In This Issue

• WHOEVER DESIRES TO BE GREAT
• ARE THE JEWS GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE TODAY?
• SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

In Matt. 20:20-23, Salome, the mother of Zebedee's children came to Jesus with her sons, James and John and asked the Master to give them special seats of authority in His coming kingdom. She had assumed that His kingdom would be political in nature. She was wrong. Jesus answered, "You do not know what you ask." Then Matthew tells us that when the other ten apostles heard Solome's request, "they were moved with indignation against the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many'" (Matt. 20:24-28).

It might be noted that the word translated "Gentiles" in verse 25 is the word commonly translated "nations." In effect, Jesus said, "The rulers of the nations lord it over them." This again helps to underscore that the rule of Jesus is, in many ways, not comparable to that of carnal kingdoms. Jesus' rule is a spiritual rule over the hearts of willing subjects. As the apostles entered into that kingdom, they too would seek to be of service, instead of seeking to be served.

It is true, of course, that Jesus had selected these 12 men to be His spokesmen on earth after He ascended the throne in heaven. To enable them to speak for Him as His ambassadors, He sent the Holy Spirit to remind them of all He had taught while He walked among them, to guide them into all spiritual truth, and to show them things that were yet to come, John 14:26; 16:13. Being heaven's representatives on earth, they are figuratively described as sitting on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel, Matt. 19:28. This would take place during the time that men are being regenerated or born again -- which includes our present time. Even today, as we read and are guided by the written message of the apostles in the New Testament Scriptures, through those writings, Christ is speaking to us, and though those apostles are to be respected as His ambassadors, no personal glory attaches to any of them. All glory and honor belongs to our Lord, who through His chosen representatives, speaks from heaven. "God, who at various times and different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son whom He has appointed heir of all things" (Heb. 1:1). "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth [Moses], much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven" (Heb. 12:25). Christ is our King today, and we must hear Him as He speaks through the written message of the New Testament Scriptures, for when He comes again, it will be to judge us by His word, John 12:48.

--CRJ

In his FALWELL CONFIDENTIAL, fax of Jan. 22, 1999, Jerry Falwell, a nationally known Baptist preacher, admitted to getting himself into hot water a few days earlier by saying that he believed that the antichrist is a male Jew, living now in the present time. The Anti-Defamation League got onto Jerry’s case quickly, accusing him of anti-Semitic comments. Thus, in his fax, Mr. Falwell, though not backing off his statement, attempts to "smooth over" the situation by saying, "I am whole-heartedly pro-Israel and am committed to ensuring that the State of Israel remain free. The Jews are God’s chosen people and we are, as Christians, miraculously connected to them as adopted brethren. ...I honestly believe that, as a Christian, it is my responsibility to honor and revere the people God chose as His own."

While it is true that Abraham and his descendants, through the lineage of Isaac and Jacob (Israel) WERE God’s chosen people of Old Testament times, it is NO LONGER the case. God’s purpose for making of Abraham a great nation was to bring into the world the Christ. Christ was "Abraham’s Seed" and the Law of Moses was given to govern the nation of Israel "until the Seed should come" -- read Gen. 12:1-3; 22:15-18, and Gal. 3:16-29. Notice in the context of Galatians (written about A.D. 58) just cited, the inspired writer taught acceptance with God was NO LONGER (vs. 25) through the Law of Moses, but was based upon one’s being in Christ. The New Testament makes it plain, repeatedly, that no one is now under the Law of Moses, for it was fulfilled in Christ, and taken out of the way so that the New Covenant of grace and truth could be established. (Read such Scriptures as Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:44-45; Acts 13:16-39; the book of Romans, chapters 2-11; Galatians, chapter 1 through 5:7; and the first 10 chapters of the book of Hebrews; etc.) Therefore, to maintain as does Mr. Falwell, that the present State of Israel now occupying Palestine (and all the other Jews throughout the world living today) are still God’s chosen people is to demonstrate a gross ignorance of Biblical teachings. It is just not true! God’s chosen people today are the ones (whoever and wherever they may be -- whether Jew or Gentile) who believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, and obey the terms of pardon found therein (repentance of sins, confession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and baptism into Christ for the forgiveness of sins). Such folks are added to the church of the Lord, Acts 2:36-41, 47, and thus compose God’s "spiritual Israel" of today. "...If ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise" (please read carefully again Gal. 3:26-29). Christians then, regardless of fleshly descent, race, or national origin, are the "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16). "Fleshly descent" is not the determining factor. Notice the "spiritual sense" in which the apostle uses the term "Jew" in Rom. 2:28-29. 

--Maxie B. Boren via Waymarks

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

When James Garfield was president of Hiram College in northwest Ohio, a man brought his son for entrance as a student. He indicated that he wanted a short course for his son so he could finish sooner. Mr. Garfield said,
"Yes, I can arrange a short course. It depends on what you want to make of him. When God wants to make an oak tree He takes hundreds of years, but when He wants to make squash, He takes only two months." This should help emphasize the importance of regularity in worship and Bible classes. It takes time to grow into Christian maturity. Peter said that we need to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pt. 3:18). Therefore, we must not forsake "our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh" (Heb. 10:25).

--State College, PA bulletin, April 15, 2001 (Tom Merritt, editor)

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