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The Cornerstone
This is the Stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the Chief Conerstone." Acts 4:11
Pulbished to Support the Work of the West End Church of Christ, Richmond, Virginia
Volume 9 * Number 34* August 26, 2007
Reaping What We Have Sown
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:7-8
This principle, of reaping what we have sown, is found through out the Scriptures. When we practice righteousness we reap the necessities of life. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 God will take care of us.
Listen to what Hosea wrote… “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy;…” (10:12)
If we sow unrighteousness within our lives, we will reap the results of a carnal life.
Hosea again, “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” (8:7)
Paul said “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Romans 8:13
Our eternal destination will be determined by what we have sown.
Where do you want to spend your eternity? What you sow now, will be what you reap later!
Stacy Crim
Good Teachers
James Hahn
I believe it would be impossible to place too much emphasis upon proper teaching of God's word. The importance of teaching is emphasized by Christ when He said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me" (John 6:44,45). Jesus clearly shows that the Father "draws" men as they are taught and hear and learn of the Father. This is the only way men can come to Christ. However, in order for this teaching, hearing and learning to take place there must be good teachers. What does it take to be a good teacher?
Good teachers will teach the truth. We need to follow the example of Ezekiel of old as he said, "Thus saith the Lord God" (Eze. 5:5). Time and again in his writing he says he is speaking that which the Lord spoke unto him. Paul told Timothy to "preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:2). The teaching of personal opinions or simply those things the people wish to hear is not good teaching. Paul told the Ephesian elders he "...kept back nothing that was profitable unto you" (Acts 20:20) and that he had "not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). One who refuses to teach all the truth, whatever the reason may be, is not a good teacher.
The apostle Paul told the young evangelist Timothy "...the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). Note, he said these things should be committed to "faithful" men. No one can be effective in teaching others if he is not going to demonstrate faithfulness in his own life. He told this same Timothy to "be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12). Those who would be good teachers need to talk and act in such a way as to reflect the word they are seeking to teach. I have known those who had a great deal of knowledge of God's word and could verbally present the word in an excellent way, however their effectiveness as teachers was destroyed by unfaithfulness in their own lives. If your speech, manner of dress or service to the Lord is not in harmony with God's word you cannot be a good teacher.
Paul also said these men would be "able" to teach others. To have the ability to teach demands a knowledge of the word. One cannot teach that which he does not know. To gain this knowledge one must be willing to make the sacrifice of time and effort necessary to study and learn the word of God. Many will acknowledge the truth of what I am saying but they will not devote the time or energy necessary to gain a knowledge of the Bible. Some will not even put forth the effort to attend the regular periods of Bible study available to them. These are neither "faithful" or "able."
Every Christian should have a desire to teach others. Paul expressed the attitude every Christian should have toward teaching others when he said to the Romans, "So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also" (Rom. 1:15. Yes, we need good teachers but let us realize that, as Christians, being a good teacher is just another way of saying that I am faithfully serving the Lord for I cannot faithfully serve Him if I do not seek to teach others. In doing so, as Paul told Timothy, we "shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (1 Tim. 4:16).
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God's Word: Unchanged
By Human Reaction
Mike Noble
When king Ahaziah, after suffering a tragic accident, was told by Elijah that he would “not come down from the bed,” but would “surely die,” he sent a battalion of fifty soldiers to detain the ‘bearer of bad tidings.’ When this attempt failed (God destroyed all fifty with fire from heaven), Ahaziah sent another fifty. Once again “the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed” them. When Ahaziah sent a third party of fifty men, their captain pleaded (not surprisingly) with Elijah for his life. Elijah, under counsel from the angel of the Lord, finally went down with the captain and went in to the king. And just what did Elijah tell the bedridden dignitary? “Thus says the Lord... you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.” The message hadn’t changed, had it? After all of Ahaziah’s pressure tactics, not one bit of God’s word on the matter had been diminished or altered. (The account of these events is found in 2 Kings 1.)
There is a simple lesson in that chapter for you and me, and it is this: God’s word remains true and sure, no matter how we might react to it. God’s word is “faithful” (Titus 1:9) -- it is trustworthy. It “lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23) -- it is “incorruptible.” Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matt. 24:35). “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13).
Becoming angry with God’s word will not change it in the least. We may cut a copy of it up and toss it in the fire, as did another infamous king (Jer. 36:23); yet we should know that “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psa. 119:89).
Nor, for that matter, will it alter God’s message one bit to become furious with the bearer of it. We have known of some who have become upset with this preacher or that one when presented with a specific point from the Bible. Did their wrath change God’s ordinance? While we would not deny anyone’s legal right to be upset, we still yet inquire as to how such misbehavior has a bearing on what the Bible says. Who do we humans think we are to suppose that a display of vehemency (or any other emotion, for that matter) on our part will change what God’s word says about the plan of salvation, or what it declares concerning fellowship, or what it states about the subject of divorce; etc.?
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). The Lord spoke those words, not this writer. We’d best put our anger, sullenness, or what-have-you aside and be glad that not only are we able to “understand what the will of the Lord is,” but as well that the Lord has been most gracious in providing us with numerous opportunities to obey it. .Shelbyville, KY
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