In This Issue

• SUPERNATURAL EVENTS ACCOMPANYING THE DEATH OF JESUS
• "NOT AS NARROW AS SOME"
• SEARCHING FOR THE RUNAWAYS
• THE IMPROVED ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE "CHURCH MOUSE"
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

SUPERNATURAL EVENTS ACCOMPANYING THE DEATH OF JESUS

Matthew 27:50-56 records, "Jesus, when He had cried out with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those who were with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’ And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons."

In these verses, Matthew gathers together several loosely connected matters of which to inform us, before he goes on to describe the burial of Jesus.

A comparison of Matthew’s account with that of Mark and Luke is particularly interesting at this point. Both Mark and Luke mention that there were three hours of darkness in the middle of the day when Jesus was crucified. All three accounts record that the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. It was that veil that for centuries had kept the Holy of holies, the most sacred part of the temple, off limits to every human being except the high priest. Even the high priest could enter behind the veil only once a year, with a sacrifice for his own sins, and one for the sins of the people. Virtually all scholars agree that the tearing of the veil was God’s way of indicating that He was in the process of taking away the Old Testament system and replacing it with a system where all His servants are priests and all have access to His throne.

Only Matthew mentions the earthquake, and that in connection with the resurrection, the opening of the tombs, etc. It may be the same earthquake he mentions in 28:2, or perhaps the one mentioned there is a second one. At any rate, the resurrection of the saints did not take place until after Jesus’ resurrection.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the faith that was produced in the Roman centurion by the events he witnessed at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. And all three inspired biographers mention the godly women who had followed Jesus from Galilee throughout His ministry, who stood in the distance and observed the Lord they had served physically, materially, and spiritually.

Only Matthew mentions what is perhaps the most startling thing of all in connection with Jesus’ death -- that after Jesus’ resurrection, many of the righteous dead were also raised. They went into Jerusalem and were seen by many of the residents there. Interesting as this event may be, we know nothing more about it than Matthew records in verses 52 and 53.

--CRJ

"NOT AS NARROW AS SOME"

Several years ago Cleon Lyles wrote of hearing a man say that he and some others were going to Japan to teach religion to the people of that land. The man remarked, "I am not as narrow as some who believe only their group will be saved." Lyles wrote, "I could not help wondering why he was going at all. If every religion is right he is wasting his time and energy. There are more religions in Japan than almost any other place in the world. He said there were more than 700 different religions there. It looks like it would be a good time to let them alone if just anything is right."

More recently, I read of a preacher who was dismissed from the church he served because he taught it was possible for a child of God to fall from grace. I wondered why they fired their preacher. If their doctrine is right, the preacher couldn’t fall from grace or lead anyone else to. In this case, it seems we have an example of how narrow those who claim not to be narrow can be. The Bible teaches that a child of God CAN fall from grace, Gal. 5:4. The doctrine that he cannot fall is false doctrine. The preacher found the truth on that subject and was dismissed for preaching it. How narrow can you get?

A church manual (creed book) published a number of years ago told the story of a young preacher who went fishing with a business man. As they fished the preacher decided to try to convert the man. After they talked for a time, the man said, "Here is water, what hinders me from being baptized?" The preacher, remembering the conversion of the eunuch in Acts 8, said, "If you believe with all your heart you may." The man answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." The preacher led the man into the water and baptized him. The next Sunday the church would not receive the man into its fellowship. The young preacher was called before a committee and warned not to repeat the act. He was not up on their procedure for baptizing. He knew what the Bible said, but he did not know what they taught. He had failed to bring the business man before a group of his peers so they could vote on whether or not he would be allowed to obey the Lord. It seems strange to hear such people talk about someone else being narrow.

A similar event took place in Texas in 1841, when a Baptist preacher by the name of T.W. Cox was excommunicated for condoning the baptism of a man by the name of L.P Rucker on a simple confession of faith in Jesus. Cox soon became identified with "the restoration movement" and led several Baptist congregations to become churches of Christ. Rucker also became a gospel preacher.

What about being narrow, anyway? How narrow should we be? If we respect God’s word we are forced to admit that we should be as narrow as God’s word is. We have no right to change what God has said. Jesus will not accept an appeal to prejudice. Even if we believed that every religion was acceptable, that would not make it truth. In the last day, Jesus will not judge us by what we think, or what someone else thinks, but by His words, John 12:48. We have access to His word and there will be no excuse for our being ignorant of it, or disobedient to it.

--CRJ

SEARCHING FOR THE RUNAWAYS

Throughout this country, thousands of children are "on the streets," having left their homes in search of "freedom" from the restraints of parents, teachers, rules and regulations. Many of them are quite young, celebrating an eleventh or twelfth birthday "on their own." Parents and friends live in anguish not knowing the whereabouts of these children. Unsure whether their children are living or dead, these parents and friends endure tremendous agony as they seek them out and bring these children back home. Many of these children leave home because they FEEL unloved and unwanted. Others run away because they ACTUALLY ARE NOT WELCOME at home, for one reason or another.

Throughout the kingdom of God, thousands of God’s children have turned back into the world, leaving the fold of God in search of "freedom" from God’s demands. They are also running from the watchful eye of elders and other members of the family of God. These are spiritual runaways who have disassociated themselves from the body of Christ.

It is nothing less than a terrible tragedy that so many members of the church have gone astray. Like sheep wandering away from the fold, they have placed themselves in great spiritual danger. 2 Peter 2:21-22 declares that a Christian who migrates back into the world is in an ugly predicament. "...The latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘The dog returns to his own vomit,’ and ‘The sow, that had washed to her wallowing in the mire.’" The Hebrews writer explains that those who do not endure, but draw back, do so to the condemnation of their own souls, Heb. 10:26-29.

Most every church has members who have "run away" from duty. They no longer attend and if we are not careful, we may even forget they exist. Too often, we fail in our duty to "round up the strays." In some cases, a "runaway" might not even be missed for quite some time. Even after a year or more, someone may inquire "I wonder what ever happened to John and Mary Doe? I never see them at a Bible class or worship anymore." What a shame! How pitiful when some of the sheep have jumped the fence and we are so busy we don’t even take notice! Elders, as shepherds, do have primary responsibility to watch out for souls, Heb. 13:17. But every faithful Christian is charged to "restore" those "overtaken in a fault" (Gal. 6:1).

Perhaps a runaway is reading these lines. If so, please know that God still loves and cares for you. So do your brothers and sisters. We all want you to come home and take your place with the family.

--Mark White, Bible Viewpoints

THE IMPROVED ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE "CHURCH MOUSE"

Some of us grew up during a time when the expression, "as poor as a church mouse" had some meaning. We understood that the economic status of a mouse was determined by the amount of food available to him, and a mouse choosing to make his abode in a church building was poor, indeed.

Well, times have certainly changed. Most so-called houses of worship are little more than "fronts" for social clubs, requiring giant dumpsters for all their garbage that even a colony of mice could not consume.

I don’t know if mice are social creatures, or if they are concerned about status in the rodent community, but if they are, the "Bill Gates" of mousedom would have nothing over the average "church mouse" of today.

Pity, however, the poor mouse who thinks he’s found his fortune by making his home in a church building, only to find out he’s in the meeting house of "antis"! What a letdown when all he can find are some meager crumbs from left-over communion bread and occasional stray Cheerios dropped by infants whose mothers were trying to quiet them. He might survive (if he’s a bachelor-mouse), but he’ll not be in the "upper-crust."

--Al Diestelkamp, Think on These Things, Vol. 32, Number 4

"Count your blessings, not your woes."

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