JURONG OUTREACH - AUG 04

I am Blind
1 Aug 04

A blind man was sitting on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet and a sign that read: "I am blind, please help." A creative publicist was walking by him and stopped to observe that he only had a few coins in his hat. Without asking for his permission, took the sign, turned it around, and wrote another announcement. He placed the sign by his feet and left. That afternoon the creative publicist returned by the blind man and noticed that his hat was full of bills and coins. The blind man recognized his footsteps and asked if it was he who had re-written his sign. He wanted to know what he had written on it. The publicist responded, "Nothing that was not true. I just rewrote your sign differently."

He smiled and went on his way. The blind man never knew, but his new sign read:

"Today is Spring - and I cannot see it."

It is quite possible for one to have a great need, and not be able to pinpoint it, much less describe it. In fact, It is possible for one to be completely blind to his/her greatest need  (Revelation 3:17)  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. In the Word of God, our greatest need is revealed before our eyes: salvation from sin.  

Sin SEPARATES us from God, our Creator (Isaiah 59:1-2)

Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Sin BLINDS us to the real purpose for our existence. Sin

DECEIVES us, taking us down the path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat

The Word of God also reveals the Solution to our greatest need: Jesus. Jesus is the Way to salvation and an eternal home in heaven (John 14:1-6). Those who place their trust in Him

(Acts 16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house, repent of sin (Acts 17:30-31), And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He heals them from their greatest malady: SIN. Those who continue to follow Him in obedience to His will, He will continue to cleanse from all sin

(1 John 1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

In John 9, we find the account where Jesus healed a man that was born blind. In healing this man, Jesus gave him " DOUBLE VISION": his physical AND his spiritual eyesight. One may see in this account not only how this blind man received his sight, but also how he developed FAITH in Jesus as the Son of God. In the presence of the formerly-blind-man and some self-righteous Pharisees, Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind" (John 9:39).

Truly, there are NONE so blind as those who will not see! Do YOU "see" that Jesus is God’s Son, the solution for our spiritual blindness?

Won’t YOU respond to Him in trusting obedience?

God bless you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Washed in the blood of Calvary,
I’ve been redeemed,
He set me free;
Once I was blind
But now I see,
I’m washed in the blood of Calvary.

The Remedy
8 Aug 04

On May 11, 2000, a lady found a new e-mail message on her computer, which simply said, "I love you." It looked innocent enough, perhaps even romantic. Like most of us would, she clicked to open the message, and the so-called "Love Bug" was born. With lightning speed it raced around the world, bringing politics and business to a halt. It was a deadly computer virus that caused millions of computer software programs to crash. One virus, but so much contamination!

But it's not the first time that a single "virus" has caused so much grief to mankind.

In fact, it's a kind of replay of a deadlier "virus" that hit Planet Earth years ago infecting the first human couple, Adam and Eve. Despite God's clear warning, they accepted Satan's message, and they did so with appalling consequences for both themselves, and through them to ALL mankind. That "virus" is called "SIN."

The "virus" of SIN did not infect mankind by accident, rather it "gained access" because of poor choices! God's instructions to Adam and Eve in the beautiful Garden of Eden were clear: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eatfor in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).

Then "the serpent," Satan, tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. When she "saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate" (Genesis 3:6). Adam and Eve disobeyed God's instruction; they sinned.

Due to sin, DEATH became a REALITY. And, due to OUR disobedience, WE suffer the SAME consequence of sin!

Observe the Apostle Paul's commentary on this matter: "Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, …thus death spread to ALL men, because ALL sinned" (Romans 5:12). Paul also revealed the -Divine Remedy- for the "virus" of sin: "For if by the one man's offense [Adam's sin] death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).

TRUE LOVE – not a "love bug" – motivated God to send His Son, Jesus, to live as a man and then to die the horrible death of the cross in our place (John 3:16)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He died for us that we may live – the ABUNDANT LIFE NOW (John 10:10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

and ETERNAL LIFE TO COME (Mark 10:28-30) Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Paul sums up the matter saying, "For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This gift – as any gift – must be accepted! To accept God's gift of grace, one must: place his trust in Him (Hebrews 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, repent of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10) Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death., confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation., and be baptized (immersed) in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

One continues to accept the gift through - a life of dedicated obedience continually cleansed by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7).

The - Divine Remedy- for the "virus" of SIN has been offered.

Will YOU accept?

WHAT KEEPS ME GOING? by Dub McClish
15 Aug 04

No person ever lived who never became discouraged, including such spiritual giants as our Lord and the apostle Paul.

(Mat 23:37) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

When perverse men and women hate you and try to destroy you and the good work you are doing, what keeps you from just giving up?  When trials are many and sore, how do the faithful deep on being faithful in spite of them?  Of course, a deep faith in God and unqualified devotion to His Word are the roots of all steadfastness.  However, there are also some additional factors that figure into it.  Below are a few of the things that “keep me going.”

A good and faithful wife.  Solomon was right.  “House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.” (Prov 19:14)

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” (Prov 31:10-12)

On our recently celebrated thirty-fifth wedding anniversary I could not help reflecting on the many times Lavonne has kept me going when I was on the verge of despair.  A godly husband or wife is one of the choicest blessings of God!  Each should keep the other going when discouragement threatens.  I might have given up long ago without my faithful and supportive wife.

Faithful brethren.  Anyone who has been a Christian (especially an elder or preacher) for several years has run into some real “stinkers” in the church who have warped doctrinal and/or ethical convictions.  Such are consumed with malice for anyone who gets in their way.  Paul knew what it meant to be “in perils among false brethren” (2 Cor 11:26) In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

Such ungodly souls would destroy our work (even our faith) if we gave in.  Yet, these are the exception; there are many more who are faithful and zealous of good works.  Godly elders who have remained steadfast under fire encourage me and help keep me going.  Fellow Gospel preachers are a great source of support by their words and example.  Young families who are dedicated to the Truth and are eager to serve in every way possible are an inspiration to me.  Those who are older have often “picked me up” with encouraging words and deeds.

The hope of Heaven.  When the going gets rough and I am tempted to think that it is not worth the cost to my family and me to live with such stress and pain, the hope of Heaven revives me.  With Paul, we must  “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Rom 8:18). Brethren, we must not give up because whatever trials we have, “Heaven will surely be worth it all”!

Heaven Will Surely Be Worth It All

 Often I'm hindered on my way;
Burdened so heavy I almost fall’
Then I hear Jesus sweetly says’
“Heaven will surely be worth it all.”

 Many the trials, toils and tears,
Many a heartache may here appall’
But the dear Lord so truly says;
“Heaven will surely be worth it all.”

Toiling and pain I will endure,
Till I shall hear the death angel call’
Jesus has promised and I’m sure
“Heaven will surely be worth it all.”

Heaven will surely be worth it all.
Worth all the sorrows that here befall’
After this life with all its strife’
Heaven will surely be worth it all.

Bold as a Lion
22 Aug 04

Solomon wrote, “The righteous are bold as a lion” (Pro 28:1).  The lion is called “king of beasts” because he fears nothing.  One of the qualities that was responsible for the spread of the Gospel so dramatically in the beginning was the boldness of the saints.  Paul asked the Ephesians to pray that he might speak boldly, as he ought to (Eph 6:19-20) And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Courage is admired and cannot be ignored, even by one’s enemies.  Thus, the Sanedrin marvelled at the boldness of Peter and John.

(Acts 4:13) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

When the great Restoration Movement swept like a prairie fire across the frontiers of our nation in the nineteenth century there was a distinct boldness that characterized its proclaimers.  Never has a man or a movement attracted any significant following without this trait.  Churchill was right when, during the dark days of World War 2, he said, “Courage is the virtue that makes other virtues possible.”

The noblest convictions are suspect and ineffective if they are kept timidly hidden away, unpreached or unpracticed.  What will boldness for God cause us to do?

It will make us act right when others are acting wrongly.

It takes boldness, courage, to be different from the world.  Daniel knew the risk of praying, but in spite of this he did it.  He had no assurance that he would be delivered from the lions, only that he would be thrown to them!  Boldness made him do the right thing when all of the pressure was to compromise, and he became literally as “bold as a lion” - - in fact, several of them!  All of us, both old and young, have known the pressure of the world or of close friends to do what was wrong.  The challenge is to reach down and come up with some boldness and courage that refuses to let wrong intimidate us in what we know is right!  Remember, we are not to be shaped by the world, but by the Word (Rom 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

It will make us stand up when others fall.

It is easy to become discouraged and quit.  I can think of many who were once faithful, but are now out in the world again, totally insensitive to spiritual matters.  I can think of others who were once active in some good work, but they became offended, so all they do now is warm a pew occasionally.  There will always be those who grow weary and give up, but the Lord delights in those who continue to stand when others have fallen.

It will make us speak up when others are silent.

An obvious trait of the early saints was their willingness to speak out.  They didn’t try to hide the fact that they were Christians, but preached boldly in the name of the Lord (Acts 9:27-29)  But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.  The evils of today demand a bold, loud outcry from the righteous.  Are we righteous?

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 God’s Plan Of Salvation

 1. Men must hear the saving gospel (Rom 10:17)
2. Men must believe in Christ (John 8:24, 20:31)
3. Men must repent of their sins (Luke 13:3)
4. Men must confess faith in Christ (Matt 10:32)
5. Men must be immersed, baptized (Acts 2:38)
6. Men must live faithfully (1 Cor 15:58)

Have you obeyed the gospel? (2 Thes 1:8-9)

How Do You Spell Success?
29 Aug 04

How do YOU define success? Many would define success with the attainment of one or more of the following:

Power – having a number of people under your authority

Prestige – being well-known, famous

Position – achieving the executive level

Popularity – being well-liked by the majority

Possessions – having everything that money can buy

Pleasure – being able to do that which brings pleasure to body and mind

But, are these things TRUE indicators of success?

The fact is that in many cases, the ones who possess one or more of the qualities listed above are often the most miserable.

The 19th-century Bible scholar G. S. Bowes pointed out the ultimate futility of ambition that isn’t accompanied by dedication to God. Citing four powerful world rulers of the past, he wrote:

"Alexander the Great was not satisfied, even when he had completely subdued the nations. He wept because there were no more worlds to conquer, and he died at an early age in a state of debauchery.

Hannibal, who filled three bushels with the gold rings taken from the knights he had slaughtered, committed suicide by swallowing poison. Few noted his passing, and he left this earth completely unmourned.

Julius Caesar, ‘staining his garments in the blood of one million of his foes,’ conquered 800 cities, only to be stabbed by his best friends at the scene of his greatest triumph.

Napoleon, the feared conqueror, after being the scourge of Europe, spent his last years, in banishment."

Lee Lacocca stated this human malady well in his book Straight Talk: "Here I am in the twilight years of my life, still wondering what it’s all about ... I can tell you this, fame and fortune is for the birds."

God revealed the definition of true success to His servant, Joshua: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may OBSERVE TO DO according to all that is written in it. For THEN you will make your way prosperous, and THEN you will have good success" (Joshua 1:8). This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success

From this Scripture, we discover the TRUE definition of success:

True success is KNOWING the will of God – and DOING IT

What is God’s will? He has revealed through His Word that He wants each of us to submit our lives to Him. He wants us to trust Him  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6), repent of our sins And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31), confess our faith in His Son That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38). Having been born again into His family, He wants His children to CONTINUE to STUDY His revealed will AND to OBEY it (James 1:22) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Are YOU successful – in God’s eyes?

God bless you.