| JOHN WADDEY, EDITOR
Published by the Church of Christ, 12213 West Bell Road, Surprise, AZ 85374 Volume 1, Number 1
September 1, 2001 |
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Table of Contents: - A MESSAGE TO OUR READERS
- BACK TO THE FOUNTAIN HEAD
- WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
- IF YOU THINK IT IS HOT HERE!
- BEAUTIFUL FEET
- CONTROL THAT TEMPER
1. A MESSAGE TO OUR READERS You hold in your hands the first issue of Christianity: Then and Now, a gospel paper dedicated to the glory of Christ and the principles of New Testament Christianity. The lessons chosen and sent forth, will be Biblical and address matters concerning the Lord's church in the 21st Century. They will be brief and useful for sermon material and church bulletins.
The editor is a life-long member of the Church of Christ and thoroughly committed to the scripturalness and validity of our plea and practice.
Our purpose will be to affirm the great principles of Christ's gospel, not to do battle with fellow Christians. We will not deal with personalities, dispute with other gospel papers, deal in expose' type of matters or champion any party or group within the church. We dedicate this journal to a positive proclamation of Biblical themes that will be helpful to those who share the common faith of Christ. We will offer expositions of Biblical themes, answers to Biblical questions, discussions of difficult texts and affirmations of Restoration themes.
We produce this journal from a desire to strengthen the Cause of our Lord Jesus and lead lost souls to salvation. You may feel free to use any of the materials we send forth for sermons, classes and church bulletins. We ask that you affix our name when so used.
The paper will be issued monthly and sent without charge to elders, preachers and Christian leaders. If you find the materials helpful and you wish to see the paper given a wider circulation, contributions would be appreciated.
Correspondence may be sent to 12630 W. Foxfire Dr., Sun City West, AZ 85375. Ph. (623) 214-3715. E-mail to johnwaddey@aol.com
We solicit you prayers on behalf of this good work. May God bless and use it to his honor and glory. John Waddey 2. BACK TO THE FOUNTAIN HEAD Many years ago I visited the little mountain town of Elijay, GA. An elderly gentleman gave me a tour of the area. Our drive took us to a spot high an Appalachian mountain. Parking the car, he led me to a bubbling spring that gushed from the rocky ground. Taking a small cup from his pocket, he filled it with the crystal water and said "Have a drink from the Tennessee River."
That pure water not only quenched my thirst, it provided me an illustration I have used hundreds of times since. No one in his right mind would drink the water from the great Tennessee River that flows through the valleys on its way to the Mississippi. Sewerage systems, chemical plants, industrial waste, agricultural and road run-off foul its water, making it unsafe to drink without purification. But if one makes his way back to the source, it is pure, clean and wholesome.
This aptly illustrates the situation in modern Christianity. In the beginning, when the Word of the Lord went forth from Jerusalem, it was pure sweet and wholesome, bringing only the richest blessings to those who partook of it. As years passed and the gospel spread across the face of the earth, changes began to creep in. There is something about the human mind that leaves us unsatisfied with what has come from the past. We are always trying to improve on such things. Men thought they could improve on the religion of Christ. For some that meant creating a governing body to control the life of the church and her members. Others sought to improve the worship, by incorporating practices and customs popular with the newly converted masses.
Still others felt the need to enhance the church's power by moving her into the political realm. Some found the original doctrinal basis of the church too simplistic. They sought to make it more philosophical. In time there came the splintering of the church into hundreds of competing bodies, some large, some small. The current situation in the world of Christendom is like that polluted river.
When one reads his New Testament, he sees Christianity as it was in the beginning; pure, undiluted. One marvels at the simplicity and beauty of the message: a message of personal salvation; of encouragement to live the Christ-like life and avoid those things that will alienate one from God.
There he finds a church without all the modern accouterments: no political power, no wealth, no real estate, no social standing, no entertainment. There we see the church in her true glory as the family of God, the bride of Christ, the kingdom of God, the body of Christ. In the Book of Christ we discover the real power of the Christian message to change the world for good. It is addressed to the individual. Like leaven, the heavenly message goes from life to life changing people's hearts into the likeness of Christ. No physical force is ever used, no political or legal coercion is found. The servants of the Lord go forth with a message and seek to win the hearts and minds of humanity.
Today with our Bibles in hand, we can make our way back to the fountain head of Christianity. Leaving behind the foreign items accumulated over the ages, we can learn for ourselves and practice the pure, undiluted religion of the Son of God. Clear and clean, wholesome and pure, it will truly be a blessing to our souls. JHW  |
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3. WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
In a world of religious confusion, the meanings of important concepts are often obscured or distorted. Someone has said, "The Bible is its own best dictionary."
Everyone needs a clear working definition of the sacred term Christian.
The suffix "ian" attached to the name of Christ describes those who belong to, or resemble Christ in their lives. - To be Christians, we must be believers. Jesus said that except we believe in him as God's son, we cannot be saved (John 8:24).
- Christians are confessors. They gladly confess before men that they
believe in and follow Jesus (Romans 10:9). No matter the consequences, they refuse to deny their Lord (Revelation 12:11) - To be Christians we must be penitents (Romans 2:4). Penitents are people who are sorry for their sin. They are engaged in a continuing effort to be rid of it and become better persons.
- Christians are twice-born persons. All are born of the flesh, i.e., from their mothers, but only Christians are "born again...born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:3-5).
- Christians are children in God's family. We "are all the children of God by faith in Christ..." (Galatians 3:26). God is our father and we are all brethren (Matthew 23:8).
- "The disciples were called Christians" (Acts 11:26). A disciple is a follower or a student of Jesus.
- Christ referred to his followers as servants (Mark 10:44). We serve our God and Christ. We also serve our fellowman as well.
- Christians are workers in the cause of Christ. "We are workers together with (God)" (II Corinthians 6:1). We work, not to earn or pay for our salvation, but from love and gratitude to Christ.
- Christians are soldiers in the army of Christ. We must be prepared to "suffer hardship...as good soldier(s) of Christ..." (II Timothy 2:3). There is an unending war between truth and error, right and wrong. This is a spiritual war and Christ's people must fight the good fight of the faith (I Tim. 6:12).
To wear the precious name of Christ is a privilege worth more than silver and gold. If you do not enjoy this privilege, Christ invites you to do so this very day. JHW 4. IF YOU THINK IT IS HOT HERE! As we suffer through our hot desert summer, the fortunate ones flee to the mountains and the rest huddle in their air-conditioned homes and pray for the cool days of November. Newcomers and workers who have to endure the heat of the day are sometimes heard to curse the burning, triple digit heat.
Bad as 115 degrees may be, I must tell you there is something a lot worse. The Bible tells us about a place called hell where the wicked will spend eternity. It is variously described as: - A place of everlasting fire (Matt. 25:41).
- A furnace of fire (Mat. 13:42, 50).
- A lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).
- Fire and brimstone, (Rev. 14:10).
- Unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:12).
- It is a place where the wicked will be punished, for their unforgiven sins (Ps. 9:17 KJV).
- In their resurrection bodies, and fully conscience, the wicked will suffer eternal torment (Matt. 5:29; 25:46; Luke 16:23).
So if you think our desert summer is hot, if the heat makes you miserable, you should give serious thought to making sure you avoid the lake of fire and brimstone.
Christ came to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). He gave his life so we could escape the judgment of hell(Rom. 5:8-9). He invites you to come to him for the salvation that he alone can offer (Matt. 11:28). He has made provision that we can live with him and his Father in eternal bless (John 14:1-3). JHW 5. BEAUTIFUL FEET We may have thought our baby's feet were pretty, but few of us would describe our feet with such words. Yet Paul did just that. Speaking of the Christian teachers who went forth taking the gospel to lost humanity he wrote, "How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10:15). Our modern culture puts little value on the work on gospel preachers and teachers. Modern folks are much more impressed with entertainers and athletes. But in the grand scheme of things it is the work of the teachers of God's Truth that will have the greater impact on your life. His or her message has the capacity to save your soul from sin and damnation. It is "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). It can prepare you for a life with
Christ in heaven. Long after the arenas are emptied and the applause of the theaters has died away, the message of the gospel will be blessing your life.
Let us resolve never to forget those who have taught us the wonderful Words of Life, and never forget the debt of gratitude we owe them. Their beautiful feet made it
possible for us to know the beautiful truth of the gospel of our Lord Jesus and to one day enjoy that beautiful home in heaven. JHW |
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6. CONTROL THAT TEMPER
"Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down on your wrath: neither give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:26). Most of us have a temper. We were born with it. Tempers are not bad in and of themselves. It is the out of control temper that gets us in trouble. God designed us with a temper in our constitution. We need it when we are confronted with evil things and evil people. We need to be stirred to righteous indignation. Temper becomes bad when we get agitated at trivial things of no consequence. It does harm when we cling to our anger rather than putting it to rest as soon as possible.
Temper hurts when it is misdirected at those we love, or those who are trying to help us.
Don't excuse your self by saying "I can't control my temper." You can because you are made in the image of God. You are greater than your temper. For some, this self control is harder than for others. But with God's help you can bring it under subjection. Once you have learned to do so, you will be a happier, healthier person with far fewer problems in life. Most of all God will be pleased with you actions. JHW
CHRISTIANITY: THEN AND NOW
Church of Christ
12213 W. Bell Rd.
Surprise, AZ 85374 |
