Birdwell Lane
Church of Christ
Big Spring, TX


Weekly Thoughts - October 2008
<----   September 2008    --    November 2008   ---->
05 - THE ONE BODY
12 - THINGS WHICH PREVENT BACKSLIDING
NO ARTICLE THIS WEEK
26 - GARBAGE IN - GARBAGE OUT
 
 
October 5, 2008
THE ONE BODY

      “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as, you are called in one hope of your calling, One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). The very same writer tells us “And has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23).
      Since there is one body and the church is said to be the body we must reach the conclusion that the Lord established but one church, “But now are there many members, yet but one body”. (1 Corinthians 12:20). “So, we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members of another” (Romans 12:5). Certainly all the contradictory denominations do not form the one body. If this were the case then the body of Christ would be divided. We must remember that Christ is not divided (1 Corinthians 1:13).
      It would be a happy day for all believers if unity could prevail. This can only be achieved by following the same Christ, obeying the same commands from the same book Every sincere person who believes in Christ and turns away from his sins may be “baptized into the one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Being in the same body means being in the same church the one Jesus established on Pentecost day (Acts 2).

See ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 
October 12, 2008
THINGS WHICH PREVENT BACKSLIDING

Because backsliding is so tragic (2 Peter 2:20-22), all should be interested in the things which will prevent it. We now observe such:
  1. BIBLE READING. Jesus overcame Satan by constant references to the Scriptures, (Matt. 4:1-11). David said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Ps. 119:11). Through Bible reading one learns how to live, decide and worship. As food gives strength to our physical bodies, God’s word, spiritual food (1 Peter 2:21), gives us spiritual strength. A Christian ignorant of his Bible is in constant danger.
  2. WORK. Working in the Lord’s vineyard is a great prohibitive to falling. Hebrews 4:11 reads, 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” Hence, let every Christian be “steadfast, unmovable, always abound in the work of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58).
  3. PRAYER. “Backsliding begins in the knees.” One cannot pray right and live wrong. Prayer is a powerful help in remaining faithful.
  4. THE CHRISTIAN GRACES. 2 Peter 1:5-10 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;”
  5. WORSHIP. Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Let us practice each of the preceding things which prevent backsliding.

See ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 
October 26, 2008
GARBAGE IN - GARBAGE OUT

      We decided about a month ago to have a garage sale and try to get rid of some piled up junk (stuff). Going through the house room by room we were really amazed at what we had gathered and piled up for various reasons. I found things that we have moved not once but twice and still didn’t have unpacked. Realized it had to be important stuff to have never even broken the tape on the box. Some of it dated back to my early years of preaching. Really can’t say I even remember why it was kept.
      Looked at from today’s perspective they just were not important. I wondered why I had ever worried about some of them. Maybe you have somewhere along the line been in the same position.
      Paul said that he was determined to know nothing except “Christ and Him crucified”> He emphasized the things that are of ‘first importance” (1 Cor. 15:1-5). They are “Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures”, He was buried, and arose from the dead on the third day. We become children of God, and brothers and sisters of Christ by being born of the water and the Spirit; i.e. buried in baptism, to rise to walk in the newness of life, Romans 6:1ff.
      Paul emphasized in many of his letters that we are not to walk the way the “Gentiles”, worldly people, walk, but we are to walk as a child of the King should walk. James tells us that we are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. These things, unlike unpacked boxes are of eternal importance, and must not be discarded as being “out of date.”

See ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 

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