The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
August 16, 2009
In
This Issue:
Our
Need of Reverence
by
Gilbert Alexander
Sow
What?
by
Bubba Garner
Our Need of Reverence
Reverence toward God is the only proper way for us to draw near to Him. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (Heb. 12:28). "Holy and reverend (awesome -- NKJV) is His name" (Psa. 111:9). It is because of reverence for God that we can love Him and walk humbly with Him (Mic. 6:8). Reverence also helps us to worship in spirit and in truth (Jno. 4:24) "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those who are around Him" (Psa. 89:7).
"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" (Psa. 8:3, 4). "By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth" (Psa. 33:6). "It is He Who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture" (Psa. 100:3). "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein" (Psa. 24:1). "All things are of God" (2 Cor. 5:18). "In Him we live and move and have our being...We are the offspring of God" (Acts 17:28, 29). "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28).
We show reverence for God when we use His name only with the greatest respect. "Hallowed be Your name" (Matt. 6: 9). It is irreverence to use His name as a by-word or in any other empty fashion. We also show reverence when we respect the authority of God and of His Son. We show respect for His authority when we study diligently to learn what He wants us to do, and when we then obey His instructions without murmuring or disputing with His Law (Phil. 2:14). Humility demands that we "consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3-5).
All of us should be able to see that reverence is a learned disposition of mind and behavior. Children must be taught continually in order that they learn to show reverence to God in a PROPER way. Cain's, Nadab's, and Abihu's offerings were not displays of true reverence, regardless of how "reverently" they offered them. We as adults must also be reminded of these lessons. We should prepare our minds as the time draws near to offer praise and worship in the assembly of the saints. We can (but should not) set a wrong example for children by acting indifferently and frivously as worship is offered to God. Our quietness and reverence and our hearty singing of praise to God, plus our teaching our children to participate and our restraint upon them in requiring respectful behavior, will show them the way until they are able to understand why we are behaving this way. No person of understanding expects little children to understand the depth of meaning in songs, in prayers, and in the Lord's Supper; but we have every reason to expect proper discipline to be exercised in order to train children in the ways of righteousness. All of us must learn the greatness of God and our complete dependence upon Him so that we may live in awe of His power, in respect of His holiness, and in love for His love and mercy offered to all who will obey Him (Heb. 5:9).
-- Gilbert Alexander
The prophets were special spokesmen of God. They could see into the future and forecast things that were to come. Sometimes, their predictions were pleasant, as when they told of the coming Messiah, the Savior of the world. Other times, their prophecies warned of something more devastating that God would send from heaven.
Hosea was charged with the responsibility of telling God's people of His displeasure with them. He spoke for the Lord when he said, "They have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law" (Hos. 8:1). Israel had appointed her own rulers and princes without consulting the King in heaven. They had taken God's gifts of silver and gold and fashioned them into false idols for worship. Because of their sins, Hosea foretold the Lord's pending punishment and destruction upon them. In short, "they sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind" (Hos. 8:7).
It is a simple law of nature that when you place certain seed in the ground, there is only one kind of crop you will reap. You don't sow corn and look to harvest potatoes. You don't plant an acorn and wait for a palm tree to sprout up. You reap what you sow. Israel had sown the wind: vain, futile and worthless worship. They reaped the whirlwind: an agent of violence and destruction. They received back what they had sown or planted.
Before we are too quick to complain about how far things have strayed in the religious world, we must see that much of it is the result of seeds we have sown in the ground. These choices, sometimes small and with good intentions, have grown and flourished and are now bearing fruit. We can see the whirlwind; but oh, that we had first seen the wind.
We Have Sown Entertaining Worship -- We Are Reaping Contemporary Christians: It is not uncommon to drive by a church building and see a sign advertising one assembly with "traditional worship" and one with "contemporary worship." I wonder which service the Lord attends. How can both be acceptable? This is nothing more than a dangerous sign that we are taking a man-centered approach to a God-centered activity. Worship must now give to me instead of me giving to God (Psa. 96:7-10).
Entertainment is chosen according to what fits my tastes and preferences. If one television show doesn't keep my interest, I'll keep pressing the button on the remote until I find another one that does. Once you convert a man with entertainment, you're going to have to keep him entertained with brighter lights and louder music. Otherwise, he'll just go a little farther down the road until he finds a church that will. Israel was punished for worshiping idols. How shall we escape the sin of worshiping ourselves?
We Have Sown Casual Dress: We Are Reaping An Informal Attitude Toward Our Approach To Our God: It is amazing to me what people wear in public and even what they will wear as they engage in public worship to God. They eat in restaurants sporting attire that leaves little to the imagination. They arrive to board an airplane looking like they're still in their pajamas. Even some businesses that experimented with "casual Fridays" have abandoned the practice due to a noticeable decrease in employee productivity.
But that hasn't stopped us from "casual Sundays." This "come as you are" philosophy can rob us of a reverent, dignified worship service. The person who argues otherwise would never dress down to go to a funeral. Why do so when commemorating the death of our Lord? God sees the heart; He is interested in what is on the inside (Matt. 15:8; 23:27). But when you make no distinction between worship clothes and casual clothes, you are less likely to address the importance of the Lord's Day over every other day of the week
We Have Sown A Lack Of Discipline: We Are Reaping Irresponsibility: -- Many children are treated with kid gloves in our day. They are often found innocent in the parent-teacher conferences. If the preacher calls them down in services, he gets into trouble. And even when they are brought to justice, the judgment rendered is a mere slap on the wrist.
This has produced a generation who thinks they can do whatever they want to do. If they see something they'd like to have, they just take it. No one has stopped them before. If they know something is wrong, they do it anyway and wait for mom and dad to swoop down and rescue them -- Again. What they need are parents who love them enough to discipline them. That is the purpose behind the spiritual correction from our heavenly Father (Heb. 12:4-11). He directs our paths away from the wind to avoid the destruction of the whirlwind. Let parents show the same responsibility in this regard.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7). Harvest time is coming. Whatever seed you put into the ground, you will have to face what comes up.
-- Bubba Garner
-- Biblical Insights, Vol. 8, No. 7, July, 2008