Colorado bank robberies

 

A Denver Post article from Sunday's newspaper, given to me by Dave Chamberlin, reveals a remarkable motive behind a string of northern Colorado bank robberies.  The January 16, 2011, piece, via The Greeley Tribune, conveys the rationale of Amanda Maslen, one half of the heisting duo who stole $11,000 from six Weld County banks.  Though she was only involved in one of the robberies with her boyfriend, Jordan Kniffen, she was quick to defend them all.  Her defense of the crimes covered three major premises: (a) Kniffen's actions were harmless, since he used an unloaded gun, (b) He "was only stealing from the government or the FDIC," and (c) They deserve the money because they'd had a tough life.  Her words play out like the proverbial shell game, hoping to deflect everyone's attention from the fact that they spent a large chunk of that change on heroin and that anarchy would follow if everyone used similar rationale in their decision-making.

 

But, Maslen represents the fruit of some bad philosophical thinking of our times.  Many do not like moral, ethical, and doctrinal judgments to be universal.  They are afraid of prescriptive (i.e., rule- imposing and rule-enforcing) language.  One may choose a similar line of thinking in situations that they feel to be less harmful, not violent, or even protected by the laws of the land.  Do not many people enter into an extramarital affair or divorce and remarry by saying they deserve happiness, fulfillment, a better spouse or partner, or the like?  Isn't one who has an abortion because it interferes with her educational, financial, or social future borrowing similar logic?  What about the one whose choice of a church because it appeals to or entertains them operate from a like premise?

 

The only way to straighten out the kind of thinking that led to such outrageous action and even more outrageous defense of it is to recognize and submit to the sovereign will of God and His moral absolutes.  We will be judged by the words of Deity (John 12:48).  We can know and be made free by the truth (John 8:32). Truth was realized through Christ (John 1:17).  As we read Scripture, we have an objective standard that is universally applicable (cf. Acts 17:30-31).  Excuse-making is as old as the Garden of Eden.  It did not work then, and it will not work now.  It is infinitely, eternally better for us to soften our hearts and yield our lives to the guidelines of the Bible than to serve our rebellious desires.

 

--Neal Pollard

 

Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, yet the youngest you’ll ever be, so enjoy this day while it lasts

I just celebrated (?) my 70^th birthday so our subject under consideration today relates to it and also relates to a commodity that all of us reading this editorial have in our possession at the present "time." See, that's my effort at a clever play on words because our subject, the commodity of which I speak is - "time."

Besides the above quotation, several things have conspired to gear my thoughts up for this lesson and I'll try to relate them to you in an understandable manner. One of those things, strangely enough, is a couple of sundials. One of them is the Kentucky Vietnam Memorial and is one of the most interesting and extraordinary things I've ever seen. It's located in Frankfort, Ky. and if you have internet availability I encourage you to take a look at it at It is truly a remarkable structure.

The other sundial I haven't seen, only read about and what interested me about it was the inscription on it. It's a poem that fits well with a couple of passages in the New Testament that we're all familiar with: Mt. 6:34 and James 4:14. Read with me this inscription and see if you don't agree. "The shadow of my finger cast, divides the future from the past; Before it sleeps the unborn hour, in darkness, and beyond thy power; Behind its unreturning line, the vanished hour, no longer thine; One hour alone is in thy hands - the NOW on which the shadow stands."

Okay, now let me mention something else that entered into the conspiracy to bring about this lesson and it is a common exclamation that we hear all the time. The exclamation: "IT'S ABOUT TIME!" I'm going to adopt that phrase as the title to our lesson here and then run a few spiritual thoughts off of it.

Have you ever thought about what a wonderful gift our God gives us in this commodity of time? I say that it's a gift from God because time does not relate to God, only to man. To life on this earth. Now we don't all have the same amount of total time, but we all share equally in the minutes and hours the day allots. No one has more or less than others. What I'd like you to consider about the commodity of time is how much of a "treasure" it is. You'll see what I mean by that in a moment.

Everything we do in our lives relates to time. Everything takes time. Wise old Solomon penned those now-famous words about time in Ecclesiastes where he said "There's a time for every matter under heaven." (Eccl. 3:1 ESV) He goes on to list several examples of time usage which basically tells us that there is a "time for everything" and that "everything takes time."

There's something else relative to all of us human "beans" and that is, we never seem to have enough time to do all the things we'd like. How many times have you heard people say, "There's just not enough hours in the day." Well, obviously there was enough for us to do the things we did accomplish. I guess what we're saying is that we'd have liked to have done more, but ran out of time. It's this idea about the usage of our time that I'd like to draw our principle lesson from. And this principle will take us back to the concept of time being a "treasure."

Since we all are active to various degrees, thus we all use time, the important thing for us to consider is HOW we use our treasure, our time. Yes, we all have things that have to be done but, we also have what I'm going to call "free time" or "optional time." It's in this area of time usage that we see what really matters to us. Where we really see what we care about most. Maybe it could even be said, what we're concerned about. In short, how we spend our "treasure" shows just what's important to us. Shows just what really matters, doesn't it?

When we think about our Christian lives and we're cognizant of the fact that we have duties to perform while here, both to ourselves and fellow man, but more importantly to God, we have to evaluate our time usage and ask ourselves if we're prioritizing that usage in the best possible manner. To borrow a phrase from the Apostle Paul, are we "rightly dividing" our time? As Christians, do we budget it appropriately?

Do you know who serves as a good example of one who does a good job of budgeting their time? The "busy person." Haven't you heard people, on many occasions, say "If you want something done, ask a busy person?" Why is that? Because a busy person has learned how to budget the hours in the day. You see, why we many times run out of time is because, I'm sorry to say, we've wasted it.

Oh yeah, there are lots of things that are seemingly important. That "simply have to be done." I don't have a problem with that thought process, I think that it's simply a matter of us deciding what's important. What has to be done. When we speak of importance what we're talking about is where our priorities are set. Here's the important question to ask ourselves: Does the "dividing" line of our time give us the greater portion of that time or does it go to God? Only each individual can answer that question for themselves.

Now here's something else to consider in regards to how we use our time: did you ever think that others might be watching how we use our time. I mean, if we profess to be a Christian, don't you think that others might be seeing how we spend our time and when they do, is God glorified by our time usage? Relative to that usage, how is our "light" shining? (Mt. 5:15)

Well, in wrapping up our thoughts today, let me just say this: "IT'S ABOUT TIME" that we do some soul-searching regarding the use of our time. That we really consider just how we spend this wonderful gift, this treasure, we've been given. Because, how we spend it paints the picture of what we are to those who know us and it tells them just exactly what we care about.

"IT'S ABOUT TIME" that we take stock of how we budget our time. How we prioritize it, IE: what we put first in our life. "IT'S ABOUT TIME" that we understand just how important the usage of our time is to our soul. When Solomon said "there's a time for every matter under heaven" remember this: "under heaven" refers to our time on earth. It's only here that we're given time to prepare our souls for eternity and "IT'S ABOUT TIME" that we recognize that the saving of our soul is our number one priority. The number one usage of our time.

This "number one priority" leads us into our final thought. Remember the 2^nd sundial and the last line of its inscription: "the NOW on which the shadow stands." Let me again borrow a phrase, a warning if you will, from Paul: "Behold, NOW is the favorable time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation." (2Cor. 6:2 ESV)

RRon Covey

Why Did Jesus Ask the Father to Forgive Them When He Knew He Wouldn't?

 

    Most of us are familiar with the request Jesus so unselfishly asked the Heavenly Father while hanging on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).  However, we also know that God turned away from that request, as Acts 2:23 & 36 reveal that they were still guilty of crucifying the One whom God has made both Lord and Christ. When the people were made to realize this, through preaching, they were "cut to the heart" and asked the apostles "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Without hesitation, Peter responded and said, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38).

            This is somewhat puzzling; Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic (Mark 2:9); He forgave the sins of the woman taken in adultery (John 8:11); and, He forgave the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43), so why didn't He just forgive these people? That is, why did He, this time, ask the Father to forgive them?  Why is it that even though Jesus Himself forgave them,  the Father did not?

            It is my conviction that even in the last minutes prior to His death, Jesus was continuing to "give us an example that we must follow" (1Peter 2:21).

            In 1John 3, we learn many things about "love of the Brethren." The inspired apostle, writing to Christians, says, "Do not marvel, my brethren, if worldly people hate you" (vs 13);  "He who does not love his brother abides in death" (vs 14);  "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (vs 15); 

            It is no marvel when worldly people hate us, but it IS a "marvel" when one who claims to be a "brother" hates us!  The Holy Spirit says, "Such a one is abiding in death" (present tense).

            However, according to Jesus' example, this is a judgment of God the Father, and not us. Jesus forgave His persecutors, God did not.  This is the example that we should follow. The time is coming when God will make all things right. Vengeance belongs only to the Lord, and He will repay (Romans 12:19).  Those who are of a hard heart and impenitent ... those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, are storing up for themselves tribulation and anguish, indignation and wrath of the righteous judgment of God (Romans 2:5-8).

            What a grand and glorious *inner peace* this affords the true child of God. God is shaking the world, but we are not of the world (cf. Hebrews 12:27-28). Don't destroy your soul with anger, hostility and hate; that is not the example that Jesus demonstrated. Jesus says, ""Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12). Remember also that Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). Salt is not only a preservative, it is also an irritant. Jesus did NOT say, "You are the *sugar* of the earth!

 

--Toby Miller

                                                                                                           

Toowoomba, Queensland

CBS News reports that at least 25 people have died since relentless rains
started pounding the eastern state of Queensland, Australia, in November.
Out of the devastation that the floods have caused, a hero has arisen.

On Monday, rapidly rising water in Toowoomba, Queensland, engulfed a car
carrying Donna Rice and her two sons: Jordan (age 13) and Blake (age 10).
Warren McErlean and two others stopped to help the family. With great
difficulty, McErlean, a hero himself, was able to reach the car and he began
trying to pull Jordan out. But the teenager stopped him and insisted,

"Save my brother first."

Jordan, who was petrified of the water, made the courageous decision to risk
his own life so that his younger brother and mother could be saved.
McErlean later described how Jordan helped lift Blake out of the
floodwaters, then begged them to take his mother next as the rushing waters
became stronger.

McErlean was able to get Blake to safety, but before he could return to the
car to rescue Jordan and his mother, a rope he was clinging to snapped. He
watched helplessly as the car flipped over and the rushing water carried
Jordan and his mother away. They both drowned.

John Tyson, Jordan's father, said he was heartbroken but proud of his son.
"I can only imagine what was going on inside to give up his life to save his
brother, even though he was petrified of water. He is our little hero."

Jordan is now hailed as a hero by all of Australia and by all who have heard
of his courageous, selfless actions.

Apparently, selfless love was a trait that is shared by other members of
Jordan's family, including his mother. Tyson said Donna Rice was an
incredible woman who tried to save their son. "They both clung to a tree,
and when Jordan couldn't hang on any more Donna let go and tried to save
him. The last thing she did was to try to save her son."

Jordan and his mother give us a glimpse of the love that JESUS has for us
and the price that He paid for our salvation.

When WE were being "swept to destruction" due to our sins, Jesus came to our
rescue. With great effort and determination, He navigated His way through
the floodwaters of wickedness, intent upon saving drowning victims such as
you and me. This mission led Him to the cross where He paid the ultimate
price for our sins so that we might have forgiveness and the hope of eternal
life (Ephesians 1:7). It cost His life but He willingly gave it to redeem
us (see John 10:17-18).

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his
friends." - John 15:13

In order to accept His offer of salvation, we must cling to Him in trusting
obedience: placing our faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning from
our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Him before men (Romans
10:9-10), and being baptized into Christ so that our sins may be washed away
by His blood (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

When it came time for Jesus to choose, He thought of US first. He died so
that you and I might live.

How will YOU respond?

* Information gleaned from CBSNews.com and AOLNews.com

--David A. Sargent

What is a dream?

Dreams are funny things aren't they? How do your explain or describe a
dream? The word "dream" is defined as, "a series of thoughts, images, or
emotions occurring during sleep." (Merriam-Webster dictionary) Of course
dreams are so very different to different people. Some people hate dreams,
because they bring images they fear. Some people on the other hand dream
dreams that are pleasant or let that let them experience things they could
not in real life.

Dreams of this nature do have some draw backs. First they are not real and
second is that we forget them so quickly. Often when we wake we remember the
dream vividly, but after only a few minutes we begin to forget the dream.

We use the word dream in another way also. We sometimes speak of dreams when
we describe those things we imagine, wish or hope we can do or see done. It
deals with our personal visions or goals for ourselves or someone else.

Paul talks about having a dream in Philippians 3:14 where he writes, "I
press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus." A paraphrase would be, "I'm working hard to
fulfill my dream of one day wining the prize of heaven, which God promised
me."

Some people dream of serving God. Some people dream of having a great
church. Some people dream of having a godly family or a godly spouse. Some
people dream of being missionaries, teachers, preachers or one of many great
things. The problem is that just as with our sleeping dreams we sometimes
forget our dreams, or our visions for ourselves.

T.E. Lawrence once said, "All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by
night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to the day to find it was
all vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for the many act
out their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible..."

Are you a dreamer by night or a dreamer of the day? Some people think they
are too old, too young, don't have enough education or too limited in
someway to dream anything anymore. I personally don't think I will ever stop
dreaming. When you stop dreaming dreams you begin to die inside. I want to
serve God and do something for him and his church as long as I draw a
breath. How about you; are you still dreaming or have you given up?

Russ Lawson

Bulgarian pilots kidnapped

"Interruption Of Aid"

 

This is not the kind of news that makes headlines in the United States. For those affected, however, it's tragic. Three Bulgarian pilots were kidnapped on Wednesday as they attempted to fly planeloads of food to refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan. For the people on the ground, this interruption of aid could mean life or death.

 

The plight of those in West Darfur State in Sudan (a nation in northern Africa) has occasionally been in the news. In 2003 many in that area rebelled against the government, leading to a crackdown that resulted in over 300,000 deaths and the displacement of millions. Those millions depend on the assistance provided by the World Food Program.

 

The kidnapping yesterday is but the latest incident of a growing movement to stop food from reaching those who need it desperately. There is great concern for the safety of the three pilots, but there is also tremendous concern for those who wonder when they will be able to eat again.

 

Think of it this way: An automobile accident leaves a family seriously injured. The ambulance that is dispatched to rush them to help is hijacked before it can reach the victims. Would there not be an outrage at such an act? That's the kind of situation seen in Sudan.

 

Have you heard of another crisis affecting billions of people? This plague puts the eternal welfare of all in great jeopardy. Assistance has been sent out, help which is absolutely effective and provides the cure needed. But strong efforts are being made to stop that aid from reaching the ones afflicted.

 

Paul spoke of this evil interruption in 2 Corinthians 4:3,4: "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this world has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." Satan, Paul warned, is doing his best to keep Christ's help from reaching those who need it.

 

Luke wrote about "an intelligent man" named Serguis Paulus who called for Paul and Barnabas to teach him about Jesus. As they taught, however, "Elymas the sorcerer ... withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith" (Acts 13:7,8). Sadly, Elymas is not the only one who has cooperated with Satan. Many have tried to steer people away from the saving truth of the gospel.

 

We learn in Romans 1:16 how important the gospel of Christ is: "... it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." Salvation is the relief that God has sent from heaven. You, I and all who live need this relief. Our eternal destiny depends on it.

 

We must take seriously the Bible's warning that Satan is our adversary (1 Peter 5:8). He will do whatever it takes to interrupt the aid God has sent for you and me. Sometimes he'll use people to steer us away from the power of the gospel; at other times he'll distract us with entertainment. His main objective is to keep God's relief from reaching desperate souls.

 

We have this advantage, however: "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). If we see our need for God's aid, He'll make sure we receive it.

 

Timothy D. Hall

 

THE CHURCH OF BODY MODIFICATION

       Earlier this year, a 14-year-old girl named Ariana Lacono was suspended from school.  She was not being rebellious or harmful to anyone though.  She was suspended simply because she had a nose piercing, and this violated the school's dress code.  Now, most people would take the easy path in this situation and just take out the nose piercing, but not this family.  See, the reason this story became a headline is because they were claiming that the nose piercing was a way Ariana expresses her religion.  Now, I have heard of people getting a piercing as a physical reminder of what Christ has done, but this went to a whole different level.

       As it turns out, this family is part of something called the "Church of Body Modification."  Yes, you read that correctly.  This is a group of people who heavily support body modifications and are tying it in with religious practices.  So, Ariana was saying that her piercing is a part of her religion and should therefore be accepted by her school.  Sadly, this dispute was taken to the Federal Court and the ruling went in Ariana's favor.

       Most of us probably have never heard of this "church."  I certainly had not.  Essentially this church believes that the body, mind, and soul are connected and are an integrated unit.  Therefore, if a person modifies his/her body, then the mind and soul will be modified as well.  To be quite honest, this "religion" is outrageous and, well, gross.  They support and endorse all types of body modification including all forms of cosmetic surgery, tattoos, piercings, tongue splitting, and body gauges (stretching the nose, ears, and other parts of the body with steadily larger objects).  From what I can tell, this church endorses, literally, any and all ways to change the body and to push the limits of the body (such as fire walking).

       There are several points to consider in this situation: (1) They claim to be a religion and yet they do not seem to worship together, use any scripture, or believe anything in the Bible.  In fact, they support many grotesque and sinful practices.  (2) God wants us to be respectful of our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 3:16).  Romans 12:1 states, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of god, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, well-pleasing to God...."  Certainly it is not "well-pleasing" to God when someone to changes, marks, scars, and damages what God created.  (3) People will do almost anything to get their way and get around the rules.  Apparently, some will even go so far as to make an entire religion about it.  It is sad that people are now using the label of "religion" to get around the rules and do what they want.  These people are using the "members of their body" for sin and self-gratification with their man made religion, but God has instructed us to present the members of our body as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:12-13).  This religion seems like nothing more than a loophole and an excuse to change and mark up the body.

       Our lives should be about living for Christ (Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21).  It is not about modifying the beautiful way God created us, or pushing the limits of our bodies.  The Scripture says, "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.  But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.  If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness...for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Romans 8:9-10, 13).  Living and experiencing life physically is trivial in comparison to spiritual living (1 Timothy 4:8).  The real way to live and experience life is by putting the deeds of the body to death and living a spiritual life dedicated to Christ.

 

--Brett Petrillo

 

Merv Griffin show

Alan Smith recalls seeing a body builder who appeared on the Merv Griffin
show a number of years ago. When he got on stage, the body builder stepped
forward and flexed a series of well-defined muscles from chest to calf. The
audience applauded.

Merv asked him, "What do you use all those muscles for?" Again, the
muscular man flexed, and biceps and triceps sprouted to impressive
proportions.

Merv persisted. He said, "But what do you use those muscles for?" And the
body builder was bewildered. He didn't have an answer other than to display
his well-developed frame.

After viewing the incident, Alan Smith wrote: "I think we face the same
temptation. God has blessed each of us with a host of talents and
abilities. But they haven't been given to us simply so we can 'show off' in
front of others. And when we are asked the question, 'What do you use your
talents for?', I hope our response is not to flex our muscles and look
confused. I hope we realize that all that we have and all that we are has
been given to us for a purpose."

For what purpose? God's Word provides the answer.

Our purpose is to live in fellowship with God and bring glory to Him with
our lives.

The PROBLEM is that our sins separate us from God and from life's noble
purpose. Our situation is like the people of Isaiah's day: "Your iniquities
have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from
you, So that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2).

But God has provided a SOLUTION. He sent His Son to die on the cross to pay
the price for our sins so that we might have forgiveness of sins and the
freedom to live life properly (Ephesians 1:7).

Each of us can accept this forgiveness and freedom upon our obedience to the
Gospel ("Good News") of Jesus by: placing our faith and trust in Him (Acts
16:30-31), turning from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing
Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38;
Romans 6:3-4).

Then, we are to "count ourselves DEAD to sin but ALIVE to God in Christ
Jesus" (Romans 6:11) to fulfill the REAL purpose of life....

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the
glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Won't YOU?

David A. Sargent

How to grow the church

Were I to ask a business man if he had a successful year last year, likely he would gage success on "numbers."   That is to be expected; for who in his right mind would even suggest that his business was a success had said company lost inventory, or even worse, dollars?  To a car dealer, successes is measured in the number of cars sold; to a financier, success is measured in interest earned, or stocks bought and sold.   But you cannot measure church growth in numbers.  Genuine church growth falls outside the realm of the tangible.  Admittedly there are tangible indications of church growth – but the tangible signs of growth can be misleading.  Jesus warned the church at Sardis, "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou are dead" (Rev. 3:1).   What is it that gave Sardis a "name that thou livest"?   Was it the attendance figures for the year?  Perhaps it was the number of baptisms; or the many mission endeavors in which she was involved.    Perhaps the congregation had appeared in one of the brotherhood periodicals of the first century as being among the "fastest growing congregations in the brotherhood."   But the numbers were deceiving, were they not?  Keep this in mind, beloved:  Our Lord does not measure true success by tangible numbers!  In all the letters to the seven churches of Asia, not a single one is commended for numbers, neither are any condemned for the lack thereof!   Do not misunderstand, beloved – we cannot avoid increase in numbers when the church is growing – but numbers for numbers sake are not an accurate barometer of true church growth.   

If we focus on numbers we will not develop a climate conducive to the kind of growth God desires.    To illustrate, let us suppose an eldership has a desire to increase the attendance by 20% over the next twelve months.   Simple math would demand that a present attendance of 100 would need to be at 120 by year's end.  So, the goal is set, and every effort is put into achieving that end.   Suppose that by year's end there has been an increase of only 1-2%, or even worse, no increase at all.   The temptation would be to examine the methods being used to achieve the desired increase, and conclude, "We must be doing something wrong!"   Along with the temptation to re-evaluate the "method" would be the danger of minimizing those things that are truly important (and scriptural) and focus even more on the increase in numbers.    Why not, instead, focus our attention on those things that the Bible teaches us will provide for spiritual growth, and trust in God to give the increase?  Has our Lord not promised that if we will sow and water that He will give the increase?  "So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (1 Cor. 3:7).  Paul was not minimizing the work of the evangelists, but was emphasizing the importance of focusing our attention on the source of genuine increase – increase, we might add, that can be measured in tangible figures.   Notice that it was the preaching of the gospel to which Paul focused our attention:  "I planted…Apollos watered" (vs. 6).  With these things in mind, we humbly suggest the following spiritual truths that will help us maintain and develop a climate for church growth. 

First, the leaders of a congregation must give attention to developing a positive atmosphere for church growth.   As the spiritual climate about us continues to deteriorate we find ourselves saying (if only among ourselves), "Nobody will listen to the gospel anymore."  Or, "People are just not interested."  A steady diet of such negative thinking will erode and rob any congregation of its zeal to seek and save the lost.  Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that Romans 1:16 ("the gospel…is the power") and Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things in Christ") are still in the Bible.  

Second, leaders must give attention to developing an attitude of trust among members.  Fault finding, constant criticism, and internal strife will ruin the growth of a congregation.   A good diet of spiritual milk combined with instruction in areas such as congregational cooperation, brotherly love, and trust in God will go a long way to a healthy climate for spiritual growth.

Third, leaders must give attention to old fashioned evangelism.   If a farmer wants a larger crop, he gives attention to planting more seed.  Neglect in this area will result in a small harvest and/or a discouraged and disappointed farmer.  While elders have a great responsibility to address the spiritual needs of the flock, undue attention to the "felt-needs" of the members will result in a small harvest of souls if for no other reason than the fact that it draws our attention away from that which can and will provide growth.  Let us not neglect the great commission (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15).

Fourth, leaders must strive for excellence among themselves and the congregation.  Mediocrity does not attract people – it repels them.   We seek for excellence in the products we buy, and the service we expect from those in the secular realm.   It is our duty to give the very best to God.  "And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether to … ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting; he that giveth, let him do it with liberality" (Rom. 12:6-9).  Our desire for excellence should be apparent in our worship, our teaching, the building and grounds, etc.  Anything less falls short of the right climate for church growth.

Fifth, leaders must be flexible while remaining steadfast and unmovable.  There are some areas that must not change.  The word of God has been "once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3) and any attempt to deviate from the God-given standard will be disastrous (Gal. 1:8-9; Rev. 22:18-19).  Thus we encourage one another, "Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).  But when it comes to the method for growth, we must be flexible, willing to adapt to the changing times.   God has given us the amazing world-wide-web (better known as www.com), mobile phones, Ipods, Ipads and email to help us reach the billions of lost souls around us – we would be foolish to ignore these wonderful tools because we are locked in mind set that says, "Well, we never did it that way before." 

Finally, leaders must lead the way in demonstrating a serving spirit while expecting the congregation to follow in their train.   Adapting the words of the late John F. Kennedy, "Don't ask what the church can do for you; ask rather what you can do for the church."  I feel sorry for those anxious souls who give no consideration to working with a small congregation that cannot provide this program or that program and choose instead to place membership with a large congregation that has activities that meets their selfish, and in many instances, their fleshly desires.   When a congregation focuses their attention on programs that appeal to whims and wishes of its members rather than the desires of God, they are well on the way to producing a climate contrary to church growth. 

--Tom Wacaster

A wonderful Christmas season

I suppose that it's become a tradition about now that we editorial writers offer some words of consideration regarding the end of the old year and the coming new one. Well, I certainly do not wish to break or run afoul of that tradition, so I'm going to pen a few thoughts along that line today for you to consider. And, in a sense I guess, we'll see one more instance where we can learn valuable spiritual lessons from our children.

Well, we here at the Covey house just had a wonderful Christmas season. The family gathered as usual. We had lots of laughs and reminisces. A great load of gifts were exchanged. The old dining room table was loaded with good food and I'm the only one that overate (as usual). I know these gatherings, in practicality, really can't be done all year 'round, but I wish they could. I wish the "Christmas atmosphere" would prevail everywhere all year 'round, but we know that won't happen either, don't we? Can't stop me from wishing though.

For our old year/new year lesson, I'd like to enlarge a bit on our recent event of gift-giving. I'd like offer you some thoughts on the giving and receiving of gifts. To sort of put this in proper perspective, what's the greatest gift ever given, thus the greatest gift ever received? My answer to that question constitutes the gist of our lesson.

The easy answer to that question is found in that most familiar verse, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...." God "loved" the crowning achievement of creation, mankind, so much that He gave man the greatest gift possible - His Son's life for man's salvation. There's a verse in Romans 5:8 that speaks directly to this thought of gift-giving and it tells us there that this gift of love was bestowed on us "while we were yet sinners..." That simply means that we hadn't been good and weren't deserving of such a gift.

But, there's another way of looking at this gift and the greatness of it. We got "Light." I'd like to pursue this concept about "light" and maybe I can connect some thoughts about the greatness of the gift of "light." Anyway, this is the gift I'd like to talk about for the rest of our time and space today. IE: The gift we should carry into and throughout this New Year.

To set the stage, so to speak, let's read some passages from the 1st chapter of John. If you read verses 4-9 you'll see that Jesus, God's "only begotten Son" was with Him from the very creation of man. That, at the appropriate time, God sent Him into the world, unto the "darkness" (man) to be "The Light" to lead man out of that "darkness." It also tells us there that the "darkness" didn't "recognize" the Light and the sad state of affairs is, that many still do not. They didn't and they don't, recognize the greatness of the gift that was given them.

But, you know what? There's an answer as to why that is so because we see in John 3:19 that "men loved darkness rather than light..." and that would be the reason they would be condemned. They loved this world and the evils within it more than they loved the gift given them that allows them to escape it. Notice what Jesus Himself said about this situation in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Now here's a little equation, maybe a segue if you will: Jesus tells us that He is "The Light." But then notice in John 12:36, we find out that those who do follow Him, who walk in the light, are "children of light." Why is that important to know here? Because of something the Apostle Paul tells us about the importance of being "children of light." Because we are so, we've been given the "light of the knowledge" of His Son. (2Cor. 4:6) Back a couple of verses (4) we find out that this "knowledge" is the "light of the glorious Gospel of Christ." I'd say that's pretty important, wouldn't you?

Actually, before we leave 2Cor. 4 and what Paul is telling us here, let's look at verse 7 in regards to our gift of light, of knowledge. Notice there how he characterizes this gift; as a "treasure." And where is this "treasure" left? In our hands. In "earthen vessels." As such, Paul tells us in Eph. 5:8 that "ye are the light of the Lord..." To use a common phrase, the "torch has been passed." Christians are the "children of light" because they "walk in the light" (1Jn 1:7). The "light" that they walk in is the "Gospel of Christ." And it's this "light" that has been left in their charge with which to "light" up the world.

In the 5th chapter of Matthew, Christ gives us more descriptors of Christians. Notice there, that along with being "the salt of the earth" (the preservers) they are "light of the world." Since we now understand exactly what that "light" is and what it means to Christians, we can more fully grasp what He says in verse 16 when he says that we should "let your light so shine before men..." He even gives us the purpose for letting our light shine: it's so the world "may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

That passage in Matt. 5:16 takes us back to something I mentioned at the outset of this lesson; that we might be able to see another spiritual lesson through our kids. When I go back over and consider all that we've talked about here today, I'm reminded of a most appropriate line of a song we're all familiar with. I don't think that I could have come up with a better close to our lesson than these words.....

                               "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine......"

Ron Covey