A Time Of Remembrance And Renewal by Frank Walton (wfwalton@juno.com)
"There is an appointed time for everything. And there
is a time for every event under heaven….A time to tear apart
and a time to sew together" (Ecc 3:1,7).
The tearing apart of clothes was the common Biblical custom to
show grief and morning in remembering a loss (Gen. 37:29, 2 Sam
13:31, 2 Kgs 22:11). Then, to sew them together again was when
the period of bereavement was completed. The wise man said, "Sorrow
is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be
happy" (Ecc 7:3). Ryrie observes, "Sorrow may have a
beneficial effect, tempering one's mirth with seriousness."
A Time to Remember
We, as Americans, all soberly remember where we were when the
news of a barbaric terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 shocked
our nation. About 3,000 innocent Americans were killed, more than
were killed by the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The
scenes of that sad day were horrific, of planes laden with innocent
passengers crashing into well-known American buildings filled
with people.
We somberly remember the lives lost, of mostly Americans and many
other foreign visitors, who were suddenly murdered. As Christians,
we should care about the suffering of others and that "prayers...be
made for all men" (1 Tim 2:1). May God comfort their grief
in remembering their loss. We should also pray for our President's
continued strong leadership, our civil government's welfare, and
our national defense "that we may lead a tranquil and quiet
life" (1 Tim 2:2; cf. Rom 13:1-7, 1 Pet 2:17).
We also recall bright acts of individual heroism and self-sacrifice
on that dark day. The first victory over terrorism was when passengers
on flight 93 rushed the hijackers and downed the plane in rural
Pennsylvania before it could strike our nation's capital. We recall
firemen, while others were streaming down the stairs of the WTC
to escape, who were courageously going up the stairs to save those,
who were complete strangers to them, needing rescue. We recall
the poignant account of those helpless souls trapped on the 89th
floor above the crash, who tearfully called their loved ones to
say their last goodbyes. Yet, they were suddenly saved by 2 construction
workers who came up to unlock a steel door that freed them. Those
2 construction workers again went up the stairs to free more stranded
people. They perished when the WTC collapsed.
A Time of Renewal
This is a time to renew our spiritual perspective about what matters
most in life. All the innocent who died that day had no idea when
they awoke that September 11th would be their last day on earth.
Our "life is but a vapor" - here today, gone tomorrow.
Who knows "what a day may bring forth" (Prov 27:1),
whether a day will find us among friends on earth or in the presence
of our Creator on the other side in a vast and endless eternity?
As we seriously ponder September 11th, we must remember that the
greatest tragedy in life is not dying, but dying unprepared to
meet God! What good can come from this tragedy? We should well
remember how on September 12th that many men's thoughts turned
to God! We hope sincere seekers will come to know and obey God
in genuine faith on this side of eternity. The Biblical admonition
is: "`Rend your heart and not your garments.' Now return
to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow
to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil"
(Joel 2:13).
Besides the many fine acts of self-sacrifice of men who died so
others might live on September 11th, the greatest selfless sacrifice
in the world happened 2000 years ago on a hill called Golgatha.
It is the soul-stirring sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us
(Rom 5:6-10). It was not for merely the best people who made a
few mistakes, but for even the worst of sinners. "For Christ
also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that
He might bring us to God" (1 Pet 3:18). This includes us
all (Rom 3:9), even those evil, deluded hijackers, Osma ben Laden,
and Sadaam Hussein. With Christ, we need to remember to work in
love to "save others, snatching them out of the fire"
(Jude 23).
Tradition by Dale Smelser
(Reprinted from the Wildercroft Announcements, http://www.wildercroft-church-of-christ.org)
The first word one hears in the production of Fiddler on the Roof
is, "Tradition." The story continues with the conflict
between cherished traditions which gave life a framework, and
changing ideas. Where traditions develop, there will always be
those blindly and prejudicially tied to them. As they grow inconvenient
there will likewise be those who break with them. Convenience
should not be determinative. Where God has spoken, his will should
prevail.
Students to whom the gospel is new grow puzzled at why some unbiblical
practices hold such strong sway in the practices of religious
folk. "How can people think they must go to a priest to be
absolved from sin when all Christians are priests themselves?"
The answer is tradition. Any tradition that is not from God must
not be required (Mt. 15:9). Any tradition which is from God must
be required (II Thess. 2:15). It is a tragedy that so many human
traditions have crept into the practices of those who think they
are following Christ.
The Sacramental system of the Roman Catholic Church has imposed
many human traditions that have been difficult to break away from.
These evolved to empower the Roman hierarchy. The authority of
the hierarchy over the lives and service of others was established
thereby. The church became the administrator of the Sacraments.
One could receive the Sacraments only through "the Church,"
that is, the priesthood and hierarchy. The spiritual control given
to humans over others is seen in the importance of the Sacraments:
"The Sacraments have been instituted as a special means through
which we are to receive the grace merited for us by Christ...and
one who refuses to make use of the Sacraments will not receive
God's grace" (Baltimore Catechism No. 3). So the Sacraments
are necessary for receiving the grace of God, and the church hierarchy
controls the Sacraments. Thus they control how and who receives
the grace of God.
And what are the Sacraments? Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist
(Lord's supper), Penance, Extreme Unction (Absolution before death),
Holy Orders (the priestly hierarchy), and Matrimony. You want
to be baptized; the "Church" must approve and do it.
And you must do the Penance the Church prescribes for any sin,
which you must confess to them. You want to be married, that is
also a church ceremony and controlled by them. Any of these done
without the Church is without the grace of God.
Besides rebelling against the idea of indulgences, works that
buy one time out of purgatory, and even the selling of them, Martin
Luther rebelled against this idea of Church Sacraments. It took
him time to break with tradition. It took others longer, and many
still have not accomplished that. Luther came to the conclusion
that there are only two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper.
He was right in that, but tradition kept this in control of human
clergy. Scripturally, baptism is between God and man. Philip did
not have to take the Eunuch back to Jerusalem and confer with
the leadership in order to baptize him. When the Eunuch believed,
the two simply got down from the chariot in which they were riding,
went down into the water, and Philip baptized the Eunuch, whereupon
the Eunuch arose to a new life (Rom. 6:4), born of water and spirit
(Jn. 3:5), forgiven of his sins (Acts 2:38), and entered into
Christ (Gal. 3:27), into his body (I Cor. 12:13). The "Church"
did not control that. Even the Lord's Supper, though done in assembly
with other Christians, required each to prove or examine himself
(I Cor. 11:28). The Lord, not a church organization, determined
who could partake.
The idea of such human authority against which Luther rebelled,
and the control by the church of who partakes of God's grace,
are strong traditions which people centuries later have trouble
breaking away from. "In vain do they worship me, teaching
as their doctrine the commandments of men" (Mt. 15:9)
IN THE WORLD… (Selected from The Beacon)
More than four out of five Americans claim to be Christian . .
. Nine out of ten adults own a Bible. Most adults read the Bible
during the year and a huge majority claims they know all of the
basic teachings of the Bible. Yet, the majority of people say
Satan does not exist, that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol,
that eternal peace with God can be earned through good works,
and that truth can only be understood through the lens of reason
and experience. A majority of Americans also contend that Jesus
committed sins and that the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon all
teach the same truths.
- via Barna Research Online
John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
THE BOTTOM LINE
"Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours
are long and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out
of this world!"
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Our weekly services are held at 1318 Griffin Road, Leesburg, Florida
34748.
Phone: (352) 365-9946 for times of services.
Web site: http://www.careydillinger.com/cocbs/cocbshp.htm
MONTHLY BIBLE READING: Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5-7
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
BIBLE INSIGHT is published for the members of, and
visitors to, the Church of Christ at Beverly Shores, Leesburg,
Florida, USA.
Carey Dillinger is the editor. He can be reached at the church
address or via e-mail: webmaster@careydillinger.com