 |
Birdwell Lane Church of Christ Big Spring, TX |
Weekly Thoughts - September 2007
| <---- August 2007 | -- | October 2007 ----> |
|
02 - PRESSING ON 09 - HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN 16 - LIFT UP YOUR HEAD! YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH! 23 - THE DEATH OF CHRIST 30 - SOUL WINNING – THE REAL WORK OF THE CHURCH |
| |
|
PRESSING ON When Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, he was a prisoner in Rome. He could look back over a life of great achievement for Christ. Five years earlier he had written to the Corinthians an amazing story, of hardships and accomplishments in God’s service. Through his own personal efforts, Paul had seen spiritual accomplishment. The gospel had been preached across the far-flung Roman Empire. Dozens of churches had been started. Hundreds of people had been converted. He had preached to Kings and paupers, to the wise and the simple, to the Jews and the Greek, to friends and to foes of righteousness. So, one might think with all of that illustrious background of service that Paul could be considering spiritual retirement. But that was the furthest thing from his mind. There still was much to do, and he could not rest from his labors until he rested with Jesus. May it be so with us. There is no place to quit in this world. We still have much to do. “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Brethren, may we never be content to rest from our labors until we have finished our course in this world, so that we may go home to the Father for eternity. See ya Sunday, Ralph |
| |
|
HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN Isaiah 35:8-10 8 A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away NKJV My wife is at the wheel of the car as we drive. I am glad, for it is a relief to commit the driving to her. We are traveling in one direction – toward our destination. We must carefully follow the road signs for it would be so easy to lose our way. We travel in all kinds of weather. It is remarkable how rapidly the weather changes as we go down life’s highways. One minute we are in a downpour of rain, and then the next thing we know we are coming out into bright sunlight. Sometimes the highway is very smooth, oftentimes very rough. We are led down in the valleys, and then over the hills. As we travel, we look for rest areas. Often, we stop to refresh ourselves with food and drink. It is wearying to travel but very rewarding, for we notice the scenery as we pass. The glory of the sky blends together in a splendor that surges and lifts our hearts. We come to the top of the hill. We wonder what lies ahead. As we descend, our view is broader. Everything comes into focus – is seen clearly and sharply. We are coming closer to our destination. As the road signs indicate a shorter distance, we grow excited and full of hope. At last, we are here! As we go down the highways of life towards our heavenly home, we know that the Father is waiting for us there. How thrilling it will be to be at home at last! See ya Sunday, Ralph |
| |
|
LIFT UP YOUR HEAD! YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH! “Most men,” said Thomas Erskine of Linlathen, “are so possessed by themselves that they have no vacuum into which God’s deep water may rise.” The whole of life is evidence of that. Man is intellectual, and trusts his science to redeem the world and build the New Jerusalem. He is patriotic, and trusts his race or nation to secure the future of civilization. He is philanthropic, and trusts his humanistic ideals to permeate the lump of social life till the whole is leavened. He is religious, and trusts his righteousness to organize a new kingdom into existence. He is moral, and trusts his personal virtues to justify him in the sight of God. “Have I not been a man of my word? Have I not lived a disciplined life, and loved the brotherhood, and obeyed the king?” These are the things we carry in our hands right to the throne of grace, as if they gave us a claim upon God, and earned us His favorable consideration, and merited salvation. “See, Lord,” we exclaim, “all this in my hands I bring! I would not dream of coming empty-handed. All this can go down to the credit side of my account!” What we so tragically fail to realize is that by that instinctive attitude, that native trust in our own virtues and achievements, we are automatically excluding ourselves from the very blessings which we hoped to reach. Our very spirituality, if you will understand me, is robbing us of God’s Spirit. It is not in this way that the redemption draws nigh! The sacrifices of God are not an imposing array of creditable achievements. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart. If something really breaks you down, so that virtues and good works count no longer, and you cry with Job “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”; if some day of storm and darkness leaves you stripped of every shred of satisfied self-trust, and every vestige of conscious claim upon God – then look up, for your redemption will be coming over the horizon. But not before! You have to experience the darkness that descends when all the flickering candles of personal merit have gone out, before you can discern, rising out of the gloom to meet you, the light that never was on sea or land. You have to feel the foundations shake beneath your feet, before you can sing “Rock of Ages” as it should be sung. You have to “faint for the flaming of Christ’s feet,” and cry ”Watchman, what of the night?” before you can know the thrill of the birth of Christ and glory of the Word made flesh, and the sheer irrepressible excitement of that ringing, tumultuous shout – “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of Lord!” you have to have looked into the horrible abyss of doubt and despair before you can really believe. You have to see everything falling from your grasp, and cry “Nothing in my hands I bring,” before Christ’s strong pierced hands can grip and hold you. You have to suffer crucifixion in the region of self, before you can rise from the dead with the new life of God throbbing in your heart. So when these things come to pass, these desolating things that leave all self-trust shattered and in ruins, look up my brethren, and lift up your head, knowing that your light is come, that the glory of the Lord is risen upon you, and your redemption draweth nigh! EVEN SO, COME LORD JESUS! See ya Sunday, Ralph |
| |
|
THE DEATH OF CHRIST “FROM THAT TIME FORTH” (Apo Tote). This phrase a highly significant one for this reason: From that time forth Jesus began to entrust the disciples with fuller teaching concerning His death. He began to reveal certain circumstances of His death. It was to be contributed to by three causes – the Jewish authorities, His own disciples, and Roman power. A careful study of these passages in the light of the previous statements about the death (Matthew 16:16ff) so far as the first Gospel is concerned, clearly shows that in them we have what has rightly been called the culminating idea as to Himself and to His function (Matt. 16:21; Matt. 4:17; Matt. 17:22; 20:18). Later on the teaching becomes still more definite. The PURPOSE for which He is to die is herein stated, “The good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). “The Son of man came…to give His life a RANSOM for many” (Matt. 20:28). On the eve of the crucifixion, other additions are made to the teaching about the PURPOSE of HIS death. The corn of wheat must DIE if it is to bear fruit (Jn. 12:24), and the greatest proof of LOVE is the laying down of life (Jn. 15:13). Then at the institution of the Lord’s supper, Jesus Christ spoke of His blood as that of the New Covenant shed for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28) is exactly the same as in Acts 2:38 “For the remission of sins.” Same in the Greek and English. As we read of the agony of Gethsemane, we are impressed with the mystery of the suffering of Christ, and as we ponder His cry on the Cross, we feel that we are in the presence of something other than ordinary sufferings, and that His death was indeed the “CULMINATING IDEA” of His early ministry. But there is something much more than this mere record of the Gospel concerning the death of Jesus Christ. When we review the entire situation we observe that two things stand out very prominently. The first is the utter inability of the disciples to understand this teaching about their Master’s death. From the moment of the first disclosure, when Peter rebuked Jesus and repelled the idea of death with abhorrence (Matt. 16:22), they not only showed themselves unable to grasp its meaning, but for some time they would not even contemplate it as a fact. It was unwelcome and repellent to them, and they evidently did their utmost to shut their eyes to it. The response of James and John to the inquiry whether they could be baptized with His baptism and drink of His cup, is another illustration of this inability to enter into that which was already filling His soul. This inability to understand and appreciate their Master’s death, and the faithfulness with which this fact is recorded in the Gospels, constitute a very important feature of the problem of the death. The other thing which stands out with equal prominence is the attitude of our Lord to His own death. Jesus Christ was truly man, and it is evident that He was deeply affected by the death which He so often mentioned and anticipated. One of the most remarkable and mysterious passages is found in connection with the announcement of His death to His disciples. “And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed: and as they followed they were afraid” (Mark 10:32). Again, His reference to His “baptism” and His “cup” shows what was then in His mind as its over-mastering thought and PURPOSE’ “Now My soul is troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, for this CAUSE I came into this hour” (John 12:27). In a very real sense Calvary began in the Garden. And when we come to the last scene of all, the climax of the Cross, we are in an atmosphere of something far exceeding, indeed quite different from ordinary suffering and death. See ya Sunday, Ralph |
| |
|
SOUL WINNING – THE REAL WORK OF THE CHURCH The greatest need in the church today is that of SOUL WINNING. The church needs people who are willing to talk about Christ and His gospel. However, the kind of passion for souls as displayed by the first century Christians seems completely lacking in most congregations today. “And every day, in the temple and at home, they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus as the Christ.” (Acts 5:42”. The early church was involved in a daily evangelism. The “ceased not” to teach and preach Jesus as the Christ. Even when persecution came upon the church, “they therefore that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4). Somehow, we have misplaced our values. It seems that many are more interested in impressing people than implanting principles. Some, it seems, are afraid of offending folks with plain talk about the commands of the gospel. We must, however, get our values in proper perspective. NOTHING is more valuable than a soul. (Matt. 16:26). Our personal popularity is worthless compared to the soul of a friend or relative. Jesus was not running a popularity contest and neither must we. The mission of the Master is the mission of the church. Jesus said, “for the son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Lk. 19:10). Soul winning is therefore the real work of the church. The various acts of worship such as singing and praying are important, but the real work of the church is not passing the communion trays or ushering. These things are helpful and necessary, but the work of the church is to seek the lost. There is no such thing as a congregation where there is no work for everyone. There is something for every member of the body to do… each one can win one. This does not mean every member must teach a study. One can tell the story of Jesus on the job, at coffee break, at play, or in a home just drinking coffee. There are opportunities every day to influence someone for the good and to direct ones thinking toward God and His word. Our problem , often times, is that we do not see and seize our opportunity’ We need to “THINK SOULS”, overcome fears and discouragement, and through constant prayer see the urgency and importance of soul winning. See ya Sunday, Ralph |
| |
Back to Index