In This Issue

• PETER: "I DO NOT KNOW THE MAN"
• YOU NEVER OUTGROW YOUR NEED
• A HUMAN INTEREST STORY
• HOW TO KILL THE LOCAL CHURCH
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

PETER: "I DO NOT KNOW THE MAN"

In Matt. 26:34, Jesus foretold that Peter would deny Him. In vs. 58, as the soldiers led Jesus away, Matthew writes: "But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end." Then, beginning in verse 69, Matthew continues: "Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, 'You also were with Jesus of Galilee.' But he denied it before them all, saying, 'I do not know what you are saying.' And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, 'This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.' But again he denied with an oath, 'I do not know the Man!' And after a while those who stood by came to him, and said to Peter, 'Surely you also are one of them, because your speech betrays you.' Then he began to curse and swear, saying, 'I do not know the Man!' And immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' Then he went out and wept bitterly" (Matt. 26:69-75).

An obvious lesson we may learn is that we often are not aware of the potential for evil that lurks within our own hearts. When Jesus had foretold that all the disciples would forsake Him, they insisted that such would not be the case, Matt. 26:35. Peter, most vocal of them all, insisted that he would die with Jesus before he would deny Him. But Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. And sure enough, before the rooster finished crowing the next morning, Peter had denied Jesus, not one, but three times. And he reinforced that denial with a curse and an oath.

In assessing Peter's weakness we tend to assume that it was fear of death that caused Peter to deny the Lord. While this might be the case, let us remember that when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, it was Peter who drew his sword and sought to defend the Lord. It is evident that at that moment, Peter would have fought and died to keep Jesus from being arrested. May we suggest that, in addition to whatever physical fear Peter may have experienced, there is another factor -- the shame that attached itself to the crucifixion. There was no more shameful way a man could die. Crucifixion was normally reserved for only the vilest of criminals. According to the scholars, Roman citizens were never crucified, no matter what they had done. As Jesus was arrested, mocked, spat on, beaten, ridiculed and soon to be crucified, His enemies turned to Peter and identified him as one of Jesus' followers. And Peter was ashamed to admit the accusation was true. May God help us not to be ashamed of Jesus in our own sinful, adulterous generation, Mark 8:38.

--CRJ

YOU NEVER OUTGROW YOUR NEED

The story is told of a soldier during W.W.II who found himself on a small Pacific island making conversation with one of the locals. As they talked, the islander suddenly disappeared into his hut and returned a few minutes later with a Bible in his hand. "This is my most prized possession," he said. The American soldier turned up his nose and replied, "I outgrew that sort of thing years ago." Unimpressed by the soldier’s "superior knowledge," the islander replied, "It’s a good thing for you we haven’t outgrown it here. If we had, you would have been a meal as soon as we saw you."

Have you outgrown the Bible? If so, how very fortunate you are to live in a land where many of your fellow citizens have not done so. The thousands killed and maimed by drunk drivers might well be multiplied many times over if it were not for the influence of the word of God. The sexually transmitted diseases that run rampant through our land among the promiscuous and the homosexuals might be ten times worse if it were not for the influence of God’s word. We live in an age of almost unparalleled crime -- crimes of violence plague our streets and highways, and those who are in authority seem almost helpless to solve the problem. Thank God for the influence of His word that keeps millions of people from submitting to the temptation to join in with the violent and lawless crowd.

A few years ago, when I was working with the church in Exton, Pennsylvania, a caller left a message on my recorder using filthy uncouth and vulgar language which I will not repeat. The gist of his message was that those of us who preach, teach and stand up for the ancient truths of God’s word are "3,000 years behind the times." Our caller obviously has no intentions of letting God’s word inhibit or restrict his words or deeds, but he ought to get down on his knees and thank God that he lives in a land where his bribe has not yet snuffed out the influence of God’s word. He lives in a better community because a lot of his neighbors do not feel as he does.

--CRJ

A HUMAN INTEREST STORY
(From the News)

Tom Robinson, minister at the Manhattan church, was walking his black Labrador, Molly, in Central Park at 8:45 a.m. on the Tuesday when the Trade Center was hit. "You wake up (and see) these two buildings... solid as the rock of Gibraltar. And before your breakfast is digested they’re gone, and (so are) thousands of people," he said.

At press time, three days after the tragedies, Robinson knew of only one member of his congregation of 275 whose husband was missing after the blasts. The church was ministering to the family, he said.

Churches near the nation’s capital didn’t know of any members killed in the Pentagon. The hijacked plane crashed into a section that was under renovation, said Col. William "Bill" Booth.

"If this had occurred six months ago, our office was right in the middle of the impact zone," said Booth, deputy director of manpower and organization for the U.S. Air Force and member of the church in Manassas, Va.

While some rejoiced that their families were safe, others mourned their dead.

Thomas E. Burnett, Jr., 38, was senior vice president for a company that makes medical devices. Burnett, a 1992 graduate of Pepperdine University, boarded United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11. He was headed home to San Ramon, Calif.

After the hijacking, he called his wife, Deena, on his cell phone. He said he and other passengers were going to try to stop the hijackers. It was the last time they spoke.

The plane crashed near Shanksville, Penn., killing all 38 passengers and seven crew members. Members of Stonycreek Church of Christ in Shanksville made sandwiches for the crews investigating the scene, said church member Clara Hinton.

"We may never know how many people helped him or what they did," Deena Burnett told the Los Angeles Times, "But I know without a doubt that that plane was bound for some landmark and they saved many, many more lives than were lost on that plane."

Back in Manhattan, Robinson said the topic of his sermon for Sept. 16 was to be, "Reaching Out to a Lost World." He saw no reason to change it. The devastation had New Yorkers, who usually don’t speak to each other, talking and even hugging.

"There are plenty of opportunities to affirm God’s love," he said.

He said the tragedies emphasized "the tenuousness of life, the uncertainty of life," even when it is wrapped inside buildings of concrete and steel.

"You see that your life has to be built on something sturdier than this."

--Eric Tryggestad, Christian Chronicle, October 2001

HOW TO KILL THE LOCAL CHURCH

• Don’t come.
• If you do come, come late.
• When you come, be a grouch.
• At every service, ask yourself, "What’s in it for me?"
• Never accept responsibility. It is easier to sit back and criticize.
• Visit other congregations about half the time to show that you don’t feel any obligation to the local church.
• Sit as far back as possible and never sing.
• Never purpose to give as you prosper. Just drop in your loose change.
• Never compliment the preacher or class teacher. If you like a lesson, keep mum about it. (Many a teacher has been ruined by flattery).
• It’s good to tell your preacher’s failings (and those of other members) to any strangers that may happen in. Otherwise, they might be a long time finding them out.
• If there happens to be a few zealous workers in the congregation, make a tremendous protest against the church’s being controlled by a clique.
• When everything is harmonious, call it apathy or indifference or lack of zeal or anything under the sun except what it is.

--author unknown

It matters not what we think, feel, imagine, suppose, or would like to believe. The truth is what counts. Jesus said, "If you continue in my word, they are you My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free" --(John 8:31-32).

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