Each One Win One 2009

This page contains the weekly encouragements written by Bill Snell. If you would like to view "Each One Win Ones" from 2004-2007, click here.  To view 2008's editions, click here.  Questions or suggestions may be emailed to him.

• January 7,2009

• January 14, 2009

• January 21, 2009

• February 4, 2009

• February 11, 2009

• February 18, 2009

• February 25, 2009

 02/25/09

A Great Impetus for Personal Evangelism

By Rob Redden

When Paul told Timothy he thought of himself as the chief of sinners, he wasn't exaggerating (1Tim 1:15).  In his heart, he could not fathom anything worse than one persecuting the church, dragging Christians from their homes to be tried for crimes they did not commit and attempting to force them to blaspheme Jesus.  He even consented to their execution. 

All that was behind him, and Jesus gave him a fresh, new start.  It is interesting how he describes this. "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life"  (1 Tim 1:16).    Please notice the "so that."  This is not a purpose clause as some think.  It is what scholars today call ecbatic - it points to result rather than purpose.  Paul was not shown mercy in order that he could serve as a great example to lead others, equally horrible as sinners, to Christ.  Instead, evangelism was the result of receiving mercy.  Paul was so overwhelmed with his past life of sin that it was one of the greatest motives of evangelism for him.  To realize how unworthy he was, and that God, in His mercy and grace, saved him proved to be a force in his life that never waned.

What about us?  Just how grateful are we that our sins have been forgiven?  How thankful are we that we were able to hear the gospel and have the determination to obey it?  Consider the obstacles that were in our path.  Now, consider the overwhelming obstacles if we had been born in a Moslem country.   When John spoke of the Messiah, he said he was unworthy to untie his laces to his sandals. When Jesus came to be baptized by John, he felt unworthy to baptize Jesus.   When Peter caught a great haul of fish at Jesus' word, he felt so unworthy and fell at Jesus' feet and told Him, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man" (Luke. 5:8).  In spite of their unworthiness, John was allowed to baptize Jesus, and Peter wasn't sent away but became one of the greatest apostles.  

After Nathan, the prophet, rebuked David for his sin with Bathsheba, he wrote, as many scholars believe, the 51st Psalm.  Notice what he wrote as he poured out his heart in contrite grief for his sin.  "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you" (Psalm 51:12-13). 

Personal evangelism [soul winning, bringing others to Christ] provides one of the greatest evidences of our deep sorrow for our sins, but also our deep gratitude for forgiveness.   Remember the story of Jesus dining with Simon, the Pharisee?  A woman of the city came in and washed Jesus' feet with her tears.  In explanation, Jesus said, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little" (Luke 7:47).    Love proved to be the fruit of her forgiveness.  Are we as grateful?  Does our love for the lost prove it?

(edited ever so slightly by BJS).

Rob has spoken on our lectureship and did a wonderful job.  He is the Pulpit minister for the Grover Beach Church of Christ in Grover Beach, California.  He is a graduate of the Bear Valley Bible Institute Denver and a wonderful, faithful Christian brother. 

Jesus Wept

Have you ever wondered if Jesus ever wept over lost souls?  The only recorded time in Holy Scripture that speaks of Jesus’ weeping was at the grave site of Lazarus.  The scripture simply says, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).  Jesus was moved with compassion for the loss of His dear friend and the aching hearts of his two sisters. 

The only other time that reference is made to Jesus crying is found in the book of Hebrews. "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared" (5:7).  That’s it!  That is the only two times I find this in scripture (KJV).  What is the Hebrew writer trying to tell us?  Could it possibly be that when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane in an agony (Luke 22:44) that he petitioned his heavenly father with much grief, trepidation, fear, trembling, and tears?

However, were there other times?  Do you suppose Jesus ever wept because he knew that the majority of the world, and especially his own people would reject Him and His message?  The ones He came to save were a people of ingratitude.  Have you ever wondered if some of those on whom he had worked his miraculous healings were amongst the crowd of people who were shouting “Crucify, Crucify?” 

Do you suppose that Jesus wept when he cried out over Jerusalem,  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:37-39).

I suppose that there may have been many times that Jesus wept for the lost which are not recorded in the Bible.  The last words recorded in the Gospel of John teach us, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen" (John 21:25).

Maybe we ought to shed some tears over lost souls, what do you think?  Do we have a heart of compassion similar to that of our Lord and Savior?  Perhaps we should shed some tears for ourselves over our lack of action in the process of attempting to do what Jesus has commanded us to do.  Which of us is not fully aware of what Jesus did for us?

It was wonderful to see Tyler Simpson return to Jesus and His Church.  Welcome home dear brother in Christ.  Assuredly, we rejoice with the angels in heaven over what you have done.

Let’s all ask someone to study the Bible with us this week, and until next time, think souls (Proverbs 11:30).

02/18/09

We still have a few Bible study possibilities.  It was great to see Judy Mahone this past Sunday morning.  I spoke to her briefly, but she got away before I could talk with her to see if she is ready to speak about the church.  Detra Reid was here, and she said her mom is still reading the book, Searching for Truth, that I gave her.  I did not see Merle or Kevin here this past Sunday, and I do not know if they are OK or exactly what is going on in their life.  I did not see Stan or Angie Dawson here this past Sunday.  They have a host of health problems.  Jim and Mary Ann are trying to make a visit with them.  My, it seems like if you get sick for a few days, you lose touch with everything that is going on around you.   John and Debbie have been sick, along with their kids, so I do not know how their study is going with Robbie Hogg.  There may be other studies going on that I do not know about.  There were several visitors from the community here on Sunday also.  They were friends of the Wades and Missy Williams. 

Campaigners Return!

Welcome home to our Panama campaigners.  Several folks went to the airport to welcome home our campaigners.  After an overnight stay in New Jersey, the campaigners finally arrived home on Sunday afternoon about 2:00 P.M.  We were unable to get the word out in time on Saturday that they would not be arriving as scheduled, so some showed up on Saturday to welcome them home.  When they arrived on Sunday, all the campaigners looked revitalized and refreshed, but you could tell that they had been working hard for the Lord.  Your campaigners for this year were David Young, Jr. and Belinda, Pamela Flynn, Mike and Shannon, Ben Tillman, and Hermelinda Sams.  Hermelinda and Ben stayed a little longer to visit with Hermelinda’s family.  I know all those who returned were happy to be reunited with their families.  Hopefully, they will make a report sometime soon to the congregation on the work they did. 

Who Designed God?

During the recent Darwin Day debate between Dan Barker and our own Kyle Butt, Kyle spoke of the design argument as proof of the existence of God.   The tenets of this particular argument are simple but powerful ones.  Primarily, the argument states, “If you can determine that there is a design to anything then there must be a designer.”  Not to belabor the point, but if there is a design to man, and their certainly is, then there must be a designer (God).  This has been a strong argument for the existence of God for some time now. 

Mr. Barker responded, “Your design argument will not work.  If God is an infinite being and there is design in his workings, then there must be a designer for God.  Who designed God?”  At first it may seem that Mr. Barker has used our own argument for design against us.  However, his reasoning has a fatal flaw and cannot stand the test.  Mr. Barker apparently does not understand the nature of God or the concept of eternity. 

If one stops and thinks for but a moment, how can there be any design or designer for something that has always been.  In order for something to have a beginning there must be a creator of that beginning in some way.  To have a design or designer implies creation of the designed object.  Let’s look to the Bible for our definition of God.

John 4:24 plainly states that, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."  God is not physical in the sense that He is composed of flesh and blood or even anything material.  God is infinite and man is finite.  Therefore, man, especially the atheist, cannot recognize or define God.  The following scriptures proclaim the eternality (eternalness) of God, and they proclaim His eternal being from before time (Titus 1:2; 1 Pet 1:21; Deut 33:27; Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:11).  Logically speaking, if we can see the creation of any god, he is neither eternal nor God.

The Bible is filled with examples of “a god” that were designed by men, but not physical representations of “The God” of eternity.  God would not even allow His servant Moses to see His face.  "And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:19-23). 

Therefore, the proof of God ultimately comes down to reason, logic, fact and, yes, faith.  But faith by definition is not without evidence.  It is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1).  Winfred Corduan writes:

We can look at the world and see if the world is constructed in such a way that it is reasonable to believe that there must be a God.  Thus our first question must be:  What is the world like?  If the world bears the marks of God, then it is reasonable to infer that God must exist.

The effects. . . [are} orderliness and harmoniousness of nature.  Then the argument inferred from this apparent design in the world [is] to a design (No Doubt About It; p107-109).

One thing that the child of God must remember is that the atheist’s mind is already made up.  Never is he intent upon accepting any proof of God’s existence.  Therefore, simply remember that things eternal have no beginning and no end, and there can be no designer for God. 

Here is the question for the atheist, that is the true atheist.  It is called “Pascal’s Wager.”  Para- phrased and simply stated it goes like this.  “If you are correct and there is no God, what have I lost for believing in a divine being?  When we die it will be all over for the both of us, and we will simply decay in the grave.  However, if I am correct, and there is life after death, a heaven for the obedient and a hell for the disobedient, and you are incorrect, which of us will have a problem?” 

These ideas and concepts are important because there are honest and sincere people out in our world who are seeking God, but share in some of the questions about God’s existence.  These folks are not atheists, simply good people with questions and misunderstandings.  It is our job to take the gospel message to these folks.  Until next time, think souls and ask someone to study the Bible with you (Proverbs 11:30).

02/11/09

THANK YOU TO THE ELDERS AND CONGREGATION

Thank you to the elders and congregation for allowing Jewell and I to attend the FHU lectureship.    As usual it was a spiritual feast.  This year’s theme was Crying out to God—Prayer and Praise in the Psalms.  What a joy and what a learning experience it turned out to be.  There were so many valuable, deep, and profound lessons found in the poetry of Psalms that I almost hung on every word.  I have read the Psalms many times, but I have never studied them in such depth as we did this past week.  My soul was uplifted and encouraged, even thrilled by some of the lessons I learned.

Psalm 10 implores our God, "Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Thy hand. Do not forget the afflicted" (vs 12).  There are myriads of folks today who are spiritually afflicted.  They may be tired, hungry, and even destitute and poor.  However, God loves each and every one of them.  Likewise, God is concerned about their physical needs as well as their spiritual ones.  Although the superscript attributes this Psalm to David, it is a fact that the superscripts were added many years after the Psalms were written. Thus, it probably was written by King David, and likewise, there is no concrete evidence that it was not written by David.  It certainly addresses many matters that would have been on David’s mind. 

This Psalm begins, "Why dost Thou stand afar off, O LORD? Why dost Thou hide Thyself in times of trouble?" (10:1).  Is it possible that sometimes when one feels the need for God most in his life it seems that God has hidden Himself from us?  We might even ask God, “God, where are You when I need You?”  Some even lead their lives in such a way as to find themselves in such a state of desperation that their only hope is to cry out to God in just this way.    O what messes people can make of their lives.  What messes can be made in marriage, child rearing, financial decisions and work relationships that at times it leaves one at a loss as to which way to turn and exactly which way to proceed.

We must not be afraid to ask our God for help.  At some point in life one will come to a realization that only God can render the aid we need, and so we must turn to God with a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:7).  And so it is that one turns to God for help.  One may ask God why, but one must remember that God is under no obligation to answer us.  God never told Job why his circumstance had fallen upon him, but He never censured him for asking why.  In fact, God told Job that if Job would answer His questions then He would answer his (Job’s) question.  Job could not answer God’s question, and therefore, God did not answer Job’s. 

In the end, what one needs is summed up in the last two verses of the Psalm. "O LORD, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble; Thou wilt strengthen their heart, Thou wilt incline Thine ear To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, That man who is of the earth may cause terror no more" (10; 17-18).  The child of God cries out to God, and God answers.  

Often when one forgets the divine plan of God in whatever circumstance one finds oneself, one becomes the author of one’s own distress.  When a woman in a marriage forgets her proper role in God’s plan for the family and the husband and wife relationship, she becomes the author of discontent and strife.  Proverbs has many things to say about this woman.  Likewise, the Ephesian letter has much to say about the responsibilities of the husband to his wife, the wife to their husband, and children to their parents.

 The Bible also speaks about the role of male leadership in the home.  When men abdicate to the woman and give up their leadership role, this also is not what God intended the role of the husband and father to be.   I suggest that both husband and wife follow the spiritual guidelines for their marriage and family.  Note also that they both are to leave father and mother and cleave to one another (Matthew 19:5).  This word cleave is from the Greek proskollao and carries with it the meaning of being joined together, glued, or adhered to one another. 

So many times well meaning in-laws are the cause of much distress in a marriage.  When I was a child we used to sing a little song entitled, Where have you been Billy boy, Billy boy?  It was a cute little song, almost a nursery rhyme type song and the words were as follows: O where have you been Billy boy, Billy boy, O where have you been charming Billy. I have been to seek a wife, she is the darling of my life, she’s a young thing and cannot leave her mother.  Unfortunately, this circumstance can be a source of great distress and destroyer in some marriages.  Listen carefully when I say that this song applies to the man just as well as the woman in a marriage. 

I have counseled with a couple whose biggest problem was that the man of the family was not willing to give up his “boys night out” of drinking, card playing and whatever else he did on these events. Another was not willing to make any concessions about hunting and fishing with his pals and family members.  Another distress common to some marriages is the children.  It seems that some have left father and mother only to cleave to their children.  This is not what the scripture says. 

We need to remember that there is a world of people around us who are in affliction of some kind.  We need also to remember that we have the words that can help those who are in distress.  Paul wrote to Timothy, "For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory" (2 Timothy 2:10).  Those who are chosen are all those who will answer the Savior’s call; all those who are in distress and affliction.  The mother whose son is hooked on drugs is one of those who is in distress.  The wife who has lost her husband is the one who is in distress.  The list will go on eternally, but these folks will always be with us until Christ returns.  

The Christian has a special hope that God will never leave us, and it is found in His blessed Son.   No matter how distressed or afflicted we may become, God loves us.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God.  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Just as it is written, FOR THY SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35-39).

God never leaves us or abandons us.  When we get in over our head; when we fall into an extreme state of affliction or distress, when we cannot extricate ourselves, when we do not know which way to turn, and when it seems as though the only thing left to do is throw in the towel, we must remember that all is not lost and God has not abandoned us.  Here is what the Hebrew writer said, “. . .  being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU, so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT SHALL MAN DO TO ME?"" (13:5-6).  

Until next time, ask someone to study the Bible with you and think souls (Proverbs 11:30).

02/04/09

LET’S GET Involved

I don’t understand some things

Please forgive me, but there are some things I simply do not understand.  I know the potential of the members of our congregation.  We have some of the greatest brothers and sisters that dwell within our brotherhood.  These are outstanding people who love God, His blessed Son, the Holy Spirit, and the church.  There is nothing these folks would not do for me or for that matter for you.  If I asked them, I feel they would literally give me the shirt off of their backs.  They try every day to live the godly life, free from sin and Satan.  If they have children, I know that they do their best to raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Galatians 6:4).  Many of these folks who worship here with me probably have a better prayer life than I do, and they read and study their Bible more consistently than I.

So, what’s the problem you ask?  What is it that you do not understand?  Good question.  The problem as I see it and what I do not understand is this.  There are approximately 175 to 200 names on our roll here at Cold Harbor Road.  Of that number, approximately half are men.  What I don’t understand then is why, when we have our men’s breakfast (business meeting), there are only ten or twelve people who show up; and usually it is the same few who come.  I can count about 80 males, including the small ones, give or take a few, in our church directory.  Nonetheless, most of these could be present for the men’s breakfast.    

I heard a man ask his father-in-law if he should try to make the men’s breakfast meetings (here at CHR).  He said, “Saturday morning is the only time I have off to sleep in.”  “Really,” I thought.  I was even more surprised by his father-in-law’s answer.  “You can’t make everything son, so you don’t have to come, just stay home.”  I was flabbergasted by his answer.  What a precedent was set by that answer.  Suppose that Sunday morning was the only morning he had to sleep in. Would his father-in-law’s answer have been the same?  I simply do not understand why, a little sleep, sports, work, fishing, hunting, camping, boating, bluegrass festivals, rock concerts, auto racing, or anything else has a higher priority than doing the work of the Lord’s church.  Heaven forbid that anyone should ever be tired, that is so tired that they might have to deprive themselves of a little sleep, rest, and recreation to do God’s work.  It is kind of like what Vince Lombardy said about winning football.  He said, “Winning is not everything, it is the only thing.”  More correctly, “The work of the Lord is not everything, it is the only thing.”  In time and eternity, this is an eternal fact. 

I know that we must consider the infirmed, and the sick, and perhaps even the elderly.  You know the ones I mean, the ones who can’t get out or who cannot drive or perhaps are caregivers and cannot leave another unattended.  I understand all this.  What I cannot and do not understand for the life of me is the timid, the fearful, the lazy, the indifferent, the unconcerned, and the uninformed.  Lord willing, we are about to spend around one million dollars on a building addition.  I wonder, exactly how many men have had input into the things that they would like to see included in this new facility.  We spend much time in the breakfast meetings discussing these very things and other important issues.  Although it is somewhat late now to be suggesting input for our new building there was a proper time.  Where were the men and why did they not take advantage of the opportunity that God gave them? 

I do not understand why folks do not desire to fellowship with their brothers and sisters.  If one does not desire to be in constant fellowship with other Christians, why in heaven or earth would one desire to go to heaven?  Think about this.  In heaven there will be the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The only other individuals in heaven will be the saved, that is, those who share the same love for the trinity and other Christians

Recently we had a meeting to discuss setting up visitation teams.  There were two basic groups of people who were or were not involved in this meeting.  Simply stated, one group is the group that is going to make the visits and the other is the group that is going to be visited.  When we started the meeting I stood in the front of the auditorium and watched, deacons and their wives, former deacons and their wives, long and solid Christians and their wives get up and walk out of the meeting.  They seem to have absolutely no desire to fellowship with other members of the visitation teams and certainly no inclination or desire to visit with those who are weak or need encouragement, provoking them to love and good works (Heb 10:24).  We find these words in the book of first Thessalonians, "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men" (5:14).  There are some out there that cannot get out at all and they need the visits and fellowship that we can provide for them.  Alas, there seems to be no desire on the part of some.  I cannot help but think of the following verses:

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:34-46).

If you are not on one of the visitation teams you really need to be.  If there is some reason you cannot, God understands, but you just read what Jesus said.  If you want to be added to a visitation team and are willing to commit to this good work, see me or one of the team leaders and we will add you to a team.  The team leaders are (1) Steve Hadra (2) Mike Inge (3) Shawn Mechling (4) David Young.

I am sorry, forgive me please, but I simply do not understand.  It is neither my desire nor my job to judge anyone, but for the life of me, I cannot understand some folks. Did Jesus die on the cross just so we can sit idly by and do nothing?  I think not.  Jesus wants our commitment and involvement in the work he has tasked us to do.  Will we fail him?  I certainly hope not.  I am going to do my best to do everything he has asked me to do.  How about you?

Until next time, ask someone for a Bible study and think souls (Proverbs 11:30).

Visitation

I have placed in everyone’s mailbox a copy of the proposed visitation program so that you may look at it and see how you can be involved.  Some of the visits will need to be made by Ryan or myself, and some will need to be made by the elders.  We understand that, but the rest may be made by our beloved, hard working rank and file. 

It is going to work very similar to the program that we have used before that Derell Ellerbe and Chris and Nancy Carter ran for us.  We will need to divide into four teams and then meet once a month to make visits.  An example might be: team one would meet week one of the month, team two, the second and so on.  When we did this before, we met at someone’s home, had a fellowship meal, selected our assignments and sometime during the week made our visit.  For the most part, these visits were not time sensitive; however, some of our visits will be, such as hospital visits, etc.  This is important folks.  For the past several years we have not really had a formal visitation program.   What we are asking is for you to get involved and commit to one night a month, 12 evenings per year for visitation meetings and then make the visits you have selected.  You would then make your visit within the next week (7 days).  It is pretty simple but very effective.  We will need to identify a team to head up the program and then four team leaders, one for each week of the month.  On months that might have a fifth week we could have a meeting and fellowship of all the teams.  The team leader(s) could be an individual or a man and wife team. 

Let’s try and meet on Sunday morning the 25th after worship services to develop our teams, team leaders and visitation coordinator.  I would like to have this effort up and running the first week of February for team one, and so on.  If everyone who is interested in being involved in our visitation program would stay for a few minutes we could accomplish our goal.  Please plan on staying.  Surely, you know how important this work is.   

 JUSTIN RICE—A brother in Christ

For those who would like to write a letter(s) to Justin Rice, his mailing address is:  Justin Rice, P.O.Box 3368, Henrico, VA 23228-9768.  To donate money to his canteen fund, you may bring me a money order made out to Justin Rice (preferrably) or cash, and I will deposit it in his fund for you (unless you desire to drive out there yourself and do it, which is OK).   

THINK ON THIS

Although what we believe is important, it is what we do that defines us.  Pause and reflect for a moment about your life.  No matter how true, strong, faithful or conservative our beliefs may be, Jesus told us that we are all on one of two roads (Matthew 7:13-14).  Note that in the following two paragraphs, the words are exactly the same, word for word.  Only the puncutation is changed.  Puncuation are those marks that allow us to put emphasis where it is needed.  Thus it is with our lives; the direction we take depends on where we put the emphasis, or punctuation. 

The one who cares for lost souls:

He is a dedicated and experienced man.  In apathy and indifference he is never found.  Opposing the work of sinful men he takes delight.  In the lost condition of his neighbor he never rejoices.  In the salvation of  his fellow man he is ready to persist.  In the lost condition of mankind and his lost soul he takes no pleasure.  In serving the Lord he is uncommonly diligent.  In sowing discord among his friends and acquaintnces he takes no pride.  In laboring to promote the cause of  Christianity he has not been negligent.  In endeavoring to stigmatize all soul winners he makes no exertions.  To save others and subdue his passions and win souls, he strives hard.  To build up Satan’s kingdom he lends no aid.  To support the gospel and save the lost he contributes largely.  To the evil adversary he pays no attention.  To good advice he gives great heed.  To the devil he will never go.  To heaven he must go where he will receive the just recompense of his reward. 

The one who cares less for lost souls:

He is a dedicated and experienced man in apathy and indifference.  He is never found opposing the work of sinful men.  He takes delight in the lost condition of his neighbor.  He never rejoices in the salvation of his fellow man.  He is ready to persist in the lost condition of mankind and his lost soul.  He takes no pleasure in serving the Lord.  He is uncommonly diligent in sowing discord among his friends and acquaintances.  He takes no pride in laboring to promote the cause of  Christianity.  He has not been negligent in endeavoring to stigmatize all soul winners.  He makes no exertions to save others and subdue his passions and win souls.  He strives hard to build up Satan’s kingdom.  He lends no aid to support the gospel and save the lost.  He contributes largely to  the evil adversary.  He pays no attention  to good advice.  He gives great heed to the devil.  He will never go to heaven.  He must go where he will receive the just recompense of his reward. 

Ok!  Where is the punctuation in your life?  How will your story read?  Where is the emphasis on what you desire to accomplish and where you want to go?  Willard Tate, one of the instructors at Abilene Christian University and alter ego of a fellow called “Wilerwood,”  once told the story of a person called, “I’ll be happy when.”  This person was never satisfied, and there was always something that he needed in his life.  “I’ll be happy when I get a better job.”  So he got a better job, but he was still not happy.  “Well, I’ll be happy when I get a new car.”  You guessed it.  He got his new car, but he was still not happy.  On and on his lament went, and he was never happy or satisfied.

Some folks are that way about being involved in the work of the Lord.  “I will get involved when I get a new job.”  “I’ll be involved when I get a raise in pay.” “I’ll get involved when I become financially independent.”  But, you see when these things never come, the person waits and waits, but he never gets involved in anything.  What are YOU waiting for?  When will YOU be happy?  When will YOU get involved?  Where is the punctuation in YOUR life?  Remember, Satan’s favorite word is WAIT!

Get involved!  That is our motto this year.  What are you waiting for?  Where is the emphasis in your life?  Is your life governed by God’s punctuation or man’s?  What will yo do with Jesus?  Where are your priorities?  Can you answer all these questions and say that, “They are punctuated for Jesus, His cross and His church.  If not then perhaps there are some challenges in your life that you need to address.  We must commit to Christ and then trust and obey. 

Until next time, ask someone for a Bible study and think souls (Proverbs 11:30).

01/14/09

Where To Start