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"How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?"

 

But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” Romans 10:6-18.

 

Some observations

 

1.    “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?”

You don’t simply tell people they have to believe in Jesus, expecting them to believe; you give them some gospel and some Jesus so that they can believe!! See

Mark 16:15-16;

Acts 2:22-37;

10:33-43;

13:4-12;

13:16-41

16:30-34;

24:24-25;

26:22-29

 

2.    Note how believing includes obeying:

“But they have not all obeyed the gospel.

“For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?””

 

3.    Send

Proclaim

Hear

Believe

Obey

Be saved

 

4.    Who has believed what he has heard?

They have not all obeyed the gospel.

--David Hunter

 

Revelation 14:13--'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!' "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."

 There is nothing more fragile in life than life itself (Job 14:1-2; Isaiah 38:12). We are mortals and as such the day is coming when in just a moment of time we will lay aside this earthly tabernacle and take that journey from whence we will not return. Our hearts should be set on the wonderful city of God, that's the place we should be calling home (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11). One of our grand old songs says it so well: "This world is not my home--I'm just passing through--My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue--The angels beckon me from heaven's open door--And I can't feel at home in this world anymore."

 

Yes, the day will come when this physical body will cease to exist but that will not mark the end of our existence (2 Cor. 5:1; 1 Cor. 15). The truth is that every step we take in this life just bring us a little closer home and one day we will take that last earthly step. If our love for the world is so great that we spend our lives sowing the lust of the flesh, then when that day comes we will step out into eternity to reap a harvest of condemnation (Gal. 6:7-8). On the other hand if we are laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven, we will reap life everlasting in the land where joy will never end (Matt. 6:19-21; 2 Tim. 4:6-8).

 

Just knowing that when our earthly tabernacle is dissolved, there awaits a home not made with human hands should put a gleam in our eyes, a smile on our face and a bounce in our steps (John 14:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:1). Our pathway through life will sometimes be smooth and easy; sometimes it will be rocky and hard. Whatever it may be, with a faith that will not shrink, with a twinkle in our eyes and a smile on our face, we look forward with great anticipation to the moment in time when we will take that final step (Gal. 2:20;  Phil. 1:21-23).

 

Charles Hicks

La tranble

Life-giving Water

"La tranble" — a Creole term for "the shaking" – is the term Haitians use to refer to what claimed
230,000 lives and left 1.5 million people homeless on this impoverished island in the Caribbean.
After "la tranble," Healing Hands International, a humanitarian-based aid organization associated
with Churches of Christ, bought a drilling rig and shipped it to Haiti. Healing Hands has drilled
350 wells on the island to help provide clean water for the Haitians.

Janice Fuller — a 67-year-old grandmother of four — coordinates the annual Walk4Water fundraiser
sponsored by the Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin, Texas to help Healing Hands. She
recently joined a group that traveled to Haiti to drill another well. "I just think how incredible
this is," Fuller said. "These people were drinking dirty water for so long, and now they have a
place to come get clear, clean water because people cared enough to contribute."

Phenix Port-Louis, a Haitian preacher who works with Healing Hands, recalled: "Back in the day,
there were a lot of cases of cholera," referring to an epidemic that killed 10,000 Haitians and
sickened 800,000. "But now we do not have cholera because HHI put a lot of wells in our community,
in our country, so that the Haitians can have water to drink."

One of the wells dug by HHI is in Akdesé, Haiti. Matthew Perry, a 37-year-old father of two who
coordinates the Detroit area Lincoln Park church's Walk4Water, was present for the well's
dedication. He was amazed at what had transpired. "If we dig far enough in the ground, there's
this perfect, clean water right there," Perry said, reflecting. "It's free, provided by God, and
it's drinkable. It's amazing." *

In John 4, we read of a Samaritan woman who went out to Jacob's well in the middle of the day to
draw some water. Jesus sat at that same well and asked the woman to get him some water. She was
amazed because a Jewish man was asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water.

A dialogue proceeded between Jesus and the woman. Jesus knew that the woman had a thirst that the
water in Jacob's well could not quench. Hers was a spiritual thirst that she had tried to satisfy
in many (failed) relationships.

Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water [the water in Jacob's well] will thirst again;
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will
give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." – John 4:13-14

The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." –
John 4:15

Jesus was speaking of the relationship with God that saves us and brings eternal life. Because of
His great love for us, God gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). He died
for us so that we might drink of the Living Water which connects us with God and provides salvation
and eternal life.

Jesus will provide "living water" to those who: place their faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31),
turn from their sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are
baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will continue to quench
the spiritual thirst and keep clean by His cleansing blood, those who continue to follow Him as a
way of life (1 John 1:7).

When it comes to quenching our deep spiritual thirst, all that the world has to offer is polluted.
It will never satisfy. It will kill you! ONLY Jesus offers the Living Water that will quench our
thirst and give us eternal life.

It is freely provided by God. It is truly amazing. Won't YOU drink of that Living Water today?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "1,000 wells around the world" by Bobby Ross, Jr., in The Christian
Chronicle (Vol. 75, No. 6; June 2018) and posted at www.christianchronice.org

bewusstseinslage

The Winning Word

Imagine being asked to spell "bewusstseinslage." That's the word that Naysa Modi from Frisco, Texas
misspelled causing her to place second in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this past Thursday.

I wouldn't have been able to spell it correctly. I don't ever remember hearing the word much less
knowing what it means. Merriam Webster states that the word comes from the field of psychology and
it means "a state of consciousness or a feeling devoid of sensory components."

Using the word in this article is probably the only time I will ever use it!

Did you hear what the winning word was in the Spelling Bee?

The word was "koinonia." Karthik Nemanni, 14, of McKinney, Texas spelled this word correctly to
become the 91st champion of the spelling competition.

Hey, I know this word! If asked, I could have spelled it correctly! I could have won the
competition! No, I wouldn't; I can't spell "bewusstseinslage" and probably most of the words that
were provided in the competition.

But I know how to spell "koinonia" and, more importantly, I know what it means. I want all people
to know what it means. and to experience it!

Koinonia is a word that I've learned in studying the Scriptures. It is of Greek origin. Merriam
Webster gives the following definitions: (1) the Christian fellowship or body of believers; (2)
intimate spiritual communion and participative sharing in a common religious commitment and
spiritual community. Example: the koinonia of the disciples with each other and with their Lord.
The basic idea of the Biblical word is active participation.

Through Christ, we can have koinonia (fellowship) with God. Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah
59:1-2) and put us on the path to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). But God loves us so much that He
gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). Because the sinless Son of God died on
the cross for our sins, we can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) and enjoy koinonia
(fellowship) with God.

We accept God's offer of salvation, koinonia, and eternal life by placing our faith and trust in
Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus before
men (Romans 10:9-10), and by being baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins
(Acts 2:38). This is what it means to "obey the Gospel," the Good News that Jesus died for our
sins, was buried, and rose again. Then, as 1 John 1:7 teaches us, as we continue to walk in the
light of God's Word, we continue to have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ
continues to cleanse us from all sin.

In Christ, we can have koinonia (fellowship) with God AND with one another. When we obey the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, we are added to the church, the Family of God (see Acts 2:36-47). We become
brothers and sisters in Christ. We have a special relationship, a wonderful bond that is nurtured
by loving one another, bearing one another's burdens, encouraging one another, and practicing all of
the "one another" passages in Scripture.

Koinonia. We may not always spell it correctly, but may we all experience what it means: a blessed
relationship with God and with His people that has been made possible through Christ.

Do you have koinonia with God and His people? You can, if you'll submit your life to Christ. Won't
YOU?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Spelling bee winner is 14-year-old Texan who spelled 'koinonia'
correctly" by Amy Lieu of Fox News, www.foxnews.com

Proverbs 30:5

 

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him--Proverbs 30:5

 

I am a weak, frail, fragile human being--so are you. There will come into all of our lives those moments of time in which our hearts will be will deeply troubled causing our souls to cry out in anguish for deliverance. Mark chapter 4, the Lord gives to us a powerful example of his divine power when he rebuked the wind and raging sea bringing about a great calm (vs 39). Surely we understand that just as the Lord can still the fierce wind and raging water of a mighty ocean, he can calm the most raging storm that besets us in this life. Just as surely as the Lord had the divine power to calm that raging storm in Mark 4, he can deliver us from whatever adversity of this life that troubles our soul.

 

We do not serve a God who is powerless, we serve a God who is able. O that we all would have the faith of Shadrach, Meshach an Abednego (Daniel 3:17). As a faithful child of God, his presence is ours and even when our hearts are heavy with sorrow, grief and pain, when we grow tired and weary fighting the good fight of faith, we are safe in his arms knowing that he is our shield and defender.

 

Listen to  the words of David from Psalms 4:8: "I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, LORD, will keep me safe". When we are actively engaged in doing the things that will make our calling and election (2 Peter 1:5-11; Matthew 6:33; 1 Corinthians 16:13-14). we can with calmness, quietness and peacefulness of soul pillow our heads in sleep each night knowing the Lord will keep us safe. By the same token when we awaken in the morning we rise from our beds rejoicing, and with thanksgiving thank God that we have been granted the privilege of seeing another sunrise (Psalms 3:5).

 

Recognizing how awesome and great our God is and that his all seeing eye will be watching over us will impart to us the measure of strength and courage to see us safely thru all the events of this life (Heb. 4:13-15).

 

Charles Hicks

The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer: more to it than you think

And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. Acts 16:26-34

In any conversion, Jesus wants sinners to embrace Him, not just seek forgiveness. We study the jailer’s salvation.

1.     First of all, note that Paul and Silas didn’t get away from the jail as soon as they could, when the doors had

opened and their chains were unfastened. No, because they were concerned for the salvation of the guard.

2.      “What must I do to be saved?” the jailer pleaded. What was he asking to be saved from? And why?

3.      “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household,” Paul answered.

4.     Why would you tell a Roman guard, pleading for his life, to believe in Jesus as Lord, without explaining life, death, sin and the gospel of salvation? Acts 10:34-48; Romans 1:13-11:36; Revelation 1:17-18.

5.     You wouldn’t! Clearly, the householders didn’t believe as soon as Paul said to believe in Jesus, because they wouldn’t know enough to believe, or what believing in Jesus even means. You don’t believe simply because someone tells you to believe. Being told to believe is just the starting point to get your attention, so that you realise that your salvation lies with someone other than yourself.

6.     What did it take for the sinful woman’s faith to bring forgiveness in Luke 7:36-50? How was faith shown in Matthew 15:21-28? Jesus didn’t tell the rich, young ruler to simply believe. Matthew 19:16-30.

7.     Remember that, for salvation, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17. There’s teaching and learning involved, followed by a commitment to that teaching. John 8:30-32.

8.     Therefore, it is said in Acts 16 that Paul and Silas “spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.” v.32. But notice that the first thing the jailer does after hearing that word, is wash the wounds of Paul and Silas! There’s no mention yet that he “believed on the Lord Jesus,” though washing their wounds would be a sign of repentance.

9.     In fact, with still no mention of them believing, the jailer and his family are baptized at once! After the initial directive to believe on the Lord Jesus to be saved, there is no mention that they believed. And yet they were baptized! Why? Jesus had said, “Go and preach the gospel to all creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Mark 16:15-16. That’s why they were baptized “at once”! Baptism always immediately follows belief in the New Testament because it is a salvation essential. Why waste time when salvation is at stake?

Just as the Ethiopian would have been taught about baptism when Philip “preached Jesus to him”, Acts 8:35, so it is certain the “word of the Lord” spoken to the jailer would have included teaching on baptism.

10.   The jailer of course must have believed the extra “word of the Lord” he heard, because you don’t baptize a person who doesn’t believe. After Jesus gave the Great Commission, baptism and faith always work together for salvation. Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:36-38; 8:26-39; 10:43,47-48; 16:13-15,30-34; 18:8; 22:6-16. (Repentance is a must too. Luke 13:3; 24:46-47; Acts 2:38; 17:30-31).

11.   Lydia, after her baptism, describes herself as “faithful to the Lord.” Acts 16:15. A believer! And observe, in the explanation of conversion in Titus 3:1-8, that those regenerated by washing and renewal, were “those who had believed God.” Believers! Titus 3:8. If there is no faith, there will be no baptism! John 3:3,5,16. In Acts 18, those who “by grace had believed,” v.27, were the ones who had believed and been baptized. V.8. 

12.   After the baptisms of the jailer’s householders, the jailer brings them all to his house to feed them and they all rejoice that they have believed in God. There is no rejoicing after believing in Jesus, until the baptism! Acts 16:34. The rejoicing of the Ethiopian is also after his baptism! Acts 8:35-39. Faith without baptism is not enough. Not till the baptism is believing mentioned. Baptism belief. Baptism is the believer being immersed in Jesus. Romans 6:3-7; Colossians 2:11-14; Galatians 3:26-27. No wonder they rejoice then!

13.   It is clear that believing in the Lord Jesus implies believing in everything Jesus commands, which would include repentance and baptism. If you believe in Jesus, you believe what he commands for salvation.  Matthew 7:21-29; 11:27-30; 28:18-20; Luke 6:46; John 8:30-32; 14:15; 18:37; Acts 3:19-23. When you tell your children to trust their parents, you are telling them to do more than trust at that instant; you are telling them to obey every instruction their parents give.

14.   The command to believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved would imply repenting and being baptized as part of that belief. The Book of Acts – the book of conversions - proves it. Faith without genuine commitment is worthless. Repenting and being baptized demonstrate your serious intention to live with and for Jesus. Earlier, in the very first sermon preached in Christianity, when sinful Jews, who realized their guilt, asked what they needed to do, Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38.

15.   In Acts 22:16 Saul is told to “arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”

16.   Since there is “one Lord, one faith, and one baptism,” (Ephesians 4:5), if the baptism of the Jews at Pentecost resulted in forgiveness of their sins, then the baptism of the jailer must have resulted in his salvation! The New Testament doesn’t contradict itself. You can’t have salvation coming only after baptism in one conversion, and salvation coming before baptism in another conversion. Everywhere in the New Testament, baptism is necessary for salvation – as necessary as faith and repentance. Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:30-31; Romans 6:3-18; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22

17.   Finally, the householders who were baptized were old enough to hear the gospel and believe. Vs 32-34. In the New Testament there are no babies baptized, because baptism requires hearing the gospel and believing for oneself. Also see Acts 10 and Acts 16:13-15 for other examples of household baptisms.

18.   Read Philippians 1:3-26; 4:4-23. “All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.”  Philippians 4:22. Through evangelistic struggle come many joyous moments, just as in this Roman colony in Philippi. Read Psalms 32 and 51 to see the joy of another converted sinner.

--David Carr

 

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Sinclair Ferguson is a member of the Presbyterian Church

Singing Believers

    Sinclair Ferguson is a member of the Presbyterian Church but he wrote an interesting book called Devoted to God: Blueprints for Sanctification. In one chapter, he focuses on the teaching of Colossians 3. What struck me was his comments on how Christians are to dress and in one section, he writes that Christians should have Christ’s word dwelling in them. He draws that point from 3:16: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

    Despite the fact that we have brethren who try to say that this passage and/or Ephesians 5:19 do not refer to corporate worship, most if not all commentators I have read do understand it so, as does Ferguson. He writes that “sanctified praise will have a manward part as well as a Godward dimension” (136). The psalms, comments Ferguson, illustrate his point. A third of the psalms are directed to God; one third are self-addressed; the final third are directed at others.

    Ferguson continues: “Thus, as we sing we are instructing, exhorting, encouraging, and teaching one another. This is one reason the words are always more significant than the music… It is also the reason sanctified believers will be singing believers. The word that indwells them comes with such power to them that it issues from them in heart-felt sung proclamation. Our singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is therefore our corporate ministry of God’s word, a kind of mutual prophesying to one another to hear and live by the gospel. The more the word of Christ fills us by means of the words we sing, and as we sing them with understanding, the more we will be able to bless God, encourage one another, and be strengthened in ourselves” (136-137; emph. in orig.).

    A stronger argument for a capella worship could hardly be made. Our singing portion of worship is specifically intended to “teach and admonish.” When the music covers over the words, either through its volume or its aesthetics, the purpose of the singing has been completely obliterated. We are to be singing believers, not playing believers. Worship is not a talent show.

Paul Holland

 

Psalm Bible study

Holy Desperation
Psalm 79

    The churches of Christ today are being attacked from forces on the outside, from our contemporary society, and from forces within. Some Christians have decided that rather than leave the church for a denomination that suits their tastes, they will stay within the church and change it within.

    How do we respond to this “invasion” of false teaching and false practices within God’s people? The question is not new. The song leader and preacher, Asaph in Psalm 79, dealt with the same question as he felt a “holy desperation” at what was happening to his people.

THE UTTER DESTRUCTION OF GOD’S PEOPLE - 79:1-7:

    Verse 1 - The nations have invaded God’s inheritance.

    Verse 2 - Israelites have been killed and their corpses have been used to feed the birds of the heavens.

    Verse 3 - The Israelites’ blood has been poured out like water on the ground.

    Verse 4 - Asaph laments that Israel has become a “reproach” to their neighbors.

    When a church of Christ decides it has to change and be more like the culture, how can they call people to live against the culture? When a church of Christ decides that it will worship like the denominational churches next door, how can they call people to leave denominational teaching? In other words, if a church of Christ teaches that Jesus does not mean what He says in 1 Tim 2:11-12 that limits the role of women in worship, how can they expect their denominational neighbor to accept that Acts 2:38 teaches that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins? We live in a state of “holy desperation,” just like Asaph.

    Verse 5 - Asaph cries to God: “How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?”

    God is described as “jealous” 35 times in the OT. God is jealous because God is one. God must be the sole recipient of our devotion and only He has the authority to describe and authorize how that devotion is to be shown.

    Verse 6 - Asaph asks sincerely for God to pour out His wrath on the nations.

    Verse 7 - The nations have “devoured Jacob.”

    What do you do when you feel the utter destruction of God’s people is on the horizon? Asaph prays to God. Let’s take a look at Asaph’s prayer…

PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE - 79:8-12:

    Within this prayer, Asaph addresses nine commands to the God of heaven. He calls on God to do nine specific things in these five verses.

    Verse 8 - Command #1: “Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us.” While we cannot truly repent of the sins that our forefathers have done, we can learn from their mistakes and seek to behave better. If past generations have come across as ugly in their attitudes, then we need to acknowledge that and learn from it. But, just because they may have been wrong in their attitudes does not mean they were wrong in what they taught and practiced.

    Command #2: “Let your compassion come quickly to meet us, for we are brought very low.” The churches of Christ are not on the edge of extinction as some people would like for us to believe. There are Christian universities which are continuing to teach the pattern for Christianity as it is revealed in the NT and you can go to events like Challenge Youth Conference and Lads to Leaders and see where there are scores of churches that are still holding to the NT pattern for Christianity.

    Verse 9 - Command #3: “Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name.” “Help us for the glory of your name,” is an evangelistic message: to make known to nations around, as well as to unfaithful Israelites, the glory of the name of the God of heaven.

    Command #4: “Deliver us.”

    Command #5: “Forgive our sins for your name’s sake.”

    Verse 10 - Asaph asks a rhetorical question: “Why should [the nations] ask, ‘Where is their God?’” The churches of Christ are not the largest religious body in America or in the world and many, many people have the mentality that if you are small, you are destined to destruction and you cannot be doing something right. But “right” has never been defined in God’s eyes based on some type of popularity contest. Just ask Noah.

    Command #6: “Let there be known vengeance for the blood of your servants.” Asaph wants God’s nature to be known: you don’t mess with God’s inheritance. You don’t mess with the nature of God. You don’t mess with God’s commands and His expectations.

    Verse 11 - Command #7: “Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You [literally, “before your face”].”

    Command #8: “Preserve those who are doomed to die [literally, preserve those who are ‘sons of death’].” It is appropriate to pray that God will destroy the efforts of those who seek to lead our Christian family into a man-made religion. We should also pray that God will open the eyes of those who are being deceived, that they will come to their senses and be saved by God’s powerful arm.

    Verse 12 - Command #9: In holy desperation, Asaph prays that God will “return” over the neighbors, seven times the “reproach” or “scorn” that they had heaped on the nation of Israel. The reproach shown to Israel was not just a mockery of Israel but it was also a mockery of the God of Israel. Anyone who mocks the church of Jesus Christ is also mocking the Christ of the Church. That is not a safe behavior to practice!

CONCLUSION - 79:13:

    So, how do we respond to an invasion of God’s inheritance? After we have prayed (verses 8-12), Asaph tells us in verse 13 to do two more things:

    1. Give thanks to God forever.

    2. “To all generations,” we must continue to be evangelistic: “we will tell of your praise.”    

    Let us be busy doing that.

    When we feel a “holy desperation” about the state of the church today, let us pray, be thankful, and continue to teach the Gospel.