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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 40* October 7, 2007
Exhortation
Exhortation is one’s strong call for action. In I Thessalonians 5:14 Paul called upon the brethren laboring together in Thessalonica to “warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” The brethren were encouraged to actively work the unruly, feebleminded, and weak.
In II Thessalonians 3:12 he exhorts them to labor and not be medaling about in other’s matters. In II Timothy 4:2 Paul instructs Timothy to exhort the brethren with longsuffering and doctrine.
The Hebrew writer proclaims “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” In other words, encourage each other daily to do what is right, so we will not fall prey to sin.Jude beseeches us to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (verse 3). He admonishes us to strive against those that would pervert the faith which had already been delivered.
Another passage, Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the say approaching.” Christians are called upon to attend the assemblies to encourage one another.
Let us encourage one another to practice exhortation.
Stacy Crim
Call It What It Is
Arthur M. Ogden
Someone said to me once, "If you call a dog's tail a leg, how many legs would he have?" This is one time I bit the dog. I answered, "five." After the laughter had subsided and I felt utterly ridiculous, I was reminded it does not matter what you call a dog's tail, it will always be a tail. I learned a good lesson from that incident, a lesson everyone needs to learn.
I suppose there is no area where people are guilty of calling a thing something it is not, more than in religious circles. I have observed a number of things practiced in religion which are not what they are said to be. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to mention a few of them.
One of the more familiar cases of this is the denominational practice of sprinkling and pouring which they call "baptism." Does calling sprinkling and pouring "baptism" make them such? Not at all. Paul says, "we are buried with him by baptism" (Rom.6:4). Baptism is a burial. Sprinkling nor pouring fit into this meaning, and to call them "baptism" does not make it so. Sprinkling is still sprinkling, and pouring is still pouring, and baptism is still baptism (a burial).
Most religious bodies today call Sunday "the Sabbath Day," but that does not make it so. The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week ( Ex.20:8-11), and Sunday is the first day of the week. To call the first day "the Sabbath" will not change it in the least.
The Catholic counts his beads and calls it "prayer;" the Mormon uses water in the Lord's Supper and calls it "the fruit of the vine;" the Holiness jabber and call it "speaking in tongues;" they lay their hands on the sick and pray, and call it "divine healing;" and nearly all of the denominational churches use mechanical instruments and call it "singing." Why not call it what it is? Or, are we afraid we cannot find scriptural authority for our practices if we call them what they really are?
Brethren are not immune to the use of this type of justification for their practices. They attend one hour of services a week and call it "faithful;" some take a little drink now and then and call it "being sociable;" and some dance and let their children dance, and call it "being graceful." Many congregations have built places to eat and to play with the Lord's money, and they call it "fellowship;" and they have built and maintained Super Organizations for the purpose of doing the work of the church and called them "methods." Brethren, it makes no difference what we call these things for which we have no Bible authority. To call them something other than what they are will not change them from what they are. A dog's tail is still a tail regardless of what you call it. Call it what it is, and you will not be deceived by it.
The apostles Paul said of those who received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, that "God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thess.2:10-12). "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal.6:7,8). Call it what it is. If you don't, the Lord will (Matt.7:21-23).
With Wings Like Eagles
By Jamey Hinds
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:26-31).
I don’t know about you, but this passage — by itself — increases dramatically my faith in God. This passage urges us to lean heavily upon God, and to not even try to lean on our own understanding. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). As Jeremiah observed, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).
One of the greatest challenges of our lives is fighting against pride. It doesn’t seem to matter how young or old we are, pride is widespread. Jesus warned, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). We take pride in what we know, who we know, who knows us, where we’re from, where we’re not from, etc. We need to take true inventory of who we are — realizing that we are nothing without God.
“When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?” (Psalm 8:3, 4).
The paradox is this — we are so small in the grand scheme of things, while at the same time we are great in the mind of God in His scheme of things. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:3, 4).
God cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). His longing is for our success with Him in glory — “that, whether we watch or sleep, we should live together with Him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11). “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
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