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Birdwell Lane Church of Christ Big Spring, TX |
Weekly Thoughts - July 2009
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05 - Getting Rid Of The Old Man (Zeke's Corner) 12 - WHY ATTEND SERVICES 19 - AN EVANGELISTIC CHURCH 26 - THE WILL OF GOD FOR ME |
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Getting Rid Of The Old Man - Zeke's Corner “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24) We are told by the apostle Paul about our Christian duty to put off the old man and put on the new man. It seems that as Christians, we sometimes struggle with the old man still trying to be in control. The old man is the old corrupt way of being and living before becoming a Christian. The old man can really get to us, if we let him. Every time we turn around, he can show his ugly face. It can really be frustrating at times. We all know, the old man is not a very nice person; he’s hateful, selfish, and on top of that, he thinks he knows everything. The only thing he cares about is tending to his own needs. Honestly, we thought he would have died years ago but he’s still hanging around. It seems we never can do the things we want to do because our old man always has other plans. The thing is, he never wants to do anything or go anywhere that is good for us. He doesn’t care much about our spiritual health. He doesn’t like to be faithful to church services and he doesn’t like to pray or read the bible. He doesn’t like to give only receive. If it was up to him, he would be in control all over again; however, we must not let him, because Jesus is Lord! Jesus should be the one in control. We must overcome! We must get rid of the old man! God Bless, Zeke Banda |
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WHY ATTEND SERVICES 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. Hear the Heavenly Voice 25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, NKJV. What the writer does is describe how it felt in those early generations to belong to the Christian community - and what it ought to feel like to belong to that community today. This text gives some idea of the amazingly rich inheritance which is ours in the Church, the Body of Christ. “When you meet in your places of worship,” he asks, “with whom are you meeting?” He answers first negatively, casting his mind back to the old days before God in the fullness of time had sent forth His Son. “You are not come unto a mount that might be touched and burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest.” You have not come, that is to Sinai, to the voice of thunder that might freeze the blood and terrify the soul; not come to the old rigid system of exclusion – you haven’t come to that! All that, having served its day, is past and finished. And then the text states positively, “You have come unto Mt. Zion, and unto the City of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.” This is your Christian heritage. This is the truth about the Church at worship. And notice precisely how he puts it. He does not say “You shall come.” He says, “You have come”: meaning, “This is what actually happens every time you meet for worship. This is the fellowship into which you enter.” If only we could realize the riches of our heritage. See Ya Sunday, Ralph |
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AN EVANGELISTIC CHURCH We are told one of the characteristics of the early church in Acts 6:7,”And the word of God increased and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.” Thus, the early church was an evangelistic and growing church. This is a characteristic which the church can and should have today. A church can be evangelistic if it has evangelistic leadership. Elders are not to hinder good works, but to encourage them. Likewise, preachers need to spend a good deal of time exhorting the brethren to good works instead of discouraging them. A climate for church growth can occur when we think positive towards evangelism. The following are attitudes we all need to strive for:
See Ya Sunday, Ralph |
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THE WILL OF GOD FOR ME I think most Americans believe that Abraham Lincoln was our greatest president. He was a believer in the Bible as the Word of God. Many of his addresses were flavored with quotations from the Good Book. The great president wrestled with emancipation of the slaves. There was no doubt in his mind that the slaves should be freed, but the problem was how to do it and not divide the nation. Lincoln wrote after he had signed the Emancipation Proclamation that he had sought the will of God, and that he had received advice from religious men as to how he should solve this problem. Lincoln wrote, "I hope it will not be irreverent for me to say that if it is probable that God should reveal His will to others on a point so connected with my duty, it might be supposed He would reveal it directly to me; for, unless I am more deceived in myself than I often am, it is my earnest desire, to know the will of Providence in this matter. And if I can learn what it is, I will do it." He concluded, "These are not, however, the days of miracles, and I suppose it will be granted that I am not to expect a direct revelation. I must study the plain physical facts of the case, ascertain what is possible, and learn what appears to be wise and right. The subject is difficult, and good men do not agree. Times have not changed; there are many who believe that they have experienced a miracle. Often this is a well-meaning misunderstanding of scripture. The Word of God speaks to all mankind. The Holy Spirit who inspired this message from God Himself never says one thing to one person or another thing to someone else. The message is the same, that God loves all mankind and shows no favoritism, God's eternal plan for saving the whole family of man centers on the cross of Jesus. His death satisfied the justice of God and showed the love of God. We all can know the Will of God for us. It is the same for the whole world. See Ya Sunday, Ralph |
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