A NEWSLETTER FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE GREENWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

VOLUME 2 NO. 15                                             May 29, 2005

“TWO MOMENTS OF MEDITATION”

THE PRECEPTER, APRIL 2000 ISSUE

...A good many years ago a preacher went into a town where there was not a New Testament church.  He preached in the house of worship and then in the market place in the city.  Soon the men of the city heard of him and invited him to address them.  They thought if his religious claims seemed meritorious to them they would hear something new and learn what these things mean.  But, to their dismay and confusion, he preached that they were all wrong and that he was right; that their worship was not acceptable to the God of heaven.  He preached that they should believe what he believed about God.  He preached that the church to which he belonged was the only true church of the living God.  Such a preacher!  Don't you know he hurt their feelings?  Evidently they were sincere.  Surely he could have made them a nice talk and got away without causing discord.  What a narrow-minded preacher!  Who was he anyway?  His name was Paul, and he preached this sermon at Athens.  It did cause some stir.  It did not please those religious leaders and philosophers at all!  They mockingly interrupted his sermon before he was through.  But his sermon pleased God!  Read it again in the 17th chapter of Acts.

...If ever man has bought one of Satan's insidious lies, it surely is that “one sin just doesn't matter.”  There are, obviously, many problems with that bit of reasoning.  For example, it assumes that the law is waved if only violated once.  And beyond that, the simple fact is, we seldom violate the law “just once.”

Let me tell you what one sin can do.  It can---ruin your reputation---destroy a family---consume you with guilt---take a life---cost you the respect of your brethren---separate you from God.

But let me tell you that one sin does not have to be fatal.  You can repent and be forgiven.  You can learn not to listen to Satan's lies.

DOES GOD LOVE ME?

He loved spiritual giants such as Moses, David, Elijah, Peter and Paul, but what about plain old me?  Can it be true?  We want it to be true, but is it?  After all, didn't Jesus spend His time on earth with the wealthy, the beautiful and the influential?  NO!  He spent much of His time with the needy, the poor, the sick, the confused, the demon possessed, the oppressed, and the handicapped.  In fact, to take seriously His inaugural address in Luke 4:18-19, Jesus said it was precisely to the “ordinary” people He was sent.  God loved each of us as if there were no one else to love.  Faith is refusing to think that God loves and cherishes the popular, attractive, talented Christians more than He loves and cherishes plain old me!

WHAT IS YOUR DECISION?

BY DOUG LACOURSE

SUCCESS in life depends on the ability to make decisions.  Many times life and death hang in the balance, and indecision is fatal.  GOD has given man that power of decision, and as a free moral agent man can choose a plan for the moment, the day, or life!  Man picks his path, charts his course, and is captain of his soul.  Yet, the greatest decisions facing man are those dealing with spiritual matters.  The wayward son's decision is memorable:  “I will arise and go to my father” (Luke 15:18).  This decision must be faced by a wayward and sinful world.  The wise man of old said, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).