Like A Rock!

All of us have seen the commercials for Chevrolet pickups.  They show a great deal of abuse and punishment, which these trucks can handle.  They present for the viewing audience a truck you can rely on to handle any and every situation you may think of.  When it is all said and done, just wash it, and drive away. “Like a rock,” are the lyrics and theme to the hard-edged ad.

As consumers we want to purchase products that will last, especially a brand new pickup. When they don’t last we are disappointed and often says, “They just don’t make them to last anymore.”  As a recent buyer of a refrigerator I can attest to uttering the words. Nonetheless, we seek some kind of assurance of longevity.  So we buy the extended warranty. The problem with this type of warranty is that that it usually runs out before the items break down. I have been asked many times about the longevity of A/C units.  I usually say you can expect 15 years out of one if it is taken care of. Otherwise it will only last 8-10 years. Oh, there are exceptions, but normally that is what can be expected.  When people act surprised I remind them that men made that machine. You can expect it to break down eventually. No matter how much assurance we want, you can’t expect man-made objects to last forever.

God The Rock

On the other hand, God is a Rock, a solid foundation upon which we can stand. Deut 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” 2 Sam 22:32-33 states, “For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect.”  Figuratively, the word rock means, “refuge.” If you seek assurance and a firm foundation to stand on, then God is your only choice. Many of us have found ourselves tossed every which way with the problems of this world. Not knowing where to turn, unwilling to put our trust in any one, not knowing how to escape. Again, God is your answer. Ps  18:2 puts it this way, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” The Psalmist tells us we can find a firm footing upon God, we can be protected from our enemies by God, we can be delivered from our enemies by God, we can be strengthened by God if we trust in Him.  In turn salvation will be made available to us.  Like a rock is our God in Heaven!

Christ The Rock

1 Cor 10:4 describe Jesus as a rock. It says, “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Our Lord is whom we need to depend on.  His teachings, if followed provide the firm foundation upon which we can stand.  In the book of Luke, Jesus teaches us a lesson by using a parable. The lesson taught is this, “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: "He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock” Lk 6:47-48.  Once again the assurance of our souls protection, deliverance, strength, and salvation is found in Christ.  We are on firm footing when we trust and do the will of our Lord. To those who chose to depend on other sources the Lord tells them what will happen. "But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great" Lk 6:49. “For there is no other foundation which we can lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 3:11. As God has always been and will be, “Christ is the same today, yesterday and forever” Heb 13:8. The testimony of the Old Testament and the New Testament assure us of this. The Bible is a reliable source upon which we can glean the spiritual truths that will guide us in this life and the here after.

Are you feeling a little “shaky” lately? Your foundation may not be that of Christ’s. How do you know?  Read your Bible and compare.  You might find yourself building upon the sand and not the rock. Luke 6 describes what will happen to that foundation.  Be sure, read your Bible, meditate upon it and allow it to change your life.

Carlos Aguilar

Home and Family:

Do Not Sin Against The Child  (3)

[From Part 1] Parents today often sin against their own children. The effect of their sin is not always immediate. Sometimes it takes years to see the consequences of sin. But, as Paul warned the Galatians, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7).

Parental Example

Parents can also sin against their children by setting a poor example before them. Parents who are lax in their attendance not only harm themselves, but their children as well (Hebrews 10:25). Children need to see their parents put the Lord first (Ephesians 6:1-4).

Children must see that their parents love not only them, but also each other. Someone has said, "The best way to be a good father to your children is to be a good husband to their mother." Several young married couples have told me they had problems in their marriage because they never saw their parents express any love or concern for each other. Children need to know their parents are madly in love with each other. It is possible the only virtuous marriage your children will observe is in your home. They will never learn how to have a happy marriage from watching TV or reading their high school class books!

~by David Padfield 

Beginning with this issue we will be focusing attention upon the eternally important work the Lord Has Given us to do. Jesus said “Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”  this is our commission (duty), it should be our pleasure. Let’s all go “Fishing For Men” together.    RDT,sr

Fishing For Men:

And Jesus Said “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matt 4:19

Taking Advantage Of Personal Contacts

The day was hot, and they walked a long distance. They were passing through unfamiliar territory among people of a different culture, and some were possibly nervous. By now it was noon, and the sun was beating down. At last, a resting place ahead - a well. The group left their leader there and went into a nearby village seeking food. The leader rested, but had nothing with which to draw water.

Soon a local woman approached, and He asked her to draw water for Him. She was startled, for Jews had no dealings with Samaritans, especially women, and she voiced her surprise. With that, Jesus turned the conversation to spiritual things - living water. You know the story (John 4).

What an example of how natural it is to use personal contacts to interest people in spiritual matters. This did not happen just because Jesus was God, but because He recognized and took advantage of opportunities whenever and wherever they presented themselves. And this we can all do, regardless of age, sex, occupation or learning. Please permit a few examples from my own experiences. I do not feel I am an expert, yet I have made a conscious effort through the years to approach others and lead them into discussing things eternal.

As I was getting clothes from the cleaners on a September morn, I engaged the young clerk in conversation. After asking if she lived in the area, and where she went to school, I asked where she went to church. She looked sheepish, and I said, "You don't go, do you?" "No." "Why not?" "Well, you can't really believe the Bible. It's full of legends and fairy tales." "Really? Who told you?" She said that her Bible professor in her Methodist College so informed her. Then I proceeded to tell her of the Bible's interesting evidences showing that man could not have written it unaided. "Would you like to study about this?" She would, and she did. Nancy was baptized in a few weeks.

While in a store one day, I talked with the three teens who worked there, and then met their parents, the owners. In the conversation, I asked about their church affiliation, and learned they had none. They had become disillusioned, and had little interest in religion. I gave them a tract and invited them to visit with us. They said they would (you've heard that before!) We talked on occasion over the months, but no visit with us. But Roger didn't seem to shy away from our conversations.

Finally, I asked for an hour or so one evening to present a concept of simple, New Testament Christianity. (Later, he admitted he consented just to get the matter over with.) We had a good study, and Roger and Donna wanted to know more. After studying five or six weeks, Roger and Donna were baptized. They now teach Bible classes, and Roger preaches and leads singing.

Thinking back through the years, I recall so many people I have met in the common, everyday situations we all have. Some complain, "But I don't have any contacts." Are you a hermit? Consider some of those that have been baptized. My postman (then an elder in a denomination); a next-door neighbor; the bookkeeper (and owner's wife) of a local service station; two bank tellers I often talked with; the receptionist of a business I called on (who later married a gospel preacher); a drug-store clerk; a teacher in my son's grade school; two neighborhood teens who were my children's friends; a woman for whom my wife worked part-time; a hitch-hiker I picked up (carefully) one day; a young woman I met in the bus station during a bus delay; a young couple we took into our home who were out on the street with nowhere to go.

Now, mind you, these did not come asking to be taught; they did not first visit our services; they were not related to Christians; nor were they referred to us. They were simply people whom we met in the normal, everyday affairs of life.

Brethren, we all know such people, and if they are receptive to the gospel in my town, it is likely there are such in your town. The only "skills" necessary are friendliness, an interest in people, talking to them, asking questions. I usually carry cards or tracts to hand out. As Sewell Hall has said, "It is our job to look for people who are looking." "Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest  . . . See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Matthew 9:37,38; Ephesians 5:15,16).

Jefferson David Tant