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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 13*   March 26,  2006

What An Honor

What an honor it is to worship God. What a privilege to praise His Name for all that He is, for all that He has done, and continues to do for us. It is sad then isn’t it, to almost have to beg God’s people to attend our worship services. It is a shame to feel like brethren have to thanked for coming to worship, when worship is commanded and is a natural outpouring of emotion unto God by one of His redeemed children.

Worship is a privilege when we understand where we have been and where we are headed. Consider these passages.

	"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 6:23
	"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
	"…but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." I Corinthians 6:11
	"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you."
	"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." I John 5:13
	"To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:" Romans 2:7

Singing with fellow saints is a delight, and praying with them unto God is rich and good. Listening to the Word of God together is encouraging, humbling and a privilege. Giving on the first day of the week is a joy when we understand we are working together as the called of God to bring the lost to Christ. And remembering the Lord’s death upon each first day is full of emotion and serves as a great motivator for the rest of the week. Yes, what an honor it is to worship Almighty God.

Stacy Crim

 

Childrearing

Dennis Tucker

You will notice the above title is not "Child raising" but "Childrearing." According to Bobbie Crim, a former editor of mine, you rear children and raise corn. She has a good point. Children need constant care and instruction, discipline, love, and attention. The Bible describes this in passages such as Ephesians 6.4 and Proverbs 22.6.

One morning on a news program they had an author talking about controlling your children. Apparently the baby boomer generation has out of control children. I find it a little more than a bit ironic that a generation dedicated to doing what they want are now upset that there children are doing exactly what they did. I have a simply suggestion about "how a parent gets control of their children."

Be a parent from day one and never lose control of your child. Do not misunderstand what I am saying. Our children will develop their own personality and freewill. They are not mindless robots but free thinking individuals. However, parents are to train their children by instructing them and teaching them things such as honesty, self control, personal responsibility, etc., through short principles taught in the Bible. A parent that neglects doing so will have "out of control children."

The thing about out of control children is they are a lot like out of control gardens. A gardener who is diligent in nurturing and weeding will not have a problem with weeds. A gardener can neglect weeding for a short while but he will eventually realize he has lost control of the situation. He then must work twice as hard and twice as long to pull out and kill the weeds. Even then the garden will not do as well as one that is kept. The same applies with rearing children. Parents can neglect nurturing and disciplining their children but they will wake up one day realizing they have a problem. They will have to work twice as hard and twice as long to solve their problems. Even then they may not succeed. Therefore, my suggestion is to make up your mind that you will not lose control of your children. You will teach them the law of God when they wake up, around the dinner table, in the car while going to school, at the ball park, and every place in between. Provide the proper example and hold your children responsible for their actions.

The Tablet February 26, 2006

 

The Appearance of Grace

Frank Driver

Titus 2:11-14

"GRACE HATH APPEARED"--No one questions the existence or reality of grace, nor its need in our salvation. It indeed has been made known to us in God’s revelation in His word.

"TEACHING US"--If we are saved by grace, what have we learned of our responsibility to meet the conditions of its blessing? Can a person be saved by grace and ignore its teaching? Will we be saved by grace if we refuse to deny worldly lusts and live righteously?

"ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS"--Not only does grace require a response in obedience to become Christians, but the whole of a spiritual life following is one of "zeal in good works". (Titus 2:14) In fact, we were spiritually created toward this end. (Eph. 2:10) So can grace be grace without works of obedience it requires? Grace is not a total, unconditional act of God that leaves man passive and without responsibility toward His Maker. To the contrary, grace teaches us certain responsibilities we must fulfill toward God and of which we will be held accountable in the Day of Judgment.

"THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US"--Here was indeed the very essence of grace in its purest form. Jesus’ atonement for our sins was God’s act in our behalf that we could not perform for ourselves. But we can, and we must, meet the terms of receiving this grace that it was God’s will to require, in our obedience. All these works in submission to God’s ordinance cannot earn salvation, which God’s gift in Jesus Christ alone can provide. So we are still saved by grace and do God’s will to obtain it. &

 

SIGNS OF IDOLATRY

It was said of some in Old Testament times that "They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods..." (2 Kings 17:33). At first, such a statement sounds strange -- but on second thought, many today do basically the same thing.

They call Sunday "the Lord’s day," but are not willing to give Him more than an hour or two of it, and often begrudge that hour or two. It is difficult for them to meditate on the death of Jesus and His glorious gospel because their minds are crowded with thoughts of the secular activities they have planned for the afternoon. They are far more likely to look at their watches to see if the preacher is quitting "on time" than to look into their Bibles to see if he is speaking "as the oracles of God" (1 Pet. 4:11). They seem to be more interested in the meat that perishes than the Bread of Life. They sing, "Take Time to Be Holy," but in many cases they have far more time for nearly anything else than studying and meditating on the truth that could draw them closer to God.

Many worldly-minded church members realize the need to lay by in store as they have been prospered to show their gratitude for the blessings of God and to follow the example of the first century church, but when the paycheck comes, they think of 1,001 other things before they give thought to the kingdom of God and His righteousness. By the time Sunday rolls around, they have nothing left for God but their spare time and their loose change. They sing, "O How I Love Jesus," but if Christians were being executed, there would not be enough evidence to convict them. They excuse themselves from giving by saying, "I’m just a poor manager. I never seem to have enough time or money to serve the Lord the way I’d like to." The real problem that many of us have along these lines could be solved if we, like the Macedonians, would first truly give OURSELVES to the Lord, 2 Cor. 8:1-7. We need to learn first-hand what it means to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, Matt. 6:33. -- Clarence R Johnson

 

 

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