____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ May 23, 1990 ____________________________________________________ Would I Study My Bible If...? by Paul Johnson William McPherson had a charge of dynamite go off in his face. He lost his eyes and hands and the feeling in parts of his face. He realized how much the Bible meant to him and he greatly needed its strength. He could not read it in Braille because of his artificial hands. He tired to place his lips on the dots, but they were to decipher the Moon type system of dashes. The metal left his lips and tongue bleeding and very sore, but he prayed to God to help him continue to learn just one letter of the alphabet. In the 65 years that followed, he read the Bible through four times with his tongue. Would I study the Bible if the same thing happened to me that happened to Mr. McPherson? Would I have the desire, the intense desire to know God's will, that I would go through what he did to learn? I wonder if I would not rather have decided, ``I can't ever read the Bible again.'' Would I study the Bible if I had to get up an hour earlier each day to work it into my busy (?) schedule? Or miss my favorite TV program if, at that hour I remembered I hadn't studied my Bible for the day and wouldn't have time afterwards? Would I study the Bible (I wish I hadn't heard of that McPherson fellow) if I didn't feel just right, or if I had had a hard day at work, or if I was just too tired? (I wonder how that fellow learned to read with his tongue?) Or would I study even though I was a slow reader and it took me all day just to read one or two chapters? Would I study the Bible on occasions when the saints were assembled (Sunday morning, Wednesday night, etc.) if I had to go without supper till after services, or walk or drive several blocks to get there? How many ``if's'' keep you from studying the Bible? Is this matter of no importance to you at all? If it is, then do something about it. That McPherson fellow -- I guess his example will haunt me the rest of my life. ___________________________________________ Everyone Needs Encouragement by Bubba Phillips I believe the title of this article is something we as God's people need to be reminded of. We know everyone needs encouragement and yet sometimes we fail to encourage as we should. THE ILL NEED ENCOURAGEMENT. Prayers, cards, personal notes and visits help the sick more than we realize. We are so busy in this hurry-scurry world that we forget to encourage the sick like we should. NEW CONVERTS NEED ENCOURAGEMENT. The devil is after new converts the day they obey the gospel. If they become discouraged, the devil will use this tool to the new convert's spiritual destruction if allowed to. Let's take the time to encourage new babes in Christ. THE ELDERLY NEED ENCOURAGEMENT. They may feel they are not contributing much to the Lord's work. They need to be reminded that we love them and their example is what helps others stay on the straight and narrow. Be sure and encourage older saints. MATES WITH NON-CHRISTIAN SPOUSES NEED ENCOURAGEMENT. Try to put yourself in their position. It must be very difficult to attend services without the whole family present. Such ones deserve our understanding, help and encouragement. Let's not be guilty of ever being indifferent toward them. OUR YOUTH NEED ENCOURAGEMENT. If we fail to encourage our young people, we discourage them. The very attention we give them now will help greatly to affect the direction they choose now and in later years. May we take just a minute now and then to show our interest in young people's souls. OUR ELDERS NEED ENCOURAGEMENT. Being an elder is a very thankless task. Far too often we take our elders for granted. When was the last time you took the time to express your appreciation to your elders for their work's sake? Why not do that soon? We would appreciate it if we had their load to carry, would we not? Why should we encourage one another? It's very simply, because THE BIBLE SAYS SO (Heb. 3:12,13). ___________________________________________ "Easier Said Than Done" by Greg Gwin We often use the old expression that something is ``easier said than done''. We know that it accurately applies to many different subjects. It is possible, for instance, to talk at length about sports, business, or world politics, but it is an entirely different matter to effectively engage in such activities. Even the things of day-to-day living are many times easier to discuss than to do. It is easy to say that I love my wife, but it is more difficult to prove that love by exhibiting genuine care and concern. I can talk about being a proper father to my children, but I must work hard to be the kind of parent that I ought to be. In all of these things, and a multitude of others, we see that it really is ``easier said than done''. Living as God would have us to live is this same way. It is simple to claim a faith in Christ, and nearly as easy to say that we really love Him. A majority of folks in our society make such claims. But it is an altogether different matter to prove these statements. The real proof is in our performance as His disciples. Jesus put it most simply when He said, ``If ye love me, keep my commandments'' (John 14:15). John added, ``And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments'' (1 John 2:3). Let us do more than claim we are Christ's, that's easy. Let's prove we really love Him by obeying His commands. ___________________________________________ WHERE GOD PUT BAPTISM Mark 16:16 - Baptism BEFORE salvation. Acts 2:38 - Baptism BEFORE the remission of sins. Romans 6:4 - Baptism BEFORE newness of life. Acts 22:16 - Baptism BEFORE sins are washed away. 1 Peter 3:21 - Baptism BEFORE salvation. In every New Testament passage where salvation and baptism are mentioned in the same verse, baptism always comes first! -- David A. Padfield ___________________________________________ For a free Bible course or to find out how you can have Bible film slides shown in your home, simply mail your name and address to the address shown below. Thank you. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________