Do You Ever Mention Him?

 A man commented about a preacher he knew, “He speaks very well, if he just had something to say.” The church of Christ has something to say. Jesus Christ saw to that 2,000 years ago when He charged His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15 -16). The early church was committed to that God-assigned commission. Their irrepressible resolve to tell Christ’s gospel is seen in the words of the apostles Peter and John in Acts 4:19-20. When opponents of the gospel commanded them to stop preaching Jesus, “Peter and John answered them, saying, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard.’” They had something to say and nobody in hell or on earth would stop them from saying it. In Acts 8:4, severely persecuted Christians “scattered,” but then “went everywhere preaching the word.” Early Christians believed the gospel was a message that could save the souls of men and women from sin and reconcile lost people to God. They believed the gospel gave them something to say. They believed God meant for them to say it, and so they refused to stop saying it. The apostle Paul declared to the elders of the ancient church at ancient Ephesus in Acts 20:26-27, “Therefore I testify you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned [or avoided] to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” Paul was confident that in God’s court no one at Ephesus would be able to truthfully) accuse or charge that he had been silent concerning any part of God’s gospel. No one could say to him, in the words of the sobering old gospel song, “You never mentioned Him to me, you helped me not the light to see. You met me day by day, and knew I was astray, Yet never mentioned Him to me.”

 The contemporary church of Christ still has something to say. As regards sin and salvation, heaven and hell, and where souls will be for eternity, what the church has to say is the most important, imperative, vital and urgent thing that can be said. The question is not do we have something to say. We have as much to say and the same thing to say as those early Christians did. It haunts me to think of the day when I will stand before God, that someone I met day by day, someone I knew was astray, might look at me and say, You never mentioned Him to me.” Yet, too many saints are silent. How often do you tell about what you have “seen and heard” in the gospel of Jesus Christ? If you are truly a Christian, somewhere, somehow, somebody mentioned and talked to you about Jesus Christ and the gospel, and you chose to follow Him. Fundamentally, our God-given task is not to “bring the whole world to Christ” but to “take Christ to the whole world.” Somehow, someway, every Christian needs to be active in that mission. Words written by Brother David Sain continue to convict me: “... if we do not believe that people who have not believed and obeyed the gospel are lost, we have no valid reason to evangelize. I remember H. A. Dixon saying there are two reasons why we are not more concerned and more active in confronting people with the gospel. First, he said, we are not convinced that they are lost if they do not obey the gospel; second, we are not convinced we are lost if we do not try to teach them” (The Spiritual Sword, January 2003, p 40).  May I remind you, Christian friend, you have something to say. Are you saying it? Do you ever mention Him?

                      Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

A Heavenly Crown on the Cheap?

 An old story tells about squirrels overrunning three churches in town. The leaders of the first church, after much prayer, decided the little creatures, pesky though they were, were predetermined to be there. They reasoned there was no way they could or should

fight against God’s will. The leaders of the second church decided they should not harm the squirrels no matter how “squirrelly” they were. After all, they said, squirrels are God’s creatures, too. They trapped the cute little creatures and set them free outside of town.

But, alas, two days later they were back! The third church alone came up with a solution that kept the squirrels away. The elders baptized the squirrels – now they show up only on Christmas and Easter! Yes, I know that story is nutty. And you may think I am for

telling it. Be that as it may, the story touches on a very serious problem that plagues the church in many cases and places. The problem is not just Christians who are absent from the church’s worship assemblies and work activities. For any Christian, habitual, willful absence, whatever the “reason”, is symptomatic of a deeper malady. Many attempt to practice a costless, cross-less, Christianity that suggests followers of Jesus can receive a crown on the cheap, that is without the cost of bearing a cross. But Jesus Christ still

calls all potential followers, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). What Jesus preached in this text is what He practiced with life – a profound commitment to do God’s will, not one’s own will (Matt.26:37-42). He went to a cross because       He was fully surrendered to God’s will, costly as that commitment proved to be. Christ promises a crown of life for those who bear the cross, not just wear it or sing about it (Revelation 2:10).      

Just about everyone has heard the phase, “No pain, no gain.” It suggests great rewards for those willing to endure hard and even painful work. Consider professional football players. Tom Junod wrote about the high price they are willing to pay for NFL money, fame and glory (“Theater of Pain”, 2-11-2013, Esquire magazine). Junod reported that during the 2011 NFL season, the 2,000 active players suffered 4,500 injuries, an injury rate of 225%! The list included “concussions, torn ACL’s, ruptured tendons, ankle sprains, turf toes, stretched or compressed spines ...” and various other painful injuries. Junod was not encouraging this “war even if wounded” mentality. He was simply noting the fact that many athletes are profoundly committed to the point of suffering serious pain to achieve monetary gain and NFL fame. May I offer an application and take-home-point for your consideration? In 2 Timothy 2:1-7 the apostle Paul calls Timothy (and, in reality, every Christian) to a profound commitment. He depicts the level of commitment with words like "strong ...endure hardship ... soldier ... warfare ... competes in athletics ... hard working” (New King James Version). The truth is profound commitment is not unusual today. People practice it in many fields of endeavor for what 1 Corinthians 9:27 describes as “a perishable crown.” How committed are you to obtain “an imperishable crown?” The idea we can gain a heavenly crown on the cheap is not Biblical. Martin Luther said, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” We may never have to die for Christ, but the Bible is clear –– to truly follow and live for Christ involves profound commitment. How much is following Christ costing you?

                            Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

The Power of Encouragement!

 The story of swimmer Eric Moussambani is nothing short of remarkable. The 22-year-old from Equatorial Guinea competed in the 100 meter freestyle swimming event at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. Here’s what’s remarkable -- he had only learned

to swim the past January before the Olympics that summer of 2000! By special invitation from the International Olympic Committee, under a special program that permitted poor countries to participate even when their athletes didn’t achieve normal standards,

Moussambani entered the 100 meter men’s freestyle. After the two other swimmers in the heat were disqualified due to false starts, Moussambani found himself swimming alone in lane 5. The first 50 meters went well, but into the final 50 meters he tired. He virtually

stopped and flailed in the water, trying to stay afloat. Some feared he was drowning. Mousammbani later told reporters, “It was then I stated to hear the crowd screaming and shouting, encouraging me to ‘Go, go, go!’ It gave me the strength to finish, and when I touched the wall I said to myself, ‘Oh, I’ve done it.’ ” After the race he told a reporter, “I want to send hugs and kisses to the crowd. It was their cheering that kept me going.” There’s more to Moussambani’s story, but not space to tell it. Suffice it to say he finished his Olympic race because of the great power of encouragement and went home and did great things.

There are times in life when the strongest among us needs encouragement to keep us from drowning. Not drowning in a pool of water, but in a pool of fatigue and stress and strain. Dealing with people and problems and pressures, at home and work and even at church, has a way of wearing us down and tiring us out. We feel like we’re “dead in the water” and find it hard to keep going. Nobody is beyond the need of a big dose of encouragement at times. Think about the apostle Paul. If we think of him as a spiritual    Superman beyond the need for encouragement, we are wrong! As he pens the book of 2 Timothy he is suffering for the gospel (2 Timothy 1:8, 12), viewed as an “evil-doer” and is “in chains” (2:9). Some who once supported him have deserted him (1:15). A brother in Christ named Demas has forsaken him (4:10). Another individual, Alexander, caused the apostle much harm (4:14). Besides all that, he is expecting imminent execution, for he metaphorically says “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand” (4:6). He may have been cold, asking Timothy to bring his coat (4:13). Time is short, and he urges Timothy to come as quickly as he can (4:9, 21). It is against this backdrop that we read the words recorded in 2 Timothy 1:16-18 about a man named Onesiphorus, mentioned in the Bible only here and at 4:19. Paul prays mercy on the household of Onesiphorus,” adding that “he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.” The Greek word translated “refreshed” means to cool off; to bring much needed relief, causing someone to recover a state of encouragement after a time of anxiety or trouble.” Wow! – the apostle Paul needed an Onesiphorus to spur him on, and sometimes you and I need one, too! The Bible often directs us to “encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 English Standard Version). Sometimes we need an Onesiphorus, and sometimes we need to be an Onesiphorus! God help the church to be a crowd that encourages one another to “go, go, go” until we finish the race! 

            Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Choices Still Matter!

 What choice do I have?" All kinds! Whether buying a car or cookies or crackers or clothing, Americans daily have a plethora of choices. For decades preachers have told people to go to the "church of your choice." Now choices are endless in religion and moral lifestyles. Millions are absolutely sure nobody can be absolutely sure about anything, and they are absolutely sure about that! The result is a radical pluralism that insists all choices in religious and moral and ethical areas are equally valid, and all roads somehow in the end lead us to God no matter how different and conflicting they are. But that won’t wash! As somebody observed, it is true there are two sides to every question – but it is also true there are two sides to a sheet of flypaper, and it is a matter of life or death to the fly which side he chooses.

 Choices still matter. Some matter more than others, and some result in very significant consequences. According to a Reader’s Digest article (07/85, p 173), in 1920 the management of the Boston Red Sox chose to sell a player named Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. That choice mattered, for the Red Sox and the Yankees. After joining the Yankees, in 10 out of the next 12 seasons Ruth hit more home runs than the entire Red Sox team! Boston did not win a World Series between 1918, when Ruth was on the team, until October, 2004! Choice matters. In 1938 Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel made what turned out to be a super- bad choice and for $130 sold all rights to a comic book character they had invented. The character’s name? Superman. Some choices greatly matter. In 1955 Sam Phillips sold RCA his exclusive contract with a young singer named Elvis Presley. Did that matter? It did to Phillips. He lost out on royalties from sales of more than a billion records. Adam and Eve discovered choice matters. After choosing to eat forbidden fruit God said don’t eat (Genesis 2:17), they found themselves outside Paradise and away from the tree of life. Choice mattered for King David. His secret, one night fling with another man’s wife led to a tortured conscience, a dead baby, and years of family strife, dysfunction and grief. The prodigal son in Luke 15 chose to reject the teaching and oversight of his loving father and ended up in a penniless, pigpen existence – until he wisely chose to turn back to his father. Choices have always mattered. Choices still matter. A single choice to drink or smoke or use other kinds of drugs can begin a downward spiral that ends in addiction and immeasurable loss. Marriages are marred, homes are hurt, innocence is lost, and hearts are broken because men and women make bad choices. Young people choose to quit high school and literally pay a price, often for the rest of their lives. Prisons are filled because of bad choices. Millions choose to overspend and bury their family in a grave of debt that proves hard to dig out of. The devil doesn’t want you to know it, but sin is always a bad choice (Romans 6:23a * James 1:15). As regards where we will be in eternity, there are only two choices – heaven or hell. With characteristic clarity, Jesus spelled it out in Matthew 7:13-14 – "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Some choices don’t matter much. Some choices matter a lot. No choice matters more than the one Jesus describes in Matthew 7:13-14. God will some day choose what to do with you. That’s why what you choose to do with Him will always matter – more than any choice you will ever have to make. Choices still matter! 

   by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

 

Grandmas and Mommas of Faith – Rock On!

 The following story was told by J. R. Miller, a writer for the once very popular TV program "Hee-Haw." A drunk wandered into the neighborhood gym and spotted a man shadow-boxing in the center of the ring. He watched the boxer dancing and punching the air for a minute or so, then called out to him – "Hey pal, you might as well quit fighting. He’s gone!" This little article is not about shadow-boxing, but it is about a fight. Not a physical fight but a spiritual one. The one mentioned by the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:12 as he encouraged his young preaching protege Timothy to stay in the fight against sin and Satan – "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." Timothy preached the gospel in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3), a city of 200,000 people, considered by most historians as the most important city in Western Asia Minor in New Testament times. The New Testament books of 1 and 2 Timothy were written by Paul to strengthen and equip and spur the younger preacher on as he fought the good fight. So how did Timothy do? Tradition tells us he fought long and well. According to extra-biblical church tradition, Timothy ministered in Ephesus from A. D. 64 till he was martyred at 80 years old in the year 97 A. D. He sought to halt a pagan parade in honor of the goddess Diana (her temple was in Ephesus – see Acts 19) by preaching the gospel and exhorting the idol worshipers to acknowledge the true and living God. In anger they seized Timothy, severely beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him. He died from the beatings and stones, but stood firm in his faith and fought the good fight to the end.

 How do you make a man of such faith and conviction? The apostle Paul clearly had a great influence on Timothy(Acts 16:1-3 * Philippians 2:19-23, etc.). They went through much in their service for Christ (2 Tim.3:10-11). Paul’s spiritual influence on Timothy was profound and long-lasting. But there is another influence in Timothy’s life, equally profound, though it gets little ink in the New Testament. Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:5 mention very briefly two faithful women who played prominent if not very public roles in shaping Timothy’s Christian character and faith in God. There Paul wrote, "when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also." Wow – "genuine" faith in God can be a multi-generational reality! It was in Timothy’s case! The faith that was in him "dwelt first" in his grandmother and his mom. They taught him the Scriptures from "childhood" (2 Timothy 3:15 – the Greek word can be translated "infancy" –). These two ladies intentionally and constantly sought, from the get-go, to get the genuine faith that was in them into Timothy! They helped shape Timothy into a Christian and a preacher just as surely as the apostle Paul. Their influence on Timothy’s faith in God began before his birth! They rocked his cradle but that’s not all they rocked. They rocked Timothy’s world by influencing him for Christ. Their names live on in God’s household of faith. Timothy and a host of people he led to Christ will be in heaven because faith was "first" in Lois and Eunice! Momma, Grandma – in our age entire movements are seeking to "empower" women. But Lois and Eunice remind us – women of genuine faith have long held great power. Faith can rock your children / grandchildren’s world, in time and in eternity. Grandmas and Moms with genuine faith – rock on!

by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

 

Will You Bounce, or Will You Break?

 

Consider this mind-teasing quote – "When you fall, I’ll be there to catch you. With love, the floor." Do you find much comfort in that? I’ve fallen several times over the span of my life. In every case the floor, or ground, caught me! Most of my physical falls have been of little lasting consequence. I just got up and went on, none the worse for the fall (except maybe embarrassed!). But two falls proved more serious, resulting in a broken wrist. The first time I broke the left wrist (while 36 years old). The second occurred earlier this year (February, 2021, at 66 years old!). The result was a broken left wrist. Months after this fall, I’m still recovering. I guess old bones heal more slowly than younger ones!

 Here’s a question to ponder – when you fall, will you bounce back, or will you break? It depends, someone observed, on whether you are an "egg" or a "tennis ball." When you drop an egg, it usually breaks and can’t be put together again (remember Humpty-Dumpty?!). But what happens when you drop a tennis ball? It bounces! We all take spiritual falls. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18), and the apostle John shoots straight when he says in 1 John 1:10, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [that is, God] a liar, and His word is not in us" (also see Romans 3:23). Here’s the thing. We all fall spiritually, but praise be to God, we can bounce back. All sin can be forgiven when we turn to God on conditions in the gospel (Act 2:38 * Mark 16:15-16 * Colossians 2:10-13). If we truly obey God, He is merciful to forgive us. Through Jesus, our sins He "remembers no more" (Hebrews 8:12). But while God promises to forgive us, many of us have a difficult time forgiving ourselves. Now make no mistake about this – God wants to forgive us. A cross stained with the blood of His only begotten Son screams He is dying to forgive us. But even though we all fall, we don’t all react the same way. Judas and Peter are examples. Judas, overcome with grief after he betrayed Jesus, went out and hung himself (Acts 1:8). When he fell, he broke. Peter also fell, more than once. In quick succession he denied he knew Jesus three times the night the Lord was arrested and tried by a kangaroo court of religious hypocrites. After he fell Peter was filled with guilt and remorse. Matthew 26:75 says, "He went out and wept bitterly." But though bruised and battered from his fall, Peter didn’t break! He bounced back like a tennis ball! Although at the bottom of a self-dug hole, he didn’t dig deeper. Through God’s grace and the love and forgiveness of Jesus, Peter was forgiven and restored.

 How about you? Have you fallen into some sinful relationship or activity that left you bruised with a bleeding conscience and gasping for spiritual air under a smothering load of guilt? Do you fixate and obsess on a past fall? To stay stuck there is like being stung to death by a single bee. It stings and dumps soul-killing poison into your heart every time you return there in your mind. Life is slippery, and the Bible seeks to sober us when it says in 1 Corinthians 12:10, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." Life is a slippery place. It is easy to fall. But God’s word offers hope – "For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity" (Proverbs 24:16). The issue is not will you ever fall – we all do at times. The issue is will you break? Have you fallen into sin? Let me remind you that getting to heaven is a matter of bouncing back one more time than you fall! Christ died and was buried, but He bounced back! You may fall into sin, but thanks to Jesus, you can bounce back! Will you bounce, or break? 

     by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Can God Smell Your Love?

"Let each one give as he purposes in his heart," the apostle Paul directs in 2 Corinthians 9:7a, "not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." But a story about American industrialist Henry Ford reminds us some people have to be strong-armed into giving. Ford was once asked to donate money for the construction of a new medical facility. The billionaire pledged to donate $5,000. The next day in the newspaper, the headline read, "Henry Ford contributes $50,000 to the local hospital." The irate Ford was on the phone immediately to complain to the fund-raiser that he had been misunderstood. The fund-raiser replied that they would print a retraction in the paper the following day to read, "Henry Ford reduces his donation by $45,000." Realizing the poor publicity that would result, the industrialist agreed to the $50,000 contribution in return for the following – that above the entrance to the hospital was to be carved the Bible-related thought: "I came among you and you took me in." (Bits and Pieces, 3/93, p 23)

 John 12:1-8 describes a lavish, sacrificial gift given to Jesus at a supper in His honor only a few days before He was crucified. Verses 1 and 2 relate that "six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany .... where they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him" [that is, Jesus]. Verse 3 goes on – "Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil." Sadly, over against the beautiful fragrance of that sweet perfume and ungrudging generosity of Mary’s extravagant gift is the foul odor of greed and hypocrisy in verses 4-5 – "But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil not given to the poor?’ " John exposes Judas’s feigned concern for the poor with this blunt indictment in verse 6 – "This he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it." The Lord goes on in verses 7 and 8 to note that Mary’s actions reveal her deeper understanding of what would happen to Jesus a few days later when He would demonstrate an unparalleled love at the cross for all people, including Judas! Most commentators believe the Mary in this passage is the same unnamed woman and incident recorded in Matthew 26:6ff and Mark 14:3-9. Jesus said in Matthew 26:13 and Mark 14:9 what she had done would never be forgotten!

 Focus on the statement in the last part of verse 3 – "and the house was filled the fragrance of the oil." Strong’s Concordance says the Greek word for "filled" is "plaroo" [pronounced ‘play-ro’-o’], and means "to make replete, literally to cram." Such was the strength of the pungent smell that it wafted through the whole house where they were until it "filled" the house. Mary was practicing some ancient aroma therapy that evening – every nose in the house could smell it and was affected by it! What others in the room smelled that evening was oil spikenard, but Jesus smelled something else. He smelled the fragrance of a deep, sacrificial love that mirrored the love He Himself was preparing to show later that week – a love that in the apostle Paul’s words at Romans 5:8 "demonstrates His [God’s] own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Mary spared no expense to show her love for Jesus. God spares no expense, including the gift of His only begotten Son, to save each of us from our sins! Can God smell your love?

      by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN