The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
March 21, 2004
In
This Issue:
Did
God Say So?
by
Steve Klein
The
Stranger
by
Mike Holliway
Did God Say So?
Adults can learn a lot from children. Watch siblings of elementary school age interact sometime. One will start to do something and the other will say, "Mommy said not to do that!" Or there will be a disagreement and one will go to a parent and come back pronouncing the solution to the disagreement with a sentence beginning with "Daddy said&ldots;."
Children usually understand that they ought to do what their parents say to do, and that they should not do what their parents say not to do. Children also understand that they do not have the right to give one another permission to do things. Admittedly, children don't always bother to get permission from parents, but they usually know that they should. Children are humble enough to know that they are permitted to do something only if Mommy or Daddy "say so." They KNOW that they are not in charge. This attribute of children is part of what Jesus was demanding of all of us when he said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4). Children of God need desperately to realize that we are only permitted to do something if our heavenly Father says so.
Many passages of scripture teach the need for children of God to rely upon His "say so". Balaam recognized this need in Numbers 22:18 when he told the messengers from Balak that "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more." 2 John 9 states that, "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." Colossians 3:17 demands that "whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." In Proverbs 30:6 the wise man said, "Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar." Yet, despite these scriptures and others which could be cited, we continue to hear those who are supposed to be God's children claim that "we do (or can do) many things for which we have no authority." This is tantamount to saying, "God did not say so, but we are going to do it anyway!"
This attitude explains why we have churches sponsoring sports and recreational activities, and financially assisting human institutions designed by men to teach, aid the needy or evangelize. It explains why we have Christians who cannot figure out what is wrong with gambling. In each of these examples, if folks would do ONLY what God said, they would NOT be engaged in the activities mentioned.
May God help us to develop a true child-like humility. Before we give ourselves permission to follow our own desires, let us all stop and ask, "Did God say so?"
by Steve Klein
A few months after I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was welcomed quite easily around town.
As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. Mum taught me to love the Word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries, and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spellbound for hours each evening. He was like a friend to the whole family.
He took Dad, Bill, and me to our first major league baseball game and he was always encouraging us to see movies and even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars.
The stranger! was an incessant talker. Dad didn't seem to mind, but sometimes Mum would quietly get up (while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places ) leave the room, and go to her bedroom; read her Bible, and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.
You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but this stranger never felt an obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house - not from us, from our friends, or adults. But our longtime visitor used occasional four letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted.
My Dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home - not even for cooking, but the stranger felt like we needed exposure, and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and always pretty embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man/woman relationship were wrongly influenced by the stranger.
As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. I really think mother was praying for us, as time after time he opposed the values of my parents, yet was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave.
More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family on Morningside Drive. But if I were to walk into my parents' living room today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.
His name?
We always just called him TV.
By Mike Holliway