Posted by David on February 6, 2000 under Bulletin Articles
God makes a promise to the person whose trust in the resurrected Jesus expresses itself in two ways. (1) His or her faith in Jesus produces repentance, a redirection of life. (2) His or her faith and redirection of life results in baptism. The combination of faith, repentance, and baptism enables a person to participate in Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-7).
What promise does God make? God gives these people newness of life. The person who was dead is now alive. The person who was captured by the darkness of evil is now liberated by the light of Jesus Christ. The person who was dead in the evil that he or she committed is resurrected to life in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-6).
How is that possible? God’s grace. His goodness makes it possible. Can the goodness of the person make it happen? No. Can the worthiness of the person make it happen? No. Can a person “obligate” God through correct human deeds? No. Can a person through human deeds and acts manipulate God? No. Is God “in debt” to this person? No. The person trusts God’s promise in Jesus Christ. God who cannot lie honors His promise. The person receives newness of life as a gift, as God’s gift.
No person can give another person newness of life. Christians collectively as the church cannot. Christians as individuals cannot. Elders cannot. Deacons cannot. Preachers cannot. Ministry leaders cannot. Missionaries cannot. Only God can give newness of life.
Newness of life does not exist in a person by “collective human consensus.” A person does not have newness of life because we agree he or she has it. Newness of life is not absent in a person because we declare it is absent. Newness of life is in the person who is in Christ. That person has newness of life because God gave it to him or her.
Can God give it to anyone who enters Jesus Christ? Yes. A drug addict? Yes. An alcoholic? Yes. A prostitute? Yes. A thief? Yes. An adulterer? Yes. A divorced person? Yes. A rejected person? Yes. A greedy person? Yes. A liar? Yes. A materialist? Yes. Someone addicted to pleasure? Yes. A selfish person? Yes.
God gives newness of life to every man or woman who trusts what God did in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, who chooses to redirect life, and who participates in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is not given to those who “deserve” it. No one deserves it. It is a gift. Only God can give it. Only those who trust God can receive it.
Posted by David on January 30, 2000 under Bulletin Articles
How much does God love a person? We all can give the standard church answer! “God loves a person enough: to let His son die for him or her; to forgive his or her sins; to allow anyone to become His son or daughter; to let him or her be part of His family; to ‘stick with’ the imperfect Christian; to give him or her eternal life in heaven.”
How much does God love: your wife when you are very frustrated with her? Your husband when you are very angry at him? Your child when you are very upset with him or her? Your parents when they fail you? Your best friend when he or she has not acted like a best friend? Your boss when the feelings you have for him or her do not fit the concept of love? Your neighbor when he or she is not neighborly?
Let’s accurately simplify the question. How much does God love the person who displeases you? How much does God love the person who hurts you?
Will we ever love the displeaser as God does? No. Will we allow God to teach us how to love the displeaser? Yes. The Christian’s ability to love the displeaser will always move in the direction of God’s love.
Why? “You have heard that it was said, ?You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ‘But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matthew 4:43-47, NAS)
An enemy is a true “displeaser.” Jesus’ teaching: be a positive force for good in the life of the displeaser even when he or she causes you harm. Why? Because your eye is fixed on God, and that is what God does. God does not act like Satan. He does not act like humans or human forces controlled by Satan. If we only love people who love us and only greet people like us, we are no different from the people who are controlled by evil. Our existence is directed by God, not Satan. We are His children, not Satan’s!
God’s kingdom does not function like anything else on earth. It functions on the will of the God who loved people who opposed Him, who created forgiveness before people repented, who atoned for evil before people turned toward righteousness, who created an inheritance for heirs who had not yet acknowledged Him to be their Father.
People who belong to God do not treat people as does an evil society–not in their families, not their neighbors, not in the store, not on the job, not in the church. People who belong to God live for that life that comes after death, not for the life of right now.
Posted by David on January 23, 2000 under Bulletin Articles
Can you imagine telling your children living at home (regardless of their ages), “You are free to do anything you want to do, behave any way you want to behave, be anything you want to be. We impose no restrictions on you.”
Each day your children allowed their moods and wants to determine their behavior and activities. What a nightmare for loving, responsible parents! If your children chose on the basis of “want to,” mood, and desire, what would happen? To school attendance? To dress? To behavior? To bedtime? To diet? To hygiene? To curfews? To automobiles? To recreational activities? To dating activities? To respect?
Can you imagine this: you give your children the true liberty of personal choice in everything, and your children’s behavior improves? That is an unlikely happening because of the immaturity factor. Children do not possess the perspective produced by years, the wisdom produced by experience, the judgment produced by failure, or the understanding produced by success. To them, the restraints of maturity are never in conflict with the self-centeredness of desire.
Parents dream of seeing unrestrained freedom produce improved behavior and choices in their children. Why? Improved behavior and choices would mean they preferred a life, a lifestyle, and behavior based on the Christian values you teach. They would be governed by love for Christ instead of grudgingly controlled by necessity.
What does God want to see in His children? He wants to see freedom in Christ producing improved behavior and choices. He wants to see the maturity factor of love become the governing factor of life. He wants to see children who prefer the life, the behavior, and the focus of the life found in Christ.
I do not presume to know how far the grace of God extends. In the gospels it is obvious that God’s grace flowing through Jesus was more powerful than demons, past sexual sin, or past dishonesty. In the epistles it is obvious that God wants His children to mature as they live in His grace. Our desire to reduce every situation to a “lost and saved” issue oversimplifies the realities of God and the needs of a person. Grace is not a license to sin, but grace is the only way God can permit us to be righteous before Him.
When a mature Christian chooses to behave any way he wants, he acts more like Jesus. When a mature Christian chooses to be what she wants to be, she is more like Jesus. His or her attitudes and behavior are rooted in love, not controlled by necessity. An existence of faith in Christ IS what he or she prefers. It IS his or her life of choice.
Galatians 5:13, For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (NAS)
Posted by David on January 16, 2000 under Bulletin Articles
Do you pray this prayer? “Lord, spiritually help me grow up. Help me understand how to develop a heart like Jesus had. Help me learn to think like Jesus thought. Let me see Jesus clearly so I can look at You and see what Jesus saw. Help me develop his attitudes and motives. I know all my important relationships will be blessed powerfully if I just grow up spiritually. Help me learn! Help me grow! Help me surrender!”
Are you attending a Sunday morning adult Bible class? If you are, encourage others to come. If you are not, please join us! Twenty places now use our Sunday morning material for their classes. These places are located in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, Colorado, California, Oregon, Canada, Guyana, and Australia. Others using this material are in places where Christianity is illegal. It is legal to study these lessons here! Use your freedom! Come learn! Come mature spiritually!
Posted by David on January 9, 2000 under Bulletin Articles
An eight-year-old child in a healthy family said to his parents, “I want to manage all the money spent on me. I want to make all decisions that affect my life. I want total control of all decisions concerning me. I want to determine all rules that regulate any aspect of my life. I want to determine how my time is used. I want to provide my own guidance.”
The parents answered, “We know you want those responsibilities. But this is not a matter of your desire. You are not capable of caring wisely for such things. There are many responsibilities that you can accept, but those are not among them.”
The insulted eight-year-old had no desire to accept the responsibilities of an eight-year-old. In his thinking, he was fully capable. He just did not have “the rights of power” that his parents possessed.
An adult says to God, “I want to determine all right and wrong for me. I want to be in charge of my own forgiveness. I want to decide for me what is weak and strong, wise and foolish, good and bad, and right and wrong. I want to classify what is ‘temptation’ and what is ‘natural.’ I want to determine the proper use of my life.”
God replies, “I know that you want those things. But it is not a matter of desire. You are incapable of caring wisely for such responsibilities. There are responsibilities that you can accept, responsibilities I want you to accept. But those are not among them.”
The insulted adult knew he was capable. He just did not have God’s “rights of power.”
At its foundation, a mature faith in God and Christ understands two things. (1) It understands some responsibilities are beyond a person’s capability and wisdom. (2) It understands that some responsibilities are within a person’s capability and wisdom. Maturity exists in faith when a person can distinguish between the two.
A critical problem has plagued us from the beginning: we want to be like God. We are certain that we could. We know that we are capable. God denies us that opportunity only because He controls the power.
One of the worst, most wicked periods in the history of Israel existed because “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
Will you assume those responsibilities in your life within your capability and wisdom? Will you trust God with those responsibilities outside your capability and wisdom? Will you develop a mature faith? Or, do you want to play God?
The irony: as faith matures, we continually learn how incapable we are of playing God. Mature faith continually increases our awareness of this truth: we do not know or understand nearly as much as we think we do.
Posted by David on January 2, 2000 under Bulletin Articles
This Sunday morning, January 2, we will begin our new adult classes. The teachers, classrooms, and age groups information is posted at the Visitors’ Center in the foyer. The first quarter we will focus on Jesus as God’s servant. The objective: build an in-depth understanding of Jesus, God’s servant. That understanding is the foundation of your faith, your commitment, your service, and the role you assume in your relationship with God.
The next three quarters will focus on us as sons and daughters of God. If we improve our understanding of our older brother, Jesus, we can understand better the meaning of service, surrender, and stewardship. We want God to mature us. We want to change.
How serious is this study? Buster Herren is conducting a resource session each week for the teachers. Your teachers come each Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. to think with Buster. They are studying, praying, and preparing. They want the class to be an invaluable spiritual asset to you. They want desire to bring you to class each week.
Serious commitment is being made to this study. The elders, staff, and teachers ask you to make a serious commitment to this study. Be a student. Think, study, pray.
Pray every week that God will guide your mind and heart as you learn.
Read and think about the texts prior to attending class.
Prepare the week’s lesson prior to attending.
Commit yourself and your family to being in the classroom before time for the study to begin.
Christianity was never intended to be a religion. A religion is an “add on” in life. It fills a compartment marked “spiritual necessity.” In the ranking of important matters, a religion appears near the bottom of the list. It is important at weddings, hospitals, funeral homes, and cemeteries. A religion exists to address moments that we do not control. It is perfunctorily saluted as a “symbol of authority.” It is not about life’s substance.
Christianity is a life. It touches and orients every aspect of life in every detail. God designed it to be a life. Jesus served and died to make it a life-giving existence. When we reduce that life to a religion, it is our creation, not God’s.
These classes are about life. Come learn more about the abundant life.
Posted by David on December 31, 1999 under Bulletin Articles
L’incredibile Gesù poteva guardare una persona e vedere un inimmaginabile potenziale, che essa stessa non sapeva d’avere. Lui guardava un taciturno e impetuoso Pietro e vedeva una roccia capace di aprire le porte del regno eterno di Dio. Guardava M. Maddalena impossessata dal demonio e vedeva una donna capace d’incredibile amore e devozione. Guardava un assassino Saulo di Tarso e vedeva un magnifico portavoce il cui messaggio poteva riportare sulla giusta strada, la storia religiosa. Guardava una donna Samaritana adultera e vedeva una persona che avrebbe bevuto l’acqua viva e che avrebbe portato altre persone alla fontana. Gesù vedeva le cose più improbabili, nelle persone più improbabili.
In dodici uomini ha visto il (mezzo) per informare il mondo circa la crocifissione e la resurrezione del figlio di Dio. E pensate che tipi “improbabili” c’erano tra loro: un disprezzato collettore di tasse, un fanatico politico/religioso e gli altri o facevano i pescatori o i contadini, erano uomini semplici. La visione di Gesù per le persone non nasceva dunque dalle loro eccezionali doti, dai loro unici talenti o dalla loro innata saggezza. Raramente erano persone con un’eccellente educazione, esperienza o che avevano viaggiato molto. In ogni caso Gesù ha tratto la Sua potenziale visione da un solo fattore la loro capacità di confidare in Dio. Nessuna di queste persone doveva necessariamente diventare ciò che Gesù aveva visto. Erano liberi di continuare ad essere pescatori, indemoniati, adulteri, collettori di tasse, persecutori, e fanatici, invece sono stati capaci di trasformarsi in attrezzi potenti nelle mani di Dio. Rispondendo all’amore e alla grazia, accettando il perdono e volendo vivere per uno scopo eterno, sono diventati esattamente quello che Gesù aveva intravisto in loro. Probabilmente nessuno di loro aveva compreso in che modo efficace e potente Dio li stava usando.
Quando i capi della chiesa di Gerusalemme si rivolsero a Pietro per la predicazione ai gentili, quando Paolo in prigione spingeva Timoteo a continuare il suo ministero, quando gli apostoli subivano persecuzioni che rallentavano il loro lavoro e assottigliavano le loro fila, non avevano capito che Dio avrebbe usato il loro esempio ed il loro messaggio duemila anni dopo. Gesù vede il nostro potenziale esattamente e chiaramente come vedeva il loro. Questo potenziale non poggia sulle nostre incredibili qualità, talenti o saggezza, poggia sulla nostra buona volontà di credere in Dio e di vivere per qualcosa che va oltre del qui e adesso. Se tu credi nella visione di Gesù, se tu confidi nel suo potere di donarti la vita eterna, Gesù userà la tua vita in modi che vanno oltre l’immaginabile, ma il potere poggerà su Gesù non su di te.
Posted by David on December 19, 1999 under Bulletin Articles
As another year begins, we cannot see what it will bring. Good! We would not like all that we saw. Like every year, next year will be a mixture of good and bad, wonderful and awful, joy and tears.
Is the question, “Will I experience some of the bad?” or, “How will I endure when the bad occurs?” Is it, “Will I encounter some of the awful?” or, “How will I survive the awful?” Is it, “Will I have some grief?” or, “When grief occurs, will it consume me?”
What is the probability of a close family member facing a life-threatening illness? Of a crisis occurring in your marriage? Of your child breaking your heart? Of your job ceasing to exist? Of your needing to move or change careers? Of someone that you love dying?
What is the probability if (when?) one of these happens that God can guide, strengthen, comfort, and support you powerfully? That He can work in you more powerfully than in any past year? He can! But, if He does, God does not need to change. We do … in the ways that permit Him to work powerfully within us. We must advance our knowledge and mature our concepts.
Suggestion: advance your knowledge and mature your concepts by attending a Sunday morning class in the series: “Year 2000: Spiritual Success Or Spiritual Distress?”
“What is the probability that God will work powerfully in my life?” Significantly increase that probability by doing this. (1) Increase your knowledge of God’s accomplishments in Christ. (2) Understand how you come closer to God through Christ. (3) Mature your concepts of God and Christ. (4) Strengthen your bond with those who are in Christ.
What is the probability that you faithfully will attend a class?
Posted by David on December 12, 1999 under Bulletin Articles
What makes a good decision “good”? Or, what makes a bad decision “bad”? Is it just a matter of blessings and consequences? Is a decision “good” because it produces opportunity or benefits? Is a decision “bad” because it produces undesirable consequences?
You look back and declare, “The decision I made five years ago was a good decision!” Did you see it as a “good” decision when you examined your options? Was it obviously “my best option” when you selected it? Did it feel like a “good” decision when you made it? Immediately after you made it, did you “know” it was a “good” decision? Was it a “good” decision only because, in time, it produced beneficial results? If no benefits occurred, did it become a “bad” decision? Is it only results that make your decisions “good” or “bad”?
God decided to send His son to this world, and people rejected and killed him. “Good” or “bad” decision? Jesus decided to yield to God’s will and died a horrible death. “Good” or “bad” decision? Several early Christians placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ knowing their decision would produce physical suffering or death. “Good” or “bad” decision?
All decisions cannot be grouped together in a single classification. “Good” and “bad” business decisions are distinctly different from “good” and “bad” family decisions. Many areas of decision distinguish “good” from “bad” decisions on different bases: medical decisions, parenting decisions, moral decisions, retirement decisions, decisions in purchasing a home, etc. In each of these areas, the primary focus differs. The primary focus of a “good” medical decision is not on finances. The primary focus of a “good” business decision is on finances.
Some types of decision are based primarily on facts. Some are based primarily on money. Some are based primarily on needs. Some are based primarily on concepts.
This is my opinion. The area of decision that most frequently produces “bad” decisions is the area of spiritual decisions. Often people who make “good” factual decisions, or “good” money decisions, or “good” decisions concerning physical needs may make “bad” spiritual decisions. Why? They understand their facts, or their figures, or physical needs, but they do not understand essential spiritual concepts. Many “bad” spiritual decisions are the product of flawed concepts.
Spiritually, we want to advance and mature your concepts in the year 2000. If you advance and mature spiritual concepts, you must grow in knowledge and understanding. The adult classes beginning in January are designed to advance and mature your spiritual concepts.
I challenge you to make good spiritual decisions that can produce a beneficial spiritual life. Decide to be a part of Sunday morning’s year 2000 adult classes. Decide to advance and mature your concepts. That is a “good” decision!
Posted by David on December 5, 1999 under Bulletin Articles
Years ago in another country my family and I were invited to a meal with several other families. The dining area in the hostess’ home was small. She and her husband were quite gracious to invite so many people. We all knew each other and did not mind crowding around the table. It was a time of joy and good will. It was also a rare, special moment.
The meal was spaghetti. I love spaghetti. I thought spaghetti was eaten “American style” everywhere. The hostess served me first. She presented me with a small bowl of sauce. I assumed a large pot of sauce was simmering on the stove. So I used the sauce generously. After generously serving myself, I learned that was all the sauce.
Was I ever sorry and embarrassed! Even now I still feel the feelings of that moment. Oh, how I wish I had known that was all the sauce! I assumed. I did not know. As I ate my spaghetti with lots of sauce while others ate their spaghetti with hardly any sauce, I was ashamed and embarrassed. I also embarrassed the hostess.
People always have valued the blessings of knowledge. This fact is and always has been true: knowledge powerfully influences behavior. Knowledge does not create the judgment, wisdom, or integrity of a mature, useful, fulfilling life. Knowledge provides the foundation for the judgment, wisdom, and integrity of a mature, useful, fulfilling life.
Knowledge is the foundation of morality, but Christian morality requires more than knowledge. It is the foundation of godly ethics, but becoming a godly person requires more than knowledge. It is the foundation of godly relationships, but building godly relationships requires more than knowledge. However, step one toward godly morality, ethics, and relationships is acquiring reliable knowledge. The person converted to Christ is committed to acquiring knowledge and increasing understanding.
The material in the adult Sunday morning classes for the year 2000 is devoted to changing you as a person. It will provide the type of knowledge that can be the foundation for transforming your life into the image of Jesus. There are two simple goals. Goal one: encourage more adults to attend the classes as serious Bible students. Goal two: help mature converted adults as godly men and women.
The theme: Year 2000: Spiritual Success or Distress? First quarter focus: God’s Son Was a Servant. Adult quarter one begins the first Sunday in January.
In judgment God will look at you as a person and a life. May you not need to say, “I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” Increase the meaning and fulfillment of your life by making the year 2000 a year of spiritual growth!
