In This Issue

• THE MISSION AND MESSAGE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
• A MOMENT OF SILENCE: THE ATHEISTS RESPONSE TO TRAGEDY
• FISH TALK
• WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

THE MISSION AND MESSAGE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

 John the Baptist came in fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi. He “came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.” (Mark 1:4-5).

 His lifestyle is reminiscent of that of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. His appearance was much like that of the ancient prophet. As it turned out, his ministry had several similarities to that of the previous prophet. As Elijah had prophesied to King Ahab things Ahab did not want to hear, John prophesied to King Herod some things that Herod found greatly disturbing and displeasing.

 There were at least two things besides his rough physical appearance that distinguished John from most other preachers and religious leaders; his message -- and baptism.

 John’s message was one of repentance. He had come to turn the Israelites to the Lord, but this task could not be accomplished until Israel had a change of heart. Israel must repent!

 When individuals appeared before John, seeking to submit to his baptism, John demanded of them some evidence that they had repented of their sins. When a person really changes his mind about sin, he will also change his practice of that sin. This does not insure that he will never make the same mistake again -- but it does mean that if he makes no attempt to alter his unacceptable lifestyle, he has not shown fruit or evidence of repentance. See Matthew 3:8.

 John’s message was that the Messiah and the Messianic kingdom were at hand. The time had arrived for the people of God to make themselves ready for Christ’s reign. John preached, saying, ‘There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose” (Mark 1:7). He tied his message of repentance in with the fact that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:1).

 John’s baptism was for those who had repented -- and it was “for the remission of sins.” No individual was, or is, qualified to participate in heaven’s kingdom unless and until his sins have been forgiven. This does not suggest that those who come into God’s kingdom are necessarily “better” than others, nor that they automatically make a smaller number of mistakes than others. They certainly are not sinless. The one over riding difference is that they have met the conditions of forgiveness. To the straying Israelites of his day, John promised forgiveness if they would repent, be baptized, and exercise faith in the One coming after him, Acts 19:4. Even today, these conditions prevail, though for us who live after Christ’s ministry, faith in Christ must come before we repent and are baptized, Acts 2:36-38; Mark 16:15-16; Gal. 3:26-27).

 --CRJ

A MOMENT OF SILENCE: THE ATHEISTS RESPONSE TO TRAGEDY

 [Editor’s note:  The following article was written in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, but we believe its message is timeless.  --CRJ]

On Sunday, following the bombing of the previous week, many sports activities began their programming with a moment of silence.  Why not do something profitable?  Like offer a prayer to God.

When the earliest rescue crews and disaster relief teams arrived one of them even brought a chaplain to assist in the counseling of the victims.  They are to be praised.

In fact, it is because of the teaching of Christ that there is so much altruism in America.  Christ taught that we should not be concerned with our own welfare but the good of others, 1 Cor. 10:24.  Others should be put before one’s self, Phil. 2:1-3.  This spirit emboldened one young woman, a nurse, to enter a part of the building so unsafe that it led to her death.

The religion of Christ or belief in God has led many to make great sacrifices to build institutions to help other men.  Hospitals, orphanages, colleges, service organizations (such as scouts, YMCA's and YWCA's) have all been started by the devout.  Can you name a single such organization which has ever been started by an atheist or group of them?

Perhaps some atheists helped in the rescue efforts, but if they did it was because they followed the example and teaching of believers.  There were no atheist organizations involved.  What could they do?  Oh, yes, they could have a moment of silence before a ball game.

 --Floyd Chappelear, Stand, May 15, 1995

FISH TALK

There are some in the religious world today who are saying some wrong things about God. They say that God did not really give us specific things in the Bible to know and obey. They say that we cannot know what God wants us to do.

These individuals think that God is so smart and so intelligent that we cannot possibly understand what He wants us to do. They believe that there is no way that God can get down on our level of thinking to say what He wants us to know. So they say that He just gave us some cloudy principles to learn. Some who teach this, say that there is God talk and then there is man talk. And that there is no proper translator between the two.

But there is a scripture in Jonah that show all of this thinking to be wrong. In Jonah 2:10, we read, "And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land." Does that sound like God had a hard time telling the fish what to do? Does that sound like the fish did not understand what God told it to do?

A fish is not near as smart as one of us. God made us a lot smarter than any fish. In Jonah 3:1-2, God tells Jonah what he wants him to do. Jonah had just been vomited up on dry land by a fish. Did Jonah have any trouble understanding what God wanted him to do? Did God have trouble telling Jonah what He wanted him to do?

Do not let anyone tell you that God has trouble telling us what He wants us to do. God created us. If He created us, He surely can talk to us in language we can understand. And He created us with a mind to understand what He wants us to do to obey Him.

Keep studying God's word, the Bible. It contains what God wants us to know. He gave us a mind to read and study it.  Get the wisdom of God. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

--Mark McWhorter, Wisdom's Corner

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me good night and I felt loved and safe.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."

--adapted from Tim Smith's mailing, thanks to J & W.R.

MORE INFORMATION...