JURONG OUTREACH - NOV 03
| Nov | Author | |
| 2/11/03 9/11/03 16/11/03 23/11/03 30/11/03 |
The Power of Love The First Step The Gospel is Unique Blessed are those who are not rude A Second Chance |
Roger Campbell |
THE POWER OF LOVE
2 Nov 03
In
Romans 12:20-21 we read: ¡°Therefore
if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing
thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome
evil with good.¡±
Of
all the forces in the universe, love is the most powerful.
It is more powerful than physical force, sarcasm, or argument.
Let us consider the power of love from three different views.
First of all is the reaction of the power of love on ourselves.
Every emotion, good or bad, reacts upon us as we experience it.
The man we hate suffers as a result of our hatred, but certainly not to
the degree that we suffer. There is
no way in which we can hurt a brother without hurting ourselves.
Hatred is mental poison, which destroys the finest qualities of the soul.
On
the other hand, the man we love is blessed by our love, but not to the degree
that we are blessed (Acts
20:35)
¡°I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the
weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more
blessed to give than to receive.¡±
We
cannot help a fellow man without helping ourselves.
Though our love may fail to touch the enemy¡¯s heart, it is never in
vain, for it purifies us, (Rom
13:8-10) ¡°Owe
no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath
fulfilled the law. For this, Thou
shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt
not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other
commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself.
Love
worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.¡±
It
also makes us more like God.
(1
Jn 4:8) ¡°He
that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.¡±
We
need also to examine the power of love on our fellow man.
When other people become aware of our love, happy results follow.
Love disarms the foe, hushes the cynic, and puts the enemy to shame.
When drastic methods fail, as they always do, love wins.
(Pro
15:1) ¡°A
soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.¡±
While
hatred drives people from us, love draws them to us; and it not only draws them,
but it also binds people to us.
(Col
2:2) ¡°That
their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all
riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the
mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;¡± Love,
then, is the element that preserves the unity of God¡¯s people.
Love may be said to ennoble, to encourage, to stabilize.
Love makes life worth living.
Finally,
there is the power of love on God. Love causes the great Spiritual Force in the universe to
operate in our favour. It reaches
up and takes hold of the throne of the Almighty and moves it. It is in the loving heart that God takes up His abode.
(Jn
14:23) ¡°Jesus
answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.¡±
by
deeds of love, the Divine memory is refreshed, (Heb
6:10)
¡°For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye
have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do
minister.¡±
(Rom
8:28) ¡°And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose.
Though
we are weak, a mighty force is within our grasp.
Let us take it and use it¡ªnot selfishly, for when the element of
selfishness enters it ceases to be love. Life is sweeter, the circle of our influence is wider, and we
are more powerful when love motivates us. Love
makes us kings in our realm.
(Gal
5:6) ¡°For
in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availed any thing, nor uncircumcision; but
faith which worketh by love¡±
Let
us make proper application of the power of love.
In order to do that, we must be reminded that this love is centered in
God and His will for our lives.
*****************************
The
love you give to others
Is returned to you by the Lord¡.
And the love of God
Is your soul¡¯s rich reward.
(Helen
Steiner Rice)
One
man gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
Another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
(Prov
11:24)
THE
FIRST STEP
9 Nov 03
Two
unmarried sisters had so bitter a ruckus that they stopped speaking to each
other. Unable or unwilling to leave their small home, they continued to use the
same rooms and sleep in the same bedroom. A chalk line divided the sleeping area
into two halves, separating doorway and fireplace, so that each could come and
go and get her own meals without trespassing on her sister's domain. In the
black of night each could hear the breathing of the other. For years they
coexisted in grinding silence. Neither was willing to take "the
first step"
to reconciliation.
How
sad! What could have been a fulfilling relationship became a terrible burden
because neither would take the initiative in restoring the severed relationship.
Just
think of what they missed!
Due
to our sin, you and I are separated from God.
Our relationship with God has been severed by SIN. "Surely
the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But
your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face
from you, so that he will not hear"
(Isaiah 59:1-2). When
a relationship is severed, love takes the initiative in mending it.
If one of the
sisters mentioned above had just taken it upon herself to seek reconciliation,
it could have been saved. Yet, neither would take "the
first step",
and so¡the relationship died.
When
it comes to OUR broken relationship with God due to our sin, God took the
initiative to reconcile US to Himself.
Although
you and I are the offenders, the Offended One made the first move to heal the
broken relationship. "God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us ¡ For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him
through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be
saved through his life!"
(Romans 5:8,
10). God sent Jesus
to die on the cross for our sins so that we can be forgiven through Him. When
we accept God¡¯s offer of forgiveness, He accepts us!
We become His children, related to Him by BLOOD ¨C the cleansing blood of
Christ that washed away our sins ¨C the cause of our separation.
God
took the initiative in mending our broken relationship due to sin, but you and I
must respond to His love.
The appropriate response to God¡¯s love through Christ is to place our faith
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.¡±
Due to our SIN, we are separated from our loving Creator. But Love took the initiative. "In this is love, NOT that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).
THE
GOSPEL IS UNIQUE by Roger Campbell
16 Nov 03
There
is no other message that can compare to the Lord¡¯s gospel¡ªit is unique,
being in a class of its own. What¡¯s
so special about the gospel? What
makes it unique?
The
gospel of the Christ is unique because THERE
IS ONLY ONE.
It is not one among many gospels, but is ¡°the¡± gospel (Rom 1:15-16)
By the Spirit Paul wrote, (Gal 1:6-8)¡°I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gospel: Which
is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel
of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed.¡±
Any
message other than the gospel of the Christ which men may try to pass off as a
¡°good¡± religious message is a falsehood¡ªa mere counterfeit, an imitation
that lacks the power of the gospel of God.
The gospel is also unique because IT CAME FROM THE LORD GOD. Because God is the source of it, it is called ¡° the gospel of God¡± (Romans 1:1). Paul said that this ¡°gospel of God¡± is what he preached in the city of Thessalonica (1 Thess 2:2).
In
that same chapter he went on to declare the reception that the gospel received:
(1 Thess 2:13) ¡°For
this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word
of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is
in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that
believe.¡±
What
message did Paul preach to them? ¡°The
gospel of God,¡±
which is ¡°the
word of God.¡±
Jesus¡¯
gospel is unique because ONLY
IT REVEALS THE SAVIOR. The day that Jesus was born an angel of God proclaimed to
shepherds, (Lk 2:11)
¡°For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ
the Lord.¡±
Time
and again the gospel message points to Jesus as being ¡°indeed the Christ, the
Saviour of the world¡± (Jn 4:42). Thank
God for the gospel¡ªit tells the wonderful message of how lowly sinners,
which all men are (Rom 3:23), can be saved from their sins by the blood of ¡°the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. ¡° (John
1:29)
The
gospel of God¡¯s dear Son is unique because ONLY
IT REVEALS
WHAT MAN MUST DO IN ORDER TO BE SAVED
(become
a saved person). The gospel gives instruction about how one can go from being
a lost person to being a saved one. That
is why Jesus told His apostles to go preach the gospel to every person in the
world: the goal is for each hearer of the gospel to obey it and ¡°be
saved¡±
(Mark 16:15-16). ¡°And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature.
He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall
be damned.¡±
The
gospel reveals that in order for a person to have his sins washed away for the
very first time in his life, he must hear
and believe the message of the gospel (John 20:30-31), Repent
of every past sin (Acts 17:30), Confess
faith in Jesus (Ro 10:10), And be
immersed
in
water (Acts 22:16)
Without
the gospel we would have no knowledge of what to do in order to be saved from
sin!
Why
is the gospel unique? Because IT
AND IT ALONE REVEALS
WHAT MAN MUST DO IN ORDER TO REMAIN SAVED.
It
is one thing to have sins forgiven once¡ªat the time of baptism into the Christ
(Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3). It is
another matter to continue to be in a saved relationship with the Lord.
Only the gospel gives instruction about how to do that.
The gospel instructs a child of God that has sinned to repent, pray to
God, and confess his fault (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9).
If we walk in the light as our Lord is in the light, then the blood of
Jesus will continue to cleanse us from all sins (1
John 1:7). The gospel and gospel
alone is able to strengthen us and give us an inheritance among those that are
sanctified (Acts 20:32).
Finally,
the gospel of the Christ is unique because ONLY
IT IS THE POWER OF GOD THAT CAN BRING ABOUT OUR SALVATION.
(Rom
1:16)
¡°For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek.¡±
(1
Cor 1:18)
¡°For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto
us which are saved it is the power of God.¡±
No
message other than the gospel can save the soul for it alone is God¡¯s power
unto salvation. Men may deny or
make fun of this idea, but God¡¯s word claims that it is so!
Enough said.
The gospel of God¡¯s Son truly is a unique message. We have shown six basic reasons why this is so. May these truths become deeply engrained in our hearts. May we always be grateful to our loving God that has given us His glorious, one-of-a-kind gospel.
BLESSED
ARE THOSE WHO ARE NOT RUDE
23 Nov 03
One
of the definitions that Webster applies to the word ¡°rude¡± is
¡°discourteous & impolite.¡± The
English word ¡°rude¡± is found only once in the Bible (2 Corinthians 11:6) ¡°But
though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly
made manifest among you in all things.¡± but
does not carry the
definition noted above.
However, the Bible does note that we are to have the character of one who is not rude in the sense as defined above. Oh how people today need to understand and practice not being rude. It seems that people seem to make a fine art of being rude. Even when extending a helpful hand one may be met with a rude reply. When there is disagreement many see that as an automatic licence to be rude.
The
sad fact is that rudeness has even found its way in among the church.
God¡¯s people should desire and seek after happiness, kindness, joy,
goodness, etc,¡..; yet these cannot truly be gained by means of rudeness.
Often people find a certain contentment and satisfaction in their being
rude. However, such is an evil
contentment and wicked satisfaction with selfishness being at the core of these
actions.
Truly
those who seek to follow the Lord will seek after goodness and hospitality that
will reflect Godliness. God calls
for Christians to extend this kindness, hospitality and goodness to one another
as seen in the verses that follow:
(Rom
12:10) ¡°Be
kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one
another;¡±
(Eph
4:32); ¡°And
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you.¡±
(John
13:35); ¡°By
this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another.¡±
(John
15:12),¡±This
is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.¡±
(1
Pet 1:22) ¡°Seeing
ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto
unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart
fervently:¡±
We
do not use the harshest and most spiteful word on the ones whom we love. We
always teach our children to be respectful to the elders and teachers.
Have we forgotten the teachings of our Lord when we deal with our
brethren? Are children the only ones who need a lesson on manners?
It is very surprising that Timothy, a younger preacher, needed a
reminder.
(1
Tim 5:1-3) ¡°Rebuke
not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The
elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour
widows that are widows indeed.¡±
Having
spiritual authority does not remove the need to respect those who are older.
Like Timothy, all of us should treat people older as our own parents.
This is not just manners but sincere reverence.
Those who are younger should be treated as our own siblings.
For
men, most importantly, when interacting with church members of opposite sex, we
treat them either as mothers or sisters,
with purity.
Perhaps we do not speak harshly to older people. But, have we treated them with dignity and honor as the Bible required?
How are my church manners? Especially when someone has disagreed with me or hurt me? Do I treat people in the family of God the same way I treat my parents and siblings?
(1
Peter 3:8) ¡°Finally,
be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be
pitiful, be
courteous:¡±
Often,
¡°how¡± we say is always louder than ¡°what¡± is being said.
Let us heed the Lord¡¯s command that is to be humble in our ways and in
our speech when dealing with one another.
**********************************
Do
justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God -
With these three things as your rule and your rod
All things worth having are yours to achieve
If you follow God¡¯s words and have faith to believe!
Helen Steiner Rice
A
SECOND CHANCE
30 Nov 03
Thomas
A. Edison was working on a unique new invention called a "light
bulb." It took Edison and a whole team of men 24 straight hours to put
just one together. When Edison was finished with one light bulb, he gave it to a
young boy helper, who nervously carried it up the stairs for him. Step by step,
the young man cautiously watched his hands, obviously fearful of dropping such a
priceless piece of work.
Then just as he was approaching the top of the stairs, it happened¡..
the poor young fellow DROPPED THE BULB! He watched in horror as the
prototype crashed helplessly to the floor into pieces. It took the entire team
of men another twenty-four hours to make another bulb. Finally, it was
completed! Exhausted and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb
carried up the stairs. He turned and handed it to the SAME young boy who had
dropped the first one!
Now,
that is true forgiveness!
God
also has a unique creation: mankind.
He has given a precious
commodity to His creation called " LIFE."
He created men and women to find ultimate fulfillment in their lives in
doing the will of God. Yet, from the very first couple that He created Adam and
Eve men and women have continued to "mishandle" that which God has
entrusted to them. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God" (Romans 3:23). Despite
our BEST efforts
in handling life carefully, we all "fumble"; we either transgress or
fall short of the will of God in our lives.
But
God wants to give US a second chance!
The opportunity for a second chance came at a tremendous price. God sent His Son
Jesus to live and to die as a man in order to "pay the price" for our
redemption. When Jesus died on the cross, He took our sins upon Himself, that
YOU and I might be forgiven, and have a second chance
(1 Peter 2:24) ¡°Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.¡±
Now,
THAT is true forgiveness!
This
forgiveness is available to all who will accept it on His terms: Forgiveness
can be enjoyed by those who will place their faith
in God (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 their sins
(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
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 Christ for the forgiveness of their 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.¡±
The
Apostle Paul described the appropriate response to the sacrificial death of
Christ with these words: "Or do you not know
that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into His death?
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so WE also
should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4).
Newness
of life! - Forgiveness! - A second chance!
THESE are the things that God wants to give US. And God will CONTINUE to forgive
us as we CONTINUE to strive to walk in the light of His Word (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.¡±
Now that is TRUE forgiveness! And, it is available to YOU. Will you accept?