In This Issue

• A CONFRONTATION RE AUTHORITY
• I AM MOST THANKFUL FOR...
• GOD LET LOOSE IN HIGH-SCHOOL GRADUATION!!
• THE WORLD'S BIBLE
• MORE INFORMATION...

Matthew tells us that when Jesus "came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?’ But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?’ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, "From heaven," He will say to us, "Why then did you not believe him?" But if we say, "From men," we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus and said, ‘We do not know.’ And He said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things’" (Matt. 21:23-27).

This passage records one of the many attempts of the enemies of Jesus to ensnare Him in His speech. All such attempts failed. Note that their question was not an honest question, seeking an answer to be applied in their lives. They already knew the answer. They knew His authority was from God. His miracles proved that. Much earlier in His career, Nicodemus had come to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him" (John 3:2). When Jesus walked on water, fed the multitudes, healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons -- there was no real question where His authority came from. In fact, that is the precise reason the apostles and prophets of New Testament days committed to writing their eye witness accounts of His mighty deeds, so that those of us who live in a time far removed from the days of His earthly ministry may know of Jesus’ Divine mission and message, believe and be saved, John 20:30-31.

So Jesus knew their question was merely an attempt to trap Him into saying something they hoped they could use against Him to accuse Him of blasphemy. He turned their question back on them. What about the work and teaching of John the baptizer? Was his authority from God or from men? To acknowledge John as being Divinely commissioned would be to indict themselves, for John had pointed to Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), yet they were rejecting Jesus. On the other hand, to speak against John would get them into trouble with the general populace who correctly accepted John as a prophet. They did not see how they could afford to answer, so they refused to answer by claiming not to know.

Since they would not answer Jesus’ question, neither would He participate in their trap. He knew the time was at hand that they would accuse Him, put Him on trial, and cause Him to be executed -- but for now, they must await another occasion.

--CRJ

When I was much younger, I was most thankful for my pretty red convertible, my good job, and my health. Over the years, however, I've seen the pretty red convertible get old and break down, several jobs come and go, and have had to pay much more attention to maintaining my health.

I am most thankful now for the things which endure. I am first thankful for God who loved me before I ever knew Him, and His Son whose actions have taught me what true love does. On this earth, I treasure most my relationships with people. To love and to be loved is truly one of life's great treasures.

I am thankful for Johnnie Williams, the elderly former deacon of the black Mt. Olive Baptist church. He left his family, his sectarian tradition, and crossed a broad and rigid color line because of his conviction of the truth, when he obeyed the gospel. He became, as it were, a man without a country in that small desert town. That was seven years ago. Johnnie is 75, has Alzheimer's, doesn't always recognize me, and often forgets. Two weeks ago somebody tried to kill him by setting his apartment on fire with him in it. He escaped with his life, his faith, and nothing more.

I was thinking of Johnnie tonight when I led the song "What a Friend We Have In Jesus". That's Johnnie's favorite hymn. I remember him confiding in me during the week following his baptism, confessing how frightened he had become of his own people because he had gone over to "the white man's church". I remember how frightened he was that first time he attended the services of the Lord's Church, not knowing what kind of reception he would find. I will never forget how courageously he stood before that congregation during his first monthly singing with us and led that song. None of us had ever heard it sung the way Johnnie led it that night. He did it with soul -- from the very core. It was the most beautiful hymn I had ever heard.

I'm so thankful for the favor of sharing the gospel with such a noble soldier of the cross. He has taught me so much more than I can tell. Tonight, when you go to God on behalf of all those near to you, please save a moment or two to remember your brother Johnnie Williams of Brawley CA. He is worthy. I thank God for him. 

--Douglas R. Clevenger

Something quite remarkable happened the last week of June 1999 at a high school graduation in Calvert County, Md. It wasn't that the American Civil Liberties Union had intervened on behalf of a lone student who said he would be offended if a fellow graduate went ahead with her plans to deliver an invocation at commencement. The religious version of "ethnic cleansing" happens all the time, from the courthouse to the schoolhouse. Seventeen-year-old Julie Schenk, who wanted to deliver the invocation, compromised and announced that instead she would call for a "time for reflection" that did not mention God. That seemed fine with everybody, including the ACLU.

But when Schenk asked for 30 seconds of silence and the crowd of 4,000 rose, a single loud male voice began reciting the Lord's Prayer, which begins, "Our Father, which art in heaven." The prayer was quickly picked up by others in the audience until it rolled like thunder across the room. The student who had protested the offering of an audible prayer, 18-year-old Nick Becker, walked out. When he tried to re-enter to receive his diploma, he was barred by authorities under a school policy that forbids students from returning to an assembly once they have left. Becker has been described as having an independent streak. Last year he was forced to wash his hair when he came to school with it in spikes resembling the Statue of Liberty, and he had also refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and was about to be disciplined when the ACLU intervened. He was put in a patrol car until commencement ended. Becker was also barred from a post-graduation boat cruise that was limited to those who had particpated in the ceremony.

What amazes us about this incident is that the audience reaction seems to have been spontaneous. Indeed, an ACLU spokesperson appeared frustrated when she noted the corporate prayer wasn't initiated by graduates or school officials. Nor did the prayer specifically mention "God," only "Our Father," so technically it might be said to have been in compliance. Perhaps this is the "virtue" empire striking back at the ravenously and increasingly secularized culture that seems powerless to stem the godforsaken tide of violence and corruption among us. For decades we have been told that the price we all must pay for a healthy First Amendment is the toleration of the most disgusting filth oozing through every pore of our society and culture. Creeps, louts, pornographers, blasphemers, alternative lifestylers, fornicators, adulterers, liars, slanderers and other forms of human rubbish enjoy the full protection of the law, but those who believe in God and order their lives accordingly, and who wish to participate in the pluralism and diversity that they hear so much about (but which never seems to apply to them), are increasingly losing their rights to be heard in the same public places occupied by those dedicated to tearing down, not building up, society. What these Maryland parents and friends of graduates discovered was a power they had forgotten they had. Frustrated by the aimlessness of Washington and its inability to do anything except focus on the self-preservation and survival of the politically unfit, the audience at the Calvert County graduation decided to practice what "We the people" actually means. As their forebears did with immoral and tyrannical British rule, they stood up and spoke out for, and to, an authority higher than the state. When those Marylanders were told they had no right to speak of God publicly they chose to speak to God. When Rosa Parks decided she would not obey an immoral law that required her to sit at the back of the bus because her skin color was not white, she inspired a civil-rights movement that is ongoing. Maybe those prayer protesters are the Rosa Parks of the secularist 90s. When the people speak, there's nothing the ACLU or anyone else can do about it. 

--Cal Thomas via Macedonia bulletin, Blue Ridge, GA.

THE WORLD'S BIBLE

Several years ago a preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, "You better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it." Then he thought, "Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus companies already get too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet." When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change". The driver with a smile, replied, "Aren’t you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do, if I gave you too much change."

When my friend stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, and held on, and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

Of course, I can’t testify to the authenticity of this story. However, the principle involved is worth considering. All of us are tempted to ignore, rationalize, and THINK no one is looking.

Time has proved to me that such is Satan telling me "a little wrong is not all that bad." The fact, is ALL evil is bad!

Sometimes, our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. What if our feet are walking where sin’s allurement is? What’s written on your pages? What if our type is crooked? What if our print is blurred?

Jesus says in the parable of talents, recorded in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:12-27, that the servant who is faithful in the "few" ("a little") will be made "ruler over many things" ("have authority over ten cities").

--Wendell Ward, Road Creek bulletin, Elkhorn City, KY

He who kneels before God can stand before anyone!

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