The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
April 13, 2008
In
This Issue:
The
Unused Health Club Membership
by
Steve Klein
Protect
Your Heart
by
Allen Dvorak
The Unused Health Club Membership
If all of the members of my health club actually used the facilities on a regular basis, the line to get in the place would probably be a mile long. A lot of people pay for memberships, but seldom come in to exercise. Perhaps they initially joined as a result of a New Years' resolution or under doctor's orders, but they never really made a personal commitment to getting fit. Whatever the reason, there are a lot of folks who fail to receive the full benefit of their health club memberships. Here's what happens:
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They don't come at all. The health club could have the highest quality exercise equipment, the most well trained the staff, the finest facilities and best designed programs in the world, but if a member doesn't come, it's all for nothing.
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They come, but don't exercise. Some folks like to come, but don't care to exercise. They'll stand around at the weight machines for an hour at a time gossiping or talking politics, or they'll sit in the sauna, or they'll drink sports drinks, but they don't exercise. If wagging their tongues and moving their jaw bones burned a lot of calories they'd be in fine shape, but as it is, they get no fitness benefit from their membership.
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They come and exercise, but only once in awhile. Every visit becomes a reminder of how "out of shape" they are, but they are not doing enough to get into shape! This becomes an exercise in discouragement.
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They come but don't exercise correctly. They'll not use the proper form or technique while exercising or lifting weights, and so they don't get the full benefit, and eventually their careless approach to exercising winds up causing an injury. They end up worse off than had they never exercised at all.
Oh, I should probably mention, these same points might just apply to church membership. The assemblies of the church are designed to promote the spiritual fitness of church members - they are "for edification" (1 Corinthians 14:26). If health clubs are for body building, churches are for spirit building. But the assemblies will not help you if you don't come. They will not help you if you come but don't actively participate. And if you only come occasionally, the assemblies will just remind you of how out of shape you are spiritually, and you'll leave feeling worse instead of better. If you come but don't worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), you could be doing yourself more harm than good. For example, the person who eats and drinks the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner is condemning himself (1 Corinthians 11:29). The person who worships according to human tradition is worshiping "in vain" (Matthew 15:9).
It's easy for us to see the waste involved in having a health club membership that goes unused. Can we see how the same principle applies to our church membership? Why not take full advantage of your membership in the Lord's church? "Exercise yourself unto godliness" and be "strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man" (cf. 1 Timothy 4:7; Ephesians 3:16).
-- Steve Klein
Heart problems. Those two words can send chills down our spine. We know that the condition of our heart can impact both the quality and length of our lives. A weak heart can severely restrict our activities and perhaps can even indicate a shortened lifespan. Fortunately, medical science has made tremendous advances in the care and prevention of cardiovascular problems. Conditions which a couple of generations ago would have been certain death sentences are now treatable, allowing people to resume most or all of their normal activities.
Nevertheless, a person can be in wonderful physical condition with a strong cardiovascular system and yet be in danger. His physical heart may be in great shape, but he may have a serious problem with his spiritual heart. What is the spiritual heart? Often the Bible refers to the mind of man as his "heart" rather than the muscle which pumps blood through his body. A man thinks or reasons in his heart (Mk. 2:6-8). He believes with his heart (Rom. 10:10) and he speaks from the "treasury" of his heart (Matt. 12:34, 35). The Biblical heart is not just the seat of emotions; it is where man wills, where his conscience is found. Sin finds its origin in the heart of man (Mk. 7:21).
One of the most serious spiritual heart problems which man can suffer is "hardening of the heart." Hardening of the heart is actually a process in which the heart becomes progressively less receptive to certain stimuli. The person afflicted often does not want to listen to divine truth. Sometimes the ability to understand or perceive spiritual things is diminished (Mk. 6:52; Matt. 13:15). Do we still have hearts to hear...or have our hearts slowly become calloused to the story of the sacrificial love of the Son of God? "Keep your heart with all diligence. . ." (Prov. 4:23).
In the parable of the soils, the wayside ground was hardened by the feet of the people who walked on it (Matt. 13:3-9). When the seed, the Word of God, falls on this soil, it lies on the hardened surface and cannot penetrate. This soil represents the person whose heart has been hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13), ritualistic religion or even the humanist philosophies of men (e.g. evolution). This person hears the gospel, but is not receptive to the message. Jesus said that Satan comes and snatches the seed away.
With our physical hearts, often the first warning sign that we recognize is a minor heart attack. Unfortunately, many people with spiritual heart problems never do recognize their condition! Just as with the physical heart, it is prudent to have a "periodic check-up" on the condition of the spiritual heart. How receptive are we to the teaching of the Bible? Do we turn away from truth because it does not match what we want to do with our lives? The person with a spiritual heart problem needs to visit the Great Physician.
~ Allen Dvorak
Vía Gospel Power, Vol. 12, No. 46, Nov. 13, 2005