Birdwell Lane
Church of Christ
Big Spring, TX


Weekly Thoughts - March 2010
<----   February 2010    --    April 2010   ---->
07 - IS THE WORLD FACING THE THREAT OF OVERPOPULATION?
14 - THERE IS MORE TO GOD THAN LOVE
21 - JESUS’ PRESENT MINISTRY – ACTIVE AS WELL AS ALIVE
28 - WILL WE HAVE A SUCCESSFUL MEETING?
 
 
March 7, 2010
IS THE WORLD FACING THE THREAT OF OVERPOPULATION?

      ANSWER: NO
      Those who talk about overpopulation are propagating a destructive myth. It is to serve the purpose of justifying abortion, sterilization, infanticide, and euthanasia; however, it is totally contrary to the facts.
      Actually the world is comparatively empty. There are 52.5 million square miles of land area in the world, not including Antarctica.
      If all the people in the world were brought together into one place, they could stand, without touching anyone else, in less than 200 square miles.
      A further fallacy in the population explosion myth is the assumption that the greater the population, the lower the standard of living. This is not true.
      Japan has a population density of 798 people /sq. mile, yet they have a higher per capita gross national product than India, which has 511/sq.mile.
      China has a population density of 232/sq.mile. While the United Kingdom has 593/sq. mile, and the United States has only 60/sq.mile.
      The city limits of Jacksonville, Florida contain 841 square miles. Each square mile contains 27,878,400 square feet. The total number of square feet in the city is 23, 445,734,400. The world population is about 6 Billion people. By allowing an average of 2.6 square feet for each person from babies to adults, every person in the world could stand shoulder to shoulder in just one-half of the city.
      IS THE WORLD FACING THE THREAT OF OVERPOPULATION? No it is facing the reality of Secular Humanism on a destructive path against God, Christ, Christianity and the Church.


See Ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 
March 14, 2010
THERE IS MORE TO GOD THAN LOVE

      Ex 34:6-7
      6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." NKJV
      The children of Israel had seemingly become an excessive burden to Moses, and he felt the need of further, a more specific revelation of God’s essence. I beseech you, show your glory” (Exodus 33:18). Although God was not compelled to do so, He graciously consented to “make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee” (v.19), recorded in full in our text.
      But what a name! “The Lord,” Jehovah, the self-existent revealer: “The Lord God,” Jehovah Elohim, names bursting with meaning and significance to the O.T. Israelite, reflecting aspects of His nature and character. Five adjectives or descriptive phrases follow—all part of His name—characteristics of the loving God who later would give His Son so that we might fully experience Him. Next we see He is a forgiving God as well—that even our “iniquity and transgression and sin” can be forgiven. But His forgiveness can only be extended to the obedient, for He “will by no means clear the guilty.”
      Many Christians today are quick to point out that “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8) as well as merciful, gracious, etc. But we must never forget that, just as His name implies, there is more to God than just love. God abhors sin, and an unrepentant sinner will experience His wrath in justice. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”


See Ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 
March 21, 2010
JESUS’ PRESENT MINISTRY – ACTIVE AS WELL AS ALIVE

PREPARING (John 14:2) - INTERCEDING (Romans 8:34; Heb. 4:14; 6:20; 7:25; 9:24)
  1. Christ as a Prophet – Perfect in knowledge
    1. Calls Himself a prophet – Luke 13:33
    2. Claimed to ring God’s message – John 8:26-28; 14:10-24; 17:8, 26
    3. Accepted praise as a true prophet or teacher from God – Matt. 21:11, 46; Luke 7:16; 24:19; John 3:2; 4:19
  2. Christ as Priest – Perfect Holiness
    1. Suffered in man’s stead and satisfied divine holiness and opened the way for God to pardon – Romans 3:21-26; Heb. 9:12; John 1:29
    2. Sinless – Heb. 7:23-26; Cf. 2:17; 3:1
    3. Secures, on the basis of atonement, all of our temporal and spiritual blessings – Isa. 53:12; Luke 22:32; John 14:16
    4. Continues His intercessory work for the church – Heb. 4:15; 9:11-15, 24-28; 10:19-22
  3. Christ as King – Perfect in Power
    1. Asserted in life – Matt. 2:2; John 1:48; Acts 17:7
    2. Exercises power in upholding and controlling the world – Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:15-19
    3. Rules among nations – Rev. 19:11-16
    4. Rules among angels – Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:4-7
    5. Rules in the church – Eph. 1:22-23; 5:22-32; Col. 1:18
Be Thou supreme, Lord Jesus Christ,
Thy life transfigures mine;
And through this veil of mortal flesh,
Here may thy glory shine



See Ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 
March 28, 2010
WILL WE HAVE A SUCCESSFUL MEETING?

     The time has arrived for our GOSPEL MEETING with Ted Kell from Brownwood, Texas. We can have a great meeting if each individual will do his part and start NOW to make plans and preparations to be here. The choice is NOT Ted’s but ours.
     I hear a lot of talk these days to the effect that the day of the Gospel Meeting has passed. Fond memories of “protracted meetings” with outstanding evangelists are recalled…Christians inviting their denominational friends and their coming. The meeting house was filled. People thrilled at the preaching of the Gospel. Hearts were inspired and people changed by the preached Word and beautiful congregational singing. God was glorified.
     Now, why can’t it be so today? Gospel meetings need not be just a part of our nostalgic memories of the past! We CAN have a successful meeting. If we will become excited and enthusiastic about the matter and go to work, God will bless our effort.
    Our meeting will be effective if we are:
  1. ENTHUSED enough to talk about it in a voice that is brimming over with joy and anticipation.
  2. INTERESTED enough to work before the meeting to lay a foundation which is needed.
  3. PRAYERFUL enough asking God’s assistance.
  4. LOVING enough to invite, encourage and bring all whom we can.
  5. ZEALOUS enough to be present for every service and to sing with the spirit and the understanding.
      There‘s NO need for us to shake our heads and whine that the day of Gospel Meetings is past. Our meeting with brother Kell this next week, CAN be effective if you and I are willing to join God in making it so.

WE CAN HAVE A SUCCESSFUL MEETING IF “I” WANT IT TO BE!!


See Ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 

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