7/27/13

From Gary.... Flower power















by
Captain and Tennille

Love, love will keep us together
Think of me babe whenever
Some sweet talking girl comes along singing her song
Don't mess around, 
You gotta be strong 
Just Stop [stop], 'cause I really love You
Stop [stop], I'll be thinking of you
Look in my heart and let love keep us together

You, You belong to me now
Ain't gonna set you free now
When those girls start hanging around talking me down
Hear with your heart and you won't hear a sound
Just Stop [stop], 'cause I really love you
Stop [stop], I'll be thinking of you
Look in my heart and let love keep us together, what ever.

Young and beautiful 
Someday your looks will be gone
When the others turn you off 
Who'll be turning you on

I will, I will, I will, I will 
Be there to share forever
Love will keep us together
Said it before and I'll say it again while others pretend
I'll need you now and I'll need you then
Stop 'cause I really love Ya
Stop I'll be thinking of Ya
Look in my heart and let love keep us together

This appears to be an old picture- maybe it is, or maybe not???  One thing is for sure, the story is not!!! Men love women and women love men!!!  Anyway, the picture is cute and it reminded me of the old Captain and Tennille song: "Love will keep us together".  Now, it is one thing to get together and quite another to stay together for a long time.  Problems happen: Money, children, familial problems, work- and the list could go on and on.  But, the song is still true- Love will keep us together!!!  Lets assume that you and your spouse have been together for a long time.  How would you classify your relationship (lets only consider the positive, please)- good, better or best????  If it is anything but best, then the following passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians can help....

1 Corinthians, Chapter 11
 1 Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.  2 Now I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things, and hold firm the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.  3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.  4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved.  6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.  7 For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.  8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man;  9 for neither was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.  10 For this cause the woman ought to have authority on her head, because of the angels. 

11 Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord.  12 For as woman came from man, so a man also comes through a woman; but all things are from God.


The Corinthians had problems- lots and lots of problems.  Face it, so do even the best of marriages!!! Men and women just think in different ways.  I think the trick is to put God into the equation.  Paul teaches that man is the "head" of the woman.  In my way of thinking, this means that a man should not be bossy over a woman, but rather lead her in love!!! Humm, Ephesians Chapter 5 seems appropriate at this point...

 22  Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  23 For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.  24 But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything. 

  25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; 26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,  27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect.  28 Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.  29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;  30 because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.  31 “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly.  33
 Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband. 

The sexes are designed to be together, with the unifying factors being a committed love for each other and for God.  I know the concept of a woman submitting to her husband is not popular today, yet, it is a Biblical principle.  At the same time, husbands need to really love their wives and do everything possible to understand them.  Admittedly, sometimes I find it hard to do what God wants me to do in marriage, but when I do things God's way- things always work out!!!  Those of you who know me well, know that for the most part I try to have a God-pleasing relationship with my wife.  I find telling her I love her multiple times a day helps-- and so do flowers!!!!  However, unlike the boy in the picture--  I give my wife ROSES!!!!  You pick your own kind of posies- with a last name of Rose, my options seem limited.

Your Friend,

Gary Rose

From Bill Dayton... BE PREPARED!


BE PREPARED!
Many of us were scouts as children. We all know the familiar mantra: “BE PREPARED”. We all understood that to survive in the wilderness or in any situation for that matter, one had to prepare and be ready to face what was coming by making proper provisions today.
As we look forward to the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we also are taught in scripture concerning the importance of being prepared. In Matthew 25:1ff our Lord presented a teaching to help us know what kind of preparation is necessary. As He often did, Jesus uses a common event to aid us in our understanding.
A wedding was in progress. 10 virgins were waiting for the bride and her groom (symbolic of the church and Christ) to return and call them to the wedding feast. The women had lamps that were fueled by oil. Half were prepared with enough to follow the parade of celebrants, and enter into the wedding celebration. Half the women were not prepared and were excluded and left in outer darkness. One group was watchful, obedient, and faithful. The others were lethargic, neglectful and foolish.

The oil of our Christian life is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that fuels our lives and keeps us burning bright for Jesus. A wise child of God will replenish what is needed, as we wait, every day. We all want to enter into the wedding feast of the Lamb! Let’s be prepared!

From Jim McGuiggan... Jesus and Eugene Debs

Jesus and Eugene Debs

Followers of the Christ insist that sin is sin but in their better moments they insist on the difference between sin and sinners. 
    Sin doesn’t weep, sinners do. Sin has no remorse; many sinners have and wish they could make up for their wrongs. Sin is brutal and malicious without regret but sinners break down with hearts sore and pleas for forgiveness; sin is undifferentiated, pure evil but sinners have good and bad in them if only we had the sense and purity of heart to recognize it.

Followers of Christ believe their Master gave himself for all of us and that they too are to give themselves for others (1 John). He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh and though without sin he was made like them in all things. Christians believe they are an extension of the risen Christ since they are his Body and they’re in the world for the same reason he was (John 17:11-16; 20:21).
We don’t always believe that nor do we always practice it. Because so many in the world care little for honourable and compassionate living and because believers most often do care, their temptation is to think themselves superior—they aren’t! Besides, people aren’t only sinners, they’re sinned against. Sin whips without pity those who haven’t found life and purpose in Christ and drives them without mercy down into the abyss. Who can gloat while that’s going on? Who can be content to have interior security and a post-mortem hope and care nothing about what’s happening to their fellow-humans? Could Christ do it?
Christ’s battle against Sin was not only to give to God his own life, spotless and rich—he identified with and fought for others. He did this because it was the will of his Father who had sent him into the world for that very purpose. It would be silly to think we aren’t to seek our own spiritual enrichment and godliness—of course we are; but maybe our spiritual enrichment comes more quickly and more surely when we think less of it than we tend to do. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if we learned one day that Christ was so busy blessing others in his Father’s name that he didn’t pray that particular day.
He made it clear that his own pursuit of holiness and his own devotion to the will of God had more than the personal element in it. Here’s how he put it in John 17:19 when he was talking to his Father, “For them I sanctify myself...” It wasn’t simply for himself he separated himself to God and his purpose, it was for others. He always had an eye on the needs of others, didn’t he?
And when God anointed him with power and with the Holy Spirit, what did he do with it? Peter, who saw it all happen before his very eyes said he went about doing good, healing people, liberating them because God was with him. (Acts 10:38) Knowing he had God at his side, Jesus got involved in the hurt of people and this was how he made known that the reign of God was breaking into the world to undo the curse!
For Christians, Christ ranks as the most serving of all humans but that’s not to say every moment he lived he was thinking, “I must serve, I must serve.” That would have been too contrived, too self-conscious. My suspicion is that Jesus of Nazareth was the most unconscious God-conscious person who ever lived. In the same way, though supremely devoted to human service it was probably rarely in his mind that he was doing it. He knew he was a servant and said he came to do that, but that wouldn’t have been how he lived it out—ceaselessly talking about it. He lived a glorious life before God and serving was a natural part of it—not programmed, not fabricated.
And how the Dragon must hate people like that; people who can be deeply moved by the pain and poverty and ignorance of their fellow-humans. How he must hate people who hate injustice and can’t easily sleep at night thinking about it; people who lie planning to do something about it and then do something about it.
We find God at work doing just that and doing it even through people who have no time for him; people who give no credit to him. But what does he care? He’s been blessing ungrateful and ignorant people from the beginning until now. As long as the poor are fed and the oppressed are liberated God is willing to work without getting the immediate credit. And because this is true, we find a Christ-like identification with others in their struggle even in people who don’t follow the Christ. People that shame us and call us up to the heights we profess in our creeds.
Take the case of the American, Eugene V. Debs, who at fourteen began work in railroad shops, eventually becoming a locomotive fireman and then a union official. His anti-war, pro-labour and (later his) strong socialist views made him a pain in the neck to courts, capitalists and powerful political figures. While in jail for contempt of court by continuing to direct his constituents in a strike outlawed by the courts (a strike he himself was opposed to) he read Marx and others socialist writings. He took socialism which had been a sect and made it a mass movement. Whatever his economics or politics (and he wasn’t an intellectual or a hard-headed politician), he was a man of integrity who cared for people and that’s why, in 1920 while he was in prison, nearly a million people voted for him in as the Socialist nominee for the presidency.
Henry Steele Commager, no great fan of Debs, said that Debs’ conversion to Socialism was “almost a conspiracy, entered upon by business and government” and he explained his continuous leadership of American socialism in personal terms. “What Debs had was a very simple thing: a hold on the affection and the imagination of the rank and file of the American workingmen that no other labour leader of his time enjoyed...He was passionately convinced that the workingman was the victim of a raw deal...”
When the man who travelled tirelessly, who was so often broke he couldn’t rent a hotel room, who was let down again and again by his own fellow union leaders—when that man was going to prison he said, “While there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” No wonder they followed him so consistently. He made good his words by his deeds and when he said, “When I rise it will be with the ranks, and not from the ranks,” they believed him.
And it’s that kind of costly involvement that gives a man’s words substance and makes him an inspiration to countless others. As sports writer Heywood Broun noted in his eulogy for Debs, quoting a fellow Socialist: "That old man with the burning eyes actually believes that there can be such a thing as the brotherhood of man. And that's not the funniest part of it. As long as he's around I believe it myself."
However imperfectly we carry out our convictions we should work at and mean to work at Matthew 25:31-46 if for no other reason than to make goodness attractive and have people glorify God when they see our good works.
Convinced believer, Mame Garner Miller, had that kind of Debsian involvement in mind when she wrote:
                         So long as hungry faces,
                         Ask and are denied;
                         So long as barefoot bodies
                         Shiver far and wide;
                         So long as there are hearts
                         That never hear of Christ;
                         So long as there is sorrow
                         And youth is sacrificed...
                         I have to give.
                         So long as there is heartache
                         Or suffering anywhere;
                         So long as men are homeless
                         With burdens I can share;
                         So long as life abundant
                         Is lived by, oh so few;
                         So long as the Kingdom calls
                         Some things I must do...
                         I have to give.
Let me repeat: the coming of God in Jesus Christ was not just so that certain individuals could cast out their demons and clean up their inner houses. There’s more at stake than personal holiness—in the name of the Christ we’re to give the chance for personal holiness to every human by fully identifying with them and where it’s needed, giving them something to eat, to wear, to work at and somewhere to live. And Someone to trust!
Christians shouldn’t apologize for providing clothes and foods and jobs for people. They should be ashamed if they won’t! But they shouldn’t be ashamed to say that the more fundamental problem that affects the human family and generates hunger and oppression and indifference to the needs of others is sin. All loss stems from there, our refusal to help people bear their loss stems from there and if while we’re working at putting food in their stomachs, clothes on their back, decent jobs at their disposal, we speak to their lives about the Christ, we’re in there fully identified with them.
We’re all in the same armed conflict! We’re all being attacked by Sin, all in danger of being swallowed. If you lose, I lose. We might be angry at one another for perfectly good reasons but above and beyond and in our personal differences is the satanic mindset that keeps us at each others’ throats.
But every heart that longs for freedom is calling to us, often without words: “Don’t leave me to perish! Help me escape from his iron grip that stifles my breath and takes my life. See me as a slave who longs to be free. Don’t judge me as one who takes pleasure in his slavery just because you see me doing Sin’s will. Look at my eyes, listen to my fear-filled tone, and take note of my air of defeat at Sin’s hands. And when you see me on the run from Sin, don’t help him to get me back! Urge me on and give me food and clothing and encouragement as I flee. Don’t rejoice at the sound of his dogs—sense my horror when I think he’s gaining on me. Cover my tracks, outwit the dogs, give me a place to sleep, be wiser than the hunters, be as passionate about my getting clean away as the bounty-hunting confederates of the Dragon are that I’ll be dragged back in stronger chains. Be a brother to me, be a sister to me. See my need, don’t let me go back. Make my freedom and protection your concern. Feel as passionately about my freedom in God as others have felt about the poor oppressed in visible slave systems. Feel what Ralph Waldo Emerson expressed for so many in their response to the Fugitive Slave Act which threatened reprisal against those who didn’t help the slave-hunters in their mission. He said:
“There is infamy in the air. I have a new experience. I wake in the morning with a painful sensation, which I carry about all day, and which, when traced home, is the odious remembrance of the ignominy that has fallen on Massachusetts, which robs the landscape of beauty and takes the sunshine out of every hour... I will not obey it, by God.”
Yes, I know I’ve brought a lot of my trouble down on my own head, but it’s no less trouble. I know I must be out of my mind but I’m not so out of my mind that I don’t know I can’t make it alone. Help me!”
Even the people we upright see as moral villains stand by each other. Didn’t the Christ say the tax collectors and Gentiles loved one another? Neil Young’s moving appeal to his home city, Philadelphia, in the song of that name, gives the sense of my own need. The hungry, pathetic appeal for help by those dying from a disease they dread, expresses well my appeal to the church, the city I call home; a city in which the inhabitants are said to love one another.
                         City of brotherly love
                         Place I call home,
                         Don’t turn your back on me
                         I don’t want to be alone,
                         Love lasts forever.
Debs was a charismatic speaker who sometimes called on the vocabulary of Christianity and much of the oratorical style of evangelism—even though he characteristically scorned organized religion. Again, the Heywood Broun remark in his eulogy for Debs: "That old man with the burning eyes actually believes that there can be such a thing as the brotherhood of man. And that's not the funniest part of it. As long as he's around I believe it myself."
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... Is Jesus really up to it?

Is Jesus really up to it?

Like the healed paralytic in John 5:1-15 sometimes a voice of authority or popularity frightens us or makes us feel foolish. If a scientist makes a claim that undermines the Christian faith or a celebrity jeers at us many of us feel the pain of it; it's just that we're a bit high strung and not that we really believe these people. The critics were able to intimidate him but the paralytic was no fool—he ran and hid behind Jesus ("The one who enabled me to walk told me to do it").
When you feel your life is going nowhere, that you've accomplished nothing; when you're sure you're an insignificant one in countless millions; when you feel that sort of thing, the weight of the entire universe seems to have landed on your shoulders and you're not up to handling it all—"One life and I've screwed it up, done nothing with it, going nowhere with it; one life half done and what's it all been about? And I'm not alone—the whole world seems to be a waste of space." Weariness and sourness and impatience become the order of the day.
Then somebody mentions the name, "Jesus".
"Yes, yes, Christmas and Easter and all that syrup and fluff! But it's all sizzle and no bacon."
Get past the syrup and fluff and the sometimes sickeningly sweet sentiments you read on the greetings cards on the endless stream of internet "forwards". Don't let all the surface stuff blind you to the truth that Jesus was and is real. Take him and his claims seriously if only for a while and you might find yourself thinking that maybe God really does take an interest in us. Look around you and see if others have sensed what you find yourself tempted to believe.
It isn't that our world isn't wicked; it isn't that the human family isn't up to its eyes in injustice and sin—Jesus doesn't deny the awful shape we're in! In fact, he came precisely because these things are true of us and he came to rescue us from them. As individuals we've made a hash our lives and as a human family we've distorted and bent the world out of shape, but this one came saying that he had come to make everything better! In and through him, "He who sat on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new." (See Revelation 21:5.)
"Yes, yes, all very pious and all very Christian but can he really bring about a cosmic turn around?"
Do you mean: can he wave a wand and everything becomes lovely? Do you mean: can he put a spell on the human family so that it'll behave as he wants it to? You want Cinderella or the Stepford Wives?
Go to the movies!
Jesus really is Lord of All and when everything looked for all the world like a lost cause and Pilate asked him if he was a king (John 18:37) Jesus said, "I was born to be King!"
One way or another, you and I will see this human enterprise isn't over till it's over! In the meantime, Jesus Christ has been changing lives by the million down the years and these are all pointers to the coming final curtain so keep your chin up.  
What a finale it's going to be!

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... He's Back!

He's Back!

No matter what you think of his views, even if you aren't especially religious, you have to admire him and he has been admired and loved by tens of thousands from all strata of society since the fifties. He's had his critics on this matter or that (and I've been one of them) but there isn't a name in the religious world that generates more respect in me for his character and sustained purpose than Billy Graham. Like the rest of us he will appear before God in judgment and God will do what is right, but in the meantime devout people of middle-age or older can't say the name without an approving nod for the noble way he has carried himself all these years.
He conducted a number of "missions" in the UK which were of unequal value as far as "results" go but what struck me and still resonates in me these many years later was the way one of his missions was advertised. All over south England, on buses, billboards, television ads and stuck on every available public wall-space and hung in thousands of shop windows were two words: Billy's Back! That was it; nothing more: Billy's Back. Amazing.
Hebrews 11:27 almost certainly speaks of Moses fleeing to Midian after he had killed the Egyptian foreman; those in authority and even his own people must have thought he was gone for good in a cloud of dust. But I find it easy to imagine an older Egyptian man in the barber's shop getting a trim and a shave, explaining to the barber and everyone else there reading their Tanis Tattler or thumbing through the magazines—explaining why the Hebrews as slaves were good for the economy and the reputation of the nation. I can easily hear him telling of protests by activists, minor scuffles and aborted uprisings—the usual pathetic show of discontent that would never lead to anything. "Why, I remember," he would say, "some years back, they had the backing of one of Pharaoh's family—a high-ranking and well decorated leader (Acts 7:20-36)—but the last we saw of him was his running off into the wilderness with his tail between his legs. Pharaoh stood up, frowned and he ran." Smiles all round.
I can just as easily imagine an old colleague of his coming into the shop just in time to hear the final remarks before quietly saying, "I just got back from the Hebrew ghettos. There's a real stir going on down there. I don't know if anything will come of it but that man you just described as disappearing in a cloud of dust—He's back!
You can't trust these people of God to stay away, can you? Moses may have run off mouthing resentment—"Try to help these people and all you get is abuse and ingratitude! Let them deliver themselves!" but he came back with a strange guttural sound on his lips that nobody to this day knows how to pronounce or knows exactly what it means. He said it was God's name. And while he was away, at some point during his days of shepherding alone in the wilderness he had taken to carrying a big stick. When he left Egypt the first time he went alone with Egyptian authorities all smiles but this time he was leaving with a nation and Egypt in ruins.
You can't trust the God who takes the long view to forget anything and you can't trust those he has destined to carry out his purposes to stay gone! Having murdered James, Herod arrested Peter, your remember, in Acts 12:1-16, and everyone feared the worst; but in the night Rhoda heard someone at the gate and recognized the voice as Peter's. Wild-eyed and scattered-brained with joy she left him standing in the street and ran in to tell the disciples. Picture them rubbing the sleep out of their eyes while she yelled: He's back!
The eternal groundwork for all this: Jesus himself. In Acts 2 and 4 and 5 we have Peter facing the multitudes and the Jewish Supreme Court and saying, "The One you said was gone, permanently gone; the One even we were sure was gone—He's back!"
And that's not the end of the Story. It was just the end of the beginning of the Story.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... Called To Be Saints (Romans 1:7)


                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS"

                       Called To Be Saints (1:7)

INTRODUCTION

1. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul said he was "called to be an
   apostle" - Ro 1:1
   a. I.e., he was summoned to be an apostle, one sent by Jesus for a
      special purpose
   b. That purpose involved the gospel, which Paul was sent to proclaim
      to the nations - Ro 1:1,5

2. All Christians likewise have their "calling"...
   a. We are the "called of Jesus Christ" - Ro 1:6
   b. We are "called to be saints" - Ro 1:7

3. The term "saint" is frequently misunderstood and misapplied...
   a. One might get the wrong impression of what Paul is saying
   b. A proper understanding is important, serving as motivation for
      proper conduct

[So let us ask our first question:  What is a "saint"...?]

I. THE DEFINITION OF A SAINT

   A. ONE SET APART, CONSECRATED, HOLY ONE...
      1. "The word mean set apart, consecrated, sacred...In the NT the
         word hagios, when used as a noun, usually refers to members of
         the...church.  All believers are called 'saints,' even when
         their character is dubiously holy." - Zondervan Pictorial
         Encyclopedia
      2. "A NT believer, belonging exclusively to God.  The saints are
         the church, people called out of the world to be God's own
         people." - Zondervan Topical Bible
      3. "Set apart for God, to be, as it were, exclusively His...this
         appellation is very often in the NT transferred to Christians,
         as those whom God has selected out of the world" - Thayer
      4. "It is used of men and things in so far as they are devoted to
         God.  These are called hagoi, saints, i.e., 'sanctified' or
         'holy ones.'  This sainthood is not an attainment, it is a
         state into which God in grace calls men" - Vine

   B. APPLIED TO ALL CHRISTIANS...
      1. Summarizing what these sources say, a "saint" is:
         a. A Christian, a member of the body of Christ
         b. As such, Christians are considered by God to be...
            1) Set apart, holy
            2) Consecrated for His purpose
      2. A quick survey of the NT confirms this definition and use of
         the term "saint"
         a. Addressing those in various congregations - 
            Ro 1:7; 1Co 1:2; 2Co 1:1; Ep 1:1; Php 1:1; Col 1:2
         b. Describing the subjects of brotherly love - Ep 1:15; Col 1:4;
            Phm 4-7
      3. A "saint" is not some super-spiritual Christian...
         a. Now dead and having lived a long time ago
         b. Who is canonized and venerated as an object of worship
      -- Indeed, every Christian is a saint!

[However, we find both now and then that not all Christians behave like
saints.  This raises the question: How should saints live...?]

II. THE LIFE OF A SAINT

   A. AS DESCRIBED IN EPHESIANS...
      1. Saints should live in a manner worthy of their calling - Ep 4:1
         a. Walking in unity - cf. Ep 4:1-16
         b. Walking in truth - cf. Ep 4:17-32
         c. Walking in love - cf. Ep 5:1-7
         d. Walking in light - cf. Ep 5:8-14
         e. Walking in wisdom - cf. Ep 5:15-17
      2. Saints should avoid things not befitting their calling - Ep 5:
         3-4
         a. Fornication, uncleanness, covetousness
         b. Filthiness, foolish talking, coarse jesting
      -- Saints strive to live this way; they do not always live up to
         their calling

   B. AS DESCRIBED IN COLOSSIANS...
      1. Saints should be filled with the knowledge of God's will - Co
         1:9
         a. Involves a good knowledge of the Bible
         b. Accompanied by wisdom and understanding (via prayer - Ja
            1:5)
      2. Saints are to walk worthy of the Lord - Col 1:10
         a. We are called to be Christians as well as saints - cf. Ac 11:26
         b. Our behavior should properly reflect the One whose name we
            wear!
      3. Saints are to fully please Him - Col 1:10
         a. By being fruitful in every good work
         b. By increasing in the knowledge of God
      4. Saints are to be strengthened with all might - Col 1:11
         a. According to God's glorious power - cf. Ep 3:16,20; 6:10,13
         b. For all patience and longsuffering with joy
      5. Saints are to give thanks to the Father - Col 1:12-14
         a. He has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of
            saints
         b. He has delivered us from the power of darkness
         c. He has conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love
         d. He has provided redemption and forgiveness of sins, through
            His Son's blood
      -- The epistles were written to saints; from them we learn how
         saints ought to live!

[We noted that one reason saints are to be thankful is because God has
qualified us to partakers of "the inheritance of the saints".  This
raises a third question:  What is the hope of saints...?]

III. THE HOPE OF A SAINT

   A. RICH AND GLORIOUS...
      1. Which Paul wanted the saints at Ephesus to know - Ep 1:18
      2. Which involves the exceeding riches of God's grace - Ep 2:7
      3. Which is presently reserved in heaven for us - 1Pe 1:4
      -- Paul and Peter describe our inheritance in general terms

   B. NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH...
      1. Promised by God, anticipated by Peter - 2Pe 3:13-14
         a. A future realm in which righteousness dwells
         b. Motivating us to live now in peace, without spot and
            blameless
      2. Revealed by Jesus, described by John - Re 21:1-7
         a. Replacing the present earth and universe
         b. Involving the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of
            heaven
         c. In which God will dwell with men, providing wonderful
            blessings
      -- Peter and John describe our inheritance in figurative terms

[Questions may remain as to the ultimate nature of the saints'
inheritance, but enough is revealed to motivate us to become saints and
live in a manner worthy of our calling.  This leads to our fourth and
final question:  How do we become saints...?]

IV. THE BEGINNING OF A SAINT

   A. CALLED BY THE GOSPEL...
      1. We become saints by being "called" - cf. Ro 1:7
         a. The idea of being "called" is one of being "summoned"
         b. But we are not called or summoned by a small still voice, or
            bolt of lightning
      2. We are "called" by the gospel - 2Th 2:14
         a. God calls people by the gospel
         b. For the obtaining of the glory of our Lord

   B. PRODUCED BY THE GOSPEL...
      1. The gospel reveals God's plan for saving man from his sins
         a. With facts to believe - e.g., 1Co 15:1-3
         b. With commands to obey - e.g., Mk 16:16; Ro 10:9,10
         c. With promises to receive - e.g., Ac 2:38-39; Ro 6:23
      2. When people respond, they become saints
         a. Saved and called by the grace of God - 1Ti 1:9
         b. Even though sinners, as were the saints in Corinth - 1Co 1:2; 6:9-11
      3. Every time the gospel is preached, God is calling people to
         become saints
         a. Those who hear are exhorted to obey
         b. Those who obey are washed, sanctified, justified
         c. Those who are sanctified are set apart, consecrated for
            God's purpose; i.e., saints

CONCLUSION

1. By the wonderful grace of God...
   a. We can be His saints, His holy ones, set apart for His purpose!
   b. We can look forward to the wonderful inheritance reserved in
      heaven for us!

2. Yet as saints, we must walk in a manner worthy of our calling...
   a. We must make our "calling and election sure" - 2Pe 1:10-11
   b. Even Paul, called both as an "apostle" and a "saint", realized the
      risk of his being rejected after preaching to others - 1Co 9:27

Are you a saint?  You are if you have responded to the call of God
through obedience to the gospel!  Are you living as a saint should?  May
the hope of saints motivate you to walk worthy of your calling!


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Mark Copeland... Two Mindsets In Berea (Acts 17:10-15)


                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                   Two Mindsets In Berea (17:10-15)

INTRODUCTION

1. Following "The Tumult In Thessalonica" (Ac 17:1-10)...
   a. Paul and Silas were sent away by night to Berea - Ac 17:10
   b. Where once again they went into the synagogue of the Jews - cf. Ac 17:1-3

2. The city of Berea...
   a. Its name means "a place of many waters"
   b. Was located near natural springs
   c. One of the most populous cities of Macedonia

3. The Jews of Berea...
   a. Described as "more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica" (NKJV)
      - Ac 17:11
   b. Other translations describe them as "more noble" (ESV), "more open-
      minded" (HCSB)
   c. He used a word (eugenesteros) that originally meant high born but
      came to have a more general connotation of being open, tolerant,
      generous, having the qualities that go with "good breeding."
      - Polhill, J. B. (1995). Acts. The New American Commentary (Vol.
      26). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[The mindset of the Berean Jews is worthy of emulation by all people
today.  But in what way were they more "noble" or "open-minded"...?]

I. THE NOBLE BEREANS

   A. THEIR RECEPTION OF PAUL'S WORDS...
      1. First, they received his words with all readiness (NKJV) - Ac 17:11
         a. Other translations say "with all eagerness" (ESV)
         b. This suggests a willingness to listen so as to understand, 
            to give Paul a fair hearing
      2. This willingness to give a fair hearing...
         a. Was taught in the Law - Deut 13:14
         b. Was exemplified by Nicodemus - Jn 7:50-51
      3. The "Berean attitude" involves first seeking to understand what
         someone is saying
         a. Often in religious discussions, people are unwilling to
            understand what others believe
         b. Then they argue without understanding another's position,
            which is folly - Pr 18:13

   B. THEIR STUDY OF GOD'S WORDS...
      1. Second, they searched the Scriptures daily (NKJV) - Ac 17:11
         a. Other translations say "examining the Scriptures daily" (ESV)
         b. This suggests a willingness to let the Scriptures be their
            authority
      2. This willingness to let the Scriptures be their authority...
         a. Was taught in the Law - Deut 4:1-2
         b. Is taught in the New Testament - 2Ti 3:16-17; Re 22:18-19
      3. The "Berean attitude" involves study of God's word to confirm 
         what someone is saying
         a. Often in religious discussions, people simply believe what
            others have told them
         b. Arguing what they've always believed, hindering their ability
            to learn the truth - 2Ti 3:7

[Because of the mindset of those in Berea, the Word of God bore fruit
(Ac 17:12).  We emulate the mindset of "The Noble Bereans" only when we
apply both principles:

   *  Listen carefully to understand others 

   *  Study the Scriptures diligently to determine what is true

Otherwise, we are susceptible to developing a different mindset: 
becoming more like...]

II. THE IGNOBLE THESSALONIANS

   A. LIKE OTHERS BEFORE THEM...
      1. The unbelieving Jews in:
         a. Jerusalem - Ac 6:9-14
         b. Antioch of Pisidia - Ac 13:50
         c. Iconium - Ac 14:2
      2. Harassing Paul from town to town
         a. Like the unbelieving Jews from Antioch and Iconium - Ac 14:19
         b. So did the unbelieving Jews from Thessalonica - Ac 17:13

   B. LIKE SOME TODAY...
      1. Among denominations, attacking churches of Christ
         a. Misrepresenting their views regarding the church, baptism
         b. Calling them by prejudicial names (e.g., "Campbellites", "a 
            cult")
      2. Among mainstream churches of Christ, attacking more conservative
         brethren
         a. Misrepresenting their views regarding church cooperation,
            benevolence, etc.
         b. Calling them by prejudicial names (e.g., "anti", "orphan
            haters")
      3. Among conservative churches of Christ, attacking some less 
         conservative than they
         a. Presuming those who oppose them just have no respect for the
            Scriptures
         b. Calling them by prejudicial names (e.g., "liberal")

CONCLUSION

1. Because of the persecution of the unbelieving Jews from 
   Thessalonica...
   a. Paul was forced to leave Berea - Ac 17:14
   b. Arriving in Athens, to await the arrival of Silas and Timothy - Ac 17:15

2. The noble Bereans provide a mindset sorely needed today...
   a. Giving others a fair hearing
   b. Examining all things in the light of God's Word

3. The ignoble Thessalonians provide a mindset we must avoid...
   a. Blind adherence to previously held beliefs
   b. Leading to zealous persecution of the innocent

Which mindset do we possess?  Do we seek first to understand, then to
be understood?  Do we study the Scriptures daily, examining not only
the beliefs of others, but constantly testing our own beliefs?  

If so, then we are truly "fair-minded", and more likely to come to a
knowledge of the truth...



Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2013

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From Mark Copeland... Tumult In Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-10)


                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                   Tumult In Thessalonica (17:1-10)

INTRODUCTION

1. Following their release from prison in Philippi, Paul and Silas...
   a. Departed from the city and made their way through Amphipolis and
      Apollonia
   b. Arriving in Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews
      - Ac 17:1

2. Thessalonica as a city...
   a. Was named in 315 B.C. after the half-sister of Alexander the Great
   b. That served as the capital of Macedonia (northern Greece) after
      146 B.C.
   c. Along with Corinth, one of the two most important commercial
      centers in Greece
   -- Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary

3. Paul immediately found a synagogue of the Jews...
   a. As was his custom, to evangelize Jews - Ac 17:1-3; cf. Ac 9:20;
      13:5,14; 14:1; 19:8
   b. Where he was successful in persuading some, along with a great
      multitude of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women
      - Ac 17:4

[But as seen before (cf. Ac 13:45), Jews that were envious led a 
resistance against the efforts of Paul and Silas, resulting in an uproar
or tumult in the city...]

I. THE NATURE OF THE TUMULT

   A. INVOLVED EVIL MEN...
      1. Stirred up by unbelieving Jews 
      2. Who gathered evil men in the marketplace
      3. Creating a mob that set the city in an uproar
      4. Attacking the house of Jason (where Paul and Silas had been
         staying) - Ac 17:5,7

   B. LEADING TO JASON'S ARREST...
      1. The mob did not find Paul and Silas at Jason's house
      2. They dragged Jason and some of the brethren to the rulers
         (politarchs) of the city
      3. The charges that the mob made - Ac 17:6-7
         a. Paul and Silas:  "These who have turned the world upside down
            have come here too."
         b. Jason:  "Jason has harbored them"
         c. All of them:  "these are all acting contrary to the decrees
            of Caesar, saying there is another king--Jesus." - cf. Ac 16:21
      4. The crowd and the rulers (politarchs) were troubled by these
         charges - Ac 17:8
      5. Jason and the brethren with him were released - Ac 17:9
         a. Only after taking (money as) security from them
         b. Probably with the stipulation Paul and Silas leave town

[The brethren sent Paul and Silas to Berea by night (Ac 17:10).  One
might think such an inauspicious start bode ill for the gospel and the
church in Thessalonica.  Not so!  Within a year or so Paul wrote his
first epistle to the church at Thessalonica, where we can read about...]

II. THE EFFECT OF THE TUMULT

   A. PAUL'S INITIAL CONCERNS...
      1. He endeavored to see the Thessalonian brethren with great desire
         - 1Th 2:17
      2. He was hindered by Satan (the security imposed by the 
         government?) - 1Th 2:18
      3. He sent Timothy from Athens to establish and encourage them
         - 1Th 3:1-4
      4. He was concerned that his labor with might have been in vain
         - 1Th 3:5

   B. TIMOTHY'S ENCOURAGING REPORT...
      1. He brought Paul good news of their faith and love! - 1Th 3:6
      2. Their memory of him was good; they wanted to see him as well! 
         - 1Th 3:6
      3. Their faith comforted Paul in his own affliction and distress!
         - 1Th 3:7
      4. Their steadfastness in the faith gave Paul life and gratitude!
         - 1Th 3:8-10

   C. DESPITE THE TUMULT, THE CHURCH THRIVED...
      1. With work of faith, labor of love, patience of hope - 1Th 1:1-3
      2. With evidence of their election by God - 1Th 1:4
      3. Having received the Word in much affliction, with joy of the
         Holy Spirit - 1Th 1:5-6
      4. Serving as examples to all believers in Macedonia, Achaia - 1Th 1:7
      5. Trumpeting the Word throughout Macedonia, Achaia, everywhere! 
         - 1Th 1:8
      6. Paul could not go somewhere without their reputation preceding
         him! - 1Th 1:9-10

CONCLUSION

1. As Paul relates in the second chapter of 1st Thessalonians...
   a. His coming to them had not been in vain - 1Th 2:1
   b. Despite his persecution in Philippi, the conflict in Thessalonica
      - 1Th 2:2

2. Why did the "Tumult In Thessalonica" fail to hinder the establishment
   of the church...?
   a. Because of Paul's conduct as a preacher of the Word - 1Th 2:3-12
   b. Because of the Thessalonians' reception of the Word despite
      persecution - 1Th 2:13-16

Wherever faithful gospel preachers proclaim the Word to people willing
to accept the Word of God, not even Satan with all his forces can
prevent the establishment and spread of the church of Christ...!


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2013

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