he realized that this bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly; and the king wept with him.

The Apostle Paul made an unusual statement in Galatians 3:27. He said, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ.” Each of us have been invited to a great wedding feast at the end of this age and have donned the royal robe of Christ. But old habits die hard. We tend to want to cling to things that realistically should have no part of the new life—things which we should turn loose and toss away. And by failing to do so we fail to find the full measure of happiness our king wants for us. Like Esau of old, we sell out our birth-right for a bowl of porridge.

Brethren, let’s be careful to make sure that is not the case with us!

-Anonymous

THE GOSPEL OF THE ELDER BROTHER

One of the delightful stories of the Church is that of the little Scotch girl who lived at a time when the secular powers of Scotland had decreed that no one could attend services in the Kirk on Sunday.

On this particular Lord’s Day, dusk was falling, and this ‘wee bit of a lassie’ was walking across the lonely heather toward a Kirk. A soldier suddenly came out of hiding and stopped her at the point of his sword. He demanded to know her destination.

With complete truthfulness she replied, “And if it must please ye, kind sir, my Elder Brother has died, so I must gang to my Father’s house to see what He has left me in His last will and testament.” The listening soldier thought that the answer made good sense, for he said, “Aye, aye, lassie, gang yer way.”

And when she reached her Father’s house, the Gospel of her Elder Brother was Good News.

-Anonymous

THE NAME “CHRISTIAN”

Henry Ward Beecher said: “Let me speak in the language of the heavens and call you Christians.”

Albert Barnes wrote: “These divisions should be merged into the holy name, “Christian.”

Martin Luther stated, “I pray you leave my name alone. Do not call yourself Lutherans, but Christians.”

John Wesley declared: “I wish the name Methodist might never be mentioned again, but lost in eternal oblivion.

Charles Spurgeon, famed Baptist preacher of yesteryear, declared: “I say of the Baptist name, let it perish, but let Christ’s name last forever. I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living.”

The Apostle Peter wrote in I Peter 4:16: “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed”.

The Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 1:12, 13 wrote: “Now this I say to every one of you that says, I am of Paul, I of Apollos, I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, penned the following: “And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Acts 11:26

Tell me, brethren, what is it in us human beings that cause us to believe we can improve on what God has given us—right down to the name He has provided for us. I would really like to know. -Anonymous

A Christian is a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which He loves, a voice through whom Christ speaks, a hand through which Christ helps. -GUIDEPOSTS

THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN UPDATED

Two men went up into the Church to worship. One called himself a realist, the other was an earnest seeker. The man who called himself a realist, sat in the sanctuary and looked about as the service proceeded. He said within himself, “I thank Thee, my God, that I am not as other men. Thou hast made me successful and clever. I thank Thee that I am not like Mr. A over there, he has a very low IQ and sweats away at his job every day like a slave—just hasn’t got it upstairs. Look at Mr. B., he is so ignorant, it is pitiful! Mrs. C., I am glad I am not like her. Her tongue is as sharp as a razor, and living like she does, I can’t believe she has the nerve to come to church. Boy; is she a hypocrite!”

Thus he prayed on, “Lord, I know them all; Mr. D. is a cheat, Mrs. E. is an alcoholic, Mr. F. is a liar, Mr. G. is a crackpot, and Mr. H. is a religious fanatic. In fact, Lord, as far as I can see the only two normal people here are the preacher and me…and frankly, sometimes I wonder about Him!”

The earnest seeker kept his head bowed in humility and he said within himself, “God, I thank Thee that Thou art so merciful. Every week I come here and renew my vow to live the Christian life…and every week I make a terrible botch of it and fail miserably. Yet You do not forsake me or leave me! O God, bless all these people, for we are all mortal failures—and our only hope is in your grace!”

Verily I tell you, this man went down to his home with peace in his heart—real peace! The man who trusted in himself, that he was righteous, went home yawning, stuffed himself and fell into bed for a long nap; but first he said to his wife, “That preacher didn’t do a thing for me today!” -Anonymous

THERE IS A REAL DANGER IS IN VIEWING IT AS A SPECTATOR SPORT

The popularity of spectator sports in the United States has grown tremendously in the last few years. Thousands upon thousands of fans crowd into stadiums, theatres, and fields to watch a variety of activities each week.

While this is great for the box office, it’s interesting to note that the top American health officials are lambasting spectator sports as the most unhealthy of all American activities. Why? The answer is best seen at a football game. While twenty-two men are pounding heads, breaking bones, sweating, and exerting themselves to their limits; 50,000 plus fans are getting high blood pressure from the excitement, eating junk food, swallowing carbonated syrup, and exercising little above and beyond their lungs. Football is unhealthy for the vast majority of the American public because all we do is sit there and watch it—NO EXERCISE!

These fans get down on the teams when they do not win the championship and bust their buttons in pride when the team does. And all the while; they personally had nothing to do with the outcome…for the better or the worse…for defeat or victory.

Certainly this situation is deplorable and worthy of our consideration. But more dangerous yet than SPECTATOR SPORTS is SPECTATOR CHRISTIANITY. It has been estimated by specialists in the field that 10% of the average congregation does 90% of the work and the giving. In short, the vast majority of the average congregation is ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACKS. They get down on the church when it isn’t growing, pop their buttons when it is…and more often than not, never really engage in much of anything which would cause them to work up a spiritual sweat for the Lord.

Perhaps each of us needs to go back to Hebrews 12:1 to get a biblical perspective on the matter. In that verse the Apostle Paul speaks of Christians as the players and in fact that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. And by reason of that fact, we are for many out there—the focal point. We need to give it all that we have got to run the race to the best of our ability…for them as well as for us. -Anonymous

THE SKIN OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

In his best-selling book called, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” Dr. Paul Brand, a surgeon, says, that “Of all the bodily organs, skin seems to me the most sacrificial…

Skin absorbs incredible abuse in order to maintain the balance of vital organs inside which cannot tolerate a changing environment. A temperature increase of just seven or eight degrees would kill the whole body! Thus the skin is called upon to act as a radiator, rushing fluids to the surface to cool the body. On a summer day, as much as two gallons of perspiration may be shed to cool the active body. Also, increased blood supply to the skin’s surface dissipates the heat…Because the Christian community represents the body of Christ to the world; all Christians are called upon to participate in the functions of the skin, so to speak. At times each of us encounters the friction of being the advance guard of Christ’s Body to the world; of taking up the front line; of being in the exposed positions.”

He went on to give a real-life illustration of one who personified this “skin identity”—Dr. Pfau, a nun living outside of Karachi, Pakistan, representing Christ in the most deplorable environment imaginable. He spoke of personally visiting her in the following words:

Long before I reached her place, a putrid smell burned my nostrils. It was a smell you could almost lean on. Soon I could see an immense garbage dump by the sea…The air was humming with flies. At last I could make out human figures—people covered with sores—crawling over the mounds of garbage. They had leprosy. More than 100 of them, banished from Karachi, had set up home in this dump. But there, beside this awful place, I saw a neat wooden clinic in which I found Dr. Pfau. She proudly showed me her orderly shelves and files of beautifully kept records on each person who lived on this dump. The stark contrast between the horrible scene outside and the oasis of love and concern inside her clinic burned deeply into my mind. Dr. Pfau was daily exhibiting all the properties of skin: beauty, sensitivity to needs, compliancy, and the steady, fearless application of Divine Love through human touch. All over the world, people like her are fulfilling Christ’s command to fill the earth with His loving Presence. -Anonymous

THE WITNESS OF THE CHURCH

Being a lover of freedom, when the revolution came in Germany; I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth. But no, the universities were immediately silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of newspapers whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom. But they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks.

Then I looked to individual writers, who as literary guides of Germany, had written much and often discussed the place of freedom in modern life. But they too were mute. Only the church stood squarely in the path of the campaign for suppressed truth.

I never had any real interest in the church before, but I gained a great affection and admiration for it because it alone had the courage and the persistence to stand up for intellectual truth and moral freedom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised, I now praise unreservedly. -Albert Einstein

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A CHRISTIAN

A newspaper carried the story of a lawsuit against a doctor who passed by the scene of an accident without stopping to render help.

The driver of one automobile involved in the accident died because of a loss of blood. The dead man’s family sued the doctor, claiming negligence on the part of the doctor. The court ruled in favor of the family of the deceased. It decreed the doctor guilty by reason of failure to use his saving knowledge to save a life.

Each of us in this day and age has heard of a lot of frivolous lawsuits where exorbitant amounts of money have been paid out for seemingly unjust claims. In response to this seeming epidemic one cynic said—“what we need is a lot of hanging judges—one from this tree, one from that one, and still another one from that tree over there.” But before we write the aforementioned lawsuit unto belonging to that category—let’s extend it one step further.

It has been aptly stated that if a person knows enough about Christ and Christianity to be saved, then he knows enough to instruct someone else on how to be saved. Does this knowledge of salvation make the Christian culpable if he fails to use it to help save someone else? H-m-m-m…let’s stop and kick this around for a moment. In Ezekiel 33:1-6 God’s word gives support to this line of thinking. It speaks of God setting up a watchman to warn of an approaching enemy. Stripped down to its basic features—God decreed if the watchman sees the enemy approaching and gives the warning, and the inhabitants of the city take no heed—then their blood shall be upon their own head. The watchman will have delivered his own soul! If on the other hand, the watchman sees the enemy approaching, and sounds not the warning—then the blood of the inhabitants will be upon his head, and he will have to answer for it.

Christian—have you given the warning? Wouldn’t it be a shame if we did all the things that Christians normally do—pray, sing, pay tithes, attend services, etc., and wind up going to hell because we neglected to share our saving information with others? Don’t jeopardize you own soul by hesitating to sound the trumpet! -Howard L. Chartier

FAITH AND A WATERMELON SEED

I was eating a piece of watermelon some months ago and was struck with its beauty. I took some of the seeds, dried and weighed them; and found that it would take some 5,000 seeds to weigh a pound. I then applied mathematics to that forty-pound watermelon.

One of those seeds, put into the ground; when it is warmed by the sun and moistened by the rain, takes off its coat and goes to work. It gathers from somewhere two hundred thousand times its own weight, and forces this raw material through a tiny stem, and constructs a watermelon. It ornaments the outside with a covering of green; inside the green it puts a layer of white, and within the white a core of red. All through the red it scatters seeds—each one capable of continuing the work of reproduction.

Who drew the plan by which that little seed works? Where does it get its tremendous strength? Where does it find its coloring matter? How does it collect its flavoring extract? How does it develop into a watermelon? Until you can explain a watermelon, do not be too sure that you have set limits to the power of the Almighty and say just what He would do or how He would do it.

-William Jennings Bryan

WHAT CHANCE OF FULFILLED PROPHECY?

The Old Testament contains over 300 references to the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus [some boost that number to 333]. What chance did Jesus or any other man have of fulfilling these prophecies? The mathematical laws of probability give us a clue. In his book, Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Josh McDowell mentions the work of the mathematician, Peter Stoner, on just eight selected prophecies out of the 300 plus.

Stoner says, “We find that the chance that any man, who has lived down to the present time, fulfilling these eight prophecies is one in ten to the seventeenth power. That would be one chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order for us to better comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it using that number of silver dollars. According to him, if that number of silver dollars were laid on the surface of the state of Texas; they would cover all of the state of Texas to a depth of two feet. Now, mark one of those silver dollars, blindfold a man, and send him out to find that one particular silver dollar—he would have the same chances Christ had of fulfilling those eight prophecies!

Mind boggling, you say, you are right. But bear this one thought in mind—that was just eight of the 300 plus. That really ought to blow the mind of the severest critic. One thing is for sure—random choice can’t account for it. Nothing short of the mastermind of God can provide an adequate explanation. -Adapted from an article by Leland Dollar

SOMETIMES THERE CAN BE A WORLD OF MEANING IN BIBLICAL PHRASES!

The term “down cast” or “cast down” was applied to sheep which had fallen down with their legs straight up in the air, helpless and unable to get back on their feet. Sheep in such a predicament flail, kick, bleat, and cry out. In that condition they are readily vulnerable to attack and provide an easy feast for those animals which prey on them. But that is not the only danger they face in such a condition. Left in this position gas collects in their stomach, cutting off air passage, and will result in suffocation in a matter of a couple of hours.

Depression (being emotionally cast down) can be equally devastating to us human beings. We can feel overwhelmed and helpless. And like sheep, we may need some outside help to get us upright and back on our feet. That help may come from a friend or acquaintance; or perhaps even the “Good Shepherd” Himself.

The biblical term for such activity is the word “restore,” meaning to “make right,” “equip,” or “mend”. The Greek word translated as “restore” was also used in reference to mending fishermen’s nets (enabling the fishermen to be productive).

The bottom line is simple. No man lives or dies to himself. Each of us at times may need outside help to get us back on our feet (physically or spiritually); to help us to return to being productive for the Lord—to keep us from even perishing. Those of us who are not undergoing such life threatening needs should feel obliged to reach out and help those who are in need.

As children of God we are called upon to be actively engaged in “restoring” individuals. Let us not be negligent in our God-given task. -Anonymous

LOOKING AT THE BROADER PICTURE

Paul in II Timothy 2:15 challenged his son in gospel to “Study to shew himself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The mere fact that he challenged Timothy to rightly divide or interpret and apply God’s word is indicative of the fact that students of God’s Word can wrongly interpret and apply it. A classic example is what God’s Word shares with us on the subject of “division”. Allow me to elaborate a bit

In II Corinthians 6:14-17 Paul tells us, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has he that believes with he who is an infidel? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God and they will be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you. And I will be a Father unto you and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Does this passage declare that we should have nothing at all to do with sinners? I don’t believe so! If we assumed that stance we could never carry out the Great Commission Christ gave us in Matthew 28:18-20? Besides Christ, Himself, rejected Pharisees trying to tell Him that He should not be seen in the company of sinners! Perhaps the best key for understanding the charge laid upon us is embodied in the phrase “not unequally yoked with unbelievers”. We are in the world, but we are not to become tied and tangled up in the things of the world. We are to keep ourselves from engaging in sin, even as Jesus did, while trying to win the sinner. We are to be a different kind of people [Romans 12:2]; a peculiar people, a royal priesthood [I Peter 2:9].

Jesus on the night before His crucifixion prayed that we all be one in Him as He was one in the Father. He prayed for perfect unity and simultaneously gave us the one and only key that can make perfect unity possible—full surrender to God’s will, obedience to all that He commands. Why is this unity imperative? First of all because such compliance would make it possible to convert an unbelieving world [John 17:20-23]!

That leaves us with one more part of the picture we need to see. Somewhere in the distant past Satan and his followers rebelled against God, causing wholesale division in heaven. For this action they were cast out of heaven. That undoubtedly left a void in heaven. What I see in the biblical account beginning with creation is God’s step by step plan repair that situation and repopulate heaven with the right kind of beings. I see God’s proposal in Genesis 1:26—“Let us make man in our image”, as the first indication of what God had in mind. I see Christ’s return and our being individually judged as a near final step in God’s overall plan.

Those who will be accepted into heaven will be those who have accepted Christ as their Savior on His terms and endeavoured to truly live lives of submission to God’s will. People, who like Satan, have insisted on doing their own thing in lieu of doing God’s will, shall be told to take a hike into Hell and stay there. Some people will mentally charge God with being too demanding. But God knows the truth. The one and only way we will be able to get along for eternity with our fellow beings is to have surrendered our wills first of all to God.

Have you truly and fully surrendered to God? Would you be ready if Christ came today? Think on it, because eternity hangs in the balance.

December 2014 Issue

GIVING AS A COMPONENT OF CHRISTMAS

I have fond memories of Christmas as a child. It was a time when many of my heart’s desires were granted. There was a Christmas tree complete with bright lights, tinsel, plenty of candy, and an assortment of gifts under it—just waiting for my eager fingers to unwrap. How could a little boy ask for more?

In the aftermath of un-wrapping my own gifts it was common for me to visit my best friend’s house a block away and check out what he had received.

Along about eleven o’ clock we would all pile into our Model A Ford and drive the six and a half miles out to grandma and grandpa Batterton’s and enjoy a simple but great country-style dinner. And of course it was a time to enjoy intermingling with aunts, uncles, and cousins. How sweet it all was!

Looking back at it now, I recognize it for what it was—a time when I was a ready recipient of what others gave, and was rarely myself a giver! Close to 2,000 years ago the Apostle Paul wrote, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things.” Obscurely hidden away in that verse is a subtle truth other than the one Paul was intent on making. I speak of the fact that for there to be happy recipients there has to be those who are willing to give—sometimes more than it seems they should have to.

Accompanying that truth is yet more truth that each of us need to learn. Paul in ACTS 20:35 quoted Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive!” As a child our scope and capacity to give is limited. But as we grow up, our scope and capacity to give is increased. And proportionately, as good stewards of God’s blessings, we are called upon to share what God has blessed us with. In LUKE 12:48 Jesus said, “For unto whomsoever much is given, much shall be required.” Yes, we are responsible to give materially of what God has blessed us with, but we also are responsible to share the spiritual riches God has given us. Let’s be looking for ways right now in this Christmas season for sharing more of Jesus with others. LET’S GET WITH THE PROGRAM!

-Yours in Christ…Howard L. Chartier

CHRISTMAS QUOTES

God’s gift was a person—not a theological, philosophical, or ethical system. God’s gift was His Son. God’s gift was Himself in His Son—God’s total answer to man’s total needs is in Christ Jesus.

-RICHARD C. HALVERSON

It is said that the wise men after visiting the Babe in the manger went back another way. No one can really see the Christ and go back the same way, life becomes different from that moment.

-E. STANLEY JONES

He became the Son of Man so that we could become the sons and daughters of God.

-LORINE FINCH

Here was a man with one foot planted in time and another in eternity. –TERRY FULLUM

THE GREAT STEPDOWN

Stuart F. Garver tells about a mayor of the city of Boston, and an experiment the mayor carried out many years ago in an effort to find out how the other half lives.

After he had several days growth of beard, the Mayor dressed himself up in the clothing of a tramp and went into the slum sections of Boston. At the close of the day he applied at a cheap boarding house for overnight lodging. He was told that he would be provided bed and breakfast upon his promise that he would chop an x amount of firewood the next morning.

Now the Mayor had never tried before to wield an axe. When he got around to his wood-cutting chore, he found the going even harder than he imagined that it would be. But in the midst of his predicament, a young man stepped to his side. “Let me have the axe,” he said, “for I can see that you know nothing about chopping wood.”

Soon the young man had completed the task. The disguised Mayor took from his inside pocket one of his cards. Handing it to the young man, he said, “Report to me at my office this afternoon at four o’ clock and I will see that you are given a good job.”

The young man took the card, but he thought to himself: “Poor fellow. He’s crazy. He thinks he is the Mayor.”

But the youth’s curiosity got the better of him during the day and four o’ clock found him at the Mayor’s office. He was ushered into the presence of the man whom he had thought to be a crazy hobo. Of course the Mayor was now clean-shaven and dressed in a manner befitting his position.

As he had promised, the Mayor assigned the young man to a good-paying position. But the Mayor made one specific request: the young man was to tell no one about the Mayor’s slumming experience.

But like the man Jesus healed, with the admonition to tell no one, this young man could not keep the incident to himself. Someone on the staff of one of Boston’s newspapers heard of it and carried the Mayor’s story under the big headline: “The Greatest Social Stoop In The World!”

Amazing as the story is, it is insipid, when compared to the step-down our blessed Lord engaged in when He left the portals of Heaven for earth—coming here to die for us and become our Savior.

-Anonymous

A CHRISTMAS THOUGHT

Christ was born in a stable—

A birthplace of humblest degree,

So that no one could say, “I am poorer

More lacking in comfort than He”

His mother in swaddling bands wrapped Him,

The wardrobe of One, the Divine,

That no one could say of His raiment,

“Christ’s garments were better than mine.”

His home and His comforts were borrowed—

No pillow for resting His head!

But He lived, and He suffered and sorrowed,

To give us true comforts instead.

In glory His wealth has been boundless!

He laid all those riches aside,

That we might have riches eternal,

And with Him forever abide.

-Anonymous

THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST

He came from the heart of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became the Son of Man that we might become the sons of God.

He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land of his childhood. He had no wealth or earth-given influence. And He had neither training nor education in the world’s schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and un-influential.

In infancy, He startled a king. In boyhood, He puzzled the doctors of the law. In manhood, He ruled the course of nature. He walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charges for His services. He never wrote a book, yet all of the libraries of the country could not hold all the books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than we can enumerate. He has never founded a college, yet all of the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never practiced medicine per se, as we know it today; and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all of the doctors have healed broken bodies.

He is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the Lion and the Lamb of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discords, and the Healer of all diseases. Great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him. Satan could not seduce Him; the grave could not hold Him.

He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor. How poor? Ask Mary. Ask the wise men. He slept in another’s manger; He cruised the lake in another’s boat; He rode on another man’s mule; He was buried in another man’s tomb.

He is the only perfect human being ever; the chiefest among 10,000; He is altogether lovely. Yes—He is truly incomparable.

-Anonymous

A BOX FULL OF LOVE

“Mommy, what is Christmas?” asked the three-year-old girl. Her mother carefully explained that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. “Then why do we not give gifts to Jesus if it’s His birthday?” The mother explained the tradition of exchanging Christmas gifts as an expression of our love for each other, and that seemed to end the matter.

It did not come up again until Christmas Eve when a sleepy little girl placed a package under the Christmas tree on her way to bed and explained that it was a birthday gift for Jesus that she was sure He would open while she was asleep. After she was asleep; the mother not wanting her daughter to be disappointed, opened the clumsily wrapped package and found the box empty.

On Christmas morning the little girl was thrilled to find the package had been opened and her gift was gone. “What was in it?” asked the confused mother. “It was a boxful of love;” came the answer.

How child-like. How Christ-like!

-Beverly I. White

THE SON

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you and your love of art.” The young man held out the package. “I know this isn’t much. I am not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have it.”

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes in the painting that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the portrait. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift!”

The father hung the portrait over the mantle. Every time visitors came to his home, he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works of art he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their own collection! On the platform was the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?” There was silence!

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.” But the auctioneer persisted. “Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100! $200! Another voice shouted angrily. “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!” But the auctioneer continued…”The Son! The Son! Who’ll take the Son?”

“Finally a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long-time gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

“We have $10, who’ll bid $20?”

“Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters!”

“$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid $20?” The crowd became angry. They didn’t want the picture of The Son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. “Going once, going twice, SOLD for $10!

A man sitting in the second row shouted, “Now, let’s get on with the collection!”

The auctioneer laid down his gavel and said, “I’m sorry, but the auction is over!”

“I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of The Son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took The Son would get everything!”

God gave His Son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: “The Son, the Son, who’ll take the Son?” Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

-Anonymous

WE ARE VALUABLE BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE

On one of his journeys through the desert, Lawrence of Arabia had a man named Jasmin as a member of his party. Jasmin was a lazy, shiftless fellow. The Arabs spoke of him as “Jasmin the Bedouin, not worth half a crown.”

As the party journeyed on, they found themselves suddenly in the midst of a blinding sandstorm, and soon were separated. When they linked up together some hours later, and were preparing to make camp, Lawrence asked, “Where is Jasmin?” There was no response. “Where is Jasmin?” he repeated. The Arabs looked at each other and then someone said, “He is out there,” indicating with a wave of the hand the direction he had taken.

Without a word, Lawrence led his camel out into the storm. He was going to find “Jasmin the Bedouin—not worth half a crown Jasmin!” At last he found him, completely exhausted. Lawrence helped him on his camel and then walked ahead, leading the camel. As dawn was painting the sky, they reached the camp.

The Arabs awoke to find Jasmin in their midst, alive because their leader had found him. He cared enough to go out in a fierce storm to find “Jasmin the Bedouin, not worth a half crown, Jasmin.” From that day forward he was treated with the greatest respect, but the change in the man himself was the most remarkable feature of the incident. Never again was he the same lazy, good-for-nothing he had been before it happened. Lawrence had thought him worth saving—and that had made all the difference.

When a man regards his soul as worthless, let him remember how a greater one than Lawrence went out into the fiercest storm this world has ever known. And considering what He endured to offer us safety—surely he must have loved us. And by reason of that love—surely we are worth infinitely more than what the world thinks of us!

-Anonymous

I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Tragedy struck the home of America’s most popular poet. On July 9, 1861, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s wife, Fanny, was near an open window, sealing locks of her daughter’s hair in a packet, using hot sealing wax. It was never known if a spark from a match or the sealing wax was the cause, but suddenly her dress caught on fire and engulfed her in flames. Her husband, sleeping in the next room, was awakened by her screams. He desperately tried to put out the fire and save his wife. In the process he was severely burned on the hands and face.

She, tragically burned, slipped into a coma the next day and died. His grievous burns would not even allow him to attend her funeral. He seemed to lock the anguish into his soul. Because he continued to work at his craft, only his family knew of his personal suffering. They could see it in his eyes and observe his long periods of silence. His white beard, so identified with him, was one of the results of the tragedy—the burn scars on his face made shaving almost impossible.

Although a legend in his time, he still needed the peace that God gives to His children. On Christmas Day, three years following the accident—at age 57—he sat down to try and capture, if possible the joys of the season. He began: “I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good will to men.”

As he came to the third stanza he was stopped by the thought of the condition of his beloved country. The Civil War was in full swing. The Battle of Gettysburg was not long past. Days looked dark, and he probably asked himself the question, “How can I write about ‘peace on earth, good will to men,’ in this war torn country, where brother fights against brother, and father against son?” But he kept writing—and what did he write? “And in despair I bowed my head: ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men.”

And so came into being, out of the crucible of suffering, the words for one of our most beloved Christmas carols…”I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY.”

What do you wish for most in the upcoming year? Before you answer this question, first consider the words of a wise and seasoned King David: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” -PSALMS 27:4

-Anonymous

IT STARTED WITH COFFEE AND PIE

Some years ago the New York Recorder published the following incident:

On Christmas night I stepped into a cheap restaurant in Park Row for a cup of hot coffee. As I took my seat at one of the tables, a ragged little boy planted himself opposite of where I sat. There was a wolfish glare in the boy’s eyes as he fumbled a nickel and said, “A plate of beans.”

I sipped my coffee and watched the boy ravenously devour the beans. Whispering to the waiter, I told him to bring the boy a plate of corned beef, some bread and butter, and a cup of coffee for the boy.

The little fellow stared for a moment and began his meal. In a few minutes the beef, bread and coffee had disappeared; yet the little boy’s appetite appeared to not yet be satisfied.

“What kind of pie do you like?” I asked.

“Most any kind will do; they’re all good,” replied the boy.

I told the waiter to bring him two pieces—one of mince and another of pumpkin.

The boy gazed at the two pieces of pie in wonderment and then looked up shyly and pushed his nickel toward me.

“What’s that for? I asked.

“To pay for the spread; it is all that I have got,” he said.

Taking a quarter from my pocket, I laid it on top of the boy’s coin and pushed them both across the table.

“Is them for me?” said the boy, with his mouthful of pie. “Am I to have all that?”

“Yes, this is Christmas night, you know.”

“Yes, I remember, but I had no money for my lodging, so I did not get any dinner down at the Newsboy lodging house. Thank you mister! You is good to me.”

Months passed. One day a boy stopped me near the Brooklyn Bridge. “Say mister,” he said. I owe you a quarter. Here it is.” Recognizing my Christmas guest, I gently refused the money, telling him that he had better keep it.”

“No, you take it,” he persisted. “That supper and the quarter you gave me brought me good success and I have not been so hungry since. You was so good that night, and I want you to give some other boy a Christmas supper.”

I took that coin and many poor newsboys have had a dinner with it since.

Some may remark that was really quite a kind-hearted man—and he was. However, on a Christmas night roughly 2,000 years ago a more remarkable gift was given—one that has benefited countless souls and just keeps right on giving. I speak of God sharing with us His only begotten Son.

-The Missionary Evangelist

IF CHRIST HAD NOT COME

A striking Christmas card was once published with the title, “If Christ had not come.” It was founded on our Savior’s words, “If I had not come.” The card represented a clergyman falling into a short sleep in his study on Christmas morning and dreaming of a world into which Christ had not come.

In his dream he found himself looking through his home, but there were no stockings on the chimney, no Christmas bells or wreaths of holly, and no Christ to gladden, comfort and save. He walked out into the street, but there was no church with its spire pointing to heaven. He came back and sat down in his library—but every book about the Savior had disappeared.

The doorbell rang, revealing a child asking the minister to come and visit his dying mother. He hastened to go with the weeping child. Upon arriving he sat and down and said, “I have something here that will comfort.” He opened his Bible, as he was accustomed to doing; fully expecting to find a passage he had used so often before—but it wasn’t there. Because Christ had not come, the Bible he had ended with the book of Malachi. There was no gospel message, and no promise of hope and salvation. All he could do with both the mother and the child was to bow his head and weep with them in bitter despair.

Two days later he stood by the woman’s coffin and conducted the funeral service. There was no message of consolation—no promise of heaven and a hereafter. The best he could muster was “from dust to dust, ashes to ashes;” and one long eternal farewell—Because Christ had not come!

It was at that point that he suddenly awoke with a start. A great shout of joy and praise burst forth from his lips—for guess what? He heard the church choir singing, “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” followed by several other familiar and revered hymns—hymns that spoke of the coming of Christ into the world!

Let us never take for granted the full measure of the blessings that are ours by reason of Christ’s visit to us 2,000 years ago!

-The Witness

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN COSTLY—HIS COMING TO EARTH

It cost Mary and Joseph the comforts of home during a long period of exile in Egypt to protect the little Babe.

It cost mothers, in and around Bethlehem, the massacre of their babies by the cruel edict of Herod.

It cost the shepherds the complacency of their shepherd’s life, with the call to the manger and to tell the good news.

It cost the wise men a long journey, expensive gifts, and changed lives.

It cost the apostles and the early Christians, persecution, and sometimes death.

It has cost missionaries untold suffering and privation to spread the word of His coming.

More than all this, it cost God the life of His only begotten Son.

And most of all, it cost Jesus in terms of pain and anguish, physical deprivation and denial by those closest to Him. It cost Him moment by moment, hour by hour the luxury of living a lifestyle like the rest of us—because He had to be perfect for our sakes.

Yes, Christmas, has always been a costly proposition. The question remains, however, for each of us to answer—“What has it cost us?”

-Anonymous

For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father; The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this. -ISAIAH 9:6, 7

November 2014 Issue

A BUCKET FULL OF SHRIMP

It happened almost every Friday evening without fail, when the sun resembled a giant orange and the sun was starting to begin to dip into a blue ocean. Old Ed came strolling along the beach to his favorite pier. Clutched in his bony hand was a bucket of shrimp. Ed walked out to the end of the pier, where it seemed he almost had the world to himself. The glow of the sun was a golden bronze by then.

Everybody had gone now except for a few joggers on the beach. Standing out on the end of the pier, Ed was alone with his thoughts…and his bucket of shrimp.

Before long, however, he was no longer alone. Up in the sky a thousand white dots would come screeching and squawking; winging their way to that lanky frame standing at the end of the pier. Before long, dozens of sea gulls enveloped him…their wings fluttering and flapping wildly. Ed stood there tossing shrimp to the hungry birds. As he did so, if you listened closely; you could hear him say with a smile, “Thank you…Thank you.”

In a few short minutes the bucket would be empty…but Ed didn’t leave immediately. He would stand there lost in thought, as though transported to another time and place. Invariably, one of the gulls landed on his sea-bleached, weather beaten hat—an old military hat that he had worn for years.

Finally he would turn and walk back toward the beach. A few of the birds would customarily hop along the pier with him until he got to the stairs, and then they flew away. And old Ed quietly made his way down to the end of the beach and on home.

If you were sitting there on the pier with your line in the water, Ed might seem like a funny old duck, or a guy that’s a sandwich shy of a picnic. To onlookers, he’s just another old codger, lost in his own weird world, feeding sea gulls with a bucket full of shrimp. To the onlooker, rituals can look either very strange or empty. They can seem altogether unimportant…maybe even a lot of nonsense. Old folks do strange things—at least in the eyes of Boomers and Busters. Most of them would probably write Old Ed off down there in Florida. That’s too bad. They’d do well to know him better.

His full name is Eddie Rickenbacker. He was a famous hero back in World War II. On one of his flying missions over the Pacific, he and his seven-member crew went down. Miraculously, all of the men survived, crawled out of their plane and climbed into a life raft.

Captain Rickenbacker and his crew floated for days on the rough waters of the Pacific. They fought the sun. They fought sharks. Most of all, they fought hunger. By the eighth day their rations ran out. No food. No water. They were hundreds of miles from land and no one knew where they were.

They needed a miracle. That afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed for a miracle. They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled his military cap over his nose. Time dragged. All he could hear was the slap of the waves against the raft. Suddenly, Eddie felt something land on the top of his cap. It was a seagull!

Old Ed would later on describe how he sat perfectly still, planning his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck. He tore off the feathers, and he and his crew made a meal—a very slight meal out of that gull—for the eight of them. Then they used the intestines for bait. With it, they caught fish, which gave them food and more bait…and the cycle continued. With that simple survival technique they were able to endure the rigors of the sea until they were found and rescued after twenty-four days of being lost at sea.

Eddie Rickenbacker lived many years beyond that ordeal, but he never forgot the sacrifice of that life-giving seagull. And he never stopped saying, “Thank you”. That’s why almost every Friday night he would walk to the end of the pier with a bucket full of shrimp and a heart full of gratitude. For what are you and I truly and continuously thankful? With Thanksgiving just around the corner it seems like a question you and I need to ask ourselves.

P.S. In case you are unaware of it—this is the same Eddie Rickenbacker who became an Ace in World War II and went on to found Eastern Airlines!

Yours in Christ…Howard Chartier

SOME THOUGHTS FOR US CHRISTIANS ON VETERANS DAY

A LITTLE RHYME, A LITTLE REASON

If a man would be a soldier, he’d expect, of course to fight;

And he couldn’t be an author if he didn’t try to write

So isn’t it common logic, does it have a real, true ring,

That for a man to be a Christian, he has to do something!

If a man would be a hunter, he must go among the trees;

And he couldn’t be a sailor if he wouldn’t sail the seas.

How strange for any member of a church to think that he

Can stay away from worship and a worthy member be!

When you join associations, you must pay up all your dues;

And you pay for all you purchase, from your hat down to your shoes.

There are social clubs for women; and the same for men and boys,

But the members all expect to pay for what each one enjoys.

Then how is it that members of a church can sit in pews,

And expect some few to run it without others paying their dues?

The cost of operation must be met in church the same

As in home or corporation or in work of any name!

Let us honestly consider why this difference we find,

Between our church relations, and every other kind!

Our business obligations MUST be met, the laws provide;

But the church is not insistent, so we let the matter slide.

May we undertake our duties for our church and for our Lord,

With such measure of devotion as accords with His own word;

If our human obligations thus are recognized, why then

Surely God should have our service now and evermore. Amen!

-Henry Anstadt

LIKE A MIGHTY ARMY?

It was “Layman’s Sunday.” Usually that brings joy like a visit to the dentist. I figured that Jimmy Mitchell, just back from two years in the army in Korea might give “Laymen’s Sunday” a shot in the arm. I didn’t reckon on him blowing the place up. He refused at first; then with a funny light in his eyes consented on the condition that the congregation would sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” just before he began. So I had them give forth with the song, and then Jimmy let loose. He didn’t waste time in shadow boxing. He said:

“You have been singing, ‘Like a mighty army, moves the Church of God! That might have been all right once. The trouble is that now there are about ten million of us that know how an army really moves. And it doesn’t move the way a lot of you folks do—or do not! Suppose that the army accepted some of the lame excuses that many of you people think are good enough to serve as an alibi for not attending Church Parade.

Imagine this if you can. Reveille at 7:00 A.M., squads are on the parade ground. The sergeant barks out, ‘Count fours.’ One, two, three, number four is missing. ‘Where’s Private Smith?’

‘Oh,’ pipes up a chap near the vacant spot, ‘Private Smith was too sleepy to get up this morning. He was out late last night and needed the sleep. He said to tell you that he’d be with you in spirit.’

‘That’s fine,’ says the sergeant. ‘Remember me to him.’

‘Where’s Brown?’ asks the sergeant.

‘Oh,’ puts in another chap. ‘He’s out playing golf. He gets only one day a week for recreation, and you know how important that is.’

‘Sure, sure,’ is the sergeant’s cheerful answer. ‘Hope he has a good game. Where’s Robinson?”

‘Robinson,’ explains a buddy, ‘is sorry he can’t be present this morning, but he is entertaining guests, ergo he couldn’t come. Besides, he was at drill last week.’

‘Thank you,’ says the sergeant smiling, ‘tell him he is welcome any time he is able to drop in.’

Honest now, did any conversation like that ever happen in any army? Don’t make me laugh. If any GI tried to pull that stuff, he would get twenty days in the guardhouse. Yet you hear stuff like that every week at church—and it’s offered with a straight face, too.

‘Like a mighty army.’ Why if this church really moved like a mighty army, a lot of you folks would get court-martialed.”

That was the general drift of what Jimmy Mitchell said that morning. After it was all over, he remarked, “Too bad the stay-aways didn’t hear it!”

My response…“Don’t worry, they will. I tape recorded it this morning and I am going to spring it on them next Easter morning.”

-Anonymous

Always keep your eyes open for the little task, because it is the little task that is important to Jesus. The future of the kingdom of God does not just depend on the enthusiasm of this or that powerful person. Those great ones are necessary too, but it is equally necessary to have a great number of little people who will do the little things in the service of Christ. –ALBERT SCHWEITZER

REVIEWING OUR DISCARDS

We live in a rapidly changing world. The subliminal message it preaches is that new is better and old is inferior. While in some instances that may be true; it’s not necessarily so. Sometimes it is the exact opposite. Sometime the new fails to give us some of the things the old afforded us—leaving us deprived of some things we seriously need.

One place I have noticed considerable change is in the songs we sing in church today. Some of it is beautifully written, totally worthy of being used to worship God. It would be a shame not to use it. Conversely we can create our own problem out of it. In making room for it in our musical repertoire we could well discard other hymns and spiritual numbers we should retain. The end result is that some spiritual truths we once taught via the songs we sung are no longer taught.

A case in point is illustrated by the following list of songs we seldom if ever sing anymore: “Faith is the Victory,” “Mighty Army of the Young,” “As a Volunteer for Jesus,” “Onward Christian Soldiers,” “Stand Up For Jesus, Ye Soldiers of the Cross,” and “We’re Marching to Zion”.

These songs and a number of other similar ones served to remind us of a spiritual truth. We as Christians are called to be spiritual soldiers for the cross of Christ. Now I may be blind, but I ask you a simple question. Which of today’s newer songs teach that thought? Enlighten me! And, tell me—can we afford to forget that aspect of our calling? Give it some thought!

TRY OUT MY TIGER

The Chinese tell the story of a young man who raised a tiger. He kept him in a cage, and when the tiger was full-grown, his young owner delighted in telling everyone how ferocious, brave and powerful this tiger was.

But his friends mocked him. “That tiger’s not wild anymore,” they laughed, “he’s as tame as a tired old house cat.”

This dialogue went on for quite a while until one day a wise old man came along. As they were talking, he interrupted and said, “There’s only one way for you to know whether or not that tiger is truly ferocious. Open the cage.”

The young man smiled at his friends, walked over to the cage and put his hand on the latch, asking, “Does anyone want to try out my tiger—maybe take him for a ride?”

Today some think that Christianity is toothless, tired, weak-kneed; and not afraid to say so. But talk is cheap. The way to really find out is to let Christ be turned loose in their lives. Customarily critics are just that—critics—and nothing more. They make their comments from a safe distance.

How about it? Is there anyone out there that would like to take the ride on my tiger?

Anonymous

SHOOK ANY GOOD BRIDGES LATELY?

A mouse and an elephant were constant traveling companions. One day after they had crossed a bridge together that spanned a deep ravine, the mouse exclaimed, “Boy, we really shook that old bridge!”

This little story illustrates a larger truth in the Christian’s relationship with God. A Christian, plus God, equals an irresistible force.

Hudson Taylor wrote, “Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and fail. All giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence within them.

-Siloam Sentinel

WHEN DIFFERENCES ARE IMPORTANT

I was awakened one winter morning about 2 AM by an exceedingly drunk young man banging on my door. “Who are you,” I called down, “and what do you want at this hour?”

“Doctor,” he replied in plaintiff tones, “I would like to have you give me an explanation of the difference between Modernism and fundamentalism.”

“Young man,” I said shivering, “please go home, sober up, and come back at a more reasonable hour. Then I will be glad to explain the difference.”

There was a period of silence, then in a soft, almost inarticulate voice, sobbing bitterly: “The trouble is, Doctor, that when I am sober, I won’t give a darn.”

This personal incident was cited by Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, a minister of the Disciples of Christ. It’s a tragic tale. Why so? It would appear that here was a young man perpetually intoxicated. In his normal day to day state He was too intellectually intoxicated by liberal theological thinking to rationally think about His true relationship with God. Now, under the alcofluence of incohol, he sensed his need, but was obviously in no rational condition to reason it out. What a waste! What a tragedy!

-Anonymous

WHEN I SAY I AM A CHRISTIAN

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I’m not shouting, “I’ve been saved!”

I’m whispering, “I got lost!

That’s why I chose this way.”

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I don’t speak with human pride

I’m confessing that I stumble—

Needing God to be my guide!

When I say “I am a Christian”

I’m not trying to be strong;

I’m professing that I’m weak

And pray for strength to carry on.

When I say “I am a Christian”

I’m not bragging of success;

I’m admitting that I’ve failed

And cannot ever pay the debt!

When I say “I am a Christian”

I don’t think I know it all;

I confess my confusion

Asking humbly to be taught!

When I say “I am a Christian”

I am not claiming to be perfect.

My flaws are too visible;

But God believes I’m worth it.

When I say “I am a Christian”

I still feel the sting of pain;

I have my share of heartache—

Which is why I seek his name!

When I say “I am a Christian”

I do not want to judge.

I have no authority—

I only know that I am loved.

-Carol Wimmer

THE REAL DANGER IS IN VIEWING IT AS A SPECTATOR SPORT

The popularity of spectator sports in the United States has grown tremendously in the last few years. Thousands upon thousands of fans crowd into stadiums, theaters, and fields to watch a variety of activities each week.

Perhaps each of us need to go back to Hebrews 12:1 to get a biblical perspective on the matter. In that verse the Apostle Paul speaks of Christians as the players and the fact that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. And by reason of the fact that we are for many out there—the focal point—we are to give all we have got to run the race to the best of our ability.

-Anonymous

WHAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT LIFE

To reach the port of Heaven one must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it—but sail and not drift nor lie at anchor. -OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

It takes a heap of livin’ in a house to make it home,

A heap of sun and shadder, an’ ye sometimes have t’ roam;

Afore ye really ‘preciate the things ye lef’ behind,

An hunger for ‘em somehow, with ‘em allus on yer mind…

-EDGAR A. GUEST [“Home”]

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could: some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. Begin it well and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. -RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Every one of us starts out in life to do something—and each of us do! But mostly we don’t wind up doing or accomplishing what we originally intended. We get distracted, detoured, or disenchanted; settling for some type of compromise. Perhaps we may even totally drop the ball—end up doing things completely contrary to our original resolves.

The poem, Maude Muller, states, “Of all the things of tongue or pen, nothing is sadder than the things that might have been.” To daily live with regret over unachieved ambitions or desires is sad, to be true. But I reckon it not to be the saddest. Sadder, by far, is that of a mortal having lived his or her life to the max for self-serving satisfaction—sipping the cup of life until it has all but been drained—and then making a discovery.

The discovery I speak of is that of finding out that they, individually speaking, are not the center of the universe—that life is not really all about them. The stark truth is that each of us have had but a minor role in an off-stage production granted by the Great Director of the universe. And the purpose of that role has been in reality, singular—to determine whether or not we are worthy to be included in the major production of the ages to come—that or cut from the cast!

Belshazzar, King of Babylon, was a classic example of such a failure. From all outward appearances the world classified him as a success. But he did not make the final cut. His pink slip; inscribed on his palace wall read, “Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin”—“You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.” May it not be so with any of us at the end of this age! -HOWARD L. CHARTIER

My grandfather always said that living was like licking honey off of a thorn. –LOUIS ADAMIC

Life is too transient to be cruel, too short for thoughtlessness, too brief for hurting. Life is long enough for caring, lasting enough for sharing, and precious enough for love. Be gentle with each other. –DENNY COBURN

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose. –JIM ELLIOTT

You have not lived a perfect day, even if you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you. -GOOD READING

Life is not something to be sucked dry and tossed aside, but something to be filled full. It is not something to be exploited but explored with Christ. It is not a succession of accidents, but a succession of opportunities for living and becoming fully human; not a burden but a blessing; not something to be savored but something to master and be compelled to serve. -WALTER PUCKETT

Give a man a dollar and you’ll cheer his heart. Give him a dream and you’ll challenge his heart. Give him Christ and you’ll change his heart. Then the dollar and the dream will become meaningful to others. -C. NEIL STRAIT

NOT EVERYONE RECOGNIZES VALUE WHEN THEY SEE IT

The land on which the most fabulous diamond mine is located was once owned by a farmer named Ali Hafed. Because he did not recognize diamonds in their natural state, he daily walked cluelessly on a fortune. And because he could not raise crops on the land; he sold his farm to a neighbor and went off to seek his fortune elsewhere. But his efforts were futile. With all of his money gone, he sank into deep despair. And at last he committed suicide.

Now the second owner did not know a diamond either, when he saw one! But one day he saw a black stone in the shallow brook that ran through the garden. It had a glint of light that caused him to pick it up and put it on a shelf in the house. There it might well have collected dust indefinitely, save for a priest that visited his home a few days later. The priest saw the stone with its flash of light and asked to examine it more thoroughly. The farmer commented that it was just a stone he had picked up in the garden; but the priest recognized it for what it was. Embedded in that black stone formation was a large diamond!

Out of this discovery, the Goldconda diamond mine was born—the greatest diamond-mine in the world. Imagine if you would, daily stubbing your toe on untold riches while being unable to eke out a living—all because you did not recognize the immense wealth that was there for the taking.

Far out, you say! And you are quite right. But it is not as uncommon as you might imagine. Daily people the world over are exposed to the Christian faith and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Yet they are oblivious to it. Our task is much the same as that fulfilled by the priest in the story—to make people aware of what they can lay claim to! -Anonymous

SLOW ME DOWN

Slow me down, Lord, ah’s going too fast.

Ah can’t see my brother when he’s walking past.

I miss a lot of good things day by day;

I don’t know a blessing when it comes my way.

Slow me down, Lord. I want to see more of the

Things that’s good for me.

A little less of me and a mite more of you;

I want the heavenly atmosphere to trickle through.

Let me help a brother when the going is rough;

When folks work together, it ain’t so tough.

Slow me down Lord so I can talk with some of your angels.

Slow me down to a walk.

-Anonymous

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS ON LIFE

Life can only be understood by looking backward, but it must be lived by looking forward…Life for most of us is a continuous process of getting used to things we had not expected…Life is a front door to eternity…Life is a jig saw puzzle with most of the pieces missing…Life is a sacred trust. We are responsible for our time, our abilities, and our resources. With God as our partner we cannot fail. Without Him we cannot succeed…Life is about ten per cent of what you make it and ninety per cent of how you take it…Life is hard by the yard. By the inch it’s a cinch…Life is just a bowl of cherries—if you’re willing to plant the tree, spray it, prune it, feed it, wait for it to produce cherries, pick them, pit them, wash them, and provide the bowl…Life is like a mirror. You never get more out of it than you put into it…Life is like a supermarket. It offers a wide variety of attractions; but sooner or later you have to pass the checkout counter…Life is like an onion. You peel it off a layer at a time. And sometimes you cry a lot!

October 2014 Issue

THE OLD PHONE

When I was quite young my father had one of the first telephones in the neighborhood. I remember the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside that wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was “Information Please” and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone’s number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day when my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there was no sense in crying because there was no one home to give me sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone caught my eye! Quickly I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. “Information, Please,” I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.

A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, “Information.”

“I hurt my finger…” I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily now that I had an audience.

“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.

“Nobody is home but me,” I blubbered.

“Are you bleeding” the voice asked.

“No,” I replied, “I hit my finger with a hammer and it hurts”.

“Can you open the ice box?” she asked.

I said I could.

“Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger,” said the voice.

After that I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park the day before, would eat fruit and nuts. Then there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called “Information Please” and told her the sad story. She listened and then said things that grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, “Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families only to end up on a heap of feathers on the bottom of a bird cage?”

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, “Wayne, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, “Information Please”. She answered in her now familiar voice. I asked her, “How do I spell fix?”

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. “Information Please” belonged in that old wooden box back home and somehow I never thought of trying the shiny new box that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.

A few years later, on my way to college, my plane set down in Seattle. I had about a half an hour or so between planes. I spent fifteen minutes on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information Please.” Miraculously I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well—“Information”. I hadn’t planned this, but I heard myself saying, “Could you please tell me how to spell fix?”

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, “I guess your finger must have healed by now.” I laughed. “So it is really you,” I said. I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time!”

“I wonder,” she said, if you knew how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.”

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister. “Please do,” she said. “Just ask for Sally”.

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, “Information.” I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” she said.

“Yes, a very dear friend,” I answered.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, she said. “Sally had been working part-time the past few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.” Before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne?” “Yes,” I answered.

“Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you.” The note said, “Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”

I thanked her and I hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others whose life you have touched today!

-Anonymous

OBSERVATIONS OF AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD

We have the nicest garbage man,

He empties out our garbage can;

He is just as nice as can be;

He always stops and talks with me.

My mother doesn’t like his smell,

But then she doesn’t know him well.

-Anonymous

MODERN MIRACLES

Attendance at church last Sunday was mighty poor. I don’t reckon I ought to grumble cause I had a bunch of sick folk, and when you add to that all of my shut-ins, we don’t have a lot of pew fillers. So I went ahead and preached to what I had. Only thing was that the echo in the near empty building hurt my ears.

My wife said I needed to get out and ride for a while and let the fresh air clear my head. It done the trick. Our little ride not only cleared my head, it made me feel right good inside. What I saw made me rejoice. I saw miracle after miracle.

Ole Hezekiah who had been deathly sick that very morning had roused up and was riding down the highway with his fishing poles. Nothing but a miracle could rescue Ol’ Hez from the jaws of death in such a short time.

Now there was Rufe’s brother. Rufe told me Sunday morning that his brother’s back was in foul condition; that they was afraid an operation was gonna be necessary. Well, we remembered him in our prayers and lo and behold, at 2 0’clock there he stood on the driving range, hitting golf balls. If that wasn’t a quick recovery, I don’t know what is.

All told about 20 of my sick folk had roused up and was taking nourishment in one form or another. But what really made me happy was to see so many of my shut-ins out riding around and enjoying the world.

Hezekiah’s paw, who don’t attend church ‘cause he can’t stand crowds, was headed for the drag races. Sister Nell’s mama, who had been too weak to get out of the house, was in town shopping. Ellie Nicklesinger’s sister, who can’t come to church on account of her liver, stood in line for two hours to get into the show. It was about ‘The Miracle Worker’. I thought it was right appropriate seeing how a miracle had happened to her.

Yes sir, it thrilled my heart to see what I saw. I ought to have a packed house next Sunday, with all my sick folks healed and the shut-ins being set free. I hope they don’t overdo it and have a relapse before next Sunday.

You ask me what I am going to do now. I am going to go home and play “billy-goat” with my grandson. After what I’ve been swallowing—tin cans ought to be a cinch!

-Anonymous

DON’T CRITICIZE WHAT YOU HAVEN’T TASTED

An infidel was lecturing to a great audience and, having finished his address, he invited anyone who had questions to come to the platform. After a short interval, a man who had been well-known in the town as a notorious drunkard, but who had been recently converted, stepped forward, and taking an orange from his pocket, coolly began to peel it.

The lecturer asked the converted drunkard to propound his question, but without replying to him, the man finished peeling his orange and ate it. When he had finished his orange, he turned to the lecturer and asked him, “Was the orange I just ate sour or sweet?” Angrily the infidel said, “Idiot, how can I know whether it was sweet or sour when I never tasted it?” To this the converted drunkard retorted, “And how can you know anything about Christ if you have not tried Him?”

-Christian Herald

ALEXANDER AND JESUS

One died for self; one died for you and me.

The Greek died on a throne; the Jew died on a cross.

One’s life a triumph seemed; the other but a loss.

One led vast armies forth; one walked alone;

One shed a whole world’s blood; the other gave His own.

One won the world in life and lost it all in death;

The other lost His life to win the whole world’s faith.

Jesus and Alexander died at thirty-three.

One died in Babylon; and one on Calvary.

One gained all for self; and one Himself He gave.

One conquered every throne; the other every grave.

One made himself god; the God made himself less;

The one lived to blast; the other but to bless.

When died the Greek; forever fell his throne of swords;

But Jesus died to live forever, Lord of Lords.

Jesus and Alexander died at thirty-three.

The Greek made all men slaves; the Jew made all men free.

One built a throne on blood; the other built on love,

The one was born of earth; the other from above;

One won all earth to lose all earth and heaven;

The other gave up all, that all to Him might be given.

The Greek forever died; the Jew forever lives.

He loses all who gets, and wins all things who gives.

-Charles Ross Weede

SALESMAN FOR CHRIST

A traveling salesman came into a hotel to secure a room for the night. Upon being informed that every room in the building had been taken, he was naturally quite perturbed, until a portly gentleman standing nearby kindly offered to share his room with him. The offer was thankfully accepted.

Upon retiring, the portly man knelt and prayed, tenderly mentioning his guest for the night in his petition. In the morning his host informed him that it was his custom to read a portion of scripture and pray before taking up the responsibilities of the day.

The effect upon the salesman was moving; a strange feeling came over him; something had been working in his heart all the night. When gently pressed by the man who had shared his hotel room with him to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, all resistance went down in a heap.

But who was this humble ambassador for Christ, who so strikingly resembles a member of President Wilson’s cabinet. When business cards were exchanged before parting, to the guest’s amazement, he read, “William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of State.”

-Anonymous

CHRISTIANS, THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK

Dr. Clarence McCartney, formerly pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, told the following story:

A young man met with the church board and was received into membership; however, on his way out, he was asked what his business was. When the board understood that he was in the liquor business, the decision of the board was revoked causing the young man to fly into a rage. The liquor business was that of his father and his grandfather as well. He wished to have nothing to do with any pastor or church. He had been “insulted.”

Two months elapsed. The young man reappeared with this explanation: “I followed your suggestion to visit the clients of my business. I followed our wagons to saloons, the rich man’s clubs, the poor man’s hovels, to destitute homes and I saw the destruction that the liquor industry I was engaged in was creating. As a result I have severed connections with my destructive business. I have confessed my sin to God and I now desire to be received into membership in the church.”

-Dr. Bruce Dunn

WHY NOT TAKE ANOTHER LOOK

I wish I had a telescope to scan the starry skies.

But since I have no telescope, I’m glad I have two eyes.

I wish I had a kitchen run by push button commands,

But while that kitchen’s still a dream; I’m glad I have two hands.

I wish I had a super car to give my friends a treat,

But till that new car comes along, I’m glad I have two feet.

Two eyes to look to God above…two hands to clasp in prayer…

Two feet to carry me to church…why, I am a millionaire!

-Anonymous

THE KEEPER OF BURDENS

A man came one day to the Keeper of Burdens. He complained that the burden he was being forced to bear was way too much—more than he could possibly bear. The Keeper of burdens was sympathetic and instructed the man to go into the next room, lay his burden down, and look through the stockpile of burdens for one that was better suited to his taste. The man was elated. Who would have thought that it could be quite that simple? He followed instructions, dropping off his burden, and then one by one checking out each and every one of the burdens in the stockpile room.

Some he found too bulky, some too heavy, others dug into his back—some even stunk! He was just about to give up when he found one that he could live with. He immediately latched onto it and went out to the outer office to see the Keeper of Burdens. The Keeper asked the man if he had found what he was looking for. The man enthusiastically replied that he had. He then asked the keeper of Burdens if there was any problem in taking this one with him. The keeper of Burdens examined the bag the man had thrown over his shoulder and affirmed that there was no problem—the man could have this one if he wanted. Pausing for a moment, the Keeper of Burdens said, “There is, however, one thing I feel compelled to tell you—that’s the same bag of burdens you walked in with!”

-Anonymous

Some Random Thoughts On Prayer

Jesus never taught his disciples to preach, but He did teach them how to pray. I would rather be able to pray like Daniel than to preach like Gabriel. If men know how to pray they know how to work for God. -DWIGHT L. MOODY

If God is not first in our thoughts in the morning, He will be last in our thoughts all the day long. -KING’S BUSINESS

Lord, give me the serenity to accept what cannot be changed;

Give me the courage to change what can be changed;

And the wisdom to know one from the other!

-REINHOLD NIEBUHR

Do not have your concert first and tune your instruments afterwards. Begin your day with God. -HUDSON TAYLOR

The pulse of prayer is praise. The heart of prayer is gratitude. The voice of prayer is obedience. The arm of prayer is service. -WILLIAM A. WARD

The best prayer is when the heart and the tongue join together in concert; when they are zealous and fervent … Fervency is to prayer as fire to incense; which makes it ascend to heaven as sweet perfume. -THOMAS WATSON

A day without prayer is a day without blessing; and a life without prayer is a life without power. -ALLIANCE WITNESS

Bad living means bad praying, and in the end, no praying at all. We pray feebly because we live feebly. The stream of prayer cannot rise higher than the fountain of living. –E. M. BOUNDS

Prayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, and the growth of our growing. Prayer in its magnitude is length without end, width without bounds, height without top, and depth without bottom. Illimitable in its breadth, exhaustless in its height, fathomless in its depth, and infinite in its extension! –HOMER W. HODGE

One reason so many people wish instead of pray is because often they wish for things they would not dare pray for. -DEACON JONES

The spectacle of a nation praying is more awe inspiring than the explosion of an atomic bomb. The force of prayer is greater than any possible combination of man controlled powers because prayer is man’s greatest means of tapping the resources of God. –J. EDGAR HOOVER

When Daniel was faced with a decision,

It didn’t take him long to declare;

He would far rather sleep with a lion,

Than to try and live without prayer.

-SWEETWATER SATELLITE

A sense of need is a mighty teacher of brevity. If our prayers had less tail feathers of pride and more wing they would be all the better. Verbiage is to devotion as chaff to the wheat. Precious things lie in small compass, and all that is real prayer in many a long address might have been uttered in a petition as short as that of Peter’s. -CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

Prayer is asking for rain and faith is carrying an umbrella. -PULPIT HELPS

THIS WORLD IS MINE

Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid, with golden hair;

I envied her—she seemed so gay—and wished I were as fair.

When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle;

She had one foot and wore a crutch,

But as she passed, a smile!

Oh God, forgive me when I whine;

I have two feet—the world is mine!

And then I stopped to buy some sweets.

The lad who sold them had such charm.

I talked with him—he said to me,

“It’s nice to talk with folks like you.

“You see,” he said, “I’m blind.”

Oh God, forgive me when I whine;

I have two eyes to see—the world is mine.

Then walking down the street,

I saw a child with eyes of blue.

He stood and watched the others play;

It seemed he knew not what to do.

I stopped for a moment; then I said,

“Why don’t you join the others, dear?”

It was then I understood—he could not hear.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine;

I have two ears—the world is mine!

With feet to take me where I go,

With eye’s to see the sunset’s glow,

With ears to hear what I would know,

Oh God, forgive me when I whine;

I’m blessed indeed! The world is mine!

-Anonymous

RED SKELTON’S “PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The following Pledge of Allegiance and accompanying comments were given on one of his national television programs:

I remember one of my grade school teachers, Mr Laswell—he was such a sage. One day he said to us, “I have been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester. It seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, I would like to recite it and explain the meaning of each word.

‘I’—me, an individual, a committee of one,

‘Pledge’—dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity;

‘Allegiance’—my love and my devotion;

‘To the flag”—our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom! Wherever she waves, there is respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts ‘Freedom is everybody’s job.’

‘Of the United’—meaning that we have all come together…

‘States of America’—individual communities that have united into 48 great states; forty-eight individual communities with pride, dignity and purpose, all divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that’s for love of country.

‘And to the republic’—a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern—and government that is the people; and it is from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

‘For which it stands. One nation’—a country united.

‘Indivisible’—incapable of being divided!

‘With liberty—which is freedom; the right and the power to live one’s own life without threats or fears of some sort of retaliation!

‘And justice’—the principle of dealing fairly with others.

‘For all’ – which means it’s as much your country as it is mine.”

Red went on to add his comments: “Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two words have been added unto the Pledge of Allegiance—‘Under God.’ Wouldn’t that be a pity if someone said, ‘that’s a prayer that should be eliminated from our schools? ”

Red Skelton

JUST A NIBBLE AWAY

An old-time sheep man had an interesting explanation of the way that sheep go astray from the flock. He said, “They just nibble themselves lost.” Drawn first by one clump of grass and then another, the animal just keeps following the grass without looking up.

Finally, when he does look up, he discovers himself in a canyon far away from the rest of the sheep and the shepherd. And with the night coming on, he is lost! Try to pin down the exact moment he became lost and you will fail. Nonetheless his condition is a fact.

It’s no accident that Jesus called us His sheep. None of us ever start out with the idea of getting lost. Becoming lost is customarily something that just happens along the way—a nibble at a time. How are we to prevent becoming lost and to prevent others from becoming lost? At the risk of stating the matter too simply—we are to focus and to call others to focus. Instead of becoming obsessed with clumps of grass we need to periodically check where we are in relationship to the shepherd. If our feeding habits are leading us out of sight of Him—then we need to change course and alter our feeding habits.

-Anonymous

A BIBLE SCHOOL LESSON RE-TOLD BY A TEN-YEAR-OLD

A ten-year-old was asked by his mother what he had learned in Bible School that morning.

“Well, the teacher told us about when God sent Moses behind enemy lines to rescue the Israelites from the Egyptians. When they came to the Red Sea, Moses called for the engineers to build a pontoon bridge. After they had crossed they looked back and saw the Egyptian tanks rapidly closing in. Quick as a flash, Moses radioed headquarters on his walkie talkie requesting an air strike with B-52 bombers to blow up the bridge and save the Israelites.”

“Bobby!” exclaimed his Mother. ”Is that really the way the teacher told it?”

“No,” said Bobby; “But you would never believe the story if I told it like she did.” -Anonymous

The Printed Preacher

Whispers from the Well by Howard L Chartier

July 2015

June 2015

May 2015

April 2015

To The Apostles It Was The Culmination Of 3 ½ Wonderful Years.

March 2015

February 2015 Issue

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December 2014 Issue

November 2014 Issue

THE REAL DANGER IS IN VIEWING IT AS A SPECTATOR SPORT

October 2014 Issue