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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 6 *   Number 32*   August 6,  2006

One Spirit

Ephesians 4:4, clearly states "there is one… Spirit". With all the religious error concerning the Holy Spirit, one might conclude that He is schizophrenic. The Spirit moves one person this way, and another person that way sending people in differing and conflicting ways. Is this the Holy Spirit of the Bible? No!

The Spirit is just as holy, pure, eternal, longsuffering and loving as the Father and the Son. He too has had an important hand in our salvation. Consider His work in these passages.

	He bring things to Remembrance, Reveal Truth, Teach All Things" (John 14:16-17, 15:26-27, 16:13; II Peter 1:20-21)
	He reveals the God’s plan for us (I Corinthians 2:10-12)
	He seals those in Christ until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13)
	He is the Earnest of our Inheritance until our Redemption (Ephesians 1:14, II Corinthians 1:20-22)
	He bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:1-17, Galatians 4:6-7)
	He helps our infirmities by making intercession for us according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-28)

When the Holy Spirit’s work is studied, one will learn that there is nothing reckless or haphazard about it. He had His important work in our salvation and is carrying it out flawlessly. There is none like Him, for there is only One.

Stacy Crim

 

To Capture Hearts...

By Robert Turner

Having spent many years trying to bring men to Christ, and pondering repeated failures, I have drawn a few conclusions from experience. We may have trusted the story of the "cross" too little, and our teaching ability too much. We have relied heavily upon the assumption that if we could teach men what to do, they would do it. There is something to do all right, but there will be little doing (and none that is valid) until the subject is made aware of a need, believes in a remedy, and desires the result of doing. Information may be adequate, but motivation may be lacking.

Motive is "that within the individual, rather than without, which incites him to action." Peter's sermon on Pentecost made the hearers aware of circumstances which produced self-judgment--- "we have killed the longawaited Messiah. What shall we do?" Under these conditions the answer can be brief and to the point. There was no need for charts, diagrams, and argumentative sermons on baptism.

This is no indictment of defense and proclamation of doctrinal details. Where such differences exist, and are the deferment to full obedience, they must be thrashed out. But in many cases if we would expend greater efforts to convince men of their true status before a righteously indignant God, we would not have to press so fruitlessly the details of His will. A man who realizes he is drowning does not argue about the color of the life buoy thrown to him.

We strive for men's hearts: casting down man's evil reasonings, his pride, and bringing into captivity his thoughts (2 Cor. 10:4-5) to the obedience of Christ. If we are more interested in winning an argument than in saving a soul, we will certainly fail in the latter, and probably in the former. We are trying to win a man, not whip him.

To change the attitude of others, so that they will be open and receptive to the gospel of Christ, we may first have to revise our attitude. We must somehow become one with the Lord Jesus, who loved and sacrificed Himself for mankind; not because we were lovely, but "while we were sinners."

"They Kept Right On"

By Dan S. Shipley

 

For the second time the apostles had been imprisoned and given strict orders not to do further teaching in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:28). Now, after their third arrest and facing almost sure prospects of death, the highly regarded Gamaliel intervenes in their behalf, resulting in their release with a beating and a warning to "speak no more in the name of Jesus". The remarkable response of these dedicated men Is seen in the last two verses of Acts 5. Not only did they rejoice in being considered worthy to suffer for His name, but "every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." (NASV)

That "they kept right on" speaks volumes in regard to the faith and character of these Godly men — and it shows us why Jerusalem (v.28) and the whole Roman empire (Col. 1:23) had come to be filled with the gospel message in a relatively short time. And neither was such dedication limited to just these apostles. In Acts 2 we read of how other saints also kept right on "in the apostles" teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers." (v.42) Later, when scattered abroad because of the great persecution against the church, they still kept right on "preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). In persecution, in poverty; in prison, in palaces; in public, in private; in season and out, let it ever be said to their credit, they kept right on teaching the gospel. Without benefit of newspaper, radio or television; without auto or airplane; even without comfortable meeting places in good locations, they kept right on! For a time many of the young churches were without elders and "full-time" preachers, but you know what? They just kept right on! Sure, they had their "church" problems. They had squabbles, false teachers, divisions, weak and sinful brethren to be reckoned with. So they reckoned; no doubt some quit. But the faithful just kept right on anyway.

The pressing need of our day is for saints like that — men and women of such faith and character as to keep right on serving God without having to be begged and pampered; men and women concerned enough about lost souls to keep right on trying to help save them. Our need is for the abiding sense of urgency that motivated our first century brethren — the kind that made Paul say, "I press on". Without it, we're not likely to fill even the local church with the teaching of Christ, much less our neighborhoods and cities. What a tragedy that so many who profess allegiance to such an urgent cause would do so little to advance it — or would give up at the slightest obstacle or discouragement! — and this in the midst of the most favorable circumstances possible. Oh we of little faith! Just think of the amazing results possible if every member in every local church would begin and just keep on doing all he knows to do for the Lord (as per 1 Cor. 15:58)! Why, we may just keep on having good results, like in the first century. Why not resolve to put away our intermittent and sputtering efforts of the past, realizing what we could do — and then, just keep right on doing it?

The Charlottesville Bulletin July 16, 2006

 

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